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Soccer Awareness: Basic Principles of Development (One Touch Play)
Linking foot preparation, body position and mental preparation to the technique involved in making a one touch pass leads us to a discussion on one touch play and its benefits.
One touch play teaches the value of being able to take your eye off the ball when keeping your eye on the ball can be a disadvantage.
To make this work, players need to have good teamwork and positional sense and therefore must work hard for each other.
This article is the intro to Wayne’s eBook 16: Soccer Awareness “One Touch” Training Developing its Relationship with Movement Off the Ball. Get the full book.
The Importance of Teaching One Touch Play: Improving One Touch Play
Maintaining an Awareness of What Is In Advance and Beyond the Ball
Linking foot preparation, body position and mental preparation to the technique involved in making a one touch pass leads us to a discussion on one touch play and its benefits.
One touch play teaches the value of being able to take your eye off the ball when keeping your eye on the ball can be a disadvantage.
To make this work, players need to have good teamwork and positional sense and therefore must work hard for each other.
A Gradual Training Introduction: Training the Psyche of the Players through One Touch Play
Introduce the training in a gradual way; don’t jump straight into a scrimmage. Set it up so it is easy to do initially. For example, one touch passing in two’s. Here, no great amount of awareness is needed because they are facing each other, but they must look into each other’s eyes and not at the ball. This is teaching them to get their heads up, and is the first most basic stage. It is also working on the pace and direction of the pass, getting foot sensitivity started in terms of that first touch on the ball that is now in effect a pass.
Then move to groups of three where a little more peripheral vision is needed. Then ask them to pass and move in a small area.
Next, add more players so there are more passing options and more awareness is needed. Now introduce the Numbers Game, passing in sequence; this really starts to introduce the awareness concept, but with one touch only.
Communication: Good communication is a must, so have players talk to each other, passing messages on to help each other all of the time.
Also, have them do this without any verbal communication as they then have to rely on themselves alone and in games. Unfortunately as much as we try, this very often happens anyway.
So do this WITH communication and WITHOUT communication. Even compare the two, some may get so good at this they can work it out for themselves most of the time as their peripheral vision improves.
So practice one touch with your team, then play games / scrimmages with your team and insist on it being ONE TOUCH ONLY.
There will be times when 2 touches are needed but do not allow it. Force the error if need be by insisting on one touch only.
Example: A player does not get his feet ready to receive and as a result does not make correct contact with the ball and possession is lost. Everyone can see that his feet were the problem, especially the player involved, and this will register in his mind for the next time.
Example: The ball is passed too heavily and quickly (pace and timing of the pass is wrong) and the receiver needs a touch to control the pass initially and then make a 2nd touch pass to keep possession. That is the passer’s fault, not the receiver’s; and they will learn that from this single pass. It is likely that a one touch play at this moment will not work, which is fine, because this will help them learn why it didn’t work for the next time.
Example: No teammates move to give the player receiving the ball an option to pass it one touch.
This is the fault of the player or players off the ball and not the receiving player, but you must insist it is passed one touch still so they pass it into the space the player should have moved into. Again, this will probably result in giving the ball away, but they will learn from that.
The players will recognize if possession was lost because there was not enough support off the ball, the pass was too heavy, or if it was the fault of the player’s first touch if there were options off the ball.
When you first do it, particularly in a competitive scrimmage situation whether within your own team training or against another team, you may find it is incredibly ugly play; the players will more than likely really struggle with it (or maybe not, they may surprise you).
And it may be ugly for quite a while; but just let it go.
Do not be disheartened and don’t let your players get discouraged. And do not coach, just let them play and work it out for themselves. Tell them you expect it to go wrong more than go right to relax them about it...
They will find with practice that they need to adjust the weight of the pass to help the next player, so foot sensitivity in passing will improve.
They will learn this through their own trial and error, not necessarily just what you tell them.
Get eBook 16: Soccer Awareness “One Touch” Training Developing its Relationship with Movement Off the Ball. This 103 page eBook explores one touch training and movement off the ball and includes 90 pages of drills that you can do with your team. Table of contents is below.
One Touch Training: Teaches the player WHEN to play one touch; and when NOT to play one touch. We are teaching players to have a ONE TOUCH MENTALITY. A One touch mentality teaches players to recognize the best options; and therefore make the best DECISIONS; BEFORE and in ADVANCE of receiving the ball.
