When hearing the phrase "soccer clearance", a lot of people picture a defender striking the ball full-force into the sky, in order to "clear" the danger and pressure off his team's defense and buy some seconds for reinforcements to come.
Although that's the classic scenario for a soccer clearing, the term is not bound to it. Actually, a clearance is done whenever a defender insures that a ball is clear of danger, regardless of how he does it. He might be kicking it, but at the same time he might be shielding it out of play; it's still called a soccer clearance.
So is there really anything to discuss about regarding soccer clearing? After all, it's a rather primitive, no-brain technique. Well actually, that's how we perceive it, but from a soccer player's point of view, clearing requires some fast thinking and decision making, perfect execution and in most cases, bits and pieces of other fundamental soccer skills.
A clear example of fast decision making is when a goalkeeper has to handle an incoming cross, but he's unsure whether he can hold it or not. So he chooses to clear the ball by boxing it out of danger, or divert it to a safe zone.
There are countless examples out there where a goalkeeper in the same situation chooses not to clear the ball, but will rather try to catch it, only to end up dropping it at the feet of one of the opposing team's strikers.
Perfect execution of the clearance is also required. Whether this perfect execution refers to defender kicking the ball into the skies, a goalkeeper boxing the ball out of danger or a player protecting the ball out of play doesn't make much of a difference.
The point is, when a player needs to clear the ball, his team and himself are already in a tough spot, with the opposing team pressing them down and close to stealing the ball. Now, unless that kick in the sky, boxing or shielding is done perfectly, the opposing team will have a good chance of grabbing possession and scoring.
Soccer clearings might also have slightly different purposes, depending on the situation they occur in. The main reason is safety, as explained in the above mentioned example of the goalkeeper boxing the ball instead of catching it.
Secondly, a clearance can be used to cut off the opposing team's momentum. For example, when the other team is pressing hard and has your penalty box under a constant siege, it's better to clear the ballas far away from your own goal as possible, whenever you get possession. This interrupts their momentum and also gives your defense a breather.
Last but not least, a clearance can provide the base of a counter attack. If a defender has the ball and is under pressure, but has no safe option to pass it to, he will choose to clear it up front and hope that his striker teammates can maintain possession, or even create a scoring chance.
All in all, the soccer clearance is not necessarily something that needs to be trained by a player. Instead, you should know exactly when a clearance is called and when you should try to solve the problem with a pass or dribble. If you're confident enough with your ball control and passing skills, you may never have to clear the ball, although certain situations are way too risky to solve through a different method than a clearing.
You might have noticed that in England, corner kicks are greeted with almost as much cheering as penalty kicks. The English are well known for their heading prowess and what better opportunity to display your heading goal scoring skills if not from a corner. Of course, the scoring rate is nowhere near as high from a C.K as it is from a penalty, but as with all set pieces, they offer a great goal opportunity where tactics can have a larger influence. Let's take a look at some of the basic corner kick strategies and see what principles they rely upon.
Penalty Spot Corner – This type of corner involves the kick taker trying to hit the ball so that it falls somewhere around the penalty spot area. Usually, a quality cross should land in the 5 yards between the goalkeeper's protection box and the penalty spot and it's this area that will be attacked. The goalkeeper will have a hard time coming out to clear the cross so far away from his goal and the slightest deflection can easily push the ball inside the net.
Near Post Corner – As the name suggests, the corner taker will hit the cross so that it lands at the near post (the post closer to the corner kick taker), where a teammate will rush in and flick the ball with his head, either towards the goal, or towards the same area mentioned in the example above. Adding that extra pulley in the player who flicks the ball from the near post creates chaos in the opposing team's defense system, which is why this type of corner can be pretty tricky to deal with.
Far Post Corner – The same principle is applied as with the near post corner, however a player will rush out to the far post, where he will try to head the ball back to his teammates in the penalty spot area for the decisive blow.
Short Corner – The short C.K involves two players standing near the flag, with the kick taker passing the ball to the second player and developing the play from there. The advantage is that the crosscan be taken further away from the goal line, so a player can imprint an inwards swirl to it, which would otherwise take the ball out of bounds if tried straight from the corner.
You could also end up having 2 players against one in the corner, allowing you to create offensive superiority on the flank, followed by a penetration in the penalty box by one of the two players taking part in the short corner.
