http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jenupVFSzjs


LIonel Messi essentially uses body swerves, Matthews' cuts, amazing acceleration, speed, changes of pace and incredible close ball control with the inside, outside and instep of the foot as an effective dribbler.

In this video he did a Zidane 360, a reverse step over and a Cruyff turn as his only flashy and difficult to perform techniques.

Messi also uses the La Croqueta which I'll show in a later post.

Edited by Decentric: 14/8/2011 09:09:00 AM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YU-k-Ots3iY

Johann Cruyff uses the same techniques as Messi to be an effective dribbler- body swerves, Matthews' cuts, inside, outside, instep of the foot, changes of pace, amazing acceleration, speed and fantastic close ball control, with the odd sole of the foot. Cruyff also uses La Croqueta which I'll show in a later post.

There is one difference - the Cruyff Turn is used a lot. The one he performs on the left for Holland, in orange and black strip, against Sweden, in blue and white strip, is extraordinary.

Edited by Decentric: 14/8/2011 09:10:01 AM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkA7IwUucnc&feature=related


Zidane often uses his patented Zidane 360 turn as an effective dribbling technique.

Unlike Messi and Cruyff he doesn't have the pace to dribble and beat players through pace/acceleration in wide open areas. He is a dribbler who is effective in tight spaces, using some complex tricks and superb close ball control. Zidane uses a combination of Zidane 360 Turns, Cruyff Turns/drag backs/Ronaldo chops (Brazilian Soccer Schools nomenclature), Brazilian step overs, Matthews' Cuts and body swerves to beat, and/or intimidate players.

Unlike Cruyff and Messi he is a bigger, stronger player and rides challenges from defenders too, whilst still being able to keep possession of the ball.

Ronaldo and Ronaldinho use Brazilian step overs, elastics and other simpler techniques like the above players - body swerves etc, to beat players.

Ronaldo once uses his coined 'Ronaldo move' (Brazilian Soccer Schools nomenclature), which features a sole of the foot side ways/diagonal dribble followed by a reverse step over in one instance.

Edited by Decentric: 14/8/2011 08:53:15 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_9Tf279gEA&feature=related

I've put this clip in solely for Ronaldinho's demonstration of the Elastic. I'll cover Christiano in another video.

It is a technique I've struggled to achieve for years. What I do now is take two touches. It pretty well look the same. A couple of good kids at FFE can do it with one fluid motion. It is a difficult technique. Our state TD who captained the Young Socceroos can't do it at all!!!

I can also do a different version, which I thought was bastardised. That is until a top local coach was sent it from a player trialling at an English League One club as a training drill. It involves dribbling by starting with a foot on top of the ball, moving it to the outside about half way down keeping contact all the time, then keeping the foot on the ball doing an inside cut.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFjf4O6QaSU&feature=related


Christiano Ronaldo is just incredible. He is no more effective than Messi or Cruyff, but so many of the techniques he uses are so difficult to master like he has done. What is more he does them with both feet, whereas Zidane, Cruyff and Messi have preferences for one side over the other. Cruyff and Messi use limited range of techniques too.


In Brazilian Soccer Schools' parlance Christiano does Ronaldos, Elastics, Juninhos, Ronaldinhos, Klebersons, Brazilian step overs, reverse step overs and Ronaldo/Roberto Carlos/Emerson chops.

He also does drag backs, body swerves, Matthews' Cuts, La Croquetas, Zidane 360s, inside and outside of the foot cuts , sole of the foot, almost every dribbling technique known to humankind. He even does a few others I've never seen anywhere!!!!!

Christiano Ronaldo often uses the complex and very flashy techniques to intimidate, then beats players using a simpler body serve or Brazilian step over, coupled with a change of pace. What is more he often puts together three of four really difficult, but different, and very advanced techniques. With all the other players if they use one advanced technique, the ones they use before and after are simpler ones.













Edited by Decentric: 14/8/2011 10:34:12 PM

http://vodpod.com/watch/3213130-andres-iniesta-la-croqueta

I've mentioned this technique in the aforementioned posts.

Apart from some of C. Ronaldo's unorthodox techniques I've never seen anyone perform before, we impart , or will in the imminent future, all of the above techniques at FFE.
The secret is to do them very slowly at first - a practice I've borrowed from karate teaching.

I have ignored the Zidane 360 Turn as I used to get dizzy from doing it. Given some of the players already know it and seeing Zidane and some of the other players on here use it so effectively, maybe we will revisit it.

