The shooting skills you should master
Basically, the games are played on a field, which is also called a pitch, with two separate 45-minute timelines. The break in-between these two segments is usually used for regrouping purposes and redefining strategies. Typically a field would measure in 100 yards long and about 50 yards wide, although there are some fields that are a little bigger. The goal post area is about 8 yards long and 8 feet high, and the ball must completely cross the line between the posts before it can be declared a goal scored. In this area, if there are any fouls committed, then the attacking team is given a penalty shot with only the goalkeeper defending the attempt.
Fouls committed anywhere else on the field are usually just corrected by giving the ball control to the other team, however when more serious fouls are committed, yellow cards are issued, and when there are two yellow cards issued, the red card is then flashed to signify the said player has to leave the field immediately. This is not good for the team as it will now be playing with one less play
If the game ends in a tied score, then both teams are given the opportunity to score goals within a set amount of tries on both sides. This will then decide the winning team. This can be a rather exciting finish to the game depending on the capabilities of the scoring capabilities of the players.
Wearing the right outfit and gear for soccer
For some people simply getting the opportunity to play the game is enough, and they would only need the bare necessities such as a field, a soccer ball, and something to signify the goalposts. However, for the committed and serious player, a lot more is needed, in terms of attire and equipment to complete the entire package.
The following are just some of the items that should be included in the ideal outfit and gear package for soccer:
- Cleats – There are various brands of shoes with cleats for different types of soccer field textures. This is usually meant to be an external attachment to the shoe to provide additional traction on a soft or slippery surface. The individual would have to identify the soccer ground conditions and choose accordingly, the type of shoe suitable for creating a comfortable play.
- Shin guard – this function is to protect the player’s shins from injury as the style of the game often involved some unintentional contact of this area. The goal is to create maximum protection without hindering the player’s ability to perform well on the field.
- Ankle guard – this is also another essential piece of gear that is important in ensuring the player limits the amount of injury sustained. As the ankle area is also susceptible to injury due to the style of play often adopted in soccer, there is a need to protect it adequately.
- Jerseys and socks – these are usually picked according to the comfort factor and perhaps the color and design that popularly depict the individual’s favorite team. However is the individual is part of an existing team, then the choice of these outfits is dictated by the team. These outfits are oftentimes sponsored by the establishments supporting the team financially.
How the soccer game works
Soccer is sometimes also called football and is a game played and enjoyed all over the world.
However depending on who and where it is being played, there would ultimately be some variations applied, but the basic outline of the game would still be very much evident.
In order to be able to play the game well, there are several different aspects of the game that should be mastered as this would ultimately contribute to the winning possibilities.
The following are some of the more popular moves that are considered essential to creating a winning strategy for the soccer game:
2v2 quick attacking soccer drill – here the attacking and the defending skill being worked on to ensure optimum results are achieved on the field. The fast-paced and dynamic movements will help the team to make headway in scoring the required goals to win.
2v2+4 passing, possession, and combination – these too are specific moves that should be mastered. The focus here is on passing, possession, or a combination of both when the ball is in play. This is ideal for players to be able to utilize when tight spots become apparent.
Triangle goal game – here all the focus is concentrated on the aspects of the game where the passing and moving is accumulated into ideally positioned finishing moves, which get the player in positions where ball passing and goal-scoring is more doable.
5 pass possession game – the passing drills here also pay special attention to creating play by dominating ball possession while completing a series of passes. This possession of the ball skills is to allow the player to concentrate on awareness, speed of play, support, and movement to maintain possession. This is especially useful when the movements are fast and furious around the opposing team’s goals scoring areas.
Excellent moves you can do with your feet
The feet are probably the most important contributing body part for the game of soccer, as the other part of the body have rather restricted uses within the game.
As the feet are in contact with the ground all the different movements for soccer drills, some consideration should be given to ensure the impact on the feet does not come at the price of injury, due to improper use of the feet within the sphere of playing soccer.
In order to receive and maneuver the ball well, the player would need to use the inside or outside of the foot to steer the ball away from the pressure so that some space can be created to make the next move or pass more directional.