Long Shot Corner – Don't be confused by the name, this won't require you to shoot at the goal straight from the corner. Instead, you'll want to lob the ball somewhere around 18-20 yards, just outside the penalty box, where a player will come in unmarked, unleashing a volley. This type of corner is hard to execute, since it requires a perfect pass and a perfect volley, but when it does work, it will most likely be a great scoring opportunity.
Obviously, there will be a lot of combination between these tactics and a coach might even want to make up his own tactics derived from these "standard" ones, in order to surprise the opposing team. In any corner kick strategy you use, you'll want to have two players with special jobs. One will be the "garbage player", positioned on the other side of the penalty box from where the corner is being taken. His main role will be to collect the cross in case it passes through or over all the players in the box, re-crossing it if possible.
The other player will be the "safety net" and will be positioned around 25-30 yards from the other team's goal, centrally. His job will be to collect any balls that are deflected from the penalty box and stop the other team's potentially deadly counter attacks. If the safety net player can shoot the ball as soon as he gets it, even better, but it's advisable to simply clear it in order to allow your teammates to get back to their defensive positions.
Statistically, a team will have an average of 26 soccer throw in opportunities during a match, so as you might guess, it's pretty important to know how to make good use of them, either to gain possessionin play, or to create scoring chances initiating at the throw in.
I'm going to cover the two standard soccer throw in techniques for short and long throws, pointing out the correct body movement for both and later in the article, we'll take a look at some common offensive strategies that can turn a seemingly insignificant throw in into a good scoring opportunity.
Short Throw Ins
For a short throw in, keep your feet close together, with your entire sole on the ground. Grab the ball with both hands, bring it over your head and throw it to your free man using your elbows, or for slightly more powerful throws, helping out with your shoulders. Make sure you don't throw the ball on either side of your head and make sure your heels are down on the ground at all times, since otherwise the ref will call a miss-throw and award possession (through another throw in from the same spot) to the opposing team.
Long Throw Ins
For long throw ins, you will want to move back from the line and take a few steps to allow yourself to charge up your throw in with power. Run forward, planting one foot on the line (heels down, again) and at the same time, throwing the ball with full force using your shoulders and elbows. The other foot can either be dragged on the ground or planted next to the first one, as long as it touches the ground.
You can use your body to gain some extra power in your throw in, arching your back before the throw and bringing it back quickly exactly when you release the ball.
Soccer Throw in Techniques
Like most other set pieces, the success of an offensive throw in relies more on the off-ball movement of your teammates than on the way you actually execute the throw in. The basic soccer throw in technique is the crossover: it involves two players close to the throw in spot switching places, in order to confuse the defenders and give your team a chance to gain possessionin play.
One less used soccer throw in technique is the so-called "trick throw in". When the thrower has no free player to pass the ball to, he calls in a secondary player near him, faking a tactical discussion. When this secondary player backs away from the thrower, he throws the ball in the player's back, gaining possession himself.
This way you avoid the opponent's pressure for a few seconds and you get to continue the play with the ball at your feet. And let's face it, it's a pretty spectacular and funny way to solve a throw in (and surprisingly efficient). However, the entire trick fails if an opposing player follows the secondary player close to the line.
If you don't have a player that can take throw ins all the way to the penalty box in your offensive third, a good tactic is to have a good crosser take the throw. He will pass the ball to a teammate, who will one-touch the ball back to the thrower, who in turn will have to cross the ball into the penalty box with a single touch (you'll rarely have the time to get a second touch on the ball).
Throw ins are usually taken by the left or right back, however if the situation calls for a quick throw, any player that is nearer to the ball should take it. But in static situations where you want to turn your throw in into a positional attack, the left and right backs should always be the ones to take the throw.
In order to better yourself for throw ins, perfect your upper body strength and your actual throwing technique. Study the body mechanics of players with great throw ins (Jon Arne Riise from Liverpool comes to mind) and try to copy their movements. Last but not least, discuss how your teammates expect you to throw the ball for them and work out a strategy that will surprise the opposing team’s defense and give you a solid possession from each throw you get.
Soccer Tackling - There are basically two ways you can force your enemy to give awaypossession in soccer: tackles and interceptions. Tackling is the more common of the two and you'll find yourself performing tackles several times during a match, regardless of your position on the pitch.
However, the importance of the tackle will be higher the deeper you go into your own team's territory, therefore it's more important for defenders and midfielders to have precise tackles than for wingers and strikers.
