From John Ellinger, Technical Director for US Youth Soccer -
I will say it again and again, the first touch is everything. One of the core objectives of US Youth Soccer's player development plan is for players to become more comfortable with the ball under pressure. After observing several US Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program (US Youth Soccer ODP) Boys' and Girls' Inter-regional events, both domestic and international, and also every round of US Youth Soccer's National League, I can say without hesitation that improving the quality of the first touch is US Youth Soccer's number one technical objective.
The first touch can encompass a number of different elements. It is how the player receiving the ball deals with the pace of the pass; how does the player deal with spin or bend of the ball; how does the player handle the location of the incoming ball (is it on the ground or is it in the air) and which surface should the player use to control this ball; based on pressure from opponents, space, or time, which direction does the player move the ball with the first touch; does the player have the ability to "feel the pressure" and effectively make a correct angle back to the ball or the proper run into space; can the player receive the ball and turn with it in one fluid movement; because of the previously mentioned type of pressure, does the player make the decision to play it one touch to a teammate; and does the player elect to make a strike at goal on the first touch or take another touch to get a better look at goal or a better shooting angle?
Watching Landon Donovan develop into a young superstar would be extremely rewarding for any and all coaches to watch. He was simply incredible with his first touch. He knew when he could effectively take it away from pressure, and he knew when to lay it off to another player because of pressure. Coaches often talk to their players about when to take risks or not to take risks in the various thirds of the soccer field. Watch Landon sometime and see how many risks he takes in the defensive third or middle third of the field regarding his first touch-zero. As part of Freddy Adu's development, he and I sat and watched this feat while Bruce Arena and the Men's National Team were training and playing matches in Bradenton, Florida several years ago. Developing young players need to see these types of situations for themselves. They need to understand that mistakes involving the first touch can create scoring opportunities, counter attacks or create numbers up situations for the opponent.
The first touch can encompass a number of different elements. It is how the player receiving the ball deals with the pace of the pass; how does the player deal with spin or bend of the ball; how does the player handle the location of the incoming ball (is it on the ground or is it in the air) and which surface should the player use to control this ball; based on pressure from opponents, space, or time, which direction does the player move the ball with the first touch; does the player have the ability to "feel the pressure" and effectively make a correct angle back to the ball or the proper run into space; can the player receive the ball and turn with it in one fluid movement; because of the previously mentioned type of pressure, does the player make the decision to play it one touch to a teammate; and does the player elect to make a strike at goal on the first touch or take another touch to get a better look at goal or a better shooting angle?
Watching Landon Donovan develop into a young superstar would be extremely rewarding for any and all coaches to watch. He was simply incredible with his first touch. He knew when he could effectively take it away from pressure, and he knew when to lay it off to another player because of pressure. Coaches often talk to their players about when to take risks or not to take risks in the various thirds of the soccer field. Watch Landon sometime and see how many risks he takes in the defensive third or middle third of the field regarding his first touch-zero. As part of Freddy Adu's development, he and I sat and watched this feat while Bruce Arena and the Men's National Team were training and playing matches in Bradenton, Florida several years ago. Developing young players need to see these types of situations for themselves. They need to understand that mistakes involving the first touch can create scoring opportunities, counter attacks or create numbers up situations for the opponent.
There are many simple exercises that players can use to improve the quality of their first touch.
Let's start with just one player and a ball; something the player can do in their backyard. The player would simply toss the ball several feet above their head and then attempt to control it by using what we call the "drag" technique. This is where the player uses either the inside or outside of one foot and then turns the foot at a 45 degree angle in the direction they would like to move the ball.
The player will also then lean the body in that same direction and then attempt to control the ball just as it is leaving the ground (short hop as some like to call it). The player will get the sensation that they are trying to "drag the ball" in the direction they are moving. The player should practice this procedure many times using the inside and outside of both feet. Also, the player should gradually increase the height of the ball toss in order to increase the difficulty of this exercise.
If another player is available, then one player can toss the ball to their partner at various heights. Then after the receiving partner drags the ball away in one direction and passes it back to their partner, you then repeat this process several times and then switch roles.
The above exercise helps to improve our first touch when receiving balls out of the air. Next is an exercise that can help the player when receiving the ball on the ground.
Place two cones on the ground ten yards apart, with player A, in the red shirt, standing by one cone with the ball and player B, in the blue shirt, standing beside the other cone waiting to receive the ball. Imagine that there is a solid line between the two cones. As player A passes the ball to player B, player B attempts to move the ball across this imaginary line with on their first touch and then play it back to player A.
Place two cones on the ground ten yards apart, with player A, in the red shirt, standing by one cone with the ball and player B, in the blue shirt, standing beside the other cone waiting to receive the ball. Imagine that there is a solid line between the two cones. As player A passes the ball to player B, player B attempts to move the ball across this imaginary line with on their first touch and then play it back to player A.
Player B can use either the inside or outside of the foot to receive the pass, but if the player uses the inside of the foot on their first touch, have the player pass it back with the opposite foot. If the player uses the outside of the foot on their first touch have them pass it back with the same foot.
This exercise is designed to help a player understand the principle of moving the ball away from pressure. After the player receives about ten balls, then have the players switch roles. The difficulty of this exercise can be increased with the passing player adding more pace to the pass or by adding a third player as a passive defender that tries to force the receiving player to move in a specific direction.