Soccer Moves
There are many different soccer moves but they all have the same goal in mind--to get by an opposing player.
While there are even more moves at the advanced level, most soccer players should be concerned with perfecting some of the more basic soccer moves, such as control dribbling, speed dribbling, change of speed, change of directions, basic body feints, the pull back, the hook turn and the cut.
Dribbling in its most basic sense is running with the ball. Control dribbling is also known as shielding the ball. It is a soccer move which happens when the player with the ball is in traffic. He keeps the ball as close to his feet as he can to protect it. Speed dribbling, on the other hand, is done in the open where there is more space and is just running faster with the ball. Speed dribbling is often used to separate yourself from an opponent.
The change of speed can be either going from slow to fast or fast to slow. Soccer analyists report that there are approximately 100 activity changes in a typical soccer match. This means that every six seconds there is a change of speed. When you are dribbling, change of speed is essential in going by another player. Players do not need to be super fast when they are going from slow to fast or vice-versa. The plan should be to lull the defender to sleep by slow dribbling and then use a burst of speed to break away from your opponent. Sometimes it is necessary to slow your dribbling speed to set up a play with a teammate or to time a pass to another player who needs to free himself from a defender.
One of the moves that is most effective for a number of plays is the change of directions. The first thing you need to establish is total control of the ball. Unless you have the ball in your control, trying to change directions will often lead to a steal of the ball by your opponent. The next thing to do is to stop the ball by putting your foot on top of it.
Then apply the force necessary to spin the ball. The foot controlling the ball moves in the direction of the change. This foot is then always positioned on side of the ball opposite the direction you plan to go. Players pivot their bodies and spin around on the opposite foot as the ball is changing direction. Every change of direction must be fluid to avoid losing the ball. One of change of directions used most is the 180-degree turn. It is essential in this and all other changes to keep the ball close to your foot so that it cannot be stolen by a defender.
Soccer moves involve many different types of body feints. More advanced players not only use the basic maneuvers but sometimes even develop feints of their own. Consequently, some feints are named after the professional players who developed them. To start, however, it is necessary to be able to apply the basic feints when you have possession of the ball. All such maneuvers are designed to fake out the opponent to hide where the ball is actually going. Before attempting to learn any feint it is necessary for players to have learned basic skills, including how to explode forward carrying the ball with the outside of the foot.
Most players are taught the step-fake first because it is the easiest one to learn. The player steps to the right as if intending to make a sharp cut in that direction with the inside of his left foot on the ball. Instead, the player explodes to the left with a burst of speed, at the same time dragging the ball with him with it on the outside of his left foot. This fake is also done in the opposite direction. It is always good to lean the shoulder or hips in the direction of the fake, making it more convincing to the opposing player.
Once accomplished at this soccer move, players can try another feint called a single scissors or the Barnes move. Here a player moves directly toward the attacker. Then the left foot swings around to the front of the ball and is planted to the side of the ball. The hips are swiveled as if the player is going to take the ball left with his right foot. Instead the player brings the right foot behind the ball and explodes to the right, dragging the ball with the outside of his left foot. There is a difference between this and the step-fake because the foot must go in front of the ball before being planted to the side.
Other basic soccer moves are the pull back, the hook turn, and the cut. The pull back is essentially a safety skill. It is usually accomplished by placement of the foot on the top of the ball, rolling it backwards, then turning and stopping the ball. The hook turn, on the other hand, is accomplished by the player pulling his toes up and then hooking the ball with the outside of his foot as he turns. After a ball is hooked, the stop and pull back moves are used. The cut is actually basic to many different soccer moves and is done by tapping the ball with the inside of the foot to make it go in the opposite direction. A cut to the right is done with the inside of the left foot and a cut to the left with the inside of the right foot.