Tackling is a tricky skill in soccer, because it's harder to train than others. For example, it's always more fun for the players to train shooting, passing or dribbling, rather than tackling, but that doesn't mean it should be skipped from your training sessions.
Since today's soccer game is all about having a high possession of the ball, tackling is your main weapon to disrupt your enemy's possession and hopefully, gain it yourself.
That's why I can't stress out how important it is to focus some of your training on your tackling skills, even if it might seem a bit boring or hard at times.
There are three basic types of soccer tackles that you will be able to use in a match: the block tackle, the sliding tackle and the poking tackle. Let's take a look at what each of them requires you to do and how you should execute them correctly.
Soccer Tackling - The Block Tackle
The block tackle is not so much a means of gaining possession as it is one of disrupting the opposing team's one. You can use a block tackle when an opponent is controlling the ball directly towards you.
Simply rush out in front of him, closing the distance between yourself and the ball as fast as possible and position your feet in a staggered stance, one foot slightly further than the other. Your knees should be slightly bent, allowing you to quickly extend your feet either way, in case the attacker tries to dribble past you. You might want to extend your arms sideways, to gain some balance and always stay on your toes, so you can block the ball with either foot.
In a block tackle, you should choose the moment you extend your foot towards the ball carefully. If the ball is too far away when you do so, you'll lose your balance and the attacker will catch you on the wrong foot and dribble you with ease.
When you decide it's time to move in for the block, keep your foot firm and extend it to block the ball with the inside of your foot. It's important that your leg is firm for two reasons: otherwise you risk injuring yourself and by keeping it firm you have a greater chance of deflecting the ball towards your opponent’s goal rather than yours.
Soccer Tackling - The Poke Tackle
This soccer tackling technique is usually executed when the defender is approaching the ball carrier from the side, or from behind. It's also your only tackling option when the opponent is shielding the ball, forming a barrier between you and the ball. Because the situations you'll be using the poke tackle in may vary, there isn't such a strict positioning set of rules, but for the most part you'll want to keep as close to the defender as possible and focus on where he's controlling the ball to.
The key to a successful poke tackle is knowing when to extend your leg for the steal. Since extending your leg past the ball carrier and poking it will usually throw you off balance, it's important to choose a safe time to do it, otherwise a skilled player will take advantage of your miss-tackle and dribble you with ease.
To reduce throwing yourself completely off balance while extending your tackling leg towards the ball, bend your supporting foot and push yourself forward as soon as you've poked the ball away from the other player.
Since the player you're tackling will try to shield it away from you, you will have to extend your foot either around the side, or through his legs. It's very important that you don't physically contact the ball carrier before tacklingthe ball, or the referee will call a foul. That's why anticipation and knowing when to choose the right moment to attack the ball are two very important skills when executing a poke tackle.
Soccer Tackling -The Sliding Tackle
Besides being the most spectacular of the three types of soccer tackles, the slide is also one of the most efficient when executed correctly. Unfortunately, it has several disadvantages:
You could get injured when sliding if the pitch isn't wet enough or the grass dense enough
If you miss the tackle you might produce an ugly foul that will probably earn you a yellow card at least
Missing the tackle will get you completely out of play, since by the time you finish the slide and get up, the ball carrier will already have a fair advantage
As you can see, a sliding tackle involves taking some risks, so unless you're fully confident in your skills and on the fact that you can push the ball away in that particular situation, you should resort to a more conservative way to block your opponent.
The actual body movement involved with a sliding tackle requires you to throw yourself to the ground, hip first, extending your upper leg to make contact with the ball. For example, if you start the sliding tackle by going down on your left hip, your right leg will be the one making contact with the ball. Your other leg should be bent underneath you, allowing you to quickly use it as support to get up and sprint. Perfecting this movement will allow you not only to push the ball away, but also gain possession for your team.
If you're attacking the ball carrier from behind, you have to be extremely careful not to foul him. Under the new FIFA regulations, sliding tackles from behind may be punishable with a red card if you don't hit the ball.
If you're going to attack a player from behind, you'll have to use a slight variation of the standard sliding tackle, usually called the hook tackle. This involves you sliding on the side of the ball carrier, correlating your tackling foot to the side you're attacking from (for example, if you slide on the right side, you should have your left hip down and your right foot extending for the ball). Try to push the ball away from the attacker's feet with your instep or front foot and quickly jump up to your feet to try and get the ball.
