One of the most common weaknesses in soccer is first touch coming from a high pass or punt. To settle the ball out of the air takes a lot of training to build the technique & confidence. There are different ways to do this depending on how the ball is coming to you, but you need to practice these 3 drills weekly.
Whether the ball is coming down for you to take your first touch with your foot or if it comes at your chest or thigh, you need to know how to settle the ball quickly.
Building skill and confidence
There are different ways to practice, but what I recommend is starting with small tosses. This way it’s easier and you can get more and better reps.
Once you can get 10/10 start to throw the ball higher and then see how you do. You might only get 7/10, which would be considered pretty good for balls that go high up.
The biggest challenge will be when a partner either punts a ball up or kicks it from the ground 30 yards. Intimidation is one thing that makes this harder, besides not getting as many reps on these high & far long balls coming at you.
Last, practice controlling the ball under pressure with a defender coming at you. The hard part about this is your feelings (freaking out), so stay calm and focused. d
3 most productive ways to settle the ball
Not only will you take your first touch like these 3 ways, but you’ll also need it for your 2nd or 3rd touch…
For example: Let’s say you trap the ball out of the air and it keeps bouncing… This is when you will need to take another touch to settle it down, using the top, inside or outside of the foot.
Settle the ball using top of the foot
When controlling the ball with the top of your foot, try to connect on the air pocket vs laces.
By letting the ball hit the air pocket you’ll notice your touch will be softer and better. When you connect on the laces it can work if you know how to absorb the touch, but for most players it will bounce further away, making your 1s touch too big.
As the ball is coming down, raise your foot about 10 inches and right before the ball hits your foot lower it (elevator). This will create a soft touch, allowing you more success.
Inside of the foot – quick bounce
The in and outside of the foot are more difficult for most people…
Timing is the key piece.
Proper form is the other thing you want to know and practice… Notice in the video above, I bring my leg out wide to allow the foot to get on top of the ball. This allows the ball to settle and not bounce up.
Outside of the foot – quick bounce
Using the outside, no bounce is arguably the most difficult. It’s usually one that players haven’t seen as much at team practice.
Coaching points:
- Make sure your toes are up
- Knees bent
- Get your foot over the ball, so that when the ball hits off the ground, bounces up to your foot and settles to the ground.
- The ball will end up going a little to the side of you.
Toss the ball up to yourself 10 times, alternating feet… Therefore, you will get 5 with the right and 5 left. Do this every week, it’s that important.
Once it gets easy, throw the ball up higher.
2 other important ways to settle the ball
If I had to pick another key technique that will present itself in games, it would be inside of the foot, no bounce.
The driven or long balls that come about knee high…
1) Inside foot (no bounce)
How to practice this drill ↑
- Have a partner kick or throw the ball over & under handed.
- Aim at the knee, so that when it comes in the player settles the ball down.
- If the ball is higher, use the thigh and if lower, use the bottom or top of the foot, depending on how it comes at you.
2) Overhead first touch drill ↓
A more advanced drill that’s great for all positions, is this over the head toss that requires the player to bring the ball down.
The position that I think that would use this most, is a defender. The reason is because balls get played over the top, requiring the player to perform this type of skill.
Most players will be comfortable using a certain technique, but the player should be free to choose. Although, you don’t want to only be able to use one way. Make sure you practice using the top and addition to the outside and inside off the bounce.
Set yourself apart
Receiving balls out of the air are by far one of the most challenging things for a player. It takes a lot of time to get good at it.
To practice you need a mix of these drills to work on by yourself, plus receiving long balls from a partner.
The small tosses from yourself gets your form down, while having a partner kick or throw high balls is more realistic and intimidating.
I work with several college players during the summer and winter break and over 50% of them struggle. It takes time to have a clean and consistent first touch out of the air.
Practice long balls to improve trapping and passing
Once you are consistent at the short tosses to yourself or from a partner, add in more time receiving long passes or punts. It is much more intimidating and challenging, but you have to get used to it.
Last, don’t forget to continue working on our ball control courses! This is where you continue to improve with the ball at your feet.
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