Advice! I would like some advice on how to play better in soccer..Offensively?

Question

thanks for your tips. i play forward and midfield.

i am probably the best player on my team but i want to play even better. Thanks for your help and tips!

Answer 1

Well, without more information, it is difficult to assess your weaknesses. But, generally, you need to work on:

1. BALL CONTROL SKILLS. Your ball controls skills with your feet need to be comparable to a basketball player's ability with his hands. You must immediately control a ball that is in your area... low passes, chest-high balls, head-high balls, whatever. You MUST control the ball. Period.

How many times can you juggle the ball without it hitting the ground? 10? 50? 100? more? You should be able to juggle the ball with your feet more than 100 times in a row without it hitting the ground. You should also mix other playing surfaces in your juggling... thighs, chest, head, inside of foot, outside of foot, etc...

Also, you must be able to pull, push, and roll the ball in all directions with complete control. This means using the inside and outside of the foot, the instep (laces), the sole, and the toe.

2. FITNESS. Soccer games generally last 90 minutes, but most players at the youth and high school level are not in condition to play all-out for 90 minutes. Once the other team starts to get tired, you can exploit them because you have superior fitness. You have to build up your endurance. This comes from long distance running (more than 3 miles) and interval training (lots of starting and stopping in a short time period). Fitness also helps with inury prevention. The fitter you are the less likely you are to get hurt.

3. SPEED. Speed is very important in soccer. Look at all of the great offensive players, past and present,... Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Pele, Maradona, Landon Donovan, Mia Hamm... they are blazing fast! Some people are naturally faster than others, but you can definitely improve your speed through training. This means sprint training and weight training. Speed is directly connected with power. The more power you can produce in a short burst, the faster you can run.

4. MOVES AND 1-ON-1 SKILLS. OK... you have to have some moves. I put this 4th on the list, because ball control, fitness and speed are more important than fancy moves. But, moves are still important. You should work on perfecting several "trick" moves, such as the fake kick, scissors, the step-over, the 360 and the lunge (or cut). It is hard to sell these moves well unless you have good ball control skills and unless you practice them over and over. What you want to do is to get the defender to commit himself (or herself) to the ball or to one side, and then you dart the other way with the ball.

You must practice the moves over and over and over. Then, you must practice them with an opponent. Find a friend or parent or whoever and take turns defending and attacking. Get comfortable beating the other player 1v1.

5. AGGRESSION. Most girls that I have coached just aren't aggressive enough. Get gutsy and go for the ball. Many girls are afraid to head the ball. Use your head. Aggression can often make up for a deficiency in skill. We've all seen the inexperienced player on a high school soccer team who gets to start every game because he/she is just so aggressive.

6. GAME AWARENESS. You have to develop your game awareness and your feel for the game. You can do this by watching and by playing. Watch as much soccer as you can. Watch the professional or international games on TV (or in person, if you can). Your game will look a little different than a World Cup game, but at least you can see what soccer looks like at the highest level. Record some of these top-level soccer games and just watch the strikers the whole time. Watch how they position themselves and how they play the ball. Watch what they do when they don't have the ball. Watch how they makes "runs" to try and get the ball played to them. Most of the strikers at this level have great "finishing" ability - the ability to get the shot on goal. Also, watch soccer games live, even if it is just junior high or high school games. You will develop the ability to know what the players in different situations SHOULD be doing.

Also, play as much soccer as you can. You can only learn so much by watching. You have to get out there, make the mistakes and make the good plays to really get better. Play with anyone who is playing. Also, play with the guys. Boys (of comparable age) will generally be faster and better than you. That will really make you work! AND, it will make you a better soccer player.

7. SHOOTING. You must be able to shoot the ball hard and accurately, especially when you are tired. Practice shooting all types of shots... angles, straight-on, still balls, moving balls, volleys... WITH BOTH FEET! You have to be able to quickly and firmly fire the ball with either foot. If you get where you can do this, you will be the girl everyone is looking for in the box.