Lastly, make sure your tackling foot is as low as possible when performing a sliding tackle. If you raise it above ground level, the referee will probably call a foul, even if you don't actually kick the defender and you might even get a yellow card, because a raised foot in a sliding tackle can be quite dangerous to the health of the player at the receiving end.
Training Soccer Tackling
It's basically impossible to train poking and blocking tackles individually, although sliding tackles are an option to some extent. What you could do is position the ball on the pitch, take 4-5 yards distance, sprint and slide down and push the ball away, then quickly get up and gain possession.
Of course, this doesn't fully simulate a match environment, since the ball will usually be moved by the attacker when you'll be performing a sliding tackle, but it's still a good way to practice the actual sliding movement and learn how to hit the ball with your sliding foot.
For blocking and poking tackle practice, I'd say you ask around your friends or teammates for someone that wants to train his dribbling and tackling skills. Your friend can act as the attacker, with you performing the tackles.
His goal will be to dribble past you, while you will have to stop him using one of these two soccer tackling techniques. After a while, you can change places so you both train your dribbling and soccer tackle skills.
If you want to improve your soccer tackling skills, you should also work on your physical strength (good for blocking tackles especially), anticipation, balance and mobility. Work out at the gym for physical strength, learn how to think as an attacker for anticipation, position yourself correctly for balance and use stretching exercises daily for mobility. Combine these factors with hands-on training of the three tackling methods and nothing will pass by you.
Oh and one last thing that's worth remembering when you learn how to tackle in soccer. During your tackle training sessions, you will have a natural urge to perform all your tackles with your strong foot as the one connecting with the ball. Have in mind that in a real match, you won't always have the option to choose the foot you're going to attack the ball with, so you should practice tackling with your weak foot as well.
Soccer shooting makes up for almost 70% of scoring in soccer, the other 30% being reserved to headers, own goals and the likes. As you can imagine, it's pretty important to learn how to shoot well if you’re ever going to score, especially if you're a striker or a central midfielder.
Soccer shooting can be divided into two sub categories, depending on the position of the ball and the method of striking it. Ground shots are taken when the ball is static or rolling on the ground, while volleys are performed with the ball in mid-air. There's also a third, rarer shooting option, when the ball is bouncing off the ground and you strike it when it's falling close to the ground. This technique is called a demi vollée, French for semi volley.
Let's take a look at how we're supposed to handle each of these soccer shooting methods correctly, then we'll move onto some other related stuff, such as learning how to improve your accuracy and power with shots.
Soccer Shooting - Ground Shots
There will be three main factors that you'll need to focus on when shooting a soccer ball from the ground: the position of your supporting leg, the position of your body and the way you strike the ball.
Position of the supporting leg – The placement of your supporting leg is extremely important when determining the accuracy of your shot. Together with the position of your body (which we will cover below), your supporting leg will determine the height of your shot. Actually, to a large extent, the position of your body is in turn determined by your supporting leg, so make sure you get this one done correctly.
Basically, if your leg is straight on the line with the ball, your shot will not take a lot of altitude, but it won't be as powerful either, because the extension of your shooting leg will be shorter.
The further back you move your supporting leg from the ball, the higher your shot will go, but since you'll also have room for a full movement of your shooting leg, it will also have greater power. The trick is to position your supporting leg depending on the distance you're taking the shot from, in order to combine height control with the right amount of power.
Position of the upper body – Like I said, there's a correlation between the position of your upper body and that of your supporting leg when determining how high a soccer ball will go.
The further away the leg is from the ball, the more your body will be forced to lean back, in order to allow your shooting leg to extend and hit the ball. This produces shots that take altitude easily and are usually not recommended.
In order to keep shots low and powerful, force your upper body slightly forward when taking a shot, but make sure you still leave enough room for your shooting leg to extend.
Ball striking – A ground shot can be taken by using the inside, outside, instep or front of the foot (the heel isn't usually considered in this category, since backheels have a special status in soccer shooting).
Each striking method has its advantages and disadvantages. For example, using the inside of your foot, you can imprint the ball with a curly trajectory that can often confuse goalkeepers, or avoid obstacles, such as the opposing team's wall at a free kick. Using the inside of your foot, you have the best control over the ball and its trajectory, but your shots won't be at full power.
