From an early age, players are asked to learn how to control the ball. Whether the ball is coming at a player on the ground or out of the air, if the ball is at the player’s feet, under pressure, or in space, a player needs to be able to control the ball. It is a fundamental necessity of the game in order to be able to play with any form of success at any level. In short, if you cannot control the ball, you cannot play the game. There is a point when ball control is no longer good enough; a point where a player is required to do more than just control the ball. The game becomes faster and players have less time to make decisions with the ball, so simply bringing the ball under control or keeping it under control is no longer good enough. Players who have the most success on the soccer field and continue to elevate their level of play do not just control the ball. High level players know how to prepare the ball.
It is a small but very important difference in a player’s touch on the soccer ball. While ball control is important, eventually a player needs to do more than just keep the ball under control to keep up with the demands of the game. As players get older, they will hear coaches talk more about “speed of play.” When a coach refers to speed of play, he or she is referring to a player’s ability to make quick and decisive decisions with the soccer ball. There are two critical areas for a player to be successful with their speed of play:
1. Making a Decision: A player must anticipate the game and be aware of their surroundings at all times. With good awareness and anticipation, a player will have a good idea what decision to make.
2. Executing a Decision: Once a decision is made, the time it takes the player to execute the decision is very important. The right idea with the ball can turn into a costly mistake by a delay in execution.
I want to focus on the execution of the decision. Whether the player decides to dribble, pass, or shoot the ball, the position of the ball can make that easy or difficult. The positioning of the ball to the body determines a player’s ability to quickly execute their decision. The technical ability to perform the movement is critical, but even good technique cannot overcome the ball or body being out of position to execute the skill. With the ball out of position, at best, the player will be forced to take an additional touch or additional steps, both of which take extra time, slowing down the speed in which the player can play the ball. At the worst, the player loses the ball due to the extra time required to try to execute their decision.
For these reasons, as players get older it becomes increasingly important for them to be able to prepare the ball versus just controlling it. Whether it is preparing the ball with their first touch to pass, preparing the ball to finish off the dribble, or preparing the ball out of the air to take the ball into space, a player needs to position their body and control the ball in a manner that allows them to perform the next skill movement immediately.
One of the most basic forms of this is a player receiving the ball across their body, on the back foot, with the hips open to the field, to prepare the ball to pass or run in the other direction. Often you see a player ask for the ball from a teammate by moving towards the ball. As the ball arrive, many players control the ball facing the direction the ball was played from. Now, if the player wants to turn with the ball or pass in the other direction, it will require the player to take additional touches or move their body around the ball because the ball is not PREPARED to perform the desired task.
Take the same situation, but this time the player, before receiving the ball, opens up the hips away from where the ball came from and receives the ball on the back foot. The player has prepared the ball to play in the other direction or attack that space on the dribble, and will be able to play much faster.
When people talk about preparing the ball, it is only looked at through the context of a player’s first touch. It is seen only as what the player does when receiving the ball. Preparing the ball often takes place after the player is in possession of the ball. A great example is a player running with the ball to goal. Often a player is running at full speed with the ball to out run a defender to goal, but when the time comes to strike the ball, the player may run into some difficulty when trying to finish. If the player does not prepare the ball to strike it before trying to score, the ball will often be in a tough position in relation to the body to strike it well enough to beat the goalkeeper. An elite goal scorer is very good at preparing the ball off the dribble (or with their first touch) to be able to strike the ball with the type of power, accuracy, and movement (bend, loft, low, high, dipping) desired to score.
If players wish to continue to play at a higher level, this level of control must be achieved to progress. Simply controlling the ball will leave a player with limited options and force them to take too much time to play at the speed the game requires at the elite levels. As players train to develop their control of the ball, it is important for them to work on more than just bringing the ball under control. Players need to focus on controlling the ball into their next movement. Whether it is a pass, running with the ball, or finishing, the player’s touch has to prepare them for that skill movement.
When players can execute skills at speed because of the quality of their touch and ability to prepare the ball, it does not look like they are playing fast. There body language does not look like they are under stress or pressure and they seem to glide with the ball. There is nothing “rushed” about the way they play. In contrast, everything looks very planned and performed with ease.
Controlling the ball and preparing the ball are two very different skills, but in order to prepare the ball, a player needs the ability to control the ball. In contrast, a player may have the ability to control the ball but does not know how to prepare the ball using that skill. As players train to develop their touch, there needs to be a goal with each repetition. If a player is working on bringing the ball down out of the air, it needs to be with a purpose or direction. If a player is working on controlling the ball and then finishing, the control touch must prepare the ball for the player to strike it with minimum steps and no extra touches.
When a player works with the ball, the goal of preparing the ball needs to be an important part of their training. Paying special attention to the amount of time it takes to get the ball and body prepared to play the ball is something every player can continue to improve upon during training. Whether at practice or training on their own, a player should always ask themselves, "Am I controlling the ball or preparing the ball?" The answer is often the difference between success and failure.
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