First Touch Drills In Football - Top 8

Why Is Your First Touch Important?

A good first touch is crucial in football as it sets the tone for the rest of the play. A player with a strong first touch can control the ball effectively, maintain possession, and create scoring opportunities. On the other hand, a poor first touch can result in the ball being lost to the opposing team or a misdirected pass. Therefore, it is important for football players to develop their first touch skills in order to improve their overall game. To help out, we’ve put together a list of 8 great drills that can be used to improve your first touch on the football field.

The best thing about these drills is that many of them can be done individually, or with the help of teammates. If you’re looking to work on other aspects of your game, we’ve also got tips for improving your defending, shooting, and strength on the pitch.

Juggling

Juggling may be one of the best individual drills there is for improving first touch. That’s partially because juggling is so versatile and can be performed anywhere. All you need is the ball to get started.

Juggling simply involves keeping the ball in the air using various parts of the body. This may include your feet, thighs, chest, head, or shoulders. Juggling improves your ability to manipulate the ball with all different parts of the body. By regularly practicing juggling, you can help develop your first touch under different circumstances. This can be especially useful in game situations where you may need to control the ball out of the air.

Inside Foot Trap

The inside foot trap is a technique used to control and receive the ball when it’s close to the body. This drill simply involves using the inside of your foot to control passes from a teammate. If you don’t have a teammate to pass the ball with, just pass the ball off a wall to improve your first touch.

Using the inside of the the foot is the most common first touch in football. For that reason, you’ll want to make sure you really have this basic technique down. You want your first touch to be about one step away from you. This should set you up to either make a pass or shoot the ball.

Outside Foot Trap

The outside of the foot first touch is another crucial skill to have in your tool box. This drill involves using the outside of the foot to control and receive passes from a teammate. Focus on receiving the ball with the outside of your foot, and playing it back with that same foot.

This touch is especially useful when you’re trying to make quick turns in and out of space. Being able to control the ball with the inside and outside of the foot will give you much more freedom and versatility as a player.

One Touch Passing

One touch passing involves quickly releasing the ball to a teammate with just one touch. This drill helps players develop their ability to quickly control and release the ball, allowing for fast and efficient ball movement. I’d recommend incorporating one touch passing into small sided drills to get the most benefit.

By practicing one touch passing, you can also improve your ability to make quick and accurate passes to teammates, which can be crucial in fast-paced game situations. This skill can also be useful for maintaining possession and catching the opposing team off guard.

Two Touch Passing

Two touch passing involves controlling the ball with one touch and releasing it with a second touch. This drill helps players develop their ability to control the ball and make accurate passes to teammates.

By practicing two touch passing, you can improve your ball control and passing accuracy, which can be crucial for maintaining possession and setting up scoring opportunities. Taking two touches also helps train you to set your first touch up for success.

Thigh Trap

The thigh trap, as you would expect, involves using the upper part of the thigh to control the ball. This drill helps players develop their ability to control the ball with their thighs, allowing for improved ball control in tight spaces. By practicing the thigh trap and thigh juggling, players can improve their ability to control the ball when passes come in from awkward angles.

Chest Trap

The chest trap involves using the chest to control the ball. This drill helps players develop their ability to control the ball with their upper body. This allows for improved ball control in the air. By practicing the chest trap, players can improve their ability to control higher passes and maintain possession in the air. This skill can be particularly useful when attacking or defending in tight spaces.

Two Touch Game

Two Touch is one of the most challenging and fun games to play with your teammates. The rules of the game are simple; keep the ball in the air by controlling the ball with one touch, and sending a pass with your second touch. This game is useful because it teaches you to be efficient with your touches. Your first touch has to set you up perfectly to make a pass to your teammate. The first player to mess up and let the ball hit the ground, loses. Try this game with a friend and see how many passes you can get!