When interacting with the ball, and assuming it is not a 1 touch moment, there is only a small number of 'general things a player can do with the ball at their feet [relative the way the player is facing**]
- Move the ball forward**
- Move the ball laterally (sideways) across the body**
- Move the ball laterally Out of the body**
- Move the ball laterally (sideways) across and out of the the body**
- Use one of the above to change the direction of the ball**
- Fake any of the above to make it look like the ball will move in one direction but in fact ends up going the other way**
- Move the ball 180º (turn)**
- Move the ball back **
- Move (Drag) the ball back and then use one of the above to change the direction of the ball
- Instead of the ball moving perfectly laterally (90º) or it being a perfect turn (180º), it might at a different angle** (but the type of technique doesn't change)
- Control the ball but not move it (kill the ball)
So the progression of footwork on this page (and for part of this term is to work on the following ways to interact with the ball).
Move the ball:
- A+B: Laterally across the body then move the ball forward
- C: Fake in but go out
- D: Turn
- E: Drag back into a change of direction
- F: Adjustment touches (small touches to help put the ball is in the right spot for the pass. Only used if necessary)
- G: Pass (in the video there is not pass (as it is an individual exercise_ perfect for practice at home)
The video below achieves this by using the following footwork patterns:
- A+B: Inside Inside [step]
- C: Inside Step Outside [step]
- D: Pure drag turn (no other touch and ball stays parallel to the cones)
- E: Switch V (into a back foot (inside) touch)
- F:Use an outside to straighten up the ball
- G: Swap a pass with a touch (outside push touch) and a step over turn* to be able repeat the other way. *Notice this was dealt with differently at each end.
- In the second one the ball was traveling too quickly to do a step over turn, so an outside step Inside (behind) was used to get the ball in the right place for the Inside inside.
This is quite ADVANCED.
Players may struggle to do this without:
- Making a Mistake (changing the footwork patterns, not staying smooth))
- Hitting a cone
- Taking extra adjustment touches
Players may struggle to do this
- With a consistent rhythm (it is all 1-2, 1-2, 1-2,1-2,1-2 pattern)
- Faster and faster
- With the head up
Break it down
Go back to the ball mastery exercises; Can you do an :
- Inside Inside slide
- Inside step outside [both feet]
- Drag Turn
- Switch V (inside)
Can you combine any of these (still as ball mastery)
Can you do these in a more advanced game functional way [as a drag back U, or W etc.)
If so, you should be able to join them together in any way we and you can think off.
If not, or the footwork pattern is not replicated perfectly then there is still work to do.
The whole process is about becoming one with the ball.
And this only occurs if a player is on the journey to this destination.
PRESSURE PROBLEM ANALYSIS
This link (pressure problem analysis) looks at the relationship between Pressure problems, the directional response to the pressure problem (that is how to get to the space) and what footwork pattern might used in this moment.