First Touch
Directional First Touch Gates
Take the first touch into space, not under the feet
First Touch
Receiving
Premium
Directional First Touch Gates is a 12-minute first touch drill for 4-16 players, suitable for Under 5 to Adults at beginner, intermediate, advanced level. You need balls, cones. Below you will find the objective, the set-up, how to run it, coaching points, common mistakes, progressions, regressions and variations.
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Receiving
Technical Practice
Beginner
Intermediate
Advanced
Full Squad
Minimal Equipment
Foundation Phase
Youth Friendly
Adult Suitable
Ball Control
Duration
12 min
Players
4-16
Pitch size
20 x 20 yards
Ability levels
Beginner / Intermediate / Advanced
Pitch diagram
Directional First Touch Gates — 4 gates — score by travelling through · 20 x 20 yards
Step 1 of 3Server passes in, worker controls into a chosen gate and returns the ball.
- 1. Server passes in, worker controls into a chosen gate and returns the ball.
- 2. Coach calls the surface: inside, outside or sole.
- 3. Sixty seconds per worker then swap.
- Cones mark the area
- Cone gates to dribble / pass through
- Ball
- C = coach / server
- Solid arrow = pass, thick = shot, dashed = run / dribble
Objectives
- -Take the first touch into space, not under the feet
- -Use inside, outside and sole controls
- -Receive from all angles and heights
Setup
- 1Circle of servers around a 20 yard area.
- 2Working players inside with no ball.
- 3Four exit gates marked on the circle edge.
Coaching instructions
- 1Server passes in, worker controls into a chosen gate and returns the ball.
- 2Coach calls the surface: inside, outside or sole.
- 3Sixty seconds per worker then swap.
Coaching points
- -Decide where the touch is going before the ball arrives
- -Cushion or push, never stop the ball dead
- -Move towards the ball, don't wait for it
- -Both feet used equally
Common mistakes
- -Touch too heavy through the gate
- -Standing flat and waiting
- -Same foot every time