The Illinois course
The length of the course is 10 metres and the width (distance
between the start and finish points) is 5 metres.
4 cones are used to mark the start, finish and the two turning
points. Each cone in the centre is spaced 3.3 metres apart.
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Trapping soccer balls is one of the most important parts of
playing soccer. Once you have it down, you can take hard passes,
block shots, dribble better and SCORE
MORE.
Study these Skills, and feel free to print this page and study it
more.
This trap is good for controlling rolling balls. To make this trap
the ball is stopped between the bottom of your foot and the ground. To
do this, face the path of the ball, and crouch your body slightly. Be
sure to keep the weight of your body on the non-trapping leg. Place
your trapping leg about a foot in front of you and bend it a little.
Point your toe up, with your heel raised about four inches off the
ground. Holding your arms out to the side may also help you keep your
balance.
On a rolling ball, as the ball rolls to you, get ready to trap it.
As soon as the sole of your foot makes contact with the ball, shift
your weight slightly so you are wedging the ball between the sole of
your foot and the ground. Don't put your foot directly on top of the
ball, you may fall over it.
To make an inside of the foot trap, turn your body towards the
ball. Face the inside of your trapping foot towards the ball. Raise
your trapping leg, and bend your knee slightly. Lift your foot so it
is even with the center of the ball. Let the ball hit the inside of
your foot between your toes and your ankle, then immediately move your
leg back, not up. This will cushion the ball so it doesn't bounce away
from you.
Most balls can be stopped with just a light touch. They should
bounce about twelve inches in front of you so you are in position to
make your next move. Now you are ready to dribble, pass or shoot.
This trap can be used on a rolling ball, or a ball that is in the
air. Remember to get your foot even with the ball. If your foot is too
high, the ball will roll under it. If it is too low, the ball may
bounce over it.
The outside of the foot trap can be used to trap ground balls and
bouncing balls. Use the outside of your foot, between your little toe
and ankle to make this trap.
To trap a ground ball, line up to where the ball is rolling and
raise your trapping foot off the ground, keeping it slightly ahead of
your other foot. Make sure the side of your little toe is facing the
ball. As the ball rolls to you, watch it all the way to your foot. Let
the ball make contact with your foot, and get ready for your next
move.
To trap a bouncing ball, trap it right after it bounces. Place your
non-trapping foot on the ground with the inside of it facing the ball.
Lift your trapping foot up and slightly ahead of the other foot. As
soon as the ball bounces, swing your leg across your body, and hit the
ball with the outside of your foot. The ball should land slightly to
the side of you, and now you are ready for your next move.
Trapping soccer balls is one of the most important parts of
playing soccer. Here learn how to trap with your chest and thigh - it
doesn't always hurt!
The chest trap is used to control high kicked or bouncing balls.
There are two kinds of chest traps. For both ways, use the middle of
your chest just above your stomach.
For high balls:
Have your feet even with each other and about shoulder width apart.
Bend your knees, and lean back slightly from your waist up. As the
ball comes toward you, lean back even more and spread your arms wide.
This will help stretch your chest out more, helps with balance, and
helps prevent touching the ball with your hands. When the ball comes,
let it bounce off your chest and drop in front of you. Now you are
ready for your next move.
For bouncing balls:
For this trap, place your feet even with each other, about shoulder
width apart. Lean your body forward slightly, from the waist up. When
the ball comes toward you, lean forward a little more and put your
chest into the ball. The ball will fall right in front of you so you
can make your next move.
To practice chest traps, have someone toss the ball to you from
about five feet away. Try not to close your eyes. As you get good at
this, have them throw the ball from farther back. Then have them throw
a little harder, then still a little harder. Pretty soon you will be
able to chest trap a ball that has been kicked.
A problem habit you may run into is putting your hands in the way
of the ball when it comes to you. To overcome this habit, try putting
a small rock in each hand to remind  you
not to move your hands in front of the ball.
