Taking on and beating opponents

Readers of the blog will know that this season I have been starting most sessions off with helping the players to learn new ball mastery skills, some simple and many I have had to learn to do myself.

Its amazes me how quickly they pick up the names - so much so that part of the teams pre match warm up is dribbling in a small area performing some of the skills, which I randomly call out half a dozen of.

Here are links to the skills I have been asking the players to learn, in no particular order, in the hope that most will be able to perform half a dozen or so and to start executing them in games. Seeing one of the players who at the start of the season would toe punt everything, use the Pele zig-zag to beat two defenders and slot the ball in the far corner of the goal is certainly one of the highlights of my season.

1 - Toe Taps
2 - Tick Tocks
3 - Pull Push
4 - Scissors
5 - Stepover
6 - Ronaldo Chop
7 - The Puskas
8 - Drag Back
9 - Sole Drag
10 - Rivelino
11 - High Wave
12- Low Wave
13 - Pele
14 - Cruyff Turn
15 - Stop Turn
16 - Outside Hook
17 - Elastico
18 - Okocha
19 - Maradona Turn
20 - Romario