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Soccer Dribbling: Moves
The Stop and Go.
For this move - the key is simply a change of pace. You jog slowly with the ball, usually when a defender is along side of you, and then burst past the defender. Again, you jog nonchalantly along with the ball, then stop for a second, and then burst past the defender.
You can also put the sole of your foot on top of the ball for a second when you stop the ball, and then push it forward with your instep when you break off on the dribble again to escape the defender.
The Cut Back.
With the inside of the foot you cut the ball back behind your body. Using your right foot to cut the ball back you plant your left foot to the side of the ball and then bring your right foot up to cut the ball back. The reverse if you are cutting the ball back with your left foot.
You can often tie this in with a fake shot. Dribbling away from a defender into space you fake a pass or shot and then chop the ball back with the inside of the foot you used to fake the pass or the shot - then dribble in the other direction.
The Fake Shot.
Simply bringing the leg back like you are going to shoot can buy you time. Bring the leg back as though you are going to make a pass or take a shot and then stop the ball just in front of the ball - then move the ball to the left or right to set yourself up for your next play.
The Step over.
You take your right foot over the ball and dribble away with your left. Also often called the scissors.
Inside Outside.
You kind of fake like your going inside and then rush to the outside. With the inside of your foot on the ball you carry the ball a little bit to the inside a few steps (leaning to the inside) and then when you think the defender is off balance or not ready, you push the ball to the outside (with the outside of your foot) and you then have more space to cross the ball, or make a pass, or shoot.
Outside Inside.
This time use the outside of your feet, this is usually more difficult because you don't have as much control with the outside of your feet, in terms of surface area, so make the dragging of the ball to the outside a little shorter in distance. Same as above but starting with the outside of your foot.
Dropping Your Shoulder.
Dribbling slowly at a defender you feint with the shoulder, ducking or leaning your shoulder down a little bit one way and take off the other way.
Sole of the foot turn.
Pull the ball back with the bottom of your shoe and burst away with a change of speed.
Scoop.
Life the ball over the defender's foot. This is usually done while feinting one way and then scooping the ball the other way just over the defender's planted foot.
After you lift the ball over the defenders foot make sure to take off with a burst of speed. Often, you want to scoop or lift the ball over the defenders foot and to your other foot so your body will be between you and the defender after you make the move. So you are dribbling with your right foot and scoop the ball over the defenders foot and to your left foot or the other way around. Also, this move is also usually done when you are in an almost standing position and the defender is rushing at you or you’re suckering the defender in and then lifting the ball over their foot as they came in towards you to fast and you then slip away.
The Lean.
Leaning to one side kind of carrying the ball with you, as if you are going to dart off with the ball, and when the defender doesn't expect it, take off in the opposite direction.
Sucker them.
Entice the defender to try to go for the ball, exposing the ball as if the defender can steal it and when he or she makes a move to go for the ball you cut the ball away and take off. Again, change of pace is the key when beating a defender on the dribble.
This is why, when training, you touch the ball each time you dribble, so you can gain greater control of the ball and make those sharp cuts to the side or back, and entice and elude and frustrate and really annoy defenders. See more on this below.
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Developing Skills
As a kid, I would act like the weeds were defenders and dribble in out and in, cutting back and forth as I dribbled, trying to avoid hitting the weeds with the ball, make believing they were defenders.
Every Step.
Try to touch the ball with each step you take with the ball. In very quick succession touch the ball a little bit ahead of you. This will create both good control and increase your dribbling speed with the ball. With this kind of control you can elude defenders when they try to reach in and steal the ball, you can just cut the ball away since it is always so close to you, this will give you overall greater control when your dribbling. It is almost like you are trying to get as many touches in as you dribble forward with the ball.
Change of Pace.
Here it is again, sorry for the repetition, in a few weeks you will see a more complete and concise website. Change of pace is the key to going by a player on the dribble. You don't necessarily need to be extremely fast to go by someone. You just need to kind of lull the defender to sleep for a second and then break past the opponent with a burst of speed.
Improving Your Left Foot.
The best advice is just to use it. Continue to strike the ball against a wall with your bad foot, slowly but steadily you will see improvement, have patience. There is always exceptions, if you look at one of the best players in the world 'Rivaldo', he only uses his left foot, simply because his left foot is so incredible and he positions his body so well to protect the ball. He is a player that is so experienced and so skilled with his left that he can get a away it.
Drills.
A great drill is simply weaving in and out of a set of cones, and you can of course get creative, as I was saying before I used to dribble in and out of a field of weeds, you can make variations in the drill and put rules on yourself to make it more difficult.
Put about 8 to 10 cones in a line about three yards apart and dribble in and out of the row of cones without touching or knocking over the cones. Also, try not to touch the ball to far away from the line of cones, keep the ball close to you and don't dribble out away from the row of the cones.
When you have this down you can then vary the way that you dribble through the cones, just with the right foot and then just with the left foot, and then alternating feet, where you touch the ball to the left and then to the right as you weave through the cones, just with the inside of the feet, and so on, you can make up restrictions to put on yourself to try to improve a specific part of your dribbling technique.
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