Learning each type of soccer touch is vital to moving forward with ball control and dribbling. A good dribbler knows when to cut outside or inside, roll the ball away from an opponent, or dribble quickly through open space.
The touches that you learn this article are the basis for ball control. Work on these touches in every training session, daily if you can. Through practice, you will improve your control over the ball.
Inside or Lace of Feet to Dribble?
Many players beginning to dribble and control the ball ask this question.
Types of Soccer Touches
Lace
The lace touch is the touch that you will use the most when dribbling. Using it moves the ball straight. Players should use it when there is open space, and they want to dribble with speed.
To perform a lace touch, use the area around your shoe laces to chop the ball forward. Touch the ball so that is stays close to you.
Inside
The inside of the foot is used to used to cut past players and to dribble forward while the body shields. It can be used to fake a shot.
To perform an an inside-of-the-foot cut, use the inside of your foot and touch the side of the ball. The ball should go across your body. To dribble forward using the inside of the foot, (useful because you can shield while dribbling), turn your body towards the ball. The leg farthest away from the body will dribble while the lead leg should take steps forward.
Outside
The outside touch is very quick, making it easy to quickly accelerate past a defender. You can also use this touch to dribble forward quickly if you want to dribble towards the side.
To perform an outside cut (assuming with you’re using your right foot), use the inside of your foot to touch the left side of the ball. You can touch more towards the middle if you want to move forward and to the side.
Sole
The sole can be used in many circumstances. It can be used to beat defenders, turn, fake a pass, just naming some examples. This touch is the hardest to learn for beginning players, but mastering it adds a whole new level to your control and dribbling.
To perform a sole touch, first put your foot lightly on the ball. Now roll the ball in any direction you want. Your other foot should hop slightly when you roll the ball.
The Aspects of Ball Control
Learning and mastering all of these touches is the key to great ball control. You will find that once you master the touches, building up to even the most advanced of soccer moves comes easily.
Becoming good at free kicks can make you indispensable to your team, and is an easy way to score goals. Kicking the ball past the wall and past the keeper, isn't easy, but after following this guide and implementing its techniques, you will be able to do it.
How to Kick a Free Kick
Shooting a free kick into the net is incredibly satisfying, but it’s also hard. You need to learn proper technique if you want to become successful.
Shooting a free kick is more than just shooting technique. It also requires technique specifically for kicking a free kick.
There are four key steps that you have to perform:
1. Place the Ball
You can’t move the ball much, but you can set it down. Set it down so it is on a good part of the field if you can, not in dirt or uneven terrain.
2. Look
Look at the wall and look at the goalie. You should be thinking about where you want to place the ball, or where you want to cross the ball. Before you step back, decide where you will place the ball.
3. Step Back
Take a few steps back. Don’t take like 6 steps back. Just take two or three.
Take a deep breathe. It will help calm you.
Relax, tensing up can hurt your technique.
4. Look
Before you kick the ball, glance one more time at the position of the goalie and wall (and teammates if you’re looking to cross).
Then look at the ball, run forward and kick it.
Getting the Ball Past the Wall
The wall is your first obstacle. If you don’t get the ball past the wall, your free kicks will be unsuccessful. So how do you kick it past the wall? There are three ways:
Air
The most obvious and common route is to kick the ball above the wall.
To accomplish this, you should kick the ball in the lower portion.
Getting the ball in the air and over the wall is fairly easy, but you can’t kick the ball over the goal.
It takes practice to determine how high you should kick it (based on distance) and how you should do this. This is a skill that only comes with hours of practicing free kicks.
Ground
A cheeky way to beat the wall is to strike it on the ground. Oftentimes, the wall will jump, allowing the ball to go under them. You can get off a hard shot this way and the goalie won’t expect it.
This is something to experiment, but you shouldn't rely on it too much. If the other team predicts it, your free kick will be wasted.
Bend
Perhaps the best way, it to bend the ball around the wall.
If you bend the ball, you can avoid the wall entirely.
The key is to
Get the ball on goal
Put power on the kick
When you bend the ball, there is a real miss of missing to the right or left. Additionally, people tend to put less power on a bended shot (which can result in an easy save for the keeper).
Soccer Free Kick Tips
Relax
Many players get nervous and tense up during a free kick. This usually results in the ball hitting the wall or going over the goal. Relax, breath, and kick with confidence. You can do this.
Don’t Kick it Weak
I have seen some players chip the ball over the wall, allowing the goalkeeper to easily catch it. While its important to avoid kicking it over the goal, you still need to hit it with pace.
Take it With Confidence
Often, many players on the team want to take a free kick. If you know that you have a good free kick, don’t be afraid to step up and say “hey, I’m going to take it.”
Try shooting a ball you are on top of. It is much harder to shot, and you lose power and accuracy.Shooting a ball that is at an awkward position will take much of the power off of your shot.
How you touch the ball depends on what type of shot you are using. You need to approach the ball at an angle when using a standard shot, for instance, while setting yourself up for a straight shot is much easier.
Additionally, your touch should be away from defenders so they cannot block the shot, or take the ball away from you.
You can either touch the ball with the inside, the outside, or the laces of your foot. With practice, you will learn how touch the ball so you can get a shot off effectively.
Learn more by reading Looking to Shoot
2. Look Up (optional).
Before shoot the ball, you may want to look up at the goalie to see where he/she is. This allows you to decide where to shoot. Only do this if you have enough time to pick your head up. There will be many times though, where you do not have time for this.
Notice that I didn't tell you to look up to see where the goal is. You should develop your soccer radar, so this is unnecessary; however, if you haven’t you can take a peek at the goal, but it is best if you always know where the goal is.
