EA FC 26 Best First Touch Techniques To Help You Get Past The Defense With Ease!
Posted: Sep 08, 2025 Views: 20
Do you often find yourself receiving the ball only to lose it within a split second, missing a perfectly executed attacking opportunity, even when the pass is clearly flawless? This is likely because you're constantly lacking that crucial first touch!
Here, we will analyze the various reasons why you're losing your first touch and share how to address it in the game. Mastering these techniques will allow you to go beyond simply protecting the ball and use it to dribble past defenders, winning games and claiming all FC 26 coin rewards!
Directing The Ball With The First Touch
First, let's discuss the biggest secret to first touch: observing your opponent's defenders.
This is because your first touch doesn't actually begin when the ball reaches you, but before. The key is to observe the pitch before receiving the ball: where is the pressure coming from? Where are the open spaces?
Note that by observing the small white triangle above the head of an opposing defender, you can tell where the danger is coming from and how to mitigate it. Once you understand the situation, you can adjust your first touch accordingly to get the ball into open space.
We also reminds you that even if you have an opportunity to pass after your first touch, don't push the ball directly towards the defender or into their easy reach. Instead, use your first touch to evade the movement of the opposing defender before creating an opportunity.
This directional first touch is especially important when facing players who abuse AI defending or play overly aggressively, and it can be extremely frustrating if you don't know how to deal with it. But don't worry, there have plenty of helpful guides on how to counter these defenders.
Use Sprinting First Touch In The Right Situations
Secondly, have you ever experienced this in EA FC 26: You press the R2/RT button and perform a Sprint to increase the urgency of your player's touch. After their first touch, they dynamically push the ball into open space and easily dribble past the defender. But before you can get complacent, the ball is lost. What happened?
Sprinting first touch is actually a double-edged sword. One of the most common mistakes most players makes is to habitually hold R2/RT as the ball approaches. It might feel like you're about to sprint forward, but remember that this can also lead to significant uncontrolled touches, especially in midfield where space is tight and you don't have much wiggle room.
Thus, a normal first touch without Sprinting is actually more effective at maintaining possession and preventing easy tackles.
However, if there's only one defender between you and a wide forward, a sprinting first touch is actually one of the most effective mechanisms in the game to punish aggressive tacklers who constantly press you from behind.
For example, if the defender is standing at a safe distance directly in front of you, covering all possible angles, don't rush for the first touch, as this can easily lead to losing possession.
Instead, observe the defender's body language before the ball arrives. If instead of moving backward, he's moving directly toward your position, this means he won't be able to cover your explosive first touch if you attempt to dribble past him.
Thus, you must correctly judge the situation and use your sprint first touch at the right time to successfully break through and create easy scoring opportunities for your teammates. Master these ball control techniques and complete Squad Building Challenges (SBCs) to earn EA FC 26 coins and packs for your Ultimate Team!
Controlled First Touch
Now, let's take it a step further - a bit more challenging, but also more effective - and that's where the controlled first touch comes in.
This is a super effective ball control technique that allows you to quickly explode without losing control of the ball.
To do this, hold R1/RB and flick the right stick in any direction as the ball approaches. This triggers a special first touch animation, and your player immediately pushes the ball in the direction of your choice upon receiving it.
This is faster than a regular directional touch, but not as reckless as a sprint, which is where it shines.
Especially when opposing defenders are rushing in and over-committing, this controlled touch gives you enough burst to glide past them without losing the ball, allowing you to execute a shot or skill move without slowing down.
But remember, a controlled first touch is most effective when you have a bit of room to move. In very confined areas, a quick screen or pass is a wise move.
Combined With One-Touch Skill Move
Finally, the icing on the cake is the one-touch skill move.
In EA Sports FC, a one-touch skill move generally refers to a skill that can be performed quickly and requires minimal input, often requiring a deceptive maneuver designed to throw the opponent off balance.
In FC 26, you can link this skill move directly to first touch, meaning you can easily feint past your opponent the moment the ball arrives.
You can pull off some pretty crazy moves with this skill, especially if you've carefully scanned the pitch, see the defenders closing in, and know exactly which direction you want to go.
You can trigger a bounce the moment you receive the ball, quickly roll the ball around to evade a defender, or use body movement to instantly shed a defender. The key is to activate this skill move just before the ball reaches you. Not too early, or you won't sense it; not too late, or you'll miss the chance to score smoothly.
Once you master first touch, you'll be in prime position for the finishing touch, whether it's a pass, a shot, or winning an aerial duel inside the box. So, don't hesitate, practice now and make sure all those perfect passes and crosses in FUT 26 turn into goals!
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