Passing
The Ball always beats the player
Passing is the fundamental skill in soccer. No dribbling skills can ever get the ball from A to B as quickly as judicious passing
Practise, practise, practise! Even the very best players work on the fundamentals regularly. Time spent here is never wasted.
Start at the beginning
Have you ever actually been taught how to kick the ball? Most of us haven’t.
Side foot, strong ankle. Standing foot pointing where you want the ball to go.
Practise with your weaker foot too.
Inside of the foot
The excellent 7mlc:
- Planting foot
- Slight bend in standing leg
- Inside of foot – not toes
- Strike halfway up ball
- Follow through towards target
Laced pass
7mlc yet again:
As before, except
- Laces to strike ball
- Body lean
- Strike halfway up ball and chop down
- Follow through and cut across
Laced pass again
A different perspective on the laced pass. Includes a troubleshooting section. Matt approaches the ball in a more upright posture than 7mlc, which is probably less ideal on a flat artificial surface, but perhaps better when the pitch is very damp.
Left foot! yes, you need to use this one too.
Without the ball, stand on one foot, your right. Lift your left knee. Feel your right ankle muscles working hard.
When you’ve mastered that, open your eyes and rest.
Raise your left foot 20cm off the ground, and turn it outwards so that the inside of your foot is facing forwards and your toes are pointing completely to the side.
Begin swinging your left foot back and forth. Raise your right arm (and hold onto a door frame if you need to). Kick through the imaginary ball.