I’ve been trying to improve my soccer game over the past several months. In addition to playing in a handful of pickup games every week, I’ve been working on my individual skills in a field with training cones, or kicking against a wall. Specifically, I’ve been working on dribbling and ball skills like stepovers, scissors, cutbacks, fake kicks, sole drags, etc.
Problem is, when I try to execute any of these moves in a game situation under pressure it never works out. Kind of hard to explain how it doesn’t work out, but you probably get my meaning.
Any suggestions? I know that saying calm and relaxed is a big one. I am at the point now where I can receive the ball and then stop for a sec to look up and assess the situation instead of panicking. Still, when it comes to using a move to beat defenders I just can’t see how it all fits together.
I don’t know how you’re approaching it, but I would say if you’re thinking “Right, an opponent is here, i’ll use this move” it might not be that helpful. If they’re standing there waiting for you to make a move, sure, but you should let their attack dictate your defence. Don’t focus on doing the moves, focus on keeping the ball away. Practicing just means you have the muscle memory ready to help you with that.
The key is to focus on your first touch. That is, stopping and controlling the ball when it comes to you. That’s crucial and must be mastered before you can move on. Best way to do that is to blast a ball against a wall constantly and try and trap it when it comes back. Switch feet often. Once you are confident that you can stop the ball or control it with a flick, then you’ll have more time on the ball to look up and see what you need to do next. You mention you can do this already which is good but mastering this basic will give you more confidence to move past a player without resorting to tricks. Most good defenders will not be fooled by tricks and can seem them coming a mile away. A quick move once you get the ball is worth 100 step overs.
Very good points. I’m definitely the solid kind of team player who’s not interested in flashy tricks for their own sake. It’s just the recently I’ve realized that I need something to be able to beat a defender because I tend to cough up the ball when strongly challenged.
It sounds like you have the mechanics of the moves down pat so I’d recommend you take a ball to a field and just start dribbling at about half speed, and begin doing your moves. Don’t plan them ahead of time, just pull a move, and as soon as it is done, pull another, letting the position of the ball dictate which move you choose. Change pace, change direction, spin, fake a shot even if you’re on the wrong side of the field. You’ll probably be somewhat out of control at first but don’t worry, just react to where the ball is and keep going.
Also, try to summon the urgency you would have if defenders were present. I am not saying you should visualize a particular defender approaching from a certain angle and try to evade the figment; just try to keep the intensity up, the constant thought being ‘I have to move, I have to react, I have to do something.’ When you lose control you should feel slightly panicked and hustle to regain it.
I guess I am saying you should practice freestyling with bit of urgency. Once you are used to the constant flow and executing 3-4 moves in rapid succession, it will be easy to execute any of them in a game. And the most important part is that you will do so as a reaction, instead of a conscious action.
Apologies if this isn’t helpful, but it sounds as though your approach in practicing is a bit clinical. That is an excellent way to master mechanics and fundamentals, but often leaves people acting too methodically to translate well in game situations.
Are you looking at your feet as you do the drills? That is what always got me. I would recommend getting rid of the cones for now and try dribbling up and down the pitch with your head up. Throw in some cuts, left, right, and such.
That’s definitely good advice. I do tend to look at my feet, so I should really start trying to “feel” the ball. And certainly my training is “clinical”. Practicing with a sense of urgency is a good suggestion.
The stuff you’re talking about is fairly advanced, particularly if you tend to “cough up the ball when strongly challenged”. Many novice players worry more about moves and less about using their body to hold off a defender. Get a friend/teammate and practice shielding the ball with your body while you move the ball toward an objective. Also, it helps to have an idea of where all your teammates are/will be, so that you can send in a smart pass. The threat of a good pass opens up a lot of space for you to control the ball. If the defense realizes it takes you a moment to sort out where the other players are they’ll close on you quickly and good defense usually beats offense. Finally, and this is a big problem with a lot of American players, don’t just look for forward passes, look for outlets back and to the sides that open a position up. Think of the game more like chess than the early part of checkers, in that moves that reveal how the defense will react are often more valuable than a full out attack on the goal.
Listen to Lochdale. Practice your first touch until you can collect the ball without watching the ball all the way to your feet. That way you can be looking and thinking ahead as to where your dribble/pass will be.
In order to beat a defender with a move, you need them to become second nature. You have to practive them over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over…
The only way to get good at this is repetition. Massive amounts of it.
A wonderful dribbling drill that I use that breaks the worst dribbling habits that players have–long dribbles and lack of reaction time.
First set up some scattered cones randomly, maybe 5-10 yards separated from each other.
Now do a traditional “dribble around the cones” drill, but with a twist.
Every, and I do mean every step you take will also be a touch on the ball while dribbling. Your next foot should never make it to the ground without first doing something to the ball. It can be just a touch, a settle, a stop, doesn’t matter. Just touch it every step while getting around those cones.
Start slow, and gradually speed up over practices until it is second nature. You don’t have to be fast, just consistent.
Then mix it up again with these variations:
Every touch is with the outside of the foot
Every touch is with the inside of the foot
Every touch alternates inside/outside of the foot
After every 5 touches, reverse and dribble backwards for 5 touches, then dribble forwards, repeat etc.
If you can, then get a “bump buddy”. This is someone who plays as a defender, but doesn’t really try to take the ball from you. He just moves with you while you do your drill giving random pushes and bumps against your body to throw off your concentration. This is brilliant for getting used to pressure.
I run around and do this for 20 minutes or so before every game, and my ball handling is something I’m unabashedly proud of about my soccer game. I still can’t shoot left side to save my life though
