As with passing, there are many
different ways to trap the ball in soccer. Some of them are basic and some
more advanced. Trapping, and then preparing the ball for the next action,
is possibly the single most important skill in soccer. So important that
it has been given its own terminology, the first touch.
What we’ll be concerned with here initially are the
fundamentals of basic receiving, what you would teach to a 7 year old (and
up) to build a foundation for more advanced techniques.
The coaching points for basic foot trapping , From
the Nose to the Toes are:
- Head up – make eye contact with the passer
and "request" the ball
- Knees flexed – be ready to move in any
direction
- Heel down – toe up
- Play the ball outside of your
"footprints".
- Soft touch – give a little as the ball hits
the foot
Sounds simple right? Well lets break them down one by
one and then suggest ways and means of teaching this technique.
First, head up…the opposite of what you do just
before you pass. Requesting a pass, non-verbally, is an important and
overlooked aspect of receiving the ball. Players at the young ages will
probably shout for a pass to be sent to them. And that is all right when
they are young, but as they progress the non verbal cues, eye contact,
starting a run to space, etc. etc., become more important.
Second.. knees flexed…if the player stands rigidly,
with the knees locked, in order to move after an errant pass he/she must
first flex the knees and then move. This wastes valuable time and often
results in the player not being in a good position to receive the ball.
Remember, not every pass is going to be right on the money.
Third... heel down, toe up. This is a common mistake.
Many young players will leave the foot flat on the ground. The result is
that many balls will just run over the toes and keep going. Balls that
take a slightly bad bounce will do the same. The pass in this case is
received on the inside surface of the foot.
On very young players you can have them receive a
pass with the heel down toe up on the sole of the foot. A common mistake
here is that the player tries to step on the ball, timing exactly when the
pass will move underneath their foot. Obviously this requires a degree of
eye – foot coordination that is not necessary if the child would simply
plant the heel on the ground and raise the toe.
Fourth…Play the ball outside of your footprints.
Have the players visualize where their footprints are as they prepare to
trap the ball. If you are working in a gym you can outline the footprints
with athletic tape to illustrate the point. The training technique is to
set the ball outside of where they are standing, i.e. outside of their
footprints. A common mistake that young players make is to stop the ball
dead at their feet. They then have to take a step or two backwards to get
set to play the ball to the next player.
Last.. soft touch. Many young players are too rigid
when the ball is played to them. Many even "attack" the ball.
The result is that the ball bounces away and is lost. The foot has to give
a little, moving back away from the direction the ball is coming, ball so
that it can be set up for the next action, either another pass, a shot or
some dribbling move.
With more advanced players you will see them actually
lifting the foot and then bringing it down in a slight "slicing"
motion to bring the ball to a standstill.
Teaching the Fundamental Skill
of Trapping
Have the players form two lines facing each other,
pairing up with a partner across from them. Assuming that basic passing
has been taught, have each pair pass the ball back and forth.
Start out simple by using a sole of the foot trap.
Make sure that the non-dominant foot is used as well as the dominant one.
Progress to an inside of the foot trap using first
the dominant foot and then the non-dominant one.
Allow multiple touches on the ball to start, then
progress to two touches and finally to one touch.
Basic Receiving Progression
#1 –The Triangle
The basic shape on the soccer field, as was discussed
in passing, is the triangle. Now we use the same passing progression to
work the trapping skill. Here instead of the player at the apex being the
distributor of the balls have the players pass around the triangle.
Initially all balls come from, lets say, the left.
The receiving player traps the ball on the inside of the right foot, i.e.
plays the ball across their body and opens up to the field prepared to
pass to the next player.
The direction is then reversed and the ball comes
from the right. The receiving player then traps the ball with the left
foot and opens up to the field prepared to pass to the next player.
Remember to emphasize the points discussed
previously, heel down – toe up, play the ball outside of your
"footprints", soft touch – give a little as the ball hits the
foot.
Basic Receiving Progression #
2 – The Triangle with Movement
Set up a square grid with cone and place players at
three of these cones. Player # 2 starts with the ball. He initially has
support to his right and left from Players # 1 and # 3. He now passes to
Player 3. Player 3 now only has support from Player # 2. Player #1
therefore must recognize this and run to the unoccupied cone and
re-establish support in two directions for the ball handler
So the basic idea is to pass and have the player off
the ball react to the pass and provide support by running to the open
space, in this case, the unoccupied cone.
Coaching Points
- Since there is no pressure stress technical
excellence
- The off the ball player should be alert to make
his run.
- The passer should make eye contact with the
player to whom he is passing. That not only alerts the receiver, but
it cues the off the ball player to make his supporting run.
- Passes should be received open to the field. For
example, in the diagram above, if Player # 3 received the ball from
Player #2 with his right foot, he would have to either play the ball
across his body to Player # 1, (the off the ball player making his
run), or two-touch it to his left foot, or play it back to Player # 2.
Effectively by playing the ball
with the wrong foot he has limited his passing options. When there is no
pressure, he will have time to adjust. However under pressure the extra
second that it takes to adjust may mean the difference between a
completed pass and a loss of possession.
