4 Simple Exercises for Ball Mastery

4 simple exercises that will vastly improve your teams ball mastery

Ball mastery is essential for any aspiring soccer player. The ability to deftly control the motion of the ball, all the while paying attention to everything else that is going on is vital. It is one of the easiest things to learn in Soccer, yet it is also one of the hardest to master. Fortunately, with a little repetition of four simple exercises from the Coerver Coaching Master Class Series, any team can vastly improve their skills:

Exercise 1

Set up

A 20-by 20-yard area.

Up to 18 players each with a ball, standing one yard apart at one side of the square.

Number the players alternately 1,2,3 and 4.

Action

The coach instructs all of the no.1 players to move steadily across the square using alternate feet to pull the ball with the sole and push it with the laced part of their shoes.

When the no.1 players are 1/3 across the square the coach instructs no.2's to follow.

When no.2's are 1/3 across the square, the coach calls for no.3's.

The players rest on the opposite side of the square until all of the other players arrive. Then the coach instructs them to return.

The coach can ask them to use the outside or the inside of the foot.

Tips

Simple repetitions with both feet are a sure way to improve your players' ball control.

Tell players to start slowly and then try a little hop between pulls and pushes.

All the practices in this section improve coordination and create flexible ankles, knees and hips - key elements on the road to ball mastery

Exercise 2

Setup

A 20- by 20- yard area.

Each player with a ball, standing a couple of yards apart.

Form two or three lines, as required.

Action

On the coach's signal players move steadily up field tapping the ball from foot to foot.

After four taps, they pull the ball with the sole and push it out with the inside of both feet and repeat the sequence moving up field.

Tips

Number the players 1,2,3 and start them in waves according to numbers called.

Exercise 3

Set up

A 12- by 12- yard area.

Four groups of up to four players positioned as shown.

The first player in each group has a ball.

Action

The players with a ball dribble to the center of the square cutting the ball tightly across their bodies with the inside and outside of the same foot.

At the center they cut the ball to their right, pass to the first player in the next group and sprint to join the end of that group.

Option: The receiver can toe tap the ball between his feet until the coach signals the next players to start.

Tips

Make sure players cut the ball across their bodies - not too far in front.

Have them make as many quick, tight cuts as possible without losing control.

Tell them to keep their head up as much as possible.

Suggest that players use their "weak" foot as well.

This format can be used for any of the ball mastery exercises.

Exercise 4

Setup

Two adjacent 10- by 20- yards lanes.

Two groups of up to six players at opposite end of the adjacent lanes.

The first player in each group has a ball.

Action

Players tap the ball forward with the outside of the foot as often as they can to the midpoint of their lane where they pass to the first player in the opposite group and sprint to join end of that group.

The receiving players repeat the action in the opposite direction.

Tips

Remind players to practice with both feet and to look up before they pass.

When running these drills, make sure to keep your players going until everyone has them down. The more you run a drill; the more ingrained the movements become until they reach the level of instinct.

Your players will be able to automatically respond to what's going on around them on the pitch, without thinking about it.

So be diligent in your training and your team will go far.

2 Secrets about dribbling a soccer ball

Here are 2 "secrets" of dribbling that are seldom taught, so I encourage you to get your players to try them

Brazilians often relate their soccer to music, and have great rhythm when running and dribbling with the ball. The way to achieve this rhythm is to keep your upper body relaxed. This allows you to be flexible and helps you have much better upper body movements for deceiving the opposition. If you maintain a stiff body posture, your movements will be stiff and not really deceptive at all.
A really good tip to get a "looser" upper torso while teaching dribbling is to encourage your players to open their hands and keep their hands and wrists "floppy". By doing this, the upper torso becomes loose and flexible, which in turn will lead to better upper body movement for body fakes. For instance if you try dipping you shoulder one way and then going the other way, the "dip" will be far more effective with a loose upper tors, and therefore far more likely to deceive the defender.
To emphasize the point, make a fist with both hands and clench your fists tight. Now try moving your upper body and you should notice how stiff and awkward it is.

Now try the same with loose floppy wrists. See the difference?

Secret #1 for dribbling is to keep your upper torso relaxed and keeping your hands open and floppy

When dribbling it is more effective to be "small". The reason for this is similar to the reason for the first tip. By keeping small and close to the ground with your legs slightly bent, you will have greater mobility and able to twist and turn to deceive the defenders more easily.
To Emphasize the point, stand straight up with rigid legs. Now try and deceive a defender by lunging one way and then going the other direction. Now try it with the legs bent and in a more relaxed fashion. See the difference?

Secret #2 for dribbling is to keep your knees slightly bent and keeping close to the ground
Stand small not tall

A useful drill to help
Here's a drill to help with this and you can incorporate both secrets into this drill
Have your players dribble the ball around and on your command the players must stop the ball "dead" using the knee.
Stopping the ball with the knee automatically achieves two things;
(1) gets the players to lower their bodies by bending their knees, getting their body low to the ground (coiled and ready to accelerate).
(2) forces the shoulder to dip and makes the upper torso turn.
Note this is important to help deceive your opponents when faking to go one way before exploding in the other direction

During the practice alternate knees, try double touches, right, left and continue dribbling, vary pace of the exercise.

Incorporate this little tip in your next warm, its' fun and productive, and it works!.

The Coerver Coaching Method has over 30 1V1 moves to beat defenders,all on video, and made extremely simple to learn so well worth a look