3 Excellent Tips to Master the Art of Dribbling

You’ve seen the best soccer players do it effortlessly: once they get the ball, they cut a swath through three, four, and even five players, weaving the ball in and out like it was part of them. They seem completely unstoppable, with the soccer ball and their feet looking like there was some sort of magnet between them.

Dribbling a soccer ball with that much proficiency and grace takes talent, perseverance, a little bit of luck, and a lot of hard work. Put simply, you need to spend as much time as you can practicing how to dribble until it becomes second nature to you. Here are some dribbling practice tips to help put you on the right path to success:

Moving with the ball

Dribbling can be done with practically every side of the foot. Your goal is to be able to run with the ball and/or change its direction while keeping it under control. As you pick up speed, the trick to controlling the bell better is to move the feet quicker and push the ball more frequently.

Avoiding tackles

When approaching an enemy, you mustn’t feel panicky. To stay comfortable, keep your center of gravity low by bending your knees and leaning forward. Don’t try to beat the opponent head-on, rather, be prepared to avoid a tackle by moving either left, right, and even backwards.

Faking it

A good opponent will be patient with his coverage difficult to shake off. But with a properly timed fake, you can force him to lose balance or freeze up. Once you get him to bite, be quick to react, because you may just a have a split second to execute your plan.