pasningen

Pasningen is a term used in Swedish, Norwegian and Danish to denote the act of passing the ball in team sports, most commonly football (soccer). The noun pasning (and its definite form pasningen) appears in coaching, analysis, and sports journalism to describe the transfer of possession from one player to another. Beyond sports, the root verb passa also yields meanings related to fitting or matching, but in most contexts pasningen refers to ball distribution in play.

In football and similar sports, a pasning is any controlled delivery that moves the ball toward a teammate, with goals of preserving possession, creating space, or setting up a scoring opportunity. Passes can be short and precise to maintain rhythm or long and accurate to switch play or release a runner. Common variants include short passes, long passes, through passes (through balls) aimed at breaking a defensive line, and crosses sent from wide positions into the penalty area. The quality of a pasning depends on pace, weight, timing and technique, and players practice with the receiving touch in mind.

Tactically, effective pasningen supports team structure: it helps maintain tempo, exploit gaps, and control the pace of a game. It is often combined with movement patterns such as give-and-go sequences to disrupt opponents. Receiving the pass smoothly, controlling the ball, and choosing the next action quickly are essential complements to successful pasningen.

While most discussion centers on ball sports, the concept also appears in other uses of the term in Scandinavian languages, where pasningen can refer to fitting or aligning components or equipment.