Movement OFF the ball: This mentality conditions the mind of players OFF the ball to position and move to help the player who is receiving the ball. This means we want players to always; at every moment; THINK: “I only have One touch”; therefore this will force players to always do what I call the “LOOK and THINK” before they receive the ball to see several options and pick out their best option, which may actually be to DRIBBLE!!
When you use these training sessions consistently you will see the development of that relationship between having a ONE TOUCH mentality and Movement OFF the ball.
So in a nutshell:
LOOK (before receiving the ball);
MOVE (find space off the ball based on positioning of teammates and opponents):
THINK (what is my best option?):
EXECUTE (the Decision; or the SKILL Factor).
The Three Team Awareness One Touch Game
Working with three teams (numbers depends on how many players you have, e.g. it can be 4 v 4 + 4 or 5 v 5 + 5 etc). Teams (1) and (2) work together to keep the ball from team (3). If team (3) regains possession the team who gave it away becomes the defenders. The defenders reward is they keep the ball and link with the other team.
The following clinic is part of the New "Soccer Awareness Age Group Specific Awareness Developmental Training" eBook from Soccer Awareness! Click here to preview the full table of contents!
Working with three teams (numbers depends on how many players you have, e.g. it can be 4 v 4 + 4 or 5 v 5 + 5 etc). Teams (1) and (2) work together to keep the ball from team (3). If team (3) regains possession the team who gave it away becomes the defenders. The defenders reward is they keep the ball and link with the other team.
Rules: Once possession is gained, to establish who gave the ball away the player who gave the ball away calls the color of his team and then everyone knows they are now defending and the game continues without a stoppage.
With younger players it may be best to do this (because the ball may be given away a lot more for one thing); whoever won the ball puts his or her foot on the ball to stop play and the coach can call out the team who gave it away. Play begins again working on transitions.
Develop: Increase difficulty for attackers by
Reducing the zone size.
Decreasing the number of touches on the ball of each player.
Conditioning the passing to be only to the other attacking team’s players e.g. (1) only passes to (2) and vice versa, therefore only half the numbers of passes are available per player.
Using two balls so that as they pass one ball they are now increasing their awareness and vision by looking for the other ball coming.
Players take off their pinnies so they really have to look and can’t rely on color identification.
No talking or pointing, so players have to rely on their own vision.
Prohibiting verbal communication
ULTIMATELY PLAY ONE TOUCH
Three Team Possession Game
Three teams, two teams work together, one defends, creates an overload situation in attack, for example 15 players, three teams of 5, a 10 v 5 game.
Possession changes as one of the two team’s players gives the ball away to the defending team then they become the next defending team this is a good transition game also from attack to defense and defense to attack. This game can be in an area of 40 x 40 yards for example and the challenge to the players can also be to move inside to outside (outside being just inside the touchline) and outside to inside to ensure they avoid standing in one area. Plus it takes greater vision or awareness inside the area; where they need to look around and open their stance up to potentially change the direction of play; than on the outside where they can see everything easily.
Encourage players who play centrally on the team to get in the middle of the area and dictate the play, be the pivot for the team, the player who transfers the ball from one side to the other, the link player, this can be one, two or even three players at a time, but they can rotate between themselves too.
Equal numbered teams in a possession keep away game; this would be the next progression from the overload game being a more difficult challenge of the players. Same principles and ideas as above apply.
Transition games: In two halves, creating overloads in each half as each team gains possession. Team A have to get the ball in one half and play a 7 v 3 for example, team B have to win it back with the 3 defenders and get it back to the other half and have a 7 v 3 in their favor, and so on.
Awareness One Touch Theme Developmental Training: Incorporating Movement Off the Ball
Players are generally all very good at playing using many touches; that is; dribbles, turns and running with the ball, that is more technical training / playing.
But often not so good at one touch quick thinking and quick decision making training, that is more skill training / playing.
Hence why we must increasingly do this training with them.
This article is the intro to Wayne’s eBook 16: Soccer Awareness “One Touch” Training Developing its Relationship with Movement Off the Ball. This 103 page eBook explores one touch training and movement off the ball and includes 90 pages of drills that you can do with your team. Get the full book.
