zapjam
Through Ball
The passPass to grass, not to a player
In football, a through ball is the pass played into space for a team-mate to run onto. Here a pass is not a choice of receiver; it is a prediction about where the space will be a second from now.
Kick off
Through Ball
Pass to a patch of grass, not to a player.
Play full screen
Worth up to 1,000 zaps
Free · no account · nothing to install
0 All ages · Online leaderboard · Friend requests
Read the marker before you let go
The ball belongs to whoever gets there first
Clear. Your man gets there first, with room.
Contested. Both arrive together: a coin flip.
Lost. Theirs gets there first.
On goal. Aim at the goal and the ring keeps its verdict, with four ticks round it.
The marker reads the race as it stands. Their defenders only react once you let go.
About Through Ball
Through Ball is an arcade football tactics game built on one pass. You never pass to a player: you aim at open grass, and the ball belongs to whoever gets there first.
The pass
The readSlow time and read the race
Touch the screen and time drops to a fifth of its speed for three seconds. Every player trails a line showing where he is running, and the marker under your aim says whether your man gets there first.
The shotBend it round the keeper
Aim at the goal and the world freezes for four seconds while a power meter swings. Drag to bend the shot, and one struck at the top of the swing that goes in burns as a fireball.
The clubsTen clubs, five formations
Eleven a side and ten named clubs from Brackenford Town to Kingsfall Wanderers. Play a two-minute match against one, or pick two and watch them play each other.
The ladder
The clubs you play against
Your best match against each club is what counts.
- 1
Brackenford Town Deep, slow and honest. They will let you play. 100 - 2
Corwood United They sit off, then chase. One man closes you down at a time. 100 - 3
Alderwich Rovers Harder working, and the first of them starts breaking past the ball. 100 - 4
Greyfen Athletic Patient and compact. They wait for a loose ball rather than hunting one. 100 - 5
Ironvale FC Two of them close you down now, and they shoot from the edge of the area. 100 - 6
Sablewood City Quick feet, runners beyond the ball, and a striker who fancies it from range. 100 - 7
Thornmere Albion They keep the ball, move it early, and punish a lazy pass. 100 - 8
Highwater County Tight man-marking, a keeper with quick hands, and no wasted touches. 100 - 9
Redhaven Sporting Three close you down, and they break at pace with runners beyond the ball. 100 - 10
Kingsfall Wanderers Everything at once, faster than you, and a shot from thirty metres. 100
How to play
How to play Through Ball
- Pick the club you will play against and your formation on the team sheet, then press Kick off.
- Touch or click anywhere to slow time. Drag to aim (the direction is the line, the distance is the power) and let go to play the ball to that patch of grass. Let go inside the ring to cancel.
- Read the marker before you let go: a filled dot is clear, a dashed ring is contested, a cross is lost. While a ball is in the air, the same drag queues the next touch, and the receiver plays it first time.
- Aim at the goal and the world freezes: drag up or down to bend the shot and let go as the meter swings. Strike in the top tenth of the swing, and a shot that goes in burns as a fireball.
- A goal pays 100, plus up to 150 for a ball that carried the move straight at goal and up to 150 for reading it fast, all times the finish. A goal against costs 100. Full time comes after two minutes of pitch time.
Controls
On a computer. Click anywhere to slow time, drag to aim and release to play; release inside the ring to cancel. Esc pauses.
On a phone. Touch anywhere to slow time, drag to aim and lift to play; lift inside the ring to cancel. Best held in landscape.
Full time
Leaderboard
Worth up to 1,000 zaps
10 clubs × 100. Your best match against each club is what counts.
Sign in with a free zapjam account and your best match against each of the ten clubs goes on the all-time board, added up under your handle, with your own rank and the players either side of you. Then challenge a friend to beat it. Playing never needs an account.
Every submitted match is replayed by the server from its seed and your inputs, and the server works out the score itself, so nobody can type one in.
Questions about Through Ball
- Is Through Ball free to play?
- Yes. Through Ball is free in your browser, on a computer or a phone: no download, nothing to install, no ads, and no account needed to play.
- How do you play Through Ball?
- You never pass to a player: you aim at open grass, and the ball belongs to whoever gets there first. Touch to slow time, drag to aim, and let go to play the ball into space.
- Do I need to know football to play?
- No. The marker under your aim says whether your man gets there first, the race is a coin flip, or theirs does, so you can read every pass before you let go.
- How long is a match?
- Two minutes of pitch time, eleven a side, against the club you pick from ten, from Brackenford Town to Kingsfall Wanderers.
- Can I play Through Ball on a phone?
- Yes. Touch anywhere to slow time, drag to aim and lift to play. It is best held in landscape.
- Is there a Through Ball leaderboard?
- Yes. With a free zapjam account your best match against each of the ten clubs goes on the all-time board, and every submitted match is replayed by the server, so nobody can type a score in.