The dribbling techniques from the English League One club, Everton Academy and some Coerver techniques, are all much simpler and a good precursor to hard techniques.

I think it is a good for players to always be striving to attain something difficult as a challenge. They will touch the ball a lot in trying to achieve some of the aforementioned advanced techniques. It also prevents boredom and complacency.



Edited by Decentric: 14/8/2011 09:07:19 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNgwoRdbsSY&NR=1



Here is the Matthews' Cut executed superbly by Fernando Torres.

one of my favourite dribblers is Riquelme. What sort of moves does he do? I wouldnt call him textbook by any sense of the word, he does have it on a string though. I cant post a video from work unfortunately.

Do players concsiously stop and think "I'll do the Cruyff now and then the Messi when I reach the next defender?"

I think it is all more instinctive than that, players use their own style and nobody would consciously try and imitate some great player during a match.

Thought I should include this compilation Giusseppe Rossi put up on twitter the other day

A Robbie Baggio compilation

The first goal in this clip is my earliest memory of a World Cup(along with Schillaci's 6 goals yet wasn't started in the semis!!!)

I haven't even watched it all myself but thought it was worth sharing

Probably don't need to tell us all what the moves are called
Its just called getting around a player in the spur of the moment

Robbie Baggio Compilation

Edited by davide82: 6/9/2011 02:44:38 PM

I join this site just to post these vids.

Maradona - the greatest of them all, the vid goes into what he does best.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KE-I4kKnTIg&feature=related

Recoba uses Gambeta perfectly in this vid.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAwQqtCIvg4

Ronaldo - this thread should not exist with out the true Ronaldo.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaBvBjOJ5SI&feature=related

And for something different Totti is show here with his close control used to hold off and draw players and open up space around him. The second just shows his genius.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvrEh_77CLU&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pulNY7XKR0

I haven't seen enough of him to see him dribble much.

I hadn't realised he was a good dribbler.

Speaking to you in the past, when you had success in the State League, you would probably have used body swerves and cuts with some inside and outside of the foot Matthews Cuts. Like you I was a pretty instinctive player because I had little quality, specific, technique instruction on the training track.

Instinctive dribbling can be the case, but Christiano Ronaldo has spent a lot of time practising so many difficult different dribbling techniques. He wouldn't have been able to just 'instinctively do them'. He would've had to learn them sequentially. He also seems to be able to do them on both sides.

Lionel Messi uses just a few techniques - body swerves, cuts, inside to inside of the foot manouevres and Matthews Cuts. These are interspersed with changes of pace and incredible acceleration. Messi is at least as effective as Ronaldo , but he doesn't look as flashy.

I think it is imporatant to impart a range of dribbling techniques to developing players. Some feel more comfortable than others for each individual.

Most professional players get by with the same techniques as Messi. These are simple and less can go wrong. Certainly there is less chance of them breaking down under pressure.

Ronaldo is incredible. He just has so many complicated techniques he is so proficient at. Often he intimidates players with the flashy techniques, then beats them with a simple body swerve and change of pace.




Edited by Decentric: 1/12/2011 09:55:21 AM

Maradona uses Matthews Cuts, body swerves, cuts, inside to inside of the foot, one sideways sole of the foot Brazilian technique and probably the most incredible Brazilian elastics I've seen. He also uses the Zidane 360 degrees turn, not that it was called it in that era. He also uses the Cruyff Turn.

He uses changes of pace, incredible close ball control and speed to beat people so effectively, augmenting his specific dribbling techniques.

I find the Brazilian elastic one of the most difficult techniques. Yet others find it easier than other techniques I'm comfortable with.




Edited by Decentric: 22/11/2011 11:34:44 PM

Can't resist describing Baggio's moves.:)

I've never seen a player fouled so much as Baggio in this dribbling comilation!!!


He seems to have the full bag of tricks. Occasionally he uses the Brazilian sole of the foot diagonal move and once he performs the Zidane roulette, plus one reverse step over.

Essentially though, Baggio uses the much simpler inside to inside of the foot dribbling, body swerves and cuts. Little can go wrong in these more fundamental techniques. He also uses changes of pace superbly.

In the Jets/Victory game in this round, there were two brilliant dribbling feats.