______________________

3 resources you should check out are

- Coerver Soccer DVDs and camps www.coerver-coaching.com

- Nike's soccer website - www.nikefootball.com

- Expert Football - www.expertfootball.com

Good luck and joga bonito

Answer 2

BALL CONTROL
PASSING, AND RECEIVING
SKILLS
BUT MOST IMPORTANT PRACTICES ALOT THE SAME STUFF OVER AND OVER AGAIN, THEN IN A GAME IT WILL COME NATURALLY

Answer 3

There is a wonderful old text called "How I Teach Violing Playing" By Leopold Auer. Even though the book is over 100 years old, virtually everything in it is practical, well thought out, well written, and very usable right now. Human anatomy hasn't changed in the last 100 years and the violin (with the exception that A is higher now than in Auer's day) hasn't changed either. Virtuoso pieces demand more, but Auer's book provides a great basis for master so- called "advanced techniques"

Answer 4

PRACTICE

Answer 5

Learn to control the ball quickly if you can do it with 1 touch that gives you the chance to make a play. The only sure fire way to improve is to Practice.

Answer 6

Everyone will say practice. Well of course you need to practice, but it's what you practice, and how you practice, that will improve your game. So, you need to figure out what your strengths and weaknesses are and decide whether it's strength or technique or both that you need to work on. Without knowing your game I can't tell you what to fix. Practice is a daily activity, not just something you do when the team holds practice.

If you live anywhere near a college, a professional, or a semi-pro team, or know of someone who played or coached professional or semi pro soccer, spend some money on some diagnostic training sessions. A diagnostic session should include an assessment of your strengths and weaknesses; it shouldn't be about teaching you how to do something. Then, spend some money on some training sessions to work on your weaknesses and improve your strengths.

Play for the highest level team that will have you; always try out for the highest levels available. I don't know your age so I can't be more specific here. Play for the best team that will have you. And practice with the best players that will practice with you.

Watch college and professional games in person and on TV and study the game; study one half of the game and just relax and enjoy the other half. I can't stress this point enough. This where you will learn more than you can imagine. It's the next best thing to actual game experience.

Finally, the person who mentioned ball control was right on the money. Without immediate ball control you have no game.

Hope this helps. It's easy to want to be better, but it's a tough road requiring discipline and dedication to get there.

Answer 7

Practice all the time and try imitate soccer tricks from Zidane or ronaldhino!!!!

Answer 8

Fundamentals, fundamentals, fundamentals. Continually work on improving your ability to control, dribble and pass the ball. Too many times players turn a simple pass to them into a 50-50 ball that they have to fight for because they fail to control it on the first touch.

Improve your ability to "read" the field so you can anticipate what next is going to occur around your position.

Improve your ability to use either foot especially when shooting on goal.You don't have to be equally good with each foot but don't use one just for balance.

Improve your ability to protect the ball from the other team. For example if a defender is on your left side, learn to lean your left shoulder into that defender's shoulder and dribble the ball on the outside of your right foot. Vice versa if the defender is on your right.

Practice these things and you will be a better player, I guarantee it.

Answer 9

two things will help immensely Ballet and marital arts, both will teach you control and balance. I scoffed at this in my teens, but gave it try.. despite the heckling form other kids, on the ice I was impossible to deal with at hockey..later on in motocross I was dubbed "the flying squirrel" .. as for heckling?.. well worth it..the strength and agility the two arts gave me?..well lets just say I could pick out the biggest baddest bully and take him out with one or two hits.. after that no one dared say anything..lol

Answer 10

midfield and foward positions are two very different, although they are both offensively duh... when you play midfield, you must "look up" at all times and look for your teamates to make a pass...that easy because that was a midfielder does...create..

for a foward position you must play right next to your other foward teamate, try to stay together and not seperate...

i play attacking midfielder...so thats what i do..