FUTURE FOOTBALL STAR

    Power, speed and agility are fundamental skills you need to excel in football. In these areas, various cardio and strength-training drills can boost your skill levels and should be done three to five times a week. Dribbling, passing, shielding, trapping, tackling, shooting  are different ways you contact the ball during a game. Practice these contact movements, ideally with a teammate, to fully develop the skills you need to play football.

Receiving

Receiving a ball on the ground is different than receiving a ball in the air. When receiving a ball on the ground, the following points should be considered:

• Keep your eye on the ball.
• Choose which foot to receive the ball with (this may depend on the location of the defender).
• Receive the ball with one foot with the toe pointed up (ankle locked).
• Don’t stop the ball. Instead, prepare it for the next action: shot, dribble, pass or to play away from pressure.

Receiving the ball in the air is a skill that involves six major phases:

• Keeping your eye on the ball.
• Reading the flight, speed and direction of the ball.
• Deciding which body part will control the ball (foot, thigh, chest or head).
• Getting the body in line with the direction of the ball.
• Preparing to receive the ball by presenting the body part to the ball.
• Cushioning the ball with the body part to slow it down and preparing for the next touch

Passing

Because passing involves giving the ball to a teammate, it is important that players are taught to know where their teammates are by constantly looking. A second important ingredient is verbal communication, or talking. Coaches should teach players to provide intelligent verbal cues to help with decision-making in passing.

The technical elements of passing vary based on the kind of pass being made. The key elements of any pass (both short and long) include:

• See the target.
• Approach the ball.
• Plant and position of support, or non-kicking foot (the toe of the non-kicking foot should be pointed in the direction the player wants the ball to go).
• Look at the ball, holding the head steady.
• Contact the correct area of the ball with locked ankle.
• For instep and outside of foot pass, the toes are pointed down and contact is on the top of the foot.
• For inside of the foot pass, toes are pointed up.
• Follow-through: kick “through the ball," following through toward the target.
• Transfer the weight forward.

Shooting

Shooting uses the same technical elements as passing, with the important difference being that the goal is to pass the ball beyond the goalkeeper.

• If possible, the player should look up to see the position of the goalkeeper, choosing a side to shoot the ball.
• Approach the ball.
• Plant the support foot beside or slightly ahead of the ball, which helps to keep the shot low.
• Keep the head steady and eyes on the ball.
• Make proper contact with the ball.
  • Ankle of kicking foot is locked and the toe is pointed down if shooting with instep.
  • Hips and knee of kicking foot are pointed in the direction of the shot.
• Follow through to keep the ball low (weight going forward, landing on the kicking foot).

The skill of shooting sometimes is called an art because the scoring of goals is such a prized commodity. The mechanics of how to shoot are important, but perhaps more important is knowing when to shoot, especially because so many players prefer to pass the ball rather than take on the responsibility of shooting. Since scoring more goals than the opposition is the object of the game, players who are goal scorers are highly valued. Shooting frequently is done under pressure from opponents, sometimes facing the wrong way and at awkward angles. Shooting should be practiced against a live goalkeeper.

Shielding, Tackling and Trapping