my touch is not to good although its certainly improved. i play defense but have probably the best soccer brain on the team for runs and vision so coach likes me in a defensive mid job where i can roam around take the ball and feed it. if you have any pointers on improving touch it would help.
Juggle all day long even if gets boring keep doing it.You may want to get yourself a size 3 rubber practice ball to juggle with. something like this http://www.brasilianfutebol.com/ Touch is everything!
Definitely juggling, but also just concentrate on the basics of trapping and solid passing. It seems more players skip the basics once they've reached a certain level of play, but if you can't keep the ball close to you when you receive it it just becomes another 50/50 ball.
I have great touch when it comes to passing, whether it's short or long balls. My speed and defense are very good, but my dribbling could use more work.
I've found that simply dribbling through cones at a controlled speed will vastly improve your dribbling technique. Set out like a dribbling course...ie: dribble through 5 cones then sprint to the right 10 yard with the ball, turn at that cone then dribble through 5 more cones, turn sprint 10 more yard with the ball, then dribble through the last 5 cones. Use your imagination and make up things. Also, for touch, work on one touch passing. If you have a good sized wall outside anywhere or even the side of your house will do, start knocking the ball against it and work on hitting the ball first touch back to the wall. Gradually decrease the distance from the wall and increase the power of the pass so you have less time to react. Good luck....and just play with the ball and work hard.
I have a query regarding 'touch'...how do you recommend a forward to work on his touch who plays in a team where midfielders are rather ignorant and pass the ball extremely hard even when I'm running toward them at pace trying to shake off my defender. Half the time it ends up boggling off my feet and making me look bad, i've tried knocking a ball against a wall at pace and running fast toward the ball but the game situation is too different. Any tips on body position etc Also would people recommend using the inside of the foot or outside when faced with hard balls...?
Are you putting enough give in your foot? If your hitting the ball even slightly it will roll away from you.
Think of playing the egg toss game. The one where you and your partner take a step back, toss the egg, catch it, take another step back, etc... You have to receive it; cradle it. Juggling will help but so will playing pass with someone from across our yard or something and having them pass in the air at different speeds instead of on the ground. That is, unless getting the ball on the ground is your problem. My touch greatly improved when I started juggling. I couldn't juggle more than 2-3x and I posted a message here asking for help. I can juggle well now and my touch is much better, even though it was good to begin with.
Exactly...I forgot about the egg toss analogy. Also think about catching a pine cone...when you catch one, you dont wanna squeeze the prickly needles on it, so you cushion it, right? The same goes for the ball...one of my teammates from Grenada once said, "Treat the ball like your lady." I think that is pretty true. You wouldn't go smacking and roughing up your lady, well, you don't wanna treat the ball that way either.
my touch is very good.....I can trap a hard, soft, high, low ball...it just takes a lot of practice on form. The thing about cradling the ball is a good way to work on it....but make your when you are running back to the ball(forgot who asked) that you get over it as well, or else it still may get away from you. Also, you could just work on turning on the ball or touching first time back to somebody and making a run off of them so you can get the ball on a run towards the goal....