Using Ball Mastery

OPPORTUNITYELITE ISSUE NO. 21 • SEPTEMBER 2019

USING BALL MASTERY HOW OFTEN, WHY AND WHEN?

CONTENTS

PAGE 3 - THIS MONTH

PAGE 5 - BALL MASTERY

PAGE 8 - TECHNICAL BENEFITS OF BALL

MASTERY

PAGE 10 - 30 BALL MASTERY SKILLS

PAGE 13 - BALL MASTERY VIDEOS

PAGE 16 - FOLLOW US ON

PAGE 18 - OPPORTUNITYELITE STORE

THIS MONTH With the new season approaching, many of us as coaches, or players, are planning just how we want our season to go, what we want from training, the development of players and the overall outcome of our performances.

In considering our outcomes for the season, we need to take into account what we are actually going to be doing to get there. What techniques, drills and sessions are we going to use to reach our goals?

In this month's edition of the player development magazine, we are going to be looking at why, especially for youth players, how often and when we should be using ball mastery within our training this year.

We're all about the development of technical footballers and ball mastery provides a great foundation for players of all abilities, no matter whether they are a beginner, or elite level player. Ball mastery has a place for all.

We hope you enjoy this month's edition!

Elliott Everson, OpportunityElite

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BALL MASTERY: THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE DEVELOPING PLAYER'S GAME

Ball mastery is fast becoming a very popular training tool for coaches and players alike. Individuals can practise the skills and techniques in their own time while it can also be used as a significant part of coaches' longterm player development planning.

We're going to be looking at how often we can use ball mastery training, why we should be using it, and when.

If you're looking to develop the young players' close control on the ball, their confidence and touch, then ball mastery provides the perfect training techniques.

The focus on ball mastery has been growing over the past few years and we love it. There is not much better for developing players close control and skill on the ball.

On the next few pages we'll take a look at why we should use it and how it's going to develop you, as the individual, or your players, as the coach.

WHY USE BALL MASTERY?

Ball mastery gives players the opportunity to practise their close control of the ball by using specific techniques, routines and movements on the ball. It is all about increased contact time with the football.

'The more touches, the better.'

Increasing touches on the ball will give players much more confidence, allowing them to realise what parts of the foot they can move the ball with, and how. As with most technical training, players can learn through trial and error. "If that movement didn't work before, then how can I change it?" The more contact time that players get on the ball, the more that they will also begin to self-coach themselves, improving their understanding and technical experiences on the ball.

Players will get more contact time on the ball because ball mastery takes a huge number of touches in such a small and short space of time. All the player needs is one ball, and then the knowledge, either through coaching, or online videos, to practise and replicate the specific movements. Having a ball for each player will give the player huge amounts of contact time, developing their confidence on the ball.

The technical areas that ball mastery training improves are great. Firstly, the player's close control will improve, developing the ability to stop, roll and manipulate the ball with speed and precision. These movements will eventually translate into the game. If a player is being put under pressure, then they will become much more confident in manipulating the ball to protect it, or to move it away from their opponent while maintaining control.

BALL MASTERY'S

TECHNICAL BENEFITS

IMPROVED CLOSE CONTROL

IMPROVEMENT WITH BOTH FEET

QUICKER THINKING AND REACTIONS ON THE BALL INCREASED CO-ORDINATION

INTENSITY ON THE BALL

DEVELOPMENT ON ALL PARTS OF THE FOOT

In addition to the improvements in close control we will also begin to see a real development in the use of the weaker foot. One of the harder aspects of playing with the weaker foot isn't the striking over distance, it's the first touch, close control, movement of the ball and manipulation. Developing this use of the weaker foot will lead to better coordinated players with great balance on the ball.

Once the player's balance on the ball improves they will be able to move and change direction quickly, deceiving their opponents while keeping the ball under their control.

Co-ordination improves through being able to move the ball from one foot to another, changing direction and speed of movement. The more we can get ball mastery into our practices, the more players will be able to keep their balance and sort their feet to get themselves in complete control of the ball.

