Pony: Crab : Dominant foot

 

FOOTWORK

 

 

Crab Into :

 

Crab is a defensive 1v1 approach, used when neither the attacker or defender is being aggressive to the other player.

 In terms of cone work - an option is crab into an inside hop Outside & Crab into an inside inside

This video is Crab into Inside Inside

 Crab Inside Outside Inside chop

Crab - Inside Outside Crab Inside Inside

 

Pony Into :

 

In this clip, the pony is only at the start of the exercise.

With younger players you may need to use simpler footwork exercises, where as with older players you may be able to combine pony and crab into one exercise.

Footwork. Pony into a step wide and ahead and an outside Push touch.

[The step wide can turn into a fake]

 
 
 
 
 
 

 

Playing off the dominant foot

 

Is a bit of a combination of pony and crab

Keep the ball really close to the feet (lots of quick, small touches, playing off the toes of dominant foot, being ready to go both ways, change direction,or pass at any moment) and keep the head up.Use the other foot only when necessary.

 

  • All these techniques - keep the ball really close to the feet (lots of quick, small touches, playing off the toes of one foot, being ready to go both ways, change direction,or pass at any moment) and keep the head up.
  • Lots of quick Pony/Crab into FFPs. Pony and crab are great for keeping the head up,  to move away explosively or to quickly lay the ball off.
  • Can do foot work as a montage (very advanced players) or 1 footwork pattern at a time (younger advanced players)
  • Work hard at get the energy and intensity levels up
  • Think Messi, Robben, Hazard, Isco - attacker always has the ball much closer to their feet than the defender so that when the defender dives in, the attacker gets to the ball first.

 

 
 
 
 

What playing off the dominant foot might look like

 

 

Combining Crab, Pony and dominant foot into one conework exercise

 

 

 

Combine the 3 patterns

 

 

Tech Game

 

This game might work. 

The '1v3 4 Goal' Game

Make a square 4m x 4m

Make a goal in each corner and a control zone at the back of each goal

Give the defender a zone in which they can move laterally to defend the goals

There are only 3 defenders for the 4 goals

Defenders have a ball

 

Defenders have a ball

Defs without a ball

 

Defs without a ball

In this exercise; attacker have 45 seconds to score as many goals as possible. After each goal the attacker must come back to the center before going for a new goal. Based on numbers have 1 more goal than defenders. Let the attacker have a rest after their turn.

So 5 players is a 4 goal, 3 defender game etc.

If you have 6 or 7 players then increase the number of goals or have a defender inside the square (with a ball) chasing the player who wants to score