Football Drills & Trainingby Play 2 Earn Sports

Football first touch drills:131 you can watch in 3D

A good first touch buys time before the next pass or shot. Show players where the ball should go, not just how to stop it.

Coming soon to iPhone and Android.

Get early access
See all 131 first touch drills in the app
The sample drill Slow Pass Means Go: six players on a green pitch.
Try itSlow Pass Means Go

Drag a player, then press play. These are sample names: sign in and your real roster imports automatically. Try your own names, numbers and kit.

These drills teach players to receive the ball and move it on: setting it into space, turning and handling pressure. They run from U6 to adult teams, and most are for U10 to U16. Here are a few to look at, and the app has all 131, each one playing in 3D.

8 of 131

Y Pattern With Lay-Off and Through Ball: 7 players at the start of the drill, in 3D on a green pitch. U12

Y Pattern With Lay-Off and Through Ball

16 min · 7 players

Combine through the Y shape with a lay-off and finish the pattern with a through ball.

  • Lay the ball off into the runner's path
  • Check your shoulder before the through ball
Zigzag Wall Race: 12 players at the start of the drill, in 3D on a green pitch. U8

Zigzag Wall Race

10 min · 12 players

Bounce one ball back and forth across the channel from cone to cone as fast as your two lines can, beating your last time.

  • Aim for the front foot of the child opposite, about ten steps across, with the inside of your foot
  • Bounce the first wall pass back without stopping it, so your two lines get a fast start
Receive on the Back Foot and Turn Out: 7 players at the start of the drill, in 3D on a green pitch. U10

Receive on the Back Foot and Turn Out

14 min · 7 players

Receive on the back foot and turn away from a passive defender into space.

  • Check away before the pass arrives
  • Open your body with the first touch
Receive Across the Body and Play Forward: 9 players at the start of the drill, in 3D on a green pitch. U10

Receive Across the Body and Play Forward

14 min · 9 players

Receive across the body inside a triangle and play the ball forward with the next touch.

  • Open your hips before the pass arrives
  • First touch across the body, away from pressure
Receiving Under Pressure in a Channel: 8 players at the start of the drill, in 3D on a green pitch. U12

Receiving Under Pressure in a Channel

10 min · 8 players

Receive under pressure in a narrow channel with a chasing defender.

  • Shield the ball from the chaser
  • First touch into space
Turn and Shoot from the Edge: 7 players at the start of the drill, in 3D on a green pitch. U10

Turn and Shoot from the Edge

8 min · 7 players

Turn and shoot from the edge of the box.

  • Turn on the first touch
  • Shoot low and hard
Back-to-Goal 1v1: 7 players at the start of the drill, in 3D on a green pitch. U14

Back-to-Goal 1v1

10 min · 7 players

Hold up with back to goal, then turn or lay off to a runner.

  • Check over the shoulder
  • Use the body to shield
Receive on the Back Foot: 9 players at the start of the drill, in 3D on a green pitch. U12

Receive on the Back Foot

8 min · 9 players

Receive on the back foot, turn away from a passive defender and play forward.

  • Open your body to receive
  • First touch away from the defender

123 more first touch drills are in the app, each playing in 3D with the full set-up and steps.

See all 131 first touch drills in the app

What to coach

Open up

Stand side-on so the player can see the ball and the pitch ahead together.

Look first

A quick look before the pass arrives tells them which way to take the touch.

Touch away from pressure

Move the ball away from the nearest defender and towards the next action.

Making it harder

Different passes

Mix firm and soft passes, and use both feet, so players adjust each time.

A gate to touch through

Ask them to take the first touch through a gate, so the direction is clear.

Add a defender

Pressure from behind teaches shielding the ball and turning when it is on.

Questions

What age are first touch drills for?

U6 to adult teams, with most of the 131 from U10 to U16.

How many players do I need?

Most need 3 to 9 players, and many work in pairs.

How long do these run?

Most run for 8 to 16 minutes.

See all 131 first touch drills in the app

Coming soon to iPhone and Android.

Get early access
About the football drills app