Develop a deft first touch

Stop the ball dead and pick out a team-mate with this drill from the Nike Academy's head coach,
Jimmy Gilligan

THE SET-UP
Four 5 x 5-yard service areas are marked out with a control zone in the middle, 12 yards from
each service area. Position four servers inside the service areas, three of them with a ball each.
Place a receiver in the control zone.

THE DRILL
On the coach’s command, one of the servers plays a sidefoot pass into the receiver, who has to
control it inside the square before passing to the spare man. If they fail to keep the ball inside the
zone they lose a point. Then the next delivery comes in from a different server. To progress the
drill, tell the servers to play passes in with their laces, and then to chip the ball so the receiver has
to control and volley it back into their hands. Change the receiver every 45 seconds.

HOW THIS HELPS

As well as working the players’ first touch, you’re challenging them to show awareness and
precision to find the spare man.