Drop The Shoulder - The Importance of Using Body Feints Against Opponents

DROP THE SHOULDER THE IMPORTANCE OF USING BODY FEINTS AGAINST OPPONENTS

WHY USING THE BODY IS SO IMPORTANT IN BEATING AN OPPONENT p. 24

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Contents Page 3: Welcome Page 4: Subscribe on YouTube Page 5: The Player Development Magazine Page 6: Dropping the Shoulder Page 11: Developing Body Feints Page 13: Follow Us on Page 14: Our latest Training Videos

Welcome Welcome to the June edition of the Player Development Magazine. The year seems to be flying by, but with very little football being played it is definitely an odd feeling. But, football will be back and we can help players, or ourselves, develop our games during this time.

Individual practice has never been so important for a player looking to progress within the game. Using this time without club training or matches will provide a huge chance for development.

In this month’s magazine we’re looking at how we can beat a player and the best ways that we can do so.

The great thing about football is that we never stop learning and that there is always something that we can practise to develop. Football might not be here just yet, but we can always practise and learn, ready for when it does return.

I hope you’re all keeping safe and well!

Elliott Everson Founder, OpportunityElite

For Ball Mastery and Individual training and practices

Subscribe for Monthly Releases Www.opportunityelite.co.uk/magazine

Dropping the Shoulder TO BEAT AN OPPONENT

Using your body to beat an opponent One v one situations occur for players in every position, even goalkeepers! It’s incredibly important that we practise these situations and give players ideas of how to beat players.

Ball mastery is a great start, giving players the practice of manipulating the ball, positioning it where they want it to go. Skills will develop and players will begin to see that there are a huge array of technical skills that can be used to beat an opponent.

As their ball mastery training progresses we begin to bring in body feints and quick drops of the shoulder - this is hugely important. As the player develops, they need to realise that one of the most effective ways of beating an opponent is to use their body.

Something that we feel should be coached from an early age is the use of body feints, dropping the shoulder with the aim to confuse the defender and get them off balance. Once they are off balance the player has the opportunity to burst past them with a quick change of pace.

The very best in the world at this is Lionel Messi; he seems to have the ability to get past an opponent without even touching the ball.

The more we practise developing the player’s ability to body feint, we will then have more smooth, comfortable and successful players in possession of the ball.

Look forwards of the ball and judge where the defender is moving to and how they are balanced

Drop the Shoulder

Bend the knees to generate power and exaggerate the movement

Aim to get the defender off balance and then take advantage by accelerating past them while their momentum is taking them the other way

change of pace

Knees bent

Practising this will give players huge advantage over their opponents, allowing the player in control of the ball to feel in control of the one v one situation.

At this moment in time, opportunities to practise against other players aren't there, or are very limited, depending on where in the world you are.

However, we can actually develop these body feints while practising on our own.

The aim should be to get the technique correct first of all, then when we are ready to return to training the players can practise their new found techniques and body feints against their team-mates.

There needs to be an element of creativity and imagination to any player practising on their own. We don't always have the opportunity, especially at the moment, to train with someone else. Any players who are serious and committed to developing in order to reach academy levels and further, need to be practising on their own, more than their contemporaries, to make sure that they become better than them.

In these situations it is important players improvise. They could imagine there is a defender in front of them, or use cones to go past.

We don't have to rely on someone else always being there.

On the next page we have some steps on how to use body feints to beat an opponent. We don't have opponents at the moment, but there is no reason why we can't practise the technical skill in an unopposed environment. Doing this will benefit the player once they get back in to playing competitive football once again.

STEP 1

Look forward to see where the potential opponent is positioned and balanced

STEP 2

STEP 3

Check once again

Perform a body feint, with or without skill

STEP 4

STEP 5

Repeat #3 to throw the defender off balance once more, if they are still in a good defensive position

keep the ball close to your feet

Step 6

Change pace to beat the opponent if they are off balance

DEveloping Body Feints

If we can get our youngsters to practise this regularly then we are going to have some seriously skilled players with the ability to beat their opponents.

To be successful in one v one situations players must control the situation.

The defensive player will be trying to control the situation by forcing the attacker away from the goal, or to the touchline. To be successful the attacker must be in control.

to be in control of the one v one situation the attacker needs to be unpredictable, In control of their actions, but leaving the defender unsure as to what they will do next.

Unpredictability is key in these situations. Defenders will be unsure and the player in possession will begin to assert their control.

Practising body feints as much as possible will significantly develop your player. They can be in all manner of situations, in every position or area on the pitch, and need to drop their shoulder or feint to create space to move away from an opponent. Training in this area and developing this is crucial to creating good footballers.

We can't practise against others at the moment, but don't let that discourage you. There is still so much we can do on our own with a little creativity and imagination.

Enjoy practising your feints and developing your game!

FOLLOW US FOR TRAINING CONTENT

Training this month Training can still happen, even if you are on your own. If you're a coach using online sessions, or a player looking to practise in their own time, then these training sessions and technical skills will help you get plenty of touches on the ball while developing your close control and ability on the ball.

Here are a select few of our latest training videos from our YouTube channel that we've uploaded this month.

5 Body Feints

5 Step-over/scissors Techniques

45 Individual Drills