One Touch Training: Teaches the player WHEN to play one touch; and when NOT to play one touch. We are teaching players to have a ONE TOUCH MENTALITY. A One touch mentality teaches players to recognize the best options; and therefore make the best DECISIONS; BEFORE and in ADVANCE of receiving the ball.
Movement OFF the ball: This mentality conditions the mind of players OFF the ball to position and move to help the player who is receiving the ball. This means we want players to always; at every moment; THINK: “I only have One touch”; therefore this will force players to always do what I call the “LOOK and THINK” before they receive the ball to see several options and pick out their best option, which may actually be to DRIBBLE!!
When you use these training sessions consistently you will see the development of that relationship between having a ONE TOUCH mentality and Movement OFF the ball.
So in a nutshell:
LOOK (before receiving the ball);
MOVE (find space off the ball based on positioning of teammates and opponents):
THINK (what is my best option?):
EXECUTE (the Decision; or the SKILL Factor).
Introduction:
Players are generally all very good at playing using many touches; that is; dribbles, turns and running with the ball, that is more technical training / playing.
But often not so good at one touch quick thinking and quick decision making training, that is more skill training / playing.
Hence why we must increasingly do this training with them.
For the ONE TOUCH AWARENESS training game with three teams that I want everyone to do each training session for 10 minutes; to ensure we improve the players quick thinking and decision making, as well as their awareness of how to get free OFF THE BALL, here are some more ideas with the same theme so you do not have to do the same game every training session.
This will also ensure the players do not get bored with the repetition of it all.
Really try to have the players play one touch but depending on their developmental level perhaps start with two touches for them to gain early success and to increase their confidence.
But, As Soon As You Can; Play One Touch Only
Please ensure you do this every session as it is imperative we work on this theme with them.
Coaches choose which session they use each training session please, there are many choices to go at for you.
Shown below are many variations of the theme but the simplest theme to use is focusing on:
“ONE TOUCH PASSING AND MOVING OFF THE BALL”
Many may struggle with this but in time and with patience and practice you will be amazed how much improvement comes in quick decision making using this game. As each player only has one touch to pass the ball this should improve players movement off the ball to support due to this as they know the player receiving needs immediate help and as many options as possible. The two aspects of play go hand in hand, one touch play and movement off the ball.
Players in 90 minutes touch the ball themselves, depending on their position, perhaps 3 to 6 minutes, so what do they do in the other 84 to 87 minutes?
They must understand how best to move OFF THE BALL in that time span to help their teammates.
Hence why the focus and teaching of Movement OFF the ball is so vital and important in the greater scheme of things in the game.
One Touch Finishing Drill - Training Center Exclusive
70% of all goals are scored with one touch so it is important to practice this technique regularly. This is a continuous practice with lots of work for the keeper also.
70% of all goals are scored with one touch so it is important to practice this technique regularly. (1) runs around the cone at pace to receive the pass from (2). Go left then right varying the call to keep the players concentrating. Each player except the one running has a ball to serve. Player switches sides each time. One touch finishing.
This is a continuous practice with lots of work for the keeper also. As soon as a pass has gone in call the next player to start their run.
Develop – Vary the service with easy passes to begin so we get a lot of goals then chip it in for volleys, half volleys, headers, diving headers, and so on (players can throw the ball in to maintain accurate service if needed to ensure strikes on goal). Working on a positive attitude to score, accuracy and/or power, correct shot selection, awareness of rebounds. Have players counting the number of goals they score (competitive).
First team to score 10 goals is the winner. Alternatively the coach can stand behind the cone and receive the pass and vary the service for the end product, creating opportunities to volley and half volley the ball, even head it on goal. Vary the distance from the goal depending on what you want to achieve.
What Does One Touch Training Teach?
One Touch Training development is to train the MIND of the player. To teach the LOOK and THINK. One touch play FORCES the player to LOOK AROUND; observe ALL options, BEFORE they receive the ball otherwise they will be unsuccessful most of the time and too often get caught in possession.
Soccer-Awareness: Basic Principles of Development (One Touch Play)
- One Touch Training development is to train the MIND of the player. To teach the LOOK and THINK.
- One touch play FORCES the player to LOOK AROUND; observe ALL options, BEFORE they receive the ball otherwise they will be unsuccessful most of the time and too often get caught in possession.
