5 steps to beating a player in soccer

Here are the 5 important steps to beating a player in soccer, brought to you by Paul Walmsley at Let's Talk Soccer:

1. ANGLE OF APPROACH

As the player with the ball approaches the defender, he needs to look for the space he wants to exploit. Remember to dribble with the head up. Then the player attacks the defender with such an angle of approach away from the desired space so that he makes the desired space even bigger.

For example, if the player is going down the right wing and wants to go past the defender on the outside, he should approach the defender at a diagonal away from the touch line so that he makes the space between the defender and the touchline even bigger. This will also put the defender on their weaker foot as well.

2. SPEED OF APPROACH

The player with the ball should not run at the defender at top speed because this will make controlling the ball more difficult and there will be no opportunity to accelerate away from the defender.

Instead approach the defender at roughly 75% speed, fast enough to put the defender under pressure and fast enough to stop his teammates regrouping, but the player needs to have some extra speed available once he has beaten the defender with a move so that he can accelerate away.

3. THE MOVE or DRIBBLE

Too many young players want to learn every possible move and want to show them off in a game whether they are needed or not.

Instead the player should perfect a couple of moves they can use with both feet and can use to go both inside and outside of the defender.

4. EXPLOIT THE SPACE CREATED

The whole reason for dribbling and producing a move is to create space past the defender that can be exploited.

Remember once the move has been completed, the player must immediately move the ball into the space created and accelerate away into the desired space. Do not give the defender time to recover.

5. THE END PRODUCT

The idea beating a player is to produce an end product such as a shot, a pass or run with the ball and keep possession Many players beat a player successfully then don’t produce, instead they end up having to beat the player again.

Remember, beat the player and go for a quick and accurate shot, if that is not on, play a quick and accurate pass, if that is not on, run with the ball creating space and time and wait to produce either a shot or a pass.

Have players practice these important steps so that they come naturally, can be carried out with the head up and that when the player receives the ball, he is confident and wants to take on the defender. Visit Let's Talk Soccer.