The 12 first touch drills below are grouped the way most coaches plan them: by age (U10 and under, U11 to U18, college and adult), by level (beginner, competitive) and by kit (with equipment, ball only). Each one gives a player dozens of receptions in a few minutes, and several work solo against a wall.
"First touch" just means the way a player receives the ball: how they stop it, cushion it or move it into space with their first contact. A clean one buys a player a second or two to look up; a heavy one usually ends with a defender taking the ball.
What should a good first touch look like?
A good first touch takes the pace off the ball and moves it toward space the player picked before it arrived. US Youth Soccer's coaching manual breaks receiving with the inside of the foot into three parts. In preparation, stand with feet about shoulder-width apart, knees bent a little, toes of the receiving foot turned out so the arch faces the ball. On contact, gently pull the leg back to absorb the pace. Follow through by bringing the receiving foot back just beyond the standing leg, eyes on the ball (US Youth Soccer Skills School manual).
The same manual says receiving should be shown standing still first and then redirecting the ball, for example across the body or turning 180 degrees. That's the order the drills below follow. Ground balls come first for young players: the manual notes that before about age 9, kids can't track a ball in the air as well as adults, with an adult pattern arriving around age 10, and it schedules receiving with the thigh and chest at U12.
Age bands below follow U.S. Soccer's game formats, which cap play at 4v4 for U7 and U8, 7v7 for U9 and U10, 9v9 for U11 and U12 and 11v11 from U13. Distances are our own starting points; shorten them if passes aren't arriving.
Best first touch soccer drills for U10 and under
1. Receiving the ball with the inside of the foot
How to play. Pairs, one ball, 5 yards apart. Player A passes along the ground. Player B receives with the inside of the foot, stops it about a foot in front of their body and passes back. Ten each, then switch roles. Stretch to 8 yards when most passes are clean.
Coaching points. Toes turned out, ankle firm, foot slightly forward to meet the ball and pulled back on contact. If the ball bounces off, the foot is too stiff or going toward the ball. Watch the ball all the way onto the foot.
2. Outside trap and play
How to play. Same pairs, 6 yards apart, with a small cone gate (two cones a yard apart) set two yards to each side of the receiver. Player A passes. Player B uses the first touch to move the ball sideways toward one gate, then passes back through it. Alternate sides each rep.
Coaching points. The touch goes away from the body, not under it. Decide which gate before the ball arrives. Young players often look up after the touch; ask them to look before.
Best first touch soccer drills for U11 to U18 players
3. Pass and run back
How to play. Two lines facing each other, 10 yards apart, one ball. The first player in line A passes to the first in line B, then runs to the back of line B. B receives with a touch to the side and passes to the next player in A, then follows the pass. Keep it moving for two minutes.
Coaching points. The touch sets up the next pass, so it should go slightly to the side of the body, out of the feet. Call for the ball. Work both feet: one minute right, one minute left.
4. Receiving the ball with the outside of the foot
How to play. Pairs, 8 yards apart. A passes to B's right side. B receives with the outside of the right foot, turning the ball away into space, then plays it back with the inside of the left foot. Next rep, A passes to the left side.
Coaching points. The manual's cues: toes of the receiving foot turned in, little toe down so the outer edge of the instep meets the ball, and a gentle pull back to take pace off. Feet a bit narrower than shoulder width.
Best first touch soccer drills for college and adult players (19 to 24)
5. Trap, roll and play
How to play. Pairs, 10 yards apart. A throws a bouncing ball to B. B traps it under the sole as it lands, rolls it across the body with the same sole and passes back with the other foot, all in three touches. Increase the speed of the throw and then cut it to two touches: trap-roll in one movement, then pass.
Coaching points. Get the body behind the line of the ball first. The sole and the ground form a wedge, toes up, and the ball is pressed gently rather than stamped. The roll should take the ball away from an imaginary defender on the passer's side.
First touch drills for beginners
6. Wall passes
How to play. Solo, against a wall, a garage door or a bench, starting 5 yards away. Pass with the right foot, receive the return with the left, pass with the left, receive with the right. Thirty passes, then back up to 8 yards.
Coaching points. Receive across the body so the ball lands in front of the passing foot. A wall returns the ball at the pace you hit it, so firm passes mean harder receptions. That's a useful way to adjust the difficulty yourself.