- One Touch training: teaches the player WHEN to play one touch and when NOT to play one touch.
- One Touch training: teaches the player to recognize the best options and opportunities BEFORE they receive the ball.
- One touch play teaches players to think 1; 2; or 3 moves ahead of the ball
- One Touch training therefore actually teaches the player to recognize the correct moment of; when and where to dribble, to run with the ball, to play one touch, to play two touch, to cross, to shoot, to receive and turn and so on.
- One Touch teaches the SKILL FACTOR; or; the “decision making factor of technique” to speed up thinking and playing and to improve the accuracy of decision making
- One Touch teaches players to Move OFF the ball more thoughtfully and successfully (Vital player education) to help each other.
- If players without the ball do not position correctly to help the receiving player then the player receiving the ball will be unsuccessful because they will have few if no options to play to.
- One Touch Play teaches the player to identify how; why; when and where to use SPACE and TIME more effectively.
- One Touch Play improves technique especially of course the FIRST TOUCH.
- One Touch Play helps players to become psychologically stronger
- One Touch Play improves balance and footwork in players
- One Touch play teaches players to play more quickly “when needed”
- This is just the tip of the iceberg, the TIPPING POINT of what this Soccer Awareness training will develop in all players.
- WE TEACH PLAYERS TO MAKE ONE LOOK, TWO LOOKS; EVEN THREES LOOKS IF THEY HAVE TIME, BEFORE THEY RECEIVE THE BALL; TO DETERMINE WHAT THEIR OPTIONS ARE; IN ANTICIPATION.
- Xavi Hernandez of Barcelona possibly the best and most successful passer of the ball in the world ever was recorded in a game as to how many times in 90 minutes he looked AWAY FROM THE BALL; which is essentially what One touch training teaches.
- It was 841 times in 90 minutes. His percentage success rate in passing is in the 90% range.
Why Do We Teach What We Teach?
The Younger Ones: Developing TECHNIQUE; dribbles, turns, running with the ball; beating players in 1 v 1 confrontations; Individual Development is the Key.
9 Years and Older: Then next to develop their MIND AND THINKING and turn this into DECISION MAKING:
THIS IS THE SKILL FACTOR:
Soccer-awareness “One Touch” training developing its relationship with “movement off the ball”
My personal views on the game are that there are two themes that are THE most important themes for players to learn to be good at and they actually COMPLIMENT EACH OTHER, One touch play developing the MIND; and Movement OFF the ball.
The Younger Ones: Developing TECHNIQUE; dribbles, turns, running with the ball; beating players in 1 v 1 confrontations; Individual Development is the Key.
9 Years and Older: Then next to develop their MIND AND THINKING and turn this into DECISION MAKING:
THIS IS THE SKILL FACTOR:
Soccer-awareness “One Touch” training developing its relationship with “movement off the ball”
My personal views on the game are that there are two themes that are THE most important themes for players to learn to be good at and they actually COMPLIMENT EACH OTHER, One touch play developing the MIND; and Movement OFF the ball.
To see what we are attempting to do here watch Barcelona and how they play the Tiki-Taka:
It is LOOK AND THINK; then pass and move; one touch plays to create a mindful of options.
Xavi Hernandez of Barcelona and Spain (World Champions)
When you arrive at Barca the first thing they teach is:
THINK
THINK
THINK
Lift your head, move; see; THINK
Education is the key.
Think, think, think. Quickly
Lift your head up, move, see think. Look before you get the ball…Pum Pum Pum one touch.
Some need 2 or 3, that’s too many.
Messi, Piquet, me, Iniesta, 1 touch… Fast.
In fact our youth coach, Rexach, used to demand: a mig toc: Half a touch [Symbol] Think quickly, look for spaces…
Space / Space / Space…It’s so hard. I think, the defenders here, so play it there.
I see the space and pass, that’s what I do.
Awareness one touch theme developmental training incorporating movement off the ball
Let’s establish First:
One Touch Training: Teaches the player WHEN to play one touch; and when NOT to play one touch.
It’s NOT all about One Touch at all; so kill that thought now.
One touch mentality teaches players to recognize the best options; and therefore make the best DECISIONS; BEFORE and in ADVANCE of receiving the ball.
We are teaching players to have a ONE TOUCH MENTALITY.
