Get to work !
The notes below highlight the main ‘technical’ areas all players, who are keen to improve, need to be working on.
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One thing that holds many players back is their ability to move well without the ball. After all, how can a player be expected to move well with the ball, if they can’t move well without the ball. Players need to do extra work to become a master of movement.
As soon as a player starts to play football, the ability to control and pass the ball needs to be mastered. There is no escaping this. If you can’t control a ball and can’t pass a ball then you can’t play. Players need to do extra work to become a master of controlling and passing the ball.
As soon as a player starts to play football, the ability to move the ball around their feet, and between spaces, needs to be mastered. It is impossible to be a good player without the ability to change the ‘picture’ using footwork. Work through all exercises in this section to become a ‘master of the ball’ when it needs to be moved around the feet and between spaces.
- Ball mastery.
- Drag Back Vs.
- Turns.
- Footwork Patterns.
- The ability to improvise around these patterns (fakes).
all need to be mastered.
As players develop, the ability to deal with an elevated ball becomes increasingly important. Elevated ball work is very hard and frustrating at first. Many players give up. Due to this, being able to juggle when young is a good indicator that a player is committed to development and hard work.
Players, who are committed to their development, need to master the ball in the air.
- Learn to juggle.
- Practice against a wall.
- Use a spring rebounder.
and become a master of an elevated ball.
As players develop, the ability to play with the head up (eyes off the ball) becomes increasingly important.
Getting the head up whilst on the ball is very hard and frustrating at first. Many players never master it
As players play at higher and higher levels, increasingly the ‘game’ is not where the ball is, the ‘game’ is everywhere else. The ball is just a decoy.
Players, who are committed to their development, need to master the ability to get the Head Up (to see the ‘game’).
Use the drop down menu to go to the ‘area of development’ you want to work on.