Using the outside of your foot when shooting a soccer ball is rarely used, since you lack the control and power over the ball that an inside or instep shot would give you.
However, if you manage to master outside foot shots, they can be deadly for several reasons, the most important being that you can produce incredible curling shots going around obstacles in the other direction than is normally expected (see Roberto Carlos' 35-yard free kick in a friendly Brazil – France match for a perfect example of a curling shot with the outside of the foot).
Mastering soccer shooting with your instep is very important, since this part of your foot will give you the most power to transfer into your shots.
By strikingthe ball with your instep, you can perform the full body motion and leg extension to give your shot maximum power, unlike striking it with another part of your foot that has you trading power for accuracy. But don't get me wrong, instep shots can be powerful and accurate at the same time.
As long as you don't lean forward too much and keep the ball flying at a reasonable height, the opposing team's goalkeeper will have a hard time. So with instep soccer shooting, accuracy translates into "hitting the goal surface" basically. The power of the shot will do the rest from there.
You won't see a lot of soccer players hit the ball with the front of their foot from long range, although this method of strikingthe ball can give you some powerful shots. However, you have little control over the ball's height, so front foot shots are usually reserved for close quarters, for example a striker that controls the ball down in a forest of legs and needs to shoot.
The advantage is that strikingthe ball with this area of your foot requires a very small extension of your leg, so you can perform it very quickly when you don't have that extra second to extend your leg for an instep shot. In addition, the front part of the foot is also used when chipping the ball past a goalkeeper in a one-on-one situation, or when you can hardly reach the ball and you need to fully stretch your leg, ankle included.
Soccer Shooting - Volley Shots
Volleys require a bit more focus than ground shots, since shootingthe ball from mid air requires some extra balance, eye-foot coordination and perfect timing of your moves.
It's very important to judge the trajectory of the ball correctly, position yourself as needed and start the shooting leg extension at the right time to meet with the ball. The depth of your swing will determine the volley's power and the position of your body can also correct shots that would otherwise gain too much height.
Almost all volleys are taken with the instep of your foot, so the difference will be made by where you strike the ball as opposed to what part you'll be striking it with, as is the case with ground shots.
For example, if you hit the ball around its equator but only in the half closer to you, you can give a small swirl to the ball, but you'll lose some of the shot's power. If you hit it full on in the middle, your volley will blaze straightly, but accuracy will be hindered.
Demi volleys are harder to control, but if you take some of the tips from ground shots and volleys you’ll be able to handle them pretty well. For example, just like with regular volleys, a demi volley should be struck with the instep of your foot, making sure you hit the ball straight in the middle. At the same extent, keeping your upper body bent slightly forward, just like in ground soccer shooting, will insure your demi volley will not take too much height.
Improving Shot Accuracy
Improving eye-foot coordination and learning to strike the ball correctly are your best bets when trying to improve your shot accuracy. A good way to train these soccer shooting skills is to set a target on the goal (or if you're practicing on a wall, set up a poster or something on it) and try to aim for it with each shot.
If you're shooting from a static position (a free kick for example), you'll have better control over your accuracy, so it's recommended to start with free kicks or penalty kicks, then move on to shooting while moving.
Improving Shot Power
Assuring your body is positioned perfectly when shooting is your first step in getting the maximum of power out of your shots, but you can further improve it by working out at the gym. Contrary to popular belief, it's not the legs that give most of the power in a shot, but your lower back and abs. In order of importance in what regards shot power, you should work out your: lower back, abs, femoral biceps (back of your thigh) and quadriceps (thigh).
That's pretty much everything you need to know about soccer shooting, but knowing all this stuff doesn't necessarily mean you'll also be able to do it. If you want to improve your soccer shooting skills, practice is the key. It's also important to determine which types of shots you're weaker at and work on getting them to a reasonable level, so you can become a soccer scoring machine.
Soccershielding or protecting requires a combination of physical prowess, balance and anticipation that a player should train upon if he wants to improve his shielding skills.
Although shielding is mostly important for attackers and central defenders, all players on the pitch will probably find themselves shieldingthe ball at some points during a match (except the goalkeepers of course, they can easily dive down to grab the ball with their hands).
Of the three qualities a player should have in order to shield a soccer ball well, physical prowess is probably the most important. Since shielding requires you to use your body as a wall between your opponent and the ball, the stronger you are and the larger your constitution, the easier it will be to do so efficiently.
