First touch soccer drills for kids

What a good first touch looks like

• The player has looked around before the ball arrives.
• The body is half turned, not square to the passer.
• The touch moves the ball about a step, into space and away from the defender.
• The second touch is a pass, a dribble or a shot, with no extra touches to tidy up.

What to teach at each age

• U6: stop the ball with the sole or the inside of the foot.
• U8: control and pass in two touches. Start receiving on the back foot.
• U10: a first touch to either side, and a look before the ball comes.
• U12: receiving under pressure, on the half turn.

First touch drills

• Wall passingHundreds of first touches, alone, with both feet. U6 to U12.
• Receive across the bodyOpen up and take it on the back foot. U8 to U12.
• First touch gatesTouch it through a gate, left or right. U8 to U12.
• Receive and turn“Turn” or “man on”: choose the right touch. U8 to U12.
• Shoulder check colorsLook behind before you receive. U8 to U12.
• Thigh and chest controlBring a high ball down without heading. U8 to U12.
• Triangle passingReceive and pass on, around a triangle. U8 to U12.
• Rondo 3v1First touch away from a live defender. U8 to U12.

Example: Receive across the body

Receiving across the body is a first touch drill in which a player lets the pass roll across them and controls it with the foot farther from the passer. It trains an open body shape, so the player can see the whole field and play forward with the second touch. See the full drill.

Common first touch mistakes

• Stopping the ball dead under the body, which invites a tackle.
• Receiving flat-footed. Stay on your toes.
• A touch toward the defender, because the player did not look.
• Using only one foot, so half the field is closed.

Questions about first touch drills

• How do you improve first touch in soccer?

  With many repetitions and a purpose for each one. Wall passing gives the repetitions, and gates and a defender give the touch a direction.

• What is the best first touch drill for kids?

  For one player, wall passing. For a team, first touch gates in pairs: receive and take the first touch through a small gate to one side.

• Why does my child’s first touch bounce away?

  Usually the foot is stiff. Ask them to relax the ankle a little and pull the foot back as the ball arrives, like catching an egg.

Lessons to go with these drills

• Look, Then Turn or Return (7v7 lesson)Look for pressure before receiving. Turn into room or give the ball back.
• Receive: Turn or Connect (9v9 lesson)Check the space before receiving; a turn and a return solve different pressure.
• Look, Control & Choose (Futsal lesson)Look before receiving. Turn into room, or use support when pressure closes it.
• Can You Turn? (11v11 lesson)Look before the ball arrives. Turn when you have room; use your support when you don’t.

Keep reading

• Soccer drills to do at homeSolo and parent-and-child drills for a yard, a driveway or a wall
• Soccer passing drills for kidsPassing drills in teaching order: pairs, triangles, give-and-go and rondos
• Soccer dribbling drills for kidsBall mastery, ball-each games, turns and 1v1 for every age
• Soccer shooting drills for kidsShooting and finishing drills without long lines, for U6 to U12
• Soccer goalkeeper drills for kidsSet position, catching, angles and distribution for U10 and U12, with soft service
• First touch (soccer term)The touch you take as the ball arrives
• Central midfielder in soccerThe link player who receives on the turn
• Heading rules for kids in the USNo heading at 10 and under
• All soccer drills for kids46 soccer drills and practice games for U6 to U12, each with a setup diagram, coaching points and the lesson it trains
• Soccer practice plans for kids12 ready-to-use soccer practice plans for U6, U8, U10 and U12, each with a clock table, equipment list and linked drills