The thigh trap is used to trap falling balls in the air. To make a
thigh trap, use the flat part of your upper leg, above your knee. When
the ball comes, face it and raise your trapping leg toward the ball.
How high you raise your leg depends on how fast the ball is coming.
However, never lift your leg higher than your waist. Your knee should
be bent so your lower leg is pointing down. As the ball hits your
thigh, drop your leg back to cushion it. The ball should bounce
slightly up, and drop right in front of you.
The head trap is used to control a falling ball around head height.
Sometimes there is no one near you to head a ball to, so you need to
keep control of it yourself. You use your forehead to make this kind
of trap. You want to be sure to keep the angle of your head adjusted
so the ball hits the middle of your forehead. The steeper the drop,
the farther back you need to tilt your head.
Bend your knees slightly, and keep one foot slightly in back of the
other, about shoulder width apart. Keep your eyes on the ball, all the
way to your forehead. As the ball hits, bend your front knee, which
will lower your whole body. This will cushion the ball, causing it to
bounce just a little, and fall right in front of you.
This is a difficult skill to learn. Start by throwing the ball into
the air yourself, and trapping it. Then get a friend to throw it to
you so you get practice trapping it at different angles. Also,
practice running to where the ball will drop, plant yourself, and trap
it. This is probably the most difficult trap to learn in soccer and
will take time to learn to do correctly. Don't be discouraged if it
takes a long time until you feel comfortable with it.
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Individual Soccer
Skills Worksheet:
Perform these skills 3-times a week for
30-minutes each session (90 min. a week) to become a better
& more confident soccer player.
|
| Ball Juggling: |
25 touches right foot- inside, outside, shoelace
25 touches left foot
25 touches alternating feet
25 touches right thigh
25 touches left thigh
25 touches alternating thighs
25 touches head
50 touches any body part
|
| Ball Rolls: (1-minute
each foot) |
Right foot- sole of foot side to side crossover
Left foot
|
| Dribbling: (1.5
minutes each exercise) |
Inside of right foot- step, dribble, step, dribble
Inside of left foot- step, dribble
Alternating inside of feet - with no step in between
Outside of right foot- step, dribble, step, dribble
Outside of left foot- step, dribble
Alternating outside of feet- with no step in between
|
| Passing: (25
passes each foot, strike ball at center of ball to keep on
ground, strike ball at bottom half to lift ball in air) |
Pass ball with partner or against wall
Right foot- inside of foot pass (locked ankle, point toe up)
Left foot- inside of foot pass
Right foot - instep (shoelace) pass (come across ball at slight
angle,toe down, strike ball with laces)
Left foot- instep pass
|
| Skill Moves: (work
on 2 moves each week: 1st week - moves 1&2, 2nd week - moves
3&4 & so on. Perform each move for 2 - 3 minutes.) |
1. Pull a Vee - Push the ball forward and pull it
back with sole of foot while turning and then take the ball with
the inside of the same foot.
2. Pull & Take with Outside of Foot - Push the ball forward
and pull it back with the sole of then push the ball diagonally
forward with the outside of the foot.
3. Pull Turn - Push ball forward with one foot and pull it back
with the sole of other foot while turning toward ball and take
ball in the opposite direction with the inside of the first
foot.
4. Inside of Foot Turn - Push ball forward, move past ball &
turn toward ball and take it with the inside of the foot in the
opposite direction.
5. Outside of Foot Turn - Push ball forward, move past ball
& turn toward ball while taking it with the outside of the
foot in the opposite direction.
6. Cruyff - Push ball forward, fake kick w/ inside of foot, but
instead pull ball behind the standing leg and change directions.
7. Step-Over Turn - Push ball forward, step over ball with one
foot, turn toward ball & take it in opposite direction.
8. Mathews - Fake with inside of foot nudging ball by dipping
shoulder, then take ball in opposite direction with the outside
of same foot.
9. Scissors Over Ball - Step behind ball as if preparing to take
it with the outside of one foot, then step over the ball and
take it with the outside of the other foot. |
|