3. Look at the Ball
This is a part that beginning players often get wrong. They naturally want to look at the ball, but with all the confusion going on around them, they look up at opposing players, at the goal, and at the goalie.
This leads to the player “just kicking the ball and hoping.” The player has little control over where the ball goes, and so it often misses the goal.
To avoid this, you need to look at the ball for the entire shooting procedure. Stare at the part of the ball that you want to strike and focus on hitting it there.
To do this, it is important to know the parts of a soccer ball.
4. Place your foot.
Many shooters only think about the foot that kicks the ball, but much of the power of the shot depends on where you place your place foot (the foot not shooting the ball). You can greatly alter your shot, just by slightly changing the position of your place foot.
To place your place foot, you perform a little hop. You probably do this already, but haven’t noticed it before. It is important that you practice this because it is a very important part of the soccer shot.
Depending on the type of soccer shot, you should put your place foot in different positions, but in general, you should place your place foot even with the ball. If you want some more loft on the ball, you can place your foot slightly behind the ball, while if you need to keep the ball on the ground (or you are running) you can place your foot a little ahead of the ball.
Width-wise, you should keep your foot at a comfortable place. Many players have there place foot way too far away (width-wise) from the ball, and this results in shots that go way wide of the goal.
Place foots for specific shots are covered in the types of soccer shots article.
5. Swing your arms.
Swinging your arms fluidly while shooting provides balance, and increases power. This may seem small, but it will improve your shot.
Look at using your arms in soccer to learn more.
6. Bring back your shooting leg.
You want to bring it back as far as you comfortably can. Your leg should create a v-shape. The farther you bring your leg back, the more chance you have for momentum.
Many players don’t go back far enough. Just making this easy adjustment can have a huge effect on the power of your kick.
7. Lock your ankle.
When I say “lock your ankle”, I don’t mean that you should tighten it like you are flexing. I simply mean that your ankle should be firm, and straight (like a putting wedge) for maximum accuracy.
9 DON’T Lean over the ball.
I often hear coaches yell “learn over the ball” when a player strikes the ball over the net and “lean back” if a player doesn't get enough loft on the ball.
Both of these are completely wrong and throw off a shot. All you need to do is try leaning back when shooting, and you will realize how much difficult it makes it. Leaning forward of backward decreases power, and makes shooting more comfortable.
A slight lean either way is okay, but in the end, it is what is comfortable for you. Leaning backwards or forward only hinders your shooting ability.
So where does all the poor advice come from? Think about this: when you lean back, you naturally put your place foot behind the ball, and when you lean forward you put your place foot forward. Where you put your place foot does matter. Leaning over the ball does not, and I know that from experience.
10. Strike it.
How you strike a ball depends on what type of soccer shot you are performing. The important thing to work on is hitting the ball with the right part of your foot at the right part of the ball. This takes practice, but once you get used to it, your accuracy will improve dramatically.
11. Follow through.
I can’t stress enough how important a good follow through it. I know personally that the power and accuracy of my shot improved greatly when I started doing it.
All you need to do is continue through the ball. I see many players who shot the ball with good velocity, but then stop short instead of following through. The result is the effect you would get from chipping a soccer ball.
So follow through as if the ball was still there. Many players find it helpful to focus on landing on their shooting foot.
12. Follow it up.
Once you take your shot, make it a habit to sprint towards it. Sometimes, you can get your own rebound, while your fellow teammates and the opposition are staring at your shot’s beauty.
This may not seem important, but if you can score just one goal by following up your own shot, it is worth it right? Here is a video that explains everything.
If you like what i do please subscribe,like and share these articles so i can help more players.Take a look at my other blogs to improve other specific skills. To finish think about this" What are you doing Today to make a better player tomorrow?" - Joel Morales
Lots of players ask me: "What position should I play?"
My answer to them: "What position do you want to play?"
If you are struggling to find the best position for yourself on the field, I would first ask yourself this question. Instead of worrying about what position is best for you, decide what position you want to play.
Once you have decided what position you want to play, determine what the most important skills and traits are for that position and then set out a plan to get them.
Let's take a look at an example:
Basically everyone wants to be a striker.
Who wouldn't want to be? You get to score goals and win games for your team.
Realize there also comes a lot of expectation and pressure with the position, but if you are a real player this should motivate you and not discourage you or make you nervous.
Now what skills and traits are necessary to play in the striker's position?
Well first you obviously need to be able to score goals.
How can you become a better goal scorer?
(1) Shoot everyday.
(2) Spend 10 minutes before and after practice working on your finishing.
(3) Watch great strikers online and learn from them.
Next you need to have good ball control and a first touch to receive passes and set yourself up for goal scorer opportunities.
How can you improve your ball control and first touch?
(1) Juggle everyday.
(2) Practice passing and receiving into space against a wall.
(3) Watch great strikers online and learn from them.
On the physical side of things you need to be strong to be able to hold off defenders and keep your position in dangerous areas.
How do you become stronger?
(1) Do strength-training exercises every 2nd day.
(2) Adjust your diet and eat more muscle-building foods.
(3) Learn how to protect the ball with your body.
Alright, so you know now what you have to do to develop the skills necessary for your position.
Now it's up to you to stay on top of yourself and put in the work necessary to become the player you want to be.
If you can't win the spot on your team for the position you desire, don't get frustrated. Just realize you need to develop more, learn more, and get even better.
If you are a serious Soccer player and you are willing to do anything to achieve your goals, then this will not discourage you but motivate you to improve even more.
What position do you want to play? It's up to you.