In the second half Archie Thompson peformed a superb Cruyff Turn. The best I've seen in the A League.=d>

Also, in the second half, Harry Kewell beat a player with an absloutely fabulous body swerve on his left side. The Jets defender was completely wrong footed.
This deception technique is used frequently in the A League, but I think this was the best I've seen in the HAL. It didn't involve fast forward movement, but very little time between the fake on the right and taking the ball away with the left foot. It was very fluid.=d>

Rojas and Kewell also used some clever inside to inside of the foot dribbling, with fantastic changes of pace. ATM I don't know how to teach this, other than players doing inside to inside of the foot dribbling moving forwards.

What Victory need now though are ball winners. Other than Vargas and Leijer, and since Muscat has retired, (all this trio are outstanding as ball winners) they have no other dominant ball winners.
Broxham and Brebner often hold their own, Ferreira and Foschini did well in the ACL, but they were crazy to offload Michael Thwaite who is a more complete player than any other defensive player, if not all players, at Victory.

Edited by Decentric: 4/12/2011 12:49:23 AM

Kewell continues to perform the body swerve to the left brilliantly, faking right then taking the ball to his left, with the outside of his left foot. This is often the precursor to a shot on goal.

Broich uses an excellent body swerve faking to the left, then taking the ball right to his right, with the outside of his right foot. He often cuts inside from the left wing.

Aziz Behich, when playing for Heart against Newcastle, performed a superb Matthews Cut. He turned Kantarovski inside out, on the Heart left side of goal. He then scored from his right foot, for one of the goals of the round.

Baggio copied Zidane?

This decentric sure knows his sockah. :lol:

You certainly needed balls to be a striker in the serie a

I dunno, I'm torn.
I mean even at the low level i played at(discovered smoking, guitar and scotch in high school and subsequent unwillingness to train meant playing sunday league)I constantly used those sole of the foot moves and did those mazy runs like Ryan Giggs always did(i assume THEY have a name too) and swerves etc etc that you describe

Its just no one ever taught me them and i certainly didn't know they had names. It was all just instinct to avoid being tackled from the day i first kicked a ball in the back yard with dad at 3 years old.

I spose it's good if kids get taught all these things its just i guess i see this academic view of such a beautifully natural game such as soccer takes some of the joy out of it for me. I just dont feel some things can be boiled down to dots on a white board.

If one can simply body swerve or/and Matthews Cut on the left and right sides, plus the side to side of the foot, like Iniesta's La Croqueta, one has tools to beat players one on one. It helps to regularly practise with an opponent, applying limited pressure, then working up to maximum defensive pressure. The player also needs to learning to accelerate and change pace.

If everything is left to kids to learn 'naturally' they can be prone to being one footed.

Although as Aussiesrus suggests, there is the rare genius, where a coach needs to change nothing. The genius is the exception, not the norm. Most benefit from structured coaching.

If one can do the following four relatively simple techniques, a footballer has enough tools in his/her kitbag.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNgwoRdbsSY&NR=1


When Torres is in the middle part of the videos and there is a heading saying, Weight Shift, he performs what I call the Matthews Cut.

In a few of his earlier moves he performs a Brazilian sole of the foot diagional move , followed by the outside of the foot dribble. It is a more difficult technique and more can go wrong.

http://www.ehow.com/video_2360374_do-matthews-turn-soccer.html


Even though Man U term this the Matthews Cut, it is often known as the Body Swerve.

I feel more comfortable with this Body Swerve than the Matthews Cut that Torres performs. It varies depending on the individual as to which one is more comfortable.

http://vodpod.com/watch/3213130-andres-iniesta-la-croqueta


This is the pinnacle of all those inside to inside of the foot dribbling techniques that many coaches teach kids.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVKgen5ZRBI&feature=related


This is the last of those four dribbling techniques.

I'm not sure how well I do this.

Vicky Linton, now current W League Victory coach taught this well to her Tassie NTC girls, but I can't find anyone else with exemplary technique for the Cut.

I could look pretty stupid performing it. I'm not sure.:-k


If one can learn the Matthews Cut or/and the Body Swerve on the left and right sides, plus the Cut on both sides, and la Croqueta, a footballer has a number of simple deception techniques.

Why don't you embed the videos?

If its the technique I am thinking of its also called 'flip flap'

For the ability to beat a player Messi is all time best, followed closely by Maradona.
For individual bag of tricks its C Ronaldo, followed closely by Ronaldinho.

Messi can beat a player much more easily & quickly than C Ronaldo because of his low centre of gravity & his ability to change direction & speed so quickly. Messi's close ball control is a notch above Maradona.

I'm not sure what you mean by 'embed'?

Use the YouTube icon to embed the link so the video shows on this page