This means we want players to ALWAYS; AT EVERY MOMENT THINK:
“I only have One touch”; therefore this will force players to always do “THE LOOK” (Xavi calls it THINK, which means the same, we now call it “LOOK and THINK”) before they receive the ball to see several options and pick out their best option, which may be actually to DRIBBLE!!
Better still, if a player can do “THE LOOK AND THINK” two or three times as play is developing as they see they could receive the ball; then any changes in positioning of players that occur; as the ball is travelling; can be compensated for to make the next decision even more accurate.
“One touch passing and moving off the ball”
Many may struggle with this but in time and with patience and practice you will be amazed how much improvement comes in quick decision making using this game.
As each player only has one touch to pass the ball this should improve players movement off the ball to support due to this as they know the player receiving needs immediate help and as many options as possible. The two aspects of play go hand in hand, one touch play and movement off the ball.
Players in 90 minutes touch the ball themselves, depending on their position, perhaps 3 to 6 minutes, so what do they do in the other 84 to 87 minutes?
They must understand how best to move OFF THE BALL in that time span to help their teammates. Hence why the focus and teaching of Movement OFF the Ball is so vital and important in the greater scheme of things in the game Ultimate aim to teach players:
TO MONITOR PROGRESS, WE NEED PLAYERS TO “THINK and LOOK before they receive the ball”.
Assessing options with much movement of the head and eyes, in front, side to side and behind them BEFORE the ball comes.
As the ball is moving all players should have looked several times around to assess their options so if they receive the ball they are ready.
This is a CONTINUOUS PROCESS that should happen every moment of the game.
So the ball is coming from the right, the player about to receive it should already have looked behind them to see if they can SWITCH THE PLAY to the left as this is a main theme of this exercise PLUS to do so means they are moving to the opposite goal to score, so they get an instant reward for changing the point of the attack with a goal…
A ONE Touch game particularly develops this ability.
ASSESSING
A method to assess this is for the coach to call out every time the player receiving looks and thinks before receiving and doesn’t look before receiving.
So Look and think before receiving (it could be a few times not just once depending on how close the ball is to being with them) is a YES.
Not looking and thinking before Receiving is a NO.
Know that even if they don’t look and think and they get the NO shout; they many STILL be successful with the pass or movement, they saw one option only which was in front of them for example, so that’s good, but perhaps they missed the penetrating pass behind them because they didn’t look around to see it first.
Also even with the YES shout they may give the ball away still, maybe they made the right decision (i.e. they saw the BEST most effective pass or movement), but their execution (technique) of it was wrong.
But this is good; they saw the best option, their decision making is good.
The point is we want them to have the ability to see ALL options, in front, to either side, and behind them BEFORE they receive the ball, so they have a much bigger chance to be success and can pick the best option at that moment.
Watch Xavi; Iniesta and Buschetts of Barcelona; Ozil and Carzola of Arsenal; Mata of Chelsea; Silva and Toure of Manchester City; Pirlo of Juventus; Rooney and Carrick of Manchester United. Watch them closely, watch their heads and eyes as the ball is moving around them, they are always assessing their NEXT possible options; they are always THINKING AND LOOKING; constantly looking around and away from the ball to be ready when it comes.
The result of this is they are play-makers; they rarely get caught in possession of the ball, or give possession away because they already have a picture in their heads of what comes next.
This game teaches all that and MORE.
All players in all positions should have the ability to do what I have described above.
Finally, what the THINK and LOOK does also is help the players to see where opponents are in advance of receiving the ball; and ALSO help them realize when the time is right to KEEP possession of the ball themselves as that is the best option at that moment.
In Conclusion:
We can’t emulate Barcelona at the level they are of course, but what we can do is try to develop our teams to play a passing and possession style of play similar to them; that is attractive to the eye and effective on the field of play. We all want to win; we should though want to win the RIGHT WAY; and that is the SURF WAY.
Thanks for your time; Regards, Wayne Harrison
54 Pages
We want to stay with our own game plan as closely as possible; based on what we practice and to keep it simple for us; as we dictate to our opponents; and we impose OUR WAY on them.
But there will be many occasions where we must change the system of play and we may have to adjust to suit the opponents.
Here are some ideas for you to consider for your team starting with the 13313 and 14231 systems of play.