Football/Soccer Session (Academy Sessions): First Touch (Beating defender with first touch)

Skill Training (35 mins)

Organisation 

2 teams starts inside a 20m x 30m area (10m x 10m boxes) with one player from each team inside each of the boxes and must remain inside their designated box. The team objective is to beat your defender with your first touch to facilitate a pass to a team mate in another box. Play will start with the coach serving the ball into one of the squares where the player who has the ball beats there defender with the first touch and passes to a team mate in another box. Each team gets a point with every successful first touch that beats the defender with 2 points if the player completes the pass to a team mate in addition to the successful first touch. Defenders are passive to start in that they can intercept but can not tackle. If a defender intercepts the ball, they retain the ball with the initial ball winner not having to beat their defender with the first touch but the player they pass to must beat their player with first touch which resets the game. If the ball goes out the coach serves a new ball in. 

Progressions

• Restricted to 2 touches when in possession
• Defenders become active
• Remove centre line to create 3 x 2v2's boxes with same rules applying

• Scan before you receive the ball 
• Take your first touch into space, away from the defender 
• Take a bigger touch to ensure you do not require a second touch to beat defender
• Attempt to take first touch in the opposite direction than the defender is running (to put defender off balance)