Essential Soccer Skills - Controlling the Ball - By: Patrick Omari

Football, or soccer as it is known is some religious backwaters, is a game of skill played on the ground with a ball using the foot. Controlling the game sphere is paramount during the match and surely the team with the best control will win the game. If you can learn to control with aplomb then you'll be on the winning team.

The first and most important thing you'll need when controlling the ball is confidence. Confidence rules all. Your touch must be confident and firm, make the ball do what you want, don't let it rule you. If you just let the ball bounce off your body then your touch will suffer and you'll lose control, a terrible situation to be in. Be confident and decisive and you'll take control.

Most of the time the ball will arrive to you via a pass from a team mate. Tradition dictates that the ball is played along the ground and you must use your first touch to bring the ball under control. Unless you intend to play a first time shot or pass then your first touch is used to bring the ball under control. You can practise this at home quite easily. Play a ball against a wall and then practise controlling the rebound. You can try playing it with different amounts of power and at different heights to simulate the game environment.

Control with the feet is key. The main way of controlling it is to cushion the ball with the inside of the foot. You take the sting out of the ball and draw it into the body, away from your opponent. You can draw a high ball under control by using the instep to bring down the ball. Try to think of your feet as cushions, if you relax the ball will be under your spell. If you're tense then the ball will bounce off, as if hitting a brick wall. You can practise controlling high balls by kicking a ball up in the air and then controlling it. This is also good for practising vertical high kicks, an especially useless skill.

You can also control the ball with other areas of the body. The chest and thigh are often used to take down higher balls. Again, the key here is to try to relax and cushion the ball. Try to take the sting out and bring it to a graceful stop. Be too rigid and you'll lose it. The best way to practise these methods of control is with a friend. Try playing high passes to each other.

Hopefully this article has shed some light on how to control and how important it is. In your next football game make sure you take control and control the opponent, don't let them control you with their superior control. Control.

About the Author

Patrick is an expert Research and Travel consultant. His current interest is in Birmingham airport parking, Gatwick parking and Gatwick hotels.

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