You have a habit in your game that has to go:
you kill the ball on your first touch.
You stop it, you cushion it, and the entire sequence around you slows down.
That stall destroys rhythm, destroys momentum, and invites pressure.
Your first touch must move with intention — forward, directional, decisive.
A touch that carries you into the next phase without interruption.
Why it matters:
When you stop the ball, you become a static target.
Static targets get hunted.
They’re easy to press, easy to trap, easy to time.
But when your first touch moves, you move with it.
A moving ball buys you time, buys you rhythm, and opens your scan window.
You see the next pass before taking it because the ball’s travel gives you information.
Look at this moment:
I receive the ball behind the first line — my head is already up.
Not because I’m guessing.
Because the direction of my touch gives me the window to scan.
The ball travels, I travel, and the next action becomes automatic.
That’s the key:
Your first touch should carry you seamlessly into the next phase.
When you touch forward into your step, you already know where the ball will be on your second touch.
That predictability lets you scan between touches.
First touch: direction
Second touch: execution
Fluid. Clean. Controlled.
And we see it later in your game — when you move the ball with direction, everything changes.
You prepare the next action before receiving.
You eliminate opponents with one touch.
You remove noise.
You play faster, clearer, and with actual substance.
You stop reacting to the game.
You start setting the tempo.
And that’s what shifts you from “another midfielder” to the player who dictates the rhythm everyone else has to follow.
A part of your game that shapes everything else is your first touch, and right now your body orientation is holding you back.
Here’s what I mean:
You receive the ball sideways or even backwards.
That orientation closes the field for you before the play even starts.
One small detail — your hips — changes the entire picture.
I want you to see the difference between you and Iniesta.
The best players keep their hips central.
They face the field.
Because orientation controls pressure.
Pressure is just triggers — cues defenders react to.
When your hips are central, you neutralize those triggers.
Your posture tells the defender:
I can go left, right, or straight through you.
That uncertainty makes them hesitate, and hesitation buys you time.
And this is the part that matters most:
When your body is central, you see more.
Your passing lanes open.
Your options multiply.
Most of the chances you miss right now come from your sideways stance — you simply can’t see the full field.
Now look at your toughest moments.
They all come when you receive the ball facing your own goal.
That is a pressing trigger.
Backwards orientation invites aggressive pressure.
It puts you in survival mode instantly.
To fix it, you need a full, forward orientation on your first touch.
Not because it looks better — because it controls the pressure.
A central stance shifts the defender’s behavior.
They can’t step freely.
They can’t jump you.
They have to slow down.
Don’t be scared of the pressure.
You control the pressure with your orientation.
Face forward, stay central, and the whole game opens for you.