A good build will keep the opposing player behind you, unable to push you away and get the ball, hence the importance of physical work out in a soccer player's training program (obviously, physical work out has several other advantages; it's not trained with the sole purpose of allowing a player to shield the ball better).
Balance is quite important as well with soccer shielding, since your marker will constantly try to throw you off balance to get to the ball. Using his entire body, or his shoulders, he will try to take you off balance and immediately extend his foot for the ball. That's where it pays off to have good balance skills and be strong on your feet.
Usually, a good balance can be obtained simply by positioning your feet and body correctly (knees slightly bent, feet forward, etc) but it does help if you have strong leg muscles, especially if you're dealing with an equally strong opponent.
Last but not least, anticipation. Anticipation is not always essential with soccer shielding, but it definitely is a good skill to have since you'll be able to quickly think like the defender and decide where to move the ball so that you can shield it better.
Since we're here, let me tell you that it's extremely important not to shield the soccer ball statically and you need to move it sideways or forward, while you look for a passing option.
From a defender's point of view, anticipation also pays off when shielding the soccer ball. You'll be able to block your opponent easier if you can anticipate which side he's going to try and tackle the ball away from you.
Unfortunately, anticipation is a skill that can hardly be trained. The only way you can efficiently train anticipation is by learning to think like your opponent. For example, if you're an attacker, try to put yourself in your man marker's shoes: what would you do if you were a defender and your direct opponent would be shielding the soccer ball?
An easy way to train soccer shielding is with the help of a friend. Each of you should take his turn at shieldingthe ball, with the other player acting as the defender. As the attacker, try to keep the ball shielded for as long as possible, or try to dribble it past your friend.
The defender will try to throw you off balance (with legal methods of course, not pushing you around) and get the ball, or at least stop you from dribbling him. After a few tries, switch positions so you can also learn how to think from the other side of the ball.
Soccer Receiving - It's usually not a good idea to compare today's soccer with what was going on around the game in its early days, but when it comes to soccer receiving you simply cannot avoid a comparison.
Today's game emphasizes a lot more on correct and dynamic soccer ballreceiving than ever before, since spaces are tighter and the pace is higher, meaning that a player will have to develop this skill thoroughly if he or she is ever going to stand a chance on the pitch.
In the 30s for example, trapping the soccer ball with perfection was mainly important for attackers, in order to throw the other team's defense off balance, but today everyone from the goalkeeper to the winger is practically forced to have great receiving skills, since pressing is a constant factor for the other team in most cases.
It's rather difficult to judge soccer receiving skills the same as you would judge other fundamentals of soccer. For example, when you're trying to improve your passing ability, you know you have to work on your passing precision, power and timing.
However, trapping a soccer ball requires a lot of smaller factors, which are all equally important.
Factors Affecting Soccer Receiving Skills
Soccer Receiving >> Ball Control– Ball control is a pretty general term in itself, but a good definition for this skill would be the ability to gain full control of the ball, without giving your opponentthe chance for a decisive tackle. In order for you to gain this kind of control over the ball, you'll want to learn how to glue it to your feet as soon as possible, without making use of too much space around you (in most cases you won't have that kind of space anyway).
Soccer Receiving >> Positioning – The way you position your body when receiving a ball is extremely important, if you want to excel in this skill. This means that you will have to position yourself in such a way that gives the defender no chance of touching the ball, but also making sure that you can follow-up the game flow with a pass, dribble or shot.
Soccer Receiving >> Vision – If you're static when receivingthe ball, you have no chance of developing the play other than back to the initial passer, or some free defender. Before moving in to trap the ball, you have to quickly scan the field around you for the best way to move, so that you can open yourself a position for a pass, or in some cases, for a dribble.
Methods of Trapping the Soccer Ball
Different situations will require you to react differently when trapping a soccer ball and it's rather important that you master all of the followingtrapping methods, if you want to be a complete soccer player and handle yourself on the pitch, regardless of the situation you're being run through.
Soccer Receiving >> Inside/Outside of Foot Receiving – This is the most common type of soccer receiving you'll have to use in a match, since most of the passes you will handle will be low ground ones that you can control with your foot. Most of the mechanics of receivingthe ball with either sides of your foot are done with the help of the hip and the ankle.
