Soccer is a sport that can be played almost anywhere, with a minimum of equipment, facts which have made it immensely popular across the globe. But, it may be that you lack a good understanding of the sport’s fundamentals. If so, this article is intended to provide you with the education you need.
You have to know where the ball is all the time. If you lose focus, you will allow cheap goals to materialize. Losing track of the soccer ball can risk the other team getting a chance to score a goal.
If you are facing a defender, try getting past them instead of simply holding the ball. You can hold the ball for a while by shielding it with your body and passing it from one foot to the other but you will eventually have to attack and get past the defender.
If the field around you has too much activity, pass to a teammate in an open area of the field. You’re more likely to keep the ball if you pass it to a less busy area and gain some seconds before opposing players get there.
Lofting a ball is hard to control. Pass low to ensure defenders can’t interfere. Pass with lofted balls when making long passes to someone in a more open area.
When you play soccer, make sure that you make time to practice every day. Try to spend about an hour practicing. You can do this either by yourself, with some friends, or with your coach. This can help you better your form, strengthen your weaknesses and make you faster. One thing that many struggle with that you should practice is keeping the ball low. Just practice tapping it low, then gradually boosting the power.
Talk with your teammates during a game. Nothing is worse than miscommunicating a play to your team that results in the other team getting the ball. If you are concerned that the other team may find out what play you will be using, set up code names for your different plays.
Try practicing with soccer players who have better skills than you. Although it is more fun to be the best player on the field, this is not challenging you to improve. By playing with better soccer players, you will be more challenged to improve your skills. Therefore, put your ego aside and challenge yourself.
If you are a parent or coach, never scream anything at a player while they have control of the ball. This may distract them and make them fumble a bit. The best thing to do is to allow them to make the pay, then encourage them to do better if it was not done well.
Develop stronger leg muscles. By developing strong leg muscles, you will not only be able to shoot harder, but you will also be able to protect yourself from many of the common soccer injuries such as a torn hamstring or torn achilles. Doing both strengthening and flexibility exercises will help protect your legs.
Soccer balls have four components – the stitching, the bladder, the lining and the cover. By understanding how each of these components affects how the ball reacts, you can find a soccer ball that will best suit you during practice. For example, the number of panels on a soccer ball varies.
Learn what you’re doing wrong so you can improve your game. You will better be able to learn from mistakes you have made by videoing the games. That way, you can review what you need to improve upon. You may discover that you’re not doing something as well as you’d thought.
Use smaller balls when practicing. Kicking around a tennis ball or mini soccer ball will help refine your technique and improve your handling skills. You should not only practice dribbling, but you should also practice passing and scoring. After perfecting your control with the smaller ball, you will find it is easy to transfer the skills to the larger size soccer ball.
Keeping possession of the ball is crucial. You can’t score a goal for your team if you don’t have the ball. This means learning how to shield the ball from the opposing team until you have the chance to go for a goal or pass to a teammate. Watch video of professional soccer players and see how they shield against different types of approaches.
The accessibility, pace and excitement of the sport of soccer have all combined to make it one of the world’s most popular pastimes. If a grasp of soccer’s basics had previously eluded you, that situation should now be rectified. When it doubt, refer to the tips found above, and you will be a master on the field in no time.
