Passing and first touch are the glue that holds a team together. A player who can receive the ball cleanly and move it on quickly gives teammates time, keeps possession and helps the whole team play better soccer. This guide brings together our best posts on passing, crossing, receiving and controlling the ball, plus lessons from some of the finest playmakers in the game.
For young players, a good first touch is often the difference between having time on the ball and losing it. For coaches, passing is the skill that makes team play possible, from simple combinations to long spells of possession. The posts below cover the technique of each pass, how to receive under pressure, the habit of scanning before the ball arrives and practical patterns you can use at training.
Begin with the “Start here” list to build the fundamentals. Then work through the themed sections, studying one idea at a time. Use the weekly routine at the end to turn these ideas into habits, because clean passing and control come from many quality repetitions.
Start here
- Passing the Test: Soccer Passing Skills: review the core passing skills every player needs.
- How to Improve Your First Touch in Soccer: Drills, Tips and Techniques: practical ways to make your first touch cleaner and more useful.
- How to Cross a Soccer Ball: Crossing Technique and Drills: learn how to deliver dangerous balls into the box.
- The Art of Passing in Soccer: understand what makes a pass well weighted, well timed and well placed.
- The Art of Controlling the Soccer Ball: learn how to cushion and direct the ball with different surfaces.
Passing Technique
Strong passing starts with clean technique and good decisions about when and where to play the ball.
- Guide to Short Passing in Soccer: build accuracy on the short passes that keep possession.
- The Best Outside of the Foot Passes: see how the outside of the foot can bend a pass around defenders.
- Timing the Pass Drill in Soccer: practice releasing the ball at the right moment for a teammate’s run.
- Soccer Passing Lanes: learn to spot open lanes and avoid passes that get cut out.
- Soccer Passing Standards: set clear standards for the quality of every pass.
First Touch, Receiving and Scanning
The best players know what they will do before the ball arrives. These posts help you receive with purpose.
- Scanning in Soccer: build the habit of looking around before you receive.
- Xavi: Check Your Shoulder: learn the scanning habit that helped Xavi control games.
- The Half Turn in Soccer: receive on the half turn so you can play forward quickly.
- Lionel Messi’s Touch on the Soccer Ball: study how Messi keeps the ball close with every touch.
- Barcelona Nike Training: Solo Control: a control drill players can do on their own.
- The Self Pass in Soccer: learn how to pass the ball into space for yourself.
Passing Patterns and Team Play
Patterns teach players to move the ball with rhythm and to support each other in game-like shapes.
- Game-Like Soccer Passing Patterns: passing patterns that mirror real game situations.
- Soccer Passing Patterns, Continued: more patterns to keep your sessions fresh.
- Circuit Passes in Soccer: a passing circuit that gives players many touches.
- Barcelona: It’s All About the Passing Triangle: understand why triangles make possession easier.
- David Beckham Masterclass: Crossing Drill: a crossing drill from one of the best crossers of the ball.
Learn From the Great Playmakers
Watching creative passers shows what vision and technique can do together.
- How to Play Like Mesut Ozil: Vision and Passing: see how Ozil finds teammates others cannot see.
- Kaka’s Killer Pass: watch how Kaka unlocked defenses with a decisive pass.
- Luka Modric: Vision, Touch and the Art of the Timeless Midfielder: learn from Modric’s touch and range of passing.
- Genius No Look Passes in Soccer: enjoy passes that fool defenders with the eyes.
- Ronaldinho No-Look Pass: How He Fooled Defenders: see how Ronaldinho disguised his passes.
- Toni Kroos Passing Accuracy: see why Kroos is admired for his reliable passing.
How to practice
- Start with 100 wall passes, alternating feet and receiving with the inside, outside and sole.
- Practice directional first touches: receive and push the ball away at an angle before passing back.
- Add scanning: have a partner hold up fingers behind you and call the number before each touch.
- Run a passing pattern or triangle drill with two teammates for 10 minutes, using one or two touches.
- Finish with a rondo or small-sided game where the team must complete five passes before scoring.
The Coerver approach
Coerver Coaching sees passing and receiving as part of a player’s individual technique. Players first build ball mastery with both feet, so the ball obeys every touch. They then practice receiving and passing with many repetitions, learning to control the ball away from pressure and play quickly. Finally, they use these skills in small-group games and rondos, where scanning, support angles and quick decisions matter. This approach produces players who are comfortable on the ball and help their team keep possession.
FAQ
How can I improve my first touch in soccer?
Practice receiving the ball against a wall every day with different surfaces of the foot. Focus on cushioning the ball and directing your touch into space, away from pressure.
What is the most important pass in soccer?
The short inside-of-the-foot pass is used most often and is the foundation of team play. Master it with both feet before working on longer passes and crosses.
Why do coaches say to check your shoulder?
Looking around before the ball arrives tells you where teammates, opponents and space are, so your first touch and pass can be quicker and smarter.