This will also allow for better dribble movements without killing the ball’s movements when initial contact is made with the feet. Toughing the ball to the side with the inside or outside of the foot a few feet away from the body will make the next pass easier and more forceful if needed, thus important to master a good first touch routine.
The good first touch routine will allow comfortable control of the ball in front of the player with enough room to convert the movement into a dribbling motion or a good passing motion. It also facilitates ideal and quick movement of the ball, holding power over the ball, and goal-scoring actions. This will also allow the player to steer the ball away from the defender and into space where the body and arms can make a formation to block and protect the ball possession until it is passed on to another team member. This will effectively stop the defender from rushing at the ball to try and gain possession.
Art of passing the ball perfectly
As the soccer game is generally played at a very fast pace, being able to master the ball passing techniques would be advantageous to the players. This is the main contributing factor to keeping the game going smoothly. Therefore some serious practice should be put into mastering the various techniques of ball passing.
The following are some recommendations that can be followed in the quest to improve and excel in ball passing techniques:
1. Perhaps the most logical first step would be to be sure of who the ball is being passed to. Identifying and targeting the player to whom the ball is to be passed, will allow for more accurate positioning and delivery. The force and the direction can also be calculated with some level of precision to ensure the ball heads towards its chosen target.
2. Making sure the player is open and ready to receive the pass, is also another way to ensure smart play when passing the ball. Being alert to such opportunities, while still in possession of the ball requires some concerted practice and effort.
3. There is also the need to make sure the opponent is not within the passing path the ball is to take. Failing to make this calculation accurately, will only allow the opponent to gain control of the ball by intercepting it.
4. While running and passing the player should be able to slow down adequately enough to position the planting of the foot about even with the ball movement just before the actual pass takes place. this also is another action that should be practiced to ensure perfect timing and coordination.
5. If the ball is being addressed from a standing still position, then the foot positioning should also be calculated accurately enough to ensure accurate directional delivery.
The shooting skills you should master
Every player should be trained to be able to master making good shooting goal skills.
This is important to ensure the complete game’s overall knowledge and skill so that any player can and should be able to capitalize on goal scoring whenever the opportunity arises.
This would be better than passing the ball to another player to score the goal.
The following are some tips on how to capitalize on shooting skills that should be mastered in the quest to ensure all players are well equipped to score goals:
Being quick enough to take a good look at the goal and the keeper’s position and stance will allow the player to make the spilled second decision, on how to position the kick towards the goal. This calculation should be done with precision and swiftness and can only be mastered with a lot of practice.
Making a shot as quickly as possible is also another action that should be mastered in the quest to capitalize on goal scoring opportunities. Being able to execute this in one quick motion will prevent the goal
the keeper from reading into the motion to be used, thus being able to counter it successfully.
The player should also master the skill of taking a shot confidently as any hesitation will jeopardize the percentage of a successfully scored goal. Being confident will contribute to the mental and physical advantage of accuracy which will enhance the chance of a successful shot.
Learning how to make an accurate shot through the middle or top half of the ball is also something that should be mastered with speed and power. This will help the travel time of the ball to be faster, thus finding its target without conceding control of the ball to the opponent.
Receiving is not as easy as you thought
An important part of being able to play the soccer game well and ensuring a comfortable win lies in the art of mastering the receiving techniques that is a dominant factor of the game. Being able to receive the ball comfortably and then work it to accommodate accurate passes will help the team to have better ball possession percentages throughout the game.
One way of being able to do this is to carefully watch how the professionals go about keeping control of the ball upon gaining possession. Watching how they position themselves to receive the passes will help create a better understanding of the fundamentals of the ball receiving art.
Observing visual displays of these techniques is more impactful, than simply sitting in a room listening to techniques being shown or explained on aboard. Studying the more experienced player and how they move is a better option to exercise.
Another way to master the art of receiving the ball is to practice constantly, especially if this area of the game is presenting a challenge to the player. Learning to use different drills that focus mainly on the receiving and handling of the ball would be beneficial.
With a little research, it is possible to find a whole host of drills that will help the player to master the skill of ball receiving adequately and accurately.
