How many touches?

[jdefoe9]

Hey coaches, how many touches of the ball per week should a 17 yr old player be getting?

thx

[Elroy]

Hey coaches, how many touches of the ball per week should a 17 yr old player be getting?

thxEnough. :)

[coachkev]

Hey coaches, how many touches of the ball per week should a 17 yr old player be getting?

thx

As many as their fingers get on Playstation/Xbox/Nintendo

[uniteo]

Hey coaches, how many touches of the ball per week should a 17 yr old player be getting?

thx

unfortunately, Elroy has it about right in that really, it depends...

Look, you've asked enough questions here and followed up enough times, it's obvious you're very serious about improving your game, so I'm going to throw some questions at you and your answers should help you decide if you're doing "enough"

Are you comparable to or better than the players you are playing against in terms of first touch/ability to control the ball?

Can you shoot or pass with all surfaces of your foot? With power? With accuracy (correct line and correct height)? With proper weight? With both feet?

Have these aspects improved in the last year? Last 6 months? Last 2 months? Have they improved greatly or incrementally?

Are you able to match non-game skills with game skills?

Obviously the goal is to be able to do whatever you want to with the ball, whenever you want to...so that there is no technical limitation to your game, so that the greatest limitation is what you can think of. Of course the ability to get better (a constant) is bounded by the reasonable expectations of human performance (nobody thinks their game is not complete if they can't hit an 80-yard side volley into the upper 90 on a consistent basis).

Things you'll want to keep in mind as you try to judge, am I doing enough. First of all, you want to be comfortable that you have the technical skill to do what you want with the ball in a game situation at game speed. Unless you're a freak of nature you have a favored foot...if the ball comes to your off foot can you do a reasonable job of controlling it and playing one touch or setting up your 2nd touch (and 1st touch is all about either playing the ball or setting up your next move. What's the most important play? The next one). Worry about that after you've developed those abilities with your primary foot (or at the same time pereferably)

After you get the basics you can work on handling balls that come in at tough angles or from awkward directions or at a high speed.

Then you get to the point where you want to do these in game situations.

So how many touches? Until you're comfortable with your own skill level. Because as you improve the amount you get better with a given number of touches will diminish. If you have the first touch of Landon Donovan, then you'll only take 10 minutes or so to bounce the ball off the wall in a progression and keep sharp - but you will want to play a lot to practice your skills in a competitive atmosphere.

And another consideration especially for you. There are limits to what your body and mind can comfortably handle. As long as your'e enjoying the challenge, and able to recover physically, keep going. But if you feel yourself wearing down physically or mentally, scale back some. Yeah, if you take a week off you'll notice you are not as sharp as before you stopped, but your touch will come back a lot more quickly than it took to learn it.

So the answer is...enough

[Elroy]

unfortunately, Elroy has it about right in that really, it depends...

Look, you've asked enough questions here and followed up enough times, it's obvious you're very serious about improving your game, so I'm going to throw some questions at you and your answers should help you decide if you're doing "enough"

Are you comparable to or better than the players you are playing against in terms of first touch/ability to control the ball?

Can you shoot or pass with all surfaces of your foot? With power? With accuracy (correct line and correct height)? With proper weight? With both feet?

Have these aspects improved in the last year? Last 6 months? Last 2 months? Have they improved greatly or incrementally?

Are you able to match non-game skills with game skills?

Obviously the goal is to be able to do whatever you want to with the ball, whenever you want to...so that there is no technical limitation to your game, so that the greatest limitation is what you can think of. Of course the ability to get better (a constant) is bounded by the reasonable expectations of human performance (nobody thinks their game is not complete if they can't hit an 80-yard side volley into the upper 90 on a consistent basis).

Things you'll want to keep in mind as you try to judge, am I doing enough. First of all, you want to be comfortable that you have the technical skill to do what you want with the ball in a game situation at game speed. Unless you're a freak of nature you have a favored foot...if the ball comes to your off foot can you do a reasonable job of controlling it and playing one touch or setting up your 2nd touch (and 1st touch is all about either playing the ball or setting up your next move. What's the most important play? The next one). Worry about that after you've developed those abilities with your primary foot (or at the same time pereferably)

After you get the basics you can work on handling balls that come in at tough angles or from awkward directions or at a high speed.

