First Touch – perhaps the critical moment for a soccer player.  A good first touch and the player can make the play he wants.

Xavi:

Scholes:

With a bad first touch, the player is at best looking for a safe pass…and at worst is likely to turn the ball over.  The overall ability of a team’s first touch is typically indicative of a team’s technical quality.  Given this fact, you would think that a player’s first touch and all that goes with it would be a primary focus of a youth coach.

After all, a player’s first touch is essentially his first impression as a soccer player.  It provides vital information to his teammates, coach, and the opposition.  From a development perspective, a good, technical first touch is required before any tactical objective can be achieved.  If a coach wants his young charges to play out of the back, the defenders need a good first touch.  If a player takes too many touches to control the ball, the sequence will likely fail.  If midfielders are directed to switch the field (swing the ball from one side of the field to the other), a good first touch is necessary.  I could go on and on.

The technical aspect of receiving is developed through repetition at practice, under situations involving increasing pressure.  A crucial ingredient that must not be overlooked, however, is the education about the thought process behind a first touch.  WHY is a first touch important; why not just boot the ball down the field?  With a positive first touch, a player and his teammates can dictate the tempo of a game.  A good first touch can improve the speed of play; it is also a pre-requisite for the decision to slow down the game in the appropriate situation.

Essentially, players learn through playing – especially in small-sided games.  In this way, not only do players get more touches, but they need to solve problems and – with the help of their coach – demonstrate an understanding of a concept the coach wants to teach.  Through observation, a directional first touch serves as a cue for the coach as to what the player sees and how he processes a problem.  Now, the technical and the tactical components are combined to make for more efficient training.

When coaches “let them play” through such games, kids have the opportunity to experiment and refine their technique, develop their awareness, and hone their decision-making skills.  Coaches benefit as it becomes easier to assess and correct these same elements.  A player’s first touch is the key that opens the door.