With this increased amount of ball mastery practice we will also see clear increases in the intensity on the ball.

Players will turn quicker, move away from their opponents and be sharper with each touch they take.

HOW OFTEN SHOULD WE USE

BALL MASTERY?

Each coach, or player, has their own preferences toward their training and we should always build our practices around the players themselves, and what they need or will benefit the most from. But, if you want to use ball mastery more regularly, how often should you be using it to see any real benefit?

To learn new techniques, players will need to practise consistently. No player gets to an elite level in ball mastery after one session. It is a continual process that takes sustained practice over a medium- to longterm focus.

Players will develop the most through weekly ball mastery practices, increasing their speed, control, co-ordination and sharpness on the ball.

These areas all improve through continued practice. If a player has practised ball mastery one week and then waited four weeks until trying again you may see small improvements, but in general, players will be learning the more difficult or challenging techniques again. This then makes the player's development in ball mastery become a bit stagnant.

What we really need is consistent training; weekly ball mastery practices that allow players to build on the techniques that they have learnt from before.

That is easier said than done though, however, ball mastery practice doesn't have to take up a large chunk of the session.

The beauty with ball mastery is that it can be used in periods of down time, or as an arrival activity. These don't need to last for extended periods of time, potentially even being for 5-10 minutes. But, the most important thing is to practise it consistently. Even if it is for 5 minutes, aim to practise those 5 minutes of ball mastery every week.

The consistency of the training will help players develop significantly, giving them increased touches on the ball.

If you are looking to do a specific session on ball mastery, lasting from 30 minutes to an hour, then it may be best to do that once a month, followed up with small 5-10 minute recaps, or progressions each week after that until the next specific ball mastery session a month later. The main aspect of ball mastery training is to keep players sharp on the ball. Continued practice and repetition of the techniques and skills will keep those intensity levels high.

Basically, the more ball mastery training you can do, the better. It may not be to every player's liking and therefore we shouldn't do it for long extended periods of time but we should consistently keep training within it to ensure all players are progressing and challenging themselves with more advanced techniques and skills.

BALL MASTERY VIDEOS

PRE-SEASON BALL MASTERY PLAYLIST

10 BALL MASTERY SKILLS ON THE MOVE

1200+ TOUCHES BALL MASTERY SESSION

WHEN DO WE USE BALL MASTERY?

We've taken a look at why and how often we should use ball mastery in our training and the importance of the repetition of skills. We've also got to make sure that we progress players ball mastery training, challenging them with harder, more complex techniques once they are able and ready to.

But within our sessions, when do we use ball mastery? Do we use it as the main component, or are there other times that may suit better?

'Ball mastery can be a fantastic arrival activity, giving players the chance to practise their skills with their team-mates as everyone else is arriving.'

Using it as an arrival activity is a fantastic way of getting players on the ball and increasing their contact time. We can also use it as a warm-up which surprisingly, can bring good increases in heart rate. The small, fast-paced touches that ball mastery brings increases heart rate and brings an interesting aspect to warming up. The more times players touch the ball, the happier they will be! Using ball mastery is a perfect time for players to use a warm-up as a chance to develop their game, rather than just going through the motions.

We can also use it in our technical training, in sessions specific to ball mastery and technical skills. We also have plenty of opportunities to use it during our session as an interval between activities. All we need is a ball for each player, or one ball between two, and we can get players taking plenty more touches on the ball over the course of a season.

The main thought when using ball mastery shouldn't be how long are we going to do it for, it should actually be focused on how consistently we practise it. Having a 45 minute session of ball mastery is great, and it will definitely help the players improve but, if we don't follow that up with consistent training, then the players won't progress as much as we'd hoped.

Consistency is the key with ball mastery training.

The more often we can use it, the better the players will become, developing all the techniques that we have previously discussed. It's a fantastic way of improving players and something that will definitely work with consistent ball mastery training.

BALL MASTERY TRAINING SESSION

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