CONTROL
SHOOTING
PASSING
DRIBBLING
TURNING
HEADING
CREATE SPACE
INDIVIDUAL DEFENDING
SUPPORT PLAY
GOALKEEPING
CROSSING
TACKLING
THE THROW IN
ATTACKING SET PLAYS
DEFENDING SET PLAYS
THE FREE KICK
CONTROL
Please select a subsection from the topics below :

 A basic introduction    Inside of the foot    Extending Control  
  Swivelling with the ball     in tight situations    
Running with the ball Running with the ball (close control)
Running with the ball (changing pace)
Running with the ball (control) Running with the ball (to score)
Running with the ball (to score cont.)
Running with the ball (central)
Running with the ball (circuit training)
Movement off the ball Movement off the ball cont.
Movement off the ball (passing & moving)
Movement off the ball (switching play in defence)
Switch play in defence (progression)
Switching play in centre field
Switching play in the attacking third of the field
Switching play (in attack) continued - around the penalty area
Switching play in attack around the penalty area (continued)
Adding Defenders: Switching play continued
Developing the reverse Pass Playing back to goal (turning)
Turning and Finishing I II III Playing with back to goal I
II III IV V Making decisions II III IV
Progression Shadow play I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX The Short Corner The Short Corner 2 The Short Corner 3 The Short Corner 4 The Short Corner 5 Defending against a short corner (1) Defending against a short corner (2) Defending against a short corner (3) Defending against a short corner (4) The throw in (1) The throw in (2) The throw in (3) Defending at a throw in

Playing back to goal (turning)

Forward players need to be encouraged to turn, and not always take the easier option of laying the ball back.

Turning with the ball requires practice - as much as possible so that a player can take a pass and turn with total confidence knowing his initial touch on the ball will be good enough.

Practice (1)

In this practice, stage one, a player receives the ball, turns to his left (particularly if he is right footed) and then moves on towards a target as in diagram (1).




So (A) and (B) (10 metres apart) serve to (S) who comes forward collects and turns to his left and then sprints between two cones (5 metres away).

The two cones should be no more than 2 metres apart.

Practice (2)

Exactly the same as practice (1) only this time (S) turns to his right, using either the outside of his right foot, or more ideally his left foot (if it is his weaker foot) to control turn and sprint through the two cones.

COACHES SHOULD AIM FOR A SHARP TURN (NOT A WIDE ARC) SO THAT PLAYERS ARE UNDER PRESSURE TO TAKE GOOD CONTROL OF THE BALL. THE BALL SHOULD BE CLOSE TO THE ATTACKING PLAYER FROM THE MOMENT HE HAS HIS FIRST TOUCH.