first touch
English
Noun
first touch (plural first touches)
- (sports) A player's initial contact with the moving ball, used to get the ball under control.
- 2011 September 24, David Ornstein, “Arsenal 3 - 0 Bolton”, in BBC Sport[1], archived from the original on 28 November 2011:
- They might have taken the lead when Gervinho latched on to a Mikel Arteta through ball, only for a heavy first touch to let Jussi Jaaskelainen gather.
- 2025 October 21, Alex Howell, “The evolution of Rice - how midfielder became Arsenal's all-rounder”, in BBC Sport[2], archived from the original on 10 January 2026:
- "His ability to take the ball on the half-turn allows his first touch to be always forward when he receives it."