Stiffen your leg muscles and bend your knee slightly and pull it back from your hip to dampen the incoming ball's force. With the help of your ankle, you can give the ball a new direction, but take care not to hit it too hard and give it away.Since the inside of your foot is more rigid (and so is your soccer boot), trappingthe ball with this area requires more dampening and less of a counter force.
Soccer Receiving >> Sole trapping – This type of soccer balltrapping is not usually recommended in professional soccer. It's more suitable in futsal (indoor soccer), where the sole of your foot is clear of studs that could hinder the trapping and where there's no chance that the ball could slip from under your foot due to wet grass.
Another disadvantage of trappingthe ball underneath your sole is that there's little to no way to continue the move dynamically. Basically, you're trapped in a static position with the ball in a position that can easily be pushed away by the defender and your only option is to pass it back, or try to move sideways, avoiding the defender's tackle.
Soccer Receiving >> Instep Receiving – This is one of the toughestreceiving techniques in soccer, but it's a very efficient and spectacular one that you should try to master as soon as possible. Instep receiving is useful when you're trying to control a long ball falling in at a steep angle, or when you're trying to ground a loose ball in the air.
It's important to lock the ball and quickly determine its trajectory, so you can move in position to cushion it down with the upper part of your foot. Try to stretch your ankle to the place where the ball will fall and at the exact moment when it makes contact with your foot, pull your ankle backwards a bit, reducing the force the ball hits the ground. With enough practice, this can be mastered by anyone. Tip: juggling is a good way to train this kind of soccer receiving technique.
Soccer Receiving >> Receiving a Ball with the Thighs – This is an alternative way to receive high balls and it has several advantages and disadvantages over instep receiving. You can cushion the ball easier with your thigh than you would with your foot, so if you're insecure about your instep receiving you could try your thigh as an alternative.
However, the main disadvantage in comparison is that the ball will still not be on the ground after receiving it, so you'll have to make an additional move in order to make full use of it. This makes you more static, thus more vulnerable to a defender's pressure and it also closes down your options. Another disadvantage is that you can hardly redirect the ball sideways with your thighs, as opposed to your foot.
Soccer Receiving >> Receiving a Ball with the Chest – Receiving on your chest has pretty much the same advantages and disadvantages as receiving on your thigh, in comparison with the instep move. However, in some cases controlling the ball with the chest will be your only option, for example when the ball is high and you don't have the time or space to position yourself so you can control it with your foot.
When using your chest to control an incoming soccer ball, you have to arch your back slightly and flex your chest muscles by extending your arms forward (make sure you don't commit handball – it's a common mistake with this technique). Obviously, training the mass of your chest muscles will help with cushioning the ball better.
Soccer Receiving >> Receiving/Trapping a Ball with your Head – This might be a bit tricky, since the head offers less cushioning and surface to controlthe ball with when compared to the thigh, chest or even foot. If you want to receive a high ball with your head, you'll have to use the same cushioning technique as with the instep move, using your neck to dampen the ball's force rather than your foot. You can redirect the ball with your head and then follow up the move with a sprint, or you could try to bring it down to your feet in a static position, by bending your knees and leaning slightly forward.
How to Train Your Soccer Receiving Skills Individually
Unlike other skills in soccer, receiving and trapping can easily be practiced by yourself. All you need is a soccer ball and a wall that will act as your training partner.
"Pass" the ball to the wall with enough strength to allow it to come back to you, then move in on it and try to control it as accurately as possible, using one of the above mentioned techniques. However, you only need a wall for inside/outside of foot and sole receiving and trapping, the other techniques can be trained by simply throwing the ball high in the air, then controlling it with your chest, head, thigh or instep.
The only problem is that in a match environment, a ball will rarely fall down to you vertically to control, so it's best if you practice these particular techniques using a partner that throws you the balls at a steep angle.
One last tip before I leave you to your practice. When training for receiving and trapping a soccer ball, always try to analyze your available options when the ball is still incoming, so that by the time you receive it you know which way to redirect it to, or which player is open for a pass. Since today's fast paced game doesn't give you too much time to think of your available options, it's important to make use of those 2 or 3 seconds before you receive the ball to plan everything out.
If you want to improve your soccer tackling skills, you should also work on your physical strength (good for blocking tackles especially), anticipation, balance and mobility. Work out at the gym for physical strength, learn how to think as an attacker for anticipation, position yourself correctly for balance and use stretching exercises daily for mobility. Combine these factors with hands-on training of the three tackling methods and nothing will pass by you.
