A player’s first touch is about much more than just bringing the ball under control – it is also about setting the ball up in order to execute the next skill – whether that is a smart pass out of defence or a thunderbolt strike at goal.
Players attempting to control then move the ball on must:
Warm up | Session | Development | Game Situation | Warm Down |
---|---|---|---|---|
10 minutes | 10 minutes | 15 minutes | 15 minutes | 10 minutes |
Put your players into pairs and mark out a small square for each to stand in, 10 yards apart, as shown in the top picture.
Players pass the ball back and forth, using only two touches – one to control and one to pass. The ball should only leave the squares when it is being passed.
To progress, increase the distance between the squares to 20 yards so each player has to control a more difficult ball and execute a more accurate pass.
Mark out a 15-yard square area and use eight players. Play begins with four attackers trying to keep possession against a single defender. An extra defender is added at 30-second intervals until team numbers are equal.
Play stops after two minutes and the teams switch roles. The winning team is the one that makes the highest number of successful passes.
To progress, play two-touch passing.
Mark out an area with a three-yard square in each corner. Play 6v6 and place a player from each team in diagonally opposite corners, as shown in the bottom picture.
This leaves a 4v4 in the main playing area, vying for possession of the ball. Players hit either a long or short pass accurately to one of their team mates in a target zone, who can only play twotouch, with the controlling touch keeping the ball inside the target zone to score a point.
No player from either side is allowed to enter these zones. Target players switch roles with two of their team mates regularly. The team that scores most points wins.
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