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It breaks my
heart when I watch a full team of 11 young players WITH subs get
their rear-end kicked all over the field and picked apart by a
team of only seven or eight players. Why/How does this happen?
The game of
soccer is all about maintaining possession. If you lose the
ball, win it back ASAP!
Passing with
accuracy ensures that your teammates have an easy time receiving
the ball. Passes could be powerful cross-field kicks or they
could be the deftest of touches that gives the ball no movement,
or anything in between. Passes can go in the air or on the
ground.
To master the
act of passing, players need good eyes to recognize the
direction and speed of travel of the target. It is then a big
responsibility to place the ball in stride for the
receiver.
Ideally passes
should be grounders (touching the ground all the way to
receiver). This ensures the most efficient management of time
and space.
Technique
Passes are
generally made with the inside of the foot. With practice, the
instep (lace part of the shoe) is a very effective surprise
passing tool on motion. Passes are also made with headers,
chest, and the occasional inadvertent butt.
To make an
effective pass, ensure that the non-kicking foot (NKF) lands
next to the ball. Strike the ball smoothly and follow through
with the inside of the kicking foot.
Apply as
much power as needed (and ONLY as much power as needed) to
neatly get the ball to the receiver.
Receiving the
ball cleanly helps to ensure that your teammates are not chasing
turned over balls all game.
Depending on
how much space the opposition allows you, the ball you received
must end up closer to you than the nearest player.
The inside of
the foot offers a good surface for receiving grounders.
Depending on how hard the ball is driven, the receiving foot
(a couple of inches off the ground) must present a cushioning effect upon impact with the ball.
This keeps the ball from bouncing off the naturally hard surface
of the foot.
Until
players become comfortable with receiving the grounders with
various parts of the foot, the inside part of the foot facing
the approaching ball is ideal to receive; hence, the ball coming
from the player's left is received with the inside of the
player's right foot and vice versa.
Possibly for
reasons that include the power of body alignment, the surface
most ideal for shooting at the goal with the most power is the
instep (the top of the shoe - with lace).
Technique
Always ensure
that your non-kicking foot (NKF) lands next to the ball, with the toes
of your kicking foot
down,
you explode into the "equator" part of the ball with the laced
part of your shoe.
If the NKF
lands short of the ball, there's a good chance of hitting the
ball below the "equator" thereby hitting high. If the NKF lands
ahead of the ball, you end up kicking above the equator and
burying most of your power into the ground. |
