One concept I'll be trying to help the players understand this season is "first touch". What we mean by that term is a player's ability to take control of the ball easily even when it arrives to her/him with some pace on it. The analogy I use when talking with my teams is an obvious one: you've got to catch the ball with your feet as easily as you'd catch it with your hands. Follow the link below to Coach Mark's blog to see a short bit of video he put together that shows the legendary Ronaldinho taking a ball out of the air with unbelievably effortless finesse. In the video you see that a defender has popped the ball straight up, at least 30 yards into the air, and as it comes down Ronaldinho is calmly waiting for it. With a simple flick of his foot he gets the ball to land at his feet like a sack of flour. Amazing.
Coach Mark's Legen- (wait for it) dary Blog.: First touch.: The game is much easier if you don't have to chase down the ball after your first touch. Watch Ronaldinho show us how to do that.
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