Great first touches start before the ball arrives. Most players who struggle to receive under pressure are not bad at controlling the ball. They just never looked to see where the pressure was coming from. This is a short, simple exercise to build the habit of checking your shoulder before you receive.
Setup
- Make a 15 x 15 yard square. Groups of three: two passers and one receiver in the middle.
- Place a small gate (two cones, two yards apart) on each of two opposite sides of the square.
- One ball per group. The two passers stand on the outside, one at each gate side.
How it works
The passer plays the ball to the receiver in the middle. Before the ball arrives, the receiver must check over a shoulder to see the open space. The receiver then takes a first touch away from the pass and out of the square toward that open space, and dribbles through the gate to the other passer. Roles rotate after each turn.
Progressions
- Start with no pressure. Focus on the shoulder check and a clean first touch with the outside of the foot.
- Have the passer call “left” or “right” late as the pass travels, so the receiver must use the first touch to go the opposite way.
- Add a passive defender who steps in as the ball arrives, then make the defender live.
Coaching points
Look early, and look more than once. Receive on the back foot, the one farthest from the pressure, so the body opens up to the field. Make the first touch a decision, not a stop. If the touch lands in the space you chose, the next pass or dribble is easy.
This takes five to ten minutes and fits easily into a warm-up.
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