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Defending

Soccer Fundamentals Explained: The Best Skills to Have and How to Improve Them

By Parker & Walsh Leave a Comment

soccer fundamental skills

There are a variety of skills that everyone needs to master in order to be successful playing soccer. You likely have heard coaches or other people in the game calling these skills the “soccer fundamentals” which are particularly important.

Some of these skills are fairly obvious. For example, even if you’re a beginner I’m sure you know the importance of knowing how to pass the ball.

But what exactly makes something a fundamental skill, and more importantly, what can you do as a player to learn these fundamentals most effectively?

For Beginners: What Are these Fundamentals Anyway?

There’s no soccer coaching body that publishes an agreed-upon list of a set number of “fundamentals.” If you search online or read a stack of soccer coaching books, you’ll find a widely varying number of them, as well as some discrepancies as to what gets counted as a fundamental.

But there are commonalities that you’ll see almost everywhere. These are the key skills that all players need to master no matter the level they are at or the positions which they are playing.

We briefly describe each soccer fundamental here, with some links into other articles that go into more detail on each skill. I will say that fundamentals are much different for goalkeepers; this article is talking about field players.

Fundamental #1: Passing

What’s the quickest way to get the ball from Point A to Point B on the field? Some may think it’s by dribbling, but passing the ball is the fastest and most efficient way to move it across the field.

This helps get more teammates involved at key positions on the field, break down the defense, and ultimately get the ball in dangerous attacking positions.

In other situations, passing can actually be more of a defensive move, allowing you to relieve pressure from the opponent and catch your breath while preparing to gear up for your next move up the field.

At a most basic level, any time your team is in possession of the ball and passing it around, the opposing team is chasing and getting tired, which gives you the advantage.

Any great team is able to pass the ball at a high level (even if they ultimately decide to favor other parts of the game in their tactics), and thus any great player needs to be proficient in passing.

This is why we consider passing among the most important of fundamental skills and something that every player, regardless of position, needs to spend a lot of time refining.

Fundamental #2: Receiving/First Touch

This is the other side of passing; the player who receives the pass. You may know this skill as “trapping” but that term has fallen out of favor because it signified stopping the ball dead. Receiving, on the other hand, is getting the ball under your control in a fluid motion so you can make your next move.

We’ve included first touch in here too which is a related but slightly different idea. Your first touch is not just when you receive a pass by a teammate, but any time you gain possession of the ball, be it from a crisp pass or a awkwardly bouncing ball.

Fundamental #3: Dribbling

Although passing is a more efficient team strategy for moving the ball, any good player also needs to be confident in their ability to dribble.

By dribbling you can take players on and get past them. You can dribble to create your own shot. You can even get yourself out of a dangerous situation or tight space by moving into a better position.

In short, it’s about as fundamental a skill as you can get, and one that all players need to work on and master.

Fundamental #4: Shooting

Some may challenge the idea that shooting is something that all players need to learn how to do well, and thus question its fundamental status. After all, isn’t it just forwards who need to know how to shoot?

This is incorrect.

Midfielders regularly get up into the attacking third and need to be ready to shoot when they have the space and opportunity. Most defenders will do the same on occasion, and will also likely find themselves in the opposing team’s box on corners and other set pieces.

With this in mind, it’s still very important that defenders and midfielders learn to shoot with proper form, because they may only get one chance to do it and need to be ready to take advantage.

Fundamental #5: Defending

Similar to shooting, defending is another fundamental skill that some mistakenly think is only for defenders.

But defending happens in all areas of the field and needs to be done by all players. A forward who loses the ball needs to apply the right pressure so the team can win it back. Every player needs to have the skills to put in a strong tackle when defending.

Fundamental #6: Heading

Heading is another key skill that is necessary for all players, no matter their position. It’s a diverse skill: forwards head the ball for a shot on goal; midfielders jockey to win airballs in the center of the pitch; and defenders must head the ball out of their box and into safety.

