 | Hunter is the owner and director of Serious Soccer Youth Development. He is a former Technical Director of Soccer Nova Scotia, and has worked as a staff coach with the Canadian Soccer Associations National Training Centre. Played several years in the NSSL Premiership as a goalkeeper. Currently holds a Canadian Soccer Association National “B” Licence. Currently resides in Halifax, Nova Scotia. How to kick a soccer ball?
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| Playing Off The Back Leg |
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When a player is not under pressure and has time and space, it is not truly important what foot he plays on, and in most cases he will just choose to use his most dominant foot. Once a player is under pressure, the choice of how to stand and what foot to play the ball with becomes extremely important. If we look at the situation above, the player has chosen to stand straight on and face the opponent with the ball between them. This brings the ball dangerously close to the defender and severely limits the passing and dribbling options of the player. As you can see it will be very difficult to pass to his teammate standing in front of him. This position also gives the defender a good chance to deal with any sort of forward dribbling the player may attempt. It is most likely that the player will be forced to dribble sideways or pass the ball backwards.
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TIP:
When turning sideways, always attempt to face the largest part of the field if possible. This will give you the most options. |
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TIP:
When playing, try to be as deceptive as possible with your passing and dribbling. Try to do the unexpected. Look one way, pass the other. Fake left, dribble right, etc. |
By changing his stance (turning sideways on), and placing the ball on the foot farthest away from the defender (in this case the right foot), the player has now increased his forward passing and dribbling options. Since the angle has changed and the ball is now farther way from the defender, the player is now able to bend the ball around the defender ("play it around the corner...") and get it to his teammate standing in front of him (see: Passing from the back leg). If the defender stays directly in front of the player, the player will also be able to dribble towards the center of the field and in a lot of cases be able to angle in and get in front of the defender (see: Dribbling to the center). The player also has the option to play a short pass to the wing if needed.
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Passing from the back leg
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Dribbling to the center
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TIP:
When attempting to dribble, it is recommended that the player attempt a fake or feint to try and off-balance the defender. Examples would be: cruyff turn, step-over, or scissor (see: Cristiano Ronaldo video below for a demonstration). |
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TIP:
Playing off the back leg, greatly improves your ability to play one touch passes more effectively. |
If the defender wants to defend against the forward pass, he will have to cheat a bit to the side (in this case his left side). This will leave him exposed to a pass down the line (see: Passing down the line )or in most cases the player will be able to dribble past on the inside (see: Dribbling down the line). By turning sideways, the player has forced the defender to make a decision. Defend against the pass or defend against the dribble. Whatever the defender chooses to do, the player merely has to recognize and exploit the open option.
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Passing down the line
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Dribbling down the line
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Combination plays may also be used from this position to break down the opponents |
A wall pass
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TIP:
The defender does not always know what is going on behind him. Even if you do not have a team mate to pass to, you may still be able to fool the opponent by turning sideways. He may hesitate because he thinks there is someone there.
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1 On 1
vs.
The Goalkeeper
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When confronted with the goalkeeper in a 1 vs. 1 situation the same principles stated above can be applied. If the player faces the goalkeeper straight on it will be difficult to bend the ball and he will only have a small space on both the right and left side of the goalkeeper in which to shoot. The goalkeeper will have an equal chance to save at either side.
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TIP:
Shoot low if possible, it is the hardest ball for the goalkeeper to save. If he saves it, he may give you a rebound. |
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Shooting far post
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By turning sidways on and carrying the ball on the foot farthest away from the goalkeeper, the player will now be in a position to bend the ball around to the far post and score (see: Shooting far post). The player may also attempt to slip the ball past the goalkeepers feet at the near post. |
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Once the player turns sideways, the goalkeeper now has a decision to make. He can cheat to his left in order to cover the far post or stay in the center and protect the near post. If the goalkeeper cheats to his left (as in the situation above) , the player now has the option to slip the ball past the goalkeeper at the near post (see: Shooting near post) or dribble around the keeper (see: Rounding the keeper). Again the player merely has to recognize what option the goalkeeper has given him and then exploit it.
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Shooting near post
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Rounding the keeper
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Past Articles By This Coach: |
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