Jeff Savage - Top 25 Soccer Skills, Tips, and Tricks

KICK LIKE A CHAMPION!

Would you like to become an all-star goal scorer or a world-class defender? Or maybe you just want to learn a few new skills? Top 25 Soccer Skills, Tips, and Tricks has a little bit of everything for all young soccer players. From step-by-step instructions for basic passing and shooting to more advanced tricks to try against your friends, author Jeff Savage provides many ways to improve your game and have fun at the same time, including tips from the pros!

provides young players with a foundational knowledge level of ageappropriate skills that encourage young players to take ownership in their development and enjoyment.

About the Author

Jeff Savage has written more than two hundred sports books for students. Jeff lives with his wife, Nancy, and sons, Taylor and Bailey, in El Dorado Hills, California, where he enjoys coaching youth soccer.

The object in soccer is to score more goals than your opponent. You can score only if you have the ball. There are several ways that you can gain and keep control of the ball.

Basic dribbling is a critical soccer skill. You must learn how to move the ball forward across open space with your feet. To do so, you should tap the ball with the inside or outside edge of your foot. You cannot control the ball as well with your toes. Learn to dribble equally with either foot. Keep the ball close to your feet. Do not kick the ball and run to it. Take no more than two steps between taps. When dribbling, it is important to see your opponents and teammates. Learn to dribble without watching the ball. Keep your head up. You can practice dribbling on your own. Run forward as fast as possible while keeping control of the ball.

It is important to use both feet when dribbling and to keep your head up so you can spot an open teammate.

You will not always have open space to dribble. An opponent might suddenly be blocking your path. You must change directions to move past your opponent. To decide whether to go left or right, watch your opponent. If he or she is standing slightly one way, go the other. Go in the same direction as his or her forward foot. If your opponent is standing squarely at you, it is time to use a trick move. Here are four trick moves you can choose from:

• Inside turnYou can make an inside turn by stepping over and just past the ball, pushing it with your instep and moving in another direction.
• Outside turnYou can make an outside turn by pushing the ball with the outer edge of your foot and moving in that direction.
• Scoop moveYou can use the scoop move by using the outer edge and last few toes of your foot to lift the ball up and over your opponents feet.
• Step-over moveYou can use the step-over move (also called the scissors) by swinging your foot just above the ball in a passing or shooting motion, then pushing the ball away with the outside of either foot in the other direction.

When an opponent is blocking your path, change directions to move past the defender. You can make an outside turn with the outside of your foot like this player (white jersey).

Shifting directions does not always work. Opponents figure out your speed and adjust their defense. This is when switching pace can fool your opponent. You can slow down to maintain possession for another moment while your teammate gets open for a pass. Or you can slow down in order to lull your opponent into thinking you are about to pass, then speed up again. In this case, you want to be obvious when you slow down. Crouch your body and lean forward. Wait for your opponent to close in. Then take off in a burst of speed.

In a real trick move called the stop-and-start, you can switch speeds and fake a change of direction at the same time. Dribble fast in one direction. Then stop the ball with the bottom of your foot and turn your body in another direction. As your defender shifts to block your new direction, explode in your original direction.

When you change directions while dribbling, you also want to change speeds. Practice the step-over move that Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo (top) has perfected. After you complete the move, go in the other direction with a burst of speed.

Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal was the 2008 Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Player of the Year. Ronaldo is nicknamed King of the Step-over. Ronaldo performs the step-over like a smooth dance move. With his left foot, he hovers over the ball in a circular motion and plants it on the left side of the ball. With the outside edge of his right foot, he cuts the ball to the right and past his opponent.

Sometimes you simply cannot fake out your opponent. You can still maintain control of the ball by shielding it with your body. To do this, keep the ball close to one of your feet and as far away from your opponent as possible. Stand sideways to your opponent. Expect to be bumped by your opponent. Extend your arm slightly toward your opponent without committing a foul. Do not push with your arm or jab with your elbow. Keep your body between your opponent and the ball. Look to pass to a teammate. Or, if you get the chance, break free with a sudden burst of speed.

Brazilian national team player Daniela shields the ball from U.S. national team defender Stephanie Lopez during the 2007 FIFA Womens World Cup. It is important to shield the ball when pressured by defenders with your back to goal.

Juggling is a great way to practice your foot skills and your first touch. You can use your feet, thighs, chest, and even your head to keep the ball in the air.

Juggling is keeping the ball in the air with your feet or other legal body parts (not your hands!). It takes a lot of practice. A few keys to good juggling: Keep your feet flat. Use your thighs when the ball goes up as high as your chin. Use alternating feet. Dan Magness of England holds the world record for juggling a ball in the air for twenty-four hours straight. How long can you do it?