First Touch
Two-Touch Aerial Control Zone
Control balls arriving out of the air
First Touch
Receiving
Two-Touch Aerial Control Zone is a 12-minute first touch drill for 2-14 players, suitable for Under 9 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.
Back to drill libraryFirst Touch
Receiving
Technical Practice
Beginner
Intermediate
Advanced
Full Squad
Minimal Equipment
Youth Friendly
Adult Suitable
Two Touch
Duration
12 min
Players
2-14
Pitch size
18 x 14 yards
Ability levels
Beginner / Intermediate / Advanced
Pitch diagram
Two-Touch Aerial Control Zone — Marked area · 18 x 14 yards
Step 1 of 5Server throws or lofts the ball into the control zone.
- 1. Server throws or lofts the ball into the control zone.
- 2. The receiver controls with thigh, chest or laces and sets the ball down.
- 3. The receiver then plays a firm pass back to the next server.
- 4. Ball enters from the coach and the first receiver is on two touches from that moment.
- 5. Count completed sequences under the touch limit — best of three 3-minute rounds.
- Cones mark the area
- Dashed lines = zones / thirds
- Ball
- C = coach / server
- Solid arrow = pass, thick = shot, dashed = run / dribble
Objectives
- -Control balls arriving out of the air
- -Choose the right surface for the height of the ball
- -Play out cleanly after the control
Setup
- 1A control zone with a serving line ten yards away in a 18 x 14 yards area.
- 2Place a marker at every receiving position so players know where to set the ball before it arrives.
- 3A supply of balls at the serving line.
Coaching instructions
- 1Server throws or lofts the ball into the control zone.
- 2The receiver controls with thigh, chest or laces and sets the ball down.
- 3The receiver then plays a firm pass back to the next server.
- 4Ball enters from the coach and the first receiver is on two touches from that moment.
- 5Count completed sequences under the touch limit — best of three 3-minute rounds.
Coaching points
- -Get behind the flight early
- -Relax the surface on contact
- -Second touch is a purposeful pass
- -First touch out of the feet and into the direction of the next pass
Common mistakes
- -Reaching for the ball instead of moving feet
- -Stiff surface bouncing the ball away
- -Taking a settling touch that kills the tempo
Where this drill fits
- More football first touch drills
- More football receiving drills
- football drills for U10s
- football drills for U12s
- football drills for U14s
- football drills for U16s
- Football session plans built around this theme