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| It All Starts With The First Touch |
By Bobby Howe
Editor’s note: Bobby Howe was director of coaching for the Washington State YSA at the time this article was published in that association’s Youth Soccer News. He has been involved in youth soccer, particularly in the Northwest, for most of his coaching career. He also had a stint as U.S. Soccer’s director of youth coaching education. This article originally appeared in the November-December 2002 issue of Soccer Journal.
It should be understood by players and coaches alike that controlling the ball, receiving the ball or stopping the ball (whichever terminology is appropriate) is not an end product in playing the game of soccer. The control, or first touch, on the ball sets the player up for his or her next action in the game. The next action may be a long pass, a short pass, a shot on goal or a decision to keep the ball.
The decision as to what the player will do with the ball should be made by the player before he or she receives the ball. If the decision
is made early, this affects the touch on the ball. The immediate space around the player also affects where he will control the ball.
In the diagram at right, X has received a lofted pass from his teammate Y. As the ball is on the way to X, the player decides to play the ball back to Y. As the ball is on the way back to X, he or she must assess the position of the opponent and the position of his or her teammate. X controls the ball away from O with the first touch to create an angle to make a simple pass to Y.
In this diagram, the ball is played by Y to X. As the ball is on the way to X, he or she has a quick look to assess the position of O. X observes that O’s marking position is good and decides to control the ball away from O, as shown, with his or her first touch and to play the ball back to Y. In this situation X may also have played the ball back to Y with his or her first touch. The decision as to when to control the ball or when to play it back with the first touch is dictated by the quality of the ball from Y and the pressure of O.
In this diagram, X has assessed that O is marking too tightly. With his or her first touch, X is able to successfully turn on the opponent and penetrate O’s defensive position.
In all practice sessions coaches should emphasize the quality of the first touch on the ball, because that is usually the most important one.
Following are games to practice the first touch that involve passing and shooting techniques.
Game 1
Set up the game, as shown. Player X and player Y must remain within their respective grids. X passes the ball to Y, who must control the ball with one touch and return the pass to X with the second touch. X controls the pass from Y and returns the pass to Y, etc. All control and passing must be made within the grid. Each player receives one point for an accurate control and pass into the other player’s grid. The size of the grids and the distance between the grids is dictated by the age/ability level of the players. It is also dictated by the type of pass required by the coach, e.g., side foot, chip, drive, lofted pass.
No points are given for balls controlled out of the grid or misplaced. The winner is the first player to score 20 points.
Coaching points
• A good first touch is necessary in order to control and maneuver the ball.
• Make an accurate pass.
Game 2
Set up the game around the penalty area, as shown. X1 and X2 are partners, YI and Y2 are partners, etc. X1 passes the ball along the ground through the penalty area. X2 starts behind the cone; he or she moves toward the ball, controls the ball into the restraining arc (the D) with one touch and shoots the ball at goal from inside the D. A point is awarded to the X pair for each goal scored. A goal is not allowed if X2 has more than two touches or if he or she does not shoot from within the D. X1 and X2 take turns to shoot. The X team competes with the other pairs; the winner is the first pair to score five goals.
Coaching points
A good first touch is needed to control and maneuver the ball. Take an accurate shot. Note: If the restraining arc is too far from the goal for young players to shoot, set up a grid nearer to the goal. Coaches can vary the size of the grid according to ability of the group.
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