Football Essential Skills: Mastering the Art of Dribbling
In Football, it's important to control and manipulate the ball. Dribbling well sets you up for passes and shots. Want to get better at this fundamental skill? You can practice a variety of dribbling techniques with several parts of both feet. Doing so will help you acquire better control of the ball and maintain better movement and balance to move the ball downfield during a game.
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Dribbling is when a player moves the ball along the ground with their feet in front of them but keeps control. By so doing, they should be able to get around their opponents, move the ball up the field, and create scoring opportunities. Effective dribbling combines footwork, speed, balance, and agility. Key elements include:
- Close Control: When one keeps the ball close to his feet to eliminate any clear first touch by defenders that might take the ball away.
- Change of Direction: Quick turns or turns with feints to deceive opponents.
- Speed Variation: Involves quick changes between fast and slow movements to beat defenders.
- Body Movement: The football player’s body swerves and fakes, misdirecting the opposition. The ball may be dribbled by different parts of the foot, for example, the inside, outside, and sole of the feet.
The Basics of Soccer Dribbling
Maintain a proper stance
Before getting to the point of dribbling techniques, let’s work from the ground up. Stand easy with your knees a bit bent, feet shoulder-width apart, and your body slightly bent forward. This stance provides stability and agility, making it easier to manoeuvre the ball.
First touch control
First touch is very important in the game of soccer; it’s also referred to as ‘first touch football’. It requires receiving the ball with control and setting it up for your next move. The difference between a soft first touch and an exact one can make all the difference in your dribbling game.
Ball mastery
Ball mastery is the basis of effective dribbling.
Spend time perfecting your ball control skills, and get to know the different parts of your feet inside, outside, and inside. The more comfortable one is with the ball, the better the dribbling.
Soccer Dribbling Techniques
Use your instep
Use the inside of your foot, the instep area is for close control when dribbling. This region in your foot provides maximum control, thus giving you the opportunity to move the ball around in a smooth style. Keep the ball close to your feet for improved control.
Practice ball shielding
One very important point on dribbling is to protect the ball from opponents. Protecting means using your body to block your opponent from the ball. Your body should always be between the defender and the ball in order to retain it.
Change pace and direction
Effective dribbling involves changes of pace and direction. Catch opponents by surprise with sudden increases in speed or changes in direction that will sometimes leave them guessing, hence unable to anticipate your moves.
Dribble with confidence
Success in dribbling requires confidence. Believe in yourself; take the defenders head-on. Be very clear and firm in your decisions. Indecision will lose you the ball.
Soccer Dribbling Drills
Cone dribbling
Space several cones straight across or in a zigzag pattern. Dribble through the course, keeping control of the ball. This drill will improve your accuracy in dribbling and make you more agile.
1v1 drills
You can do some solo dribbling against a defender one-on-one. This will give you the skills that enable you to take opponents on during games. Note the shielding of the ball and changing directions.
Small-sided games
These small-sided games help you face more complex defense situations and practice dribbling under pressure. Small-sided games are ways in which players are exposed to reality; the soccer they offer is evaluated as the best in soccer.
How to Develop Your Basic Dribbling Technique
Here are several crucial exercises to master your dribbling:
1) Make gentle contact with the ball. Every time you contact the ball in soccer, it's called a “touch.” By using gentle touches, you contact the ball more often, which will slow you down initially, but as you get used to making more contact with the ball, it will allow you to advance quickly, but with more control over the ball.
- The more your foot touches the ball, the more control you have over the ball's movement.
2) Keep the ball close to your feet. Keep your knees bent as you pass the ball back and forth between the insides of your feet. Against an opponent, your body should be between the defender and the ball. You'll also be able to change direction faster.
- When you keep the ball close to your feet, defenders have a more difficult time intercepting the ball.
3) Use the leading edge of the foot to dribble galloping. Gallop with the same foot forward every time you step forward. This keeps the ball close to your foot at all times. Keep the leading edge of your foot forward as you're running. This keeps contact between the ball and the leading edge of your foot, giving you the most speed and balance.
- This doesn't apply to making cuts, stops, direction changes, etc. This is just for moving the ball downfield with as much speed and control as possible.
4) Keep the ball in the lower edge of your peripheral vision. Beginners, especially, tend to use most of their field of vision on the ball as they develop dribbling skills. Instead, you should practice keeping the ball at the bottom of your peripheral vision as early in the learning process as possible.
- By keeping the ball in your lower field of vision, you can more easily maintain awareness of the rest of the field. This can help you see holes in defenses, open teammates, scoring positions, etc.
5) Change the pace. Proceeding in an easily predictable manner is the easiest way to get hung up by a defender. Practice changes in your dribbling pace. This way, you can more fluidly change pace in confusing ways on the field to throw defenders off balance.
6) Practice a crossover drill through cones with both feet. This drill requires the inside instep of both feet. Pass the ball forward between the cones with one foot, and then pass it back with the other foot while weaving it through the next set of cones.This side-to-side motion is great practice for changing direction of the ball on a moment's notice.
- You don't necessarily need to make one single touch with each foot between each set of cones. You might stop the ball with the inner part of the foot before using it to pass the ball back. Keep the ball in control and practice doing the drill with as much speed as possible. If you have to look down at the ball while moving through the cones, keep working at it so you know where the ball is without looking.
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