Soccer has managed to captivate fans from around the world for years. Whether you’re British, Brazilian or American, you are likely familiar with soccer. If you really want to hone your soccer skills, keep reading this article. We’ll discuss some smart, effective techniques that will bring your soccer game up.
Learn how to freeze a defender. Doing this causes the defender that’s coming after you to stop in their tracks to figure out your next move, which gives you time to maneuver around the field. To do this, act like you’re going for a long kick or shot just before they reach you. If done correctly, they’ll either turn to a side to cease the fake motion or freeze to see what you’re doing next.
Try using the sides of the field. If there are lots of people in the center of the field, it makes it harder to play in that area. Using the wing-men on your team can exploit the sides. Penetrate these areas and send the ball to the center so that your teammate can finish the play. Make sure to avoid knocking the ball out of bounds.
When you have the soccer ball and a player is coming your way, pretend that you’re passing the ball to another player. Doing this will cause your opponent to pause, giving you a few seconds to choose what to do next. Use your arms to distract him.
If you are playing goalie, talk to your defensive players, particularly during corner attacks. If you see an attacker to the side of your goal, your best possible position is against the actual post, standing as tall as you can. Make sure a defender is covering any center area, just in case.
Take care to avoid overconfidence while playing. You may think that you’re great, but the unexpected can happen. If you act like nothing can possibly touch you, an unexpected happening could mess up your game.
Try finding professional players who usually play your position and pay attention to the techniques they use. By learning to imitate his strategies and techniques, you will become a better soccer player. If he has a signature move, learn it and incorporate it into your play.
If you are in charge with picking out the uniforms, choose colors that really stand out. This is a common practice with professional soccer teams. By giving your players uniforms they can be proud of, you will be giving them a reason to play their best while looking their best.
Learn your passing skills well to succeed at soccer. Use the inside arch of your foot for the most accuracy. For short passes, keep the ball low by hitting it near the center of the ball. For longer passes, with more power, hit the ball lower and follow through fully.
Choose your soccer shoes carefully depending on the surface that you play on. For instance, if you play on a grass soccer field, you need soccer cleats that offer plenty of traction. Strong, permanent cleats are your best bet. Shoes with permanent cleat come in several different patterns.
There are all different types of soccer shots, and you should try your best to use a variety of them. It may seem practical for you to use standard shots a lot of the time, but there are other times where it may be necessary to make a chip shot, inside shot, or some other type of shot.
It is important that you are able to properly kick a soccer ball. You don’t want to kick it like a playground ball. To kick a ball high, kick towards the bottom of it. Use your foot like a wedge, get under the ball and kick up while leaning backwards.
Work on decreasing your weaknesses instead of increasing your strengths when it comes to soccer. Although this seems counter productive, it will actually help you improve your game. By working on improving your weaknesses, you will learn how to improve your strengths by using the techniques you learned when improving your soccer weaknesses.
Soccer is a fun but methodical sport. You cannot expect to score every few minutes like in basketball. One mistake many teams make is several players flocking towards the ball. Provide space to your teammates if they have the ball. The best strategy is to triangulate and also keep a player behind the person who has the ball.
Now that you’ve had a chance to read this article, you are better prepared for your next soccer game. Use the information laid out here to help you showcase your soccer skills and keep them growing. Use your own good sense to feel your way in soccer, and make sure you improve your skills so that you can one day be a great player.