Finish each set with a few shots. At home, the Open Goaaal® 3-in-1 Soccer Goal Trainer combines a goal, rebounder and backstop, so most missed shots come back and you can go straight into the next rep.
7. Touch and go
How to play. Two lines facing each other 10 yards apart. The front player in one line passes across. The receiver takes one touch out of the feet, at an angle, then dribbles to the back of the other line. The next player in that line has already moved forward to receive.
Coaching points. If the first touch stops the ball dead, the player has to take two more to get it moving again, so aim the touch a yard or two out in front. Use a ball of the right size: US Youth Soccer uses size 3 for 8U and younger and size 4 for 10U and 12U (our soccer ball size by age guide has the full chart).
First touch drills for competitive soccer players
8. Quick thinking passing
How to play. A receiver stands in the middle of a 10-yard square with a cone gate on each side, each gate a different color. A server passes in from outside. Just before the ball arrives, the coach calls a color. The receiver turns, takes the first touch toward that gate and passes through it.
Coaching points. Open body shape, side-on to the server, so the player can see more of the square. Check both shoulders before the ball comes. The first touch decides how quickly the pass can follow.
9. Long throw to wall pass
How to play. A stands 15 yards from B and throws the ball high, two-handed, as in a throw-in. B controls it out of the air with the thigh, chest or instep, then plays a one-two: pass to A, sprint forward, receive A's return pass.
Coaching points. For thigh control, the manual cues the receiving thigh raised at roughly 50 to 60 degrees to the shin, ball meeting the center of the thigh, and the thigh lowered at about the same speed as the ball. The ball should drop in front of the foot, ready for the pass.
First touch drills with equipment
10. 4v4 first touch game
How to play. 4v4 in a 25 by 20 yard area with two small goals at each end. One rule: every player must receive with a controlled first touch before passing. No first-time passes. A goal scored after a first touch that beats a defender counts double.
Coaching points. Freeze play rarely. Players learn more from repetition in the game than from standing still, and U.S. Soccer's Play-Practice-Play guidance (Feb. 2018) asks coaches to guide with minimal talking during game play. For keep-ball versions, see our rondo soccer and possession drills.
11. Using a wall and cones to mimic a defender's feet
How to play. Set two cones a foot apart, 2 yards in front of a wall. They're the defender's feet. Stand 8 yards from the wall, pass past the cones into the wall and, as the ball comes back, take your first touch around one side of the cones and dribble through a gate 5 yards behind you.
Coaching points. Touch away from the "defender", not into it. Let the ball travel across the body if you're going to the far side. Time it: ten reps, count how many get through the gate cleanly.
First touch drills without equipment
12. Juggling
How to play. All you need is a ball. Juggle three or four touches, then on the last touch kill the ball dead on the ground, using the instep or sole. Repeat. With a partner, A tosses the ball to B, who brings it down with one touch and passes back.
Coaching points. The cushion matters more than the juggle count. Every contact should take pace off the ball. Our guide on how to juggle a soccer ball has a two-week plan for beginners.
First touch drills FAQs
How do you practice first touch alone?
Use a wall. Wall passes (drill 6) and the wall-and-cones drill (drill 11) both work solo. Juggling and catching a thrown-up ball with the foot also count.
What's the difference between first touch and trapping?
Trapping usually means stopping the ball. A first touch can stop it, but often it's better to move the ball into space with the same contact. Our soccer trapping guide covers the stopping techniques in detail.
Which part of the foot is best for receiving?
Inside of the foot for most ground passes, outside of the foot to turn away from pressure, the sole to stop a bouncing ball. Thigh and chest come later for high balls.
How many reps should a youth player do?
Short sets of 20 to 30 receptions per drill, two or three drills per session. Quality drops fast when players get bored.
Final thoughts
Pick two drills from the right age group and one from the level group, and run them for ten minutes at the start of practice. Distances short at first, both feet every time, and add a decision as soon as the touch is clean. To link receiving to passing, our soccer passing drills and give-and-go drills are the natural next step, with more ball-at-feet ideas in our footwork drills.
For backyard sessions that end with shooting, the Open Goaaal soccer goals have the rebounder and backstop built in, so the ball comes back and the session keeps going.