One popular way of practicing this, which is often recommended, is by kicking the ball against a wall. This is considered a good drill to use to master the art of receiving, as the trajectory is almost always unreadable. Because of this, the player would have to be more alert and ready, to be able to successfully receive the ball and handle it accordingly.
Using your head to your advantage
Besides using the feet as the dominant feature in the soccer game, there are some moves that call for the use of the head to create successful goals. The player can master the skill of using the head to direct the ball accurately and consistently into the goal net, thereby successfully scoring a higher number of goals for the team.
The following are some of the formats that can be successfully utilized by the head action in contributing to scoring goals:
– When high balls are seen to be approaching, the player can use the head to make contact with the ball in mid-flight to redirect into a specified position where the teammate would be on alert and waiting to receive it. If the header is stuck correctly, it will usually be able to find its target without much obstruction, mainly due to the height its trajectory forms.
– Any soccer player who can master the art of using the head to direct the ball in flight into the goal post area would be an asset to the team. This action would take a lot of hours to master as the accuracy levels needed are considered extremely high, yet using this technique most time allows the goals to be scored without much obstruction from the goalkeeper. This is especially advantageous as the players would limit the time the ball is on the ground, where it’s easier for the opponent to gain control of the ball.
Being able to capitalize on using headers will also help the player gain possession of the ball and redirect it in mid-flight. This is also advantageous as the direction of the ball can then be changed in favor of the team. This can turn the pace and direction the game is taking, and it certainly makes for a more exciting outcome.
A goalkeeper’s role in soccer
The goalkeeper is the one player that has a very difficult role that is solely dedicated to keeping the opposing team from successfully scoring any goals. Being on guard at the goal area, the goalkeeper is allowed to use both hands and legs to stop any balls from entering the goal area and thus scoring a point for the opposing team.
Ideally, goalkeepers should be well built and agile in movements. Being alert and able to read the body movements of the players is also something goalkeepers are directed to master.
Most goalkeepers stay close to the goal area and depend on the defenders to help is keeping the ball maneuvered by the opposing team from successfully reaching the scoring area.
Ideally, the more experienced the goalkeeper the better the skills portrayed, and this usually means they are older than the other members of the team.
Most goalkeepers have a set stance and body position that they adopt when focusing on stopping the ball from getting into the goal post area.
This stance would ideally be, standing with hands at the side with palms facing the anticipated direction the incoming ball is going to take, the feet would be placed as firmly as possible without actually being wider than the width of the shoulders and finally the low positioning of the body in a semi crouched position with the center of gravity providing a stable stance and weight distribution, the goalkeeper would be ready to stop the ball from finding its target.
Some of the catches the goalkeeper should be trained in executing would be such as the diamond or W catch, the chest catch, the scoop catch, the full extension dive, the cross catch, and the high cross catch. With regular practice and experience, the talented goalkeeper would have no problems exercising a high level of competency.
Conclusion:
In order to be an effective and successful soccer player, the individual would need to master certain skills that can be used to make good gameplays. These strategies are well implemented will certainly contribute to the advantage of winning easily.
Part of these winning strategies would ideally also include being able to read into the weaknesses of the opposing team and then capitalizing on these weaknesses to ensure victory is comfortably gained.
A good starting point to implementing killer strategies would be to observe the strengths and weaknesses of all the players on the team. This will help the coach to take measures to address the weaknesses and capitalize on the strengths, thus creating a more formidable team. Once this is clear, the team can then choose and adopt strategies that would be well suited to their style and skill, thus ensuring better overall control of the game.
Giving some attention to the opposing team’s strengths and weaknesses would also help to contribute to a better understanding of the opposing team and the strategies they are likely to adopt to create their winning formula.
With this information clearly outlined, the team can then work on countermeasures to combat the opposing team’s possible strategies.
Creating drills that would be well suited to further enhancing the already obvious skills of the individual players would help the players bring their skills to a higher and more refined level, thus making them formidable and possibly harder to defeat players.
These drills are also important in creating the platforms for exercising these skills in a very practical manner while incorporating suitable strategies that would contribute to eventual consistent wins.
Being able to work as a team is also another very important winning strategy to capitalize on. Players who are unable to work as a team would not be able to contribute positively to creating winning goals.