Then you get to the point where you want to do these in game situations.

So how many touches? Until you're comfortable with your own skill level. Because as you improve the amount you get better with a given number of touches will diminish. If you have the first touch of Landon Donovan, then you'll only take 10 minutes or so to bounce the ball off the wall in a progression and keep sharp - but you will want to play a lot to practice your skills in a competitive atmosphere.

And another consideration especially for you. There are limits to what your body and mind can comfortably handle. As long as your'e enjoying the challenge, and able to recover physically, keep going. But if you feel yourself wearing down physically or mentally, scale back some. Yeah, if you take a week off you'll notice you are not as sharp as before you stopped, but your touch will come back a lot more quickly than it took to learn it.

So the answer is...enoughGood answer.

[Owen4ever]

unfortunately, Elroy has it about right in that really, it depends...

Look, you've asked enough questions here and followed up enough times, it's obvious you're very serious about improving your game, so I'm going to throw some questions at you and your answers should help you decide if you're doing "enough"

Are you comparable to or better than the players you are playing against in terms of first touch/ability to control the ball?

Can you shoot or pass with all surfaces of your foot? With power? With accuracy (correct line and correct height)? With proper weight? With both feet?

Have these aspects improved in the last year? Last 6 months? Last 2 months? Have they improved greatly or incrementally?

Are you able to match non-game skills with game skills?

Obviously the goal is to be able to do whatever you want to with the ball, whenever you want to...so that there is no technical limitation to your game, so that the greatest limitation is what you can think of. Of course the ability to get better (a constant) is bounded by the reasonable expectations of human performance (nobody thinks their game is not complete if they can't hit an 80-yard side volley into the upper 90 on a consistent basis).

Things you'll want to keep in mind as you try to judge, am I doing enough. First of all, you want to be comfortable that you have the technical skill to do what you want with the ball in a game situation at game speed. Unless you're a freak of nature you have a favored foot...if the ball comes to your off foot can you do a reasonable job of controlling it and playing one touch or setting up your 2nd touch (and 1st touch is all about either playing the ball or setting up your next move. What's the most important play? The next one). Worry about that after you've developed those abilities with your primary foot (or at the same time pereferably)

After you get the basics you can work on handling balls that come in at tough angles or from awkward directions or at a high speed.

Then you get to the point where you want to do these in game situations.

So how many touches? Until you're comfortable with your own skill level. Because as you improve the amount you get better with a given number of touches will diminish. If you have the first touch of Landon Donovan, then you'll only take 10 minutes or so to bounce the ball off the wall in a progression and keep sharp - but you will want to play a lot to practice your skills in a competitive atmosphere.

And another consideration especially for you. There are limits to what your body and mind can comfortably handle. As long as your'e enjoying the challenge, and able to recover physically, keep going. But if you feel yourself wearing down physically or mentally, scale back some. Yeah, if you take a week off you'll notice you are not as sharp as before you stopped, but your touch will come back a lot more quickly than it took to learn it.

So the answer is...enough

i don't much fancy the idea of using donovan as an example, but i guess he's alright. best us player right now.

----------------------------------------------------

and to answer the question of how many touches, as much as you can get in. me, being a player myself, never let go of the ball. some ppl call me crazy but i always have the ball with me, 24/7, dribbling, doing juggles, or just walking or running with the ball. i have it under the table for dinner, i juggle and play around with it watching television, i have it on my foot right now practising some control, i have it with me to bed and go to sleep knocking it back and forth between my feet, i play with it in the shower, and so on and so on. there isn't a single minute when i don't have the ball on my foot.

[Elroy]

Let me give you a serious reply. You can't quantify sport. Neither a certain number of touches, nor a certain number of matches will guarantee excellence in sport. It is a good thing to aquire skills. Indeed, mastery of certain skills are required to be a good player. However, there are a great many technically skillful players who are not successful. By itself, a knowledge of individual or team tactics does not guarantee success either.

You need to develop those skills, of course. But the single factor that will help you the best is to develop a love for the game and respect for everyone who participates in it. It is passion that will allow you to make the effort to learn the game. Respect will make you a valuable team mate and a respected opponent. Finally, even if you lack the talent to play the game at the level you wish, your love of the game will allow to enjoy it still.