In addition, learning proper heading form is extra important because repeated improper heading can increase the risk of concussions and even brain damage. As the safety of heading continues to be investigated, there may be changes to it, especially at the youth levels.

Drills for Learning Soccer Fundamentals

There are countless ways to improve these fundamentals. You naturally work on them in game situations, with the benefit that you will experience them in realistic situations and naturally connected to each other.

But games and scrimmages aren’t enough for working on your fundamentals. A full sided game won’t give you enough touches and repetition of any skill to make a major difference all by itself.

Instead, you need to work on these skills in isolation. If you’re on a team with a good coach, he or she should already be designing drills that work on these skills. These might include give and gos with a partner; dribbling at a cone and performing a move; or 1v1 challenges.

But in addition, it’s a great idea to work on these fundamental skills through individual training.

Best Ways to Improve Soccer Fundamentals By Yourself

For passing, you can practice with a partner if you have one, or you can pass against a wall or a soccer rebounder. Make sure you’re using both feet, and passing with all surfaces. Work on passing on the ground as well as driving and chipping balls.

Pass with the inside of your foot, the outside, and the laces. Pass one touch, and two touch while receiving the ball with multiple surfaces as well. This helps you work on two fundamental skills at once.

When you’re receiving the ball and working on a proper first touch, make sure you stay on your toes and keep your head up. You also want to work on receiving the ball across your body and receiving the ball on the short hop

Dribbling is the easiest fundamental skill to practice by yourself. You can dribble around your yard, or even around your house or apartment. As with passing and receiving, make sure you are using all surfaces including the inside, outside, and laces. Work on dribbling through a set of cones or other objects, and work on performing a move while dribbling, like feints, cuts and step-overs.

For shooting, take a look at our article on How to Practice Shooting by Yourself at Home for plenty of ideas.

These are only a few ways to get started practicing your soccer fundamentals. What other ways do you know of honing these crucial skills?

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Filed Under: Individual Soccer Training Tagged With: Defending, Dribbling, Heading, Passing, Receiving, Shooting

How to Defend a Forward or Midfielder With Their Back to Their Own Goal

By Parker & Walsh Leave a Comment

defending-a-forwardForwards checking back to the soccer ball are often accompanied by a tight marking defender.

Midfielders also take on this defensive role against opposing midfielders or forwards checking back.

Here, the defender’s main goal is to keep the soccer ball in front of them and not get turned.

If the offensive player plays the ball backwards, you have done a good job.

After the ball is played back, you need to drop quickly to get into a better position so the ball is not sent forward behind you.

There are four main steps to defending an attacking player with their back to their own goal:

1.) Distance: Stay about a foot and a half away from the attacking player. This gives you the optimal distance between you and the attacking player. If you can lightly touch the attacking player, this will let him know you are there.  Do not extend your arm and push him, however. This distance will help you from getting hooked or turned by the attacking player grabbing your jersey.

2.) Stance: Bend slightly down in a good athletic stance. This puts you in a good position to move and also keeps you balanced. Standing straight up does not allow you to move quick enough. Sitting down keeps your center of gravity low and gives you a good base to change direction.

3.) Balance: Stay on the balls of your feet. Many call this being on your toes because you do not want to be on your heels. Again, the reason is because it keeps you balanced and allows you to moving quickly.

4.) Awareness: Make sure you can see the soccer ball. By sitting down in an athletic stance, you will be able to see the soccer ball. Seeing the soccer ball allows you to make a play on it. If you do not know where the soccer ball is, then you cannot make a play on it.

Finally, one of the most common turns of a forward is to dip their shoulder to one side and then turn the soccer ball to the other side.

For example, if the attacking player simultaneously dips her right shoulder and plants her right foot, the attacking player is most likely going to turn left with the soccer ball. Knowing this, then you can be prepared to stick the attacking player with your right foot.

Filed Under: Soccer Game Tips Tagged With: Defending

The Block Tackling Method in Soccer: Keys and Principles

By Parker & Walsh 1 Comment

soccer-defending-block-tackleThere are a couple of ways to tackle in soccer, and each carry different advantages.

