I'm going to let my Canadian slip a bit here I think...
A similar skill in hockey is receiving a pass on your stick - it requires the same cushioning action and, like expert says, it's really a question of getting the timing down, and it will change depending on how hard the ball is hit, the slickness of the surface, etc. In hockey, a common way to teach this is to use eggs instead of hockey pucks. You can see the central theme I'm getting at here:
be gentle, If you're too eager, and your foot comes to meet the ball rather than the other way around, it will be as if you kicked the ball, and you'll lose control. Ideally, you'd time it perfectly so you move your foot away from the ball just a little bit ahead of its actual speed. Keep your foot loose and not rigid to make sure you keep control.
Good luck!