Why You Need to Learn to Take Your First Touch Into Space

The biggest sign that a soccer player is elite is the speed at which they make decisions. The less time it takes you to make a decision - like what to do when you get the ball - the less time it takes you to act and move your team forward. Put simply, you play a lot quicker and smoother when you can make some decisions instinctual.  

Of course, making decisions quickly isn’t easy to do, especially when you are receiving the ball with a defender closing you down.

How to Make Quicker Decisions During Play

In a game, elite academy players are making a decision roughly once every three seconds. Do you drop back and become an outlet or make an overlapping run? Do you track the runner or hold a high line? As the game flows, your decisions on and off the ball have a direct impact on the result.  

When you turn more and more decisions into instinctual actions it doesn’t feel like you’re making a decision at all – this is just what your body naturally does in this situation. In other words, you make quicker decisions when you don’t have to think and your body just knows what to do.

Eventually, your brain becomes accustomed to this process, and you can turn more and more decisions into instinctual, almost automatic actions. But it’s hard for a youth player to do this, as in-game situations don’t always occur commonly. This is why a great place to start making automatic decisions is practicing a decision you have to make every time you receive the ball – what’s the first thing you should do with it?

Taking Your First Touch in Space

Of course, if you have a chance at goal, your first touch shouldn’t instinctively be into space. But in every other spot on the field, this is the right instinct (yes, there are exceptions to the rule, but this is the instinct you want to have). See where the defenders are and take your first touch away from them. This gives you an extra split second to decide what you should do next with the ball.

Choosing to take the ball into space is a decision. The more you do it, the more instinctual it becomes. Every time you receive the ball, your body will just naturally move the ball into space, instead of standing still and thinking, “What do I do now?” and all of a sudden finding yourself in a duel with the defender.

Creating Opportunities for More Good Decisions

Now that you’ve given yourself more space, you have more time to do something else with the ball, whether that’s making a great pass, keeping the ball and moving it the right direction, even taking a shot.

The point is, you’re making a decision and taking action, rather than not moving and wondering what to do.

So, not only are you playing faster, but you’re taking more actions, and just doing more with the ball. That’s the power of quick decision-making. When one decision becomes instinctual, you can instantly move on to the next decision, and act on it.

Imagine how impressive that looks from a coach’s perspective.

Other Techniques that Make Good Decisions

Since taking your first touch into space is almost always a good idea, the next question is whether there are any other techniques like this?

You bet. In fact, we’ve created a whole library of them.

The most effective way to learn what a good decision looks like is watching high-level players make good decisions during play, and that’s what inspired us to create BGTV. Subscribers gain access to a massive collection of professional footage organized by position with analysis from professional players.

The more footage you watch, the easier it is to implement these techniques in your own matches when you find yourself in the same situations. Instead of hesitating, you’ll remember the data you’ve collected and act.

Ready to check out BGTV? Use code FREEMONTH1 to get the first month free.