Top football players have developed technical perfection at high speeds. This is important as in top football there is less space in which to operate.

Within youth football most of the work of the coach should be on the technical development of the players in passing, receiving and the one against one situation.

Development and mastery of passing is extremely important as quality passing allows the ball to be moved quickly around the pitch. Here, the old adage that ?the ball moves faster than the player? is highlighted.

Teams with players who have trouble passing the ball will undoubtedly have trouble in moving the ball from one part of the pitch to the other, most notably, from the area close to their own goal to the opponents? goal area.

The first phase of passing development is in the basic mechanics of passing. As progress is made the players should be made aware of the need to be flexible with their passing technique. In other words, they should realise the importance of coupling their technique with the situation.

In this regard, the player?s tactical awareness in relation to passing should also be developed. This is important as a more flexible passing technique based on excellent basic mechanics combined with a reading of the situation makes the player?s passing less predictable. Other aspects of passing should be developed as well such as the speed and direction of the pass.

High ball speed when passing assists the team in outplaying the well-organised defences which are a feature of the modern game. Some teams, some say unfairly, depend on a high ball speed to the extent that when playing at home their pitch is saturated with water using the sprinkler system to assist in the ball zipping along the pitch in an effort to outplay their opponents.

Only the highest technicians are capable of this and only a few teams depend on this. Of course, when passing at a high speed the direction of the pass is important. Here, passing precision is the operative phrase based on the position of the opponent or based on where the next pass should go. Also critical to a quality passing game is the movement of the players without the ball. However, emphasis on this aspect should only occur once the players have reached an acceptable passing level.

What precedes the pass and is very important and, to this end, the development of the receiving technique is also critical. Once again, the mechanical development provides the foundation. Receiving the ball like a cushion is the objective here in order to make the ball ready as quickly as possible for the next move. Taking too long to get the ball under control limits a player?s effectiveness as an opportunity to take or create a chance can disappear in an instant especially at the higher levels of football.

Therefore, it is also important to develop match-related and situational receiving techniques. For example, receiving and moving the ball into a free space with one movement has been mastered by the top football players.

The one against one situation is the most basic confrontation in football. A football player must develop proficiency in this as he/she should expect pressure from at least one opponent. Therefore, coaches of young players should pay attention to this aspect of development. Developing young players who are comfortable and effective in at least the one against one situation is a critical part of the young player?s overall development. As the players improve progress can be made in developing their one against two confrontations. This is also normal for top football players.

I have briefly attempted to highlight the most important technical development requirements of youth football players and, by extension, the technical emphasis of the coaches. Developing players with mastery of the aforementioned football techniques provides the foundation for more effective and attractive teams.

During the next televised match, it?s worth paying particular attention to the players? proficiency in these areas. In fact, all coaches should be paying close attention to the top players and teams as this provides the insight into the requirements of youth football players.

From these match observations, exercises are created to assist in player development. Of course, these exercises must keep in mind the age and level of the players, but paying attention to what the end result should be provides the basis for the steps to player development with technical ball mastery as the foundation.

In the end, technique always wins!