One method is called block tackling as described in the the excellent book Soccer: How to Play the Game: The Official Manual of the United States Soccer Federation.

Block tackling is just like it sounds: you place your foot in front of the soccer ball to “block” the ball from going forward. Your foot should be acting like a wall.

There are a few key components to block tackling. The method is similar to the way you perform a push pass or a pass with the instep. You want to use the instep of your tackling foot by opening up your hips, your toe should be slightly pointed up, and your ankle locked.

In block tackling, you want your tackling foot to make contact with the soccer ball slightly above the center of the ball so you will force the momentum of the tackle into the ground allowing the ball to stay in front of you and not hurt your leg.

One key difference in block tackling and performing a push pass, though, is how you finish the skill. When performing a push pass, you swing through the center half of the ball and show your heel, whereas when performing a block tackle, you DO NOT SWING through the soccer ball.

If you swing through the soccer ball in a block tackle, you run the risk of pulling a muscle, hurting your ankle, knee, or even breaking your leg. Instead of swinging, you just want to block the soccer ball from traveling forward.

Another key component in block tackling is keeping your weight behind the ball and your shoulders slightly leaning forward so that you are well balanced. If you lean too far forward, then you be too top-heavy and fall forward over the soccer ball, losing the tackle.

If you are too far back, then you will most likely win the first challenge but you will be on your heels not allow you to win the second challenge.

These are the basics of block tackling. Stay tuned for our next post on different types of challenges, including 50/50 and 60/40 challenges. As always, leave us a comment if this tip was helpful or if you have any additional questions.

photo contrapart

Filed Under: Soccer Game Tips Tagged With: Block Tackling, Defending

1v1 Soccer Defending: Key Principles of Individual Defense

By Parker & Walsh 2 Comments

soccer-defendingIn soccer, defending is a team concept. When you’re defending, your entire team, not just the defenders, is working together by communicating and staying compact in order to protect the goal.

If just one player is not doing his or her job, your team can suffer a breakdown. This is why 1v1 or individual defending is so important.

Everyone on the soccer field must be able to defend and understand the principles of defense, including pressure, containment and ball-or-man.

Applying Pressure

Applying pressure happens right after your team loses the soccer ball. There are two key points when applying pressure.

The first point is that you must not over-commit. Most commonly, players overrun the play because they are too eager to win the soccer ball back, but this mistake will expose your team.

Instead, you must break down into a good athletic stance making sure you are on the balls of your feet so you can move and cut quickly.

The second point is that you must force the attacking player to put his or her head down.

You achieve this by applying enough defensive pressure on the player with the soccer ball.

If you do not apply enough pressure, the attacking player will be able to see options and complete a pass more easily than if his or her head were down.

Containing the Attacker

After applying pressure, you must contain or delay the attacking player. You want to force the attacking player into an area where you have defensive cover.

It’s important to understand that you yourself do not always have to win the soccer ball.

You just want cause the attacker to run into another defensive player or to play the ball backwards. If the attacking player plays the ball backwards, then your team will gain ground offensively without even touching the ball.

However, you should be cautious when coming forward because the offensive team is often trying to spread you and your team out. You must move forward as a unit and to stay compact.

Ball-or-Man

The last defensive principle is ball-or-man but never both. This principle applies to certain situations in the game.

For example, when attacking players perform a give-and-go in a dangerous area of the field, then you do not want the attacking player to get on the end of the give-and-go.

You should turn your body to run for the ball and also get in the path of the attacking player.

The best result is that you intercept the pass. If you do not intercept the pass, then you can at least get in the path of the attack player to slow him/her down.

You may receive a caution for not playing the ball.

There are other situations during a game where this principle can come into play, such as when the other team is on a counter-attack, when you are the last defender (WARNING: a foul here may result in a red card), when you do not have proper cover from your secondary defender.

Remember this principle should only be used in certain situations and that you can receive a caution for using it. It should be used sparingly and always with caution.

Filed Under: Soccer Game Tips Tagged With: 1v1, Defending

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