Trapping an Air Ball

Step 1. Stance

One of the most important things to remember when trapping an air ball is your first initial stance. You want to begin by having your legs shoulder width apart facing the direction in which the ball is coming from. Your arms will be slightly bent at your sides as well.


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Step 2. Preparation

In order to successfully trap an air ball, you must remember to keep your eyes on the ball at all times. You then want to continue to stand with your legs shoulder width apart, while slightly flexing your knees, by doing so it will help you maintain a low center of gravity. You must always remember to "stay on your toes"(cue). By "staying on your toes" simply means to never play flat footed. Your arms will continue to be slightly bent at your sides. By following these steps you will be setting yourself up to successfully trap an air ball.

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Step 3. Movement

As the ball is approaching you from the air, you want to remember to stay on your toes so that you are prepared to correctly trap the ball. As the ball is about to approach you, you may have to take a few steps back or forward to get into better positioning in order to successfully trap the ball. Next you are going to lift your dominant knee up and externally rotate (external rotation) your dominant hip outward slightly less than 90 degrees (cue). Your arms will still be slightly bent at your sides. As the ball contacts the inside of your dominant foot with your ankle locked, you are then going to begin to slightly bring your foot back down towards the ground in order to absorb the ball. You want to make sure the ball contacts your foot rather than you contacting the ball in order to gain complete control and preventing yourself from volleying the ball away from you (cue). Trapping an air ball can take place in both the sagittal plane and frontal plane depending on the position of the ball and your body.

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Step 4. Follow Through

After you correctly trap the ball from the air , you are then going to compose your stance while gaining control of the ball.

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Step 5. Recovery

Prepare to make a pass to your team mate or dribble the ball.

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Skill Videos

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* CUES - Stay on yours toes , lift knee and rotate hip, ball to inside of  foot.

Juggling on Thighs

Step 1. Stance

In order to properly juggle a soccer ball you must start off in the correct stance. You simply will start off with your legs shoulder with apart with your arms at your sides.

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Step 2. Preparation

To prepare juggling a soccer ball, you simply want to prepare to drop the ball to either your right or left thigh.

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Step 3. Movement

To begin juggling with your thigh, you first need to drop the ball to either your left or right thigh. You then will absorb the ball by (cue)  very slightly lifting your thigh up and then by bringing that same thigh down as the ball approaches. You will not have control of the ball if your thigh is contacting the ball, you want to make sure that the ball is contacting your thigh (cue). You will maintain balance and stability by your opposite leg. You will then alternate (cue) this movement onto your opposite thigh, keeping in mind it is an instantaneous movement from thigh to thigh while staying on your toes. The ball will be constantly bouncing off of your quadriceps, while you maintain core stability through out your abdominals and other essential muscles. Keep in mind you can also use your head, chest, or feet if necessary. 

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Step 4. Follow Through

In soccer when juggling, the follow through occurs in between each hit of the ball. Every time after you contact the ball with your thigh (chest,head, or foot if necessary),the follow through is extension of your knee to bring your leg back down to the ground.

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Step 5. Recovery

Prepare for next juggle.

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Skill Videos


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*CUES- Absorb ball, ball to thigh, alternate thighs.

One Touch Passing

Step 1. Stance

One of the most imporant things to consider when completing a one touch pass in soccer is your beginning stance. You want to start off with your shoulders square and facing your partner. Your feet should be shoulder width apart as well.

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Step 2. Preparation

Next, you want to slightly bend your kness while staying on your toes (cue). By "staying on your toes" simply means not standing flat footed. You want to keep your feet slightly moving so that you are ready when the ball comes your way.

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Step 3. Movement

As the ball is approaching you, you must once again remember to stay on your toes.  Next, you are going to lean anteriorly over the ball and strike the ball with the inside of your dominant foot making sure your ankle is locked (cue), while your nondominant foot is planted next to the ball on the opposite side. Most of your weight will be distributed on your non-dominant foot. By bending over, this prevents the ball from popping up. It creates a rectilinear motion of the ball. You want to make sure you put enough power behind your pass in order to make it to your target. By following the proper biomechanics of one touch passing, you should successfully be able to perform the skill.

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Step. 4 Follow Through

After you strike the ball, the follow through is simply adducting (adduction) your dominant foot back towards your body.

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Step 5. Recovery

Prepare for next pass.

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Skill Videos

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*CUES- Stay on your toes, lean forward,  use inside of foot.

DRILL VIDEOS

*Before engaging in any soccer drills it is essential to have a proper warm up followed by static stretching over ballistic stretching in order to prevent strains, stress reactions, or stiffness of the muscles and/or bones.

Trapping an Air Ball Drill

Juggling Drill

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One Touch Passing Drill

Biomechanical Terminology

1.) Static stretching- maintaining a slow, controlled, sustained stretch over time, usually about 30 seconds.

2.) Ballistic stretching- a series of quick, bouncing-type stretches.

3.) Strain- amount of deformation divided by the original length of the structure or by the original angular orientation of the structure.

4.) Stiffness- the ratio of stress to strain in a loaded material; that is, the stress divided by the relative amount of change in the structure's shape.

5.) Flexing- to move or bend muscles so as to cause flexion.

6.) Center of Gravity- point around which a body's weight is equally balanced, no matter how the body is positioned.

7.) 90 degrees- forming a right angle.

8.) Sagittal Plane- plane in which forward and backward movements of the body and body segments occur.

9.) Frontal Plane- plane in which lateral movements of the body and body segments occur.

10.) External Rotation- when rotation is away from the midline of the body.

11.) Balance- ability to control equilibrium.

12.) Stability- resistance to disruption of equilibrium.

13.) Quadriceps-  the rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, and vastus intermedious.

14.) Abdominals- "abs" or stomach muscles.

15.) Anteriorly- before (in time); in front (in position); towards the anterior; forward.

16.) Adducting-Adduction is a movement which brings a part of the anatomy closer to the sagittal plane of the body. It is opposed to abduction.

17.) Rectilinear Motion- along a straight line.

18.) Weight- attractive force that the earth exerts on a body.

19.) Lift- force acting on a body in a fluid in a direction perpendicular to the fluid flow.

20.) Bending- asymmetric loading that produces tension on one side of a body's longitudinal axis and compression on the other side.

21.) Instantaneous- occurring during a small interval of time.

22.) Extension- a movement of a joint that results in increased angle between two bones or body surfaces at a joint. Extension usually results in straightening of the bones or body surfaces involved.

23.) Power- rate of work production, calculated as work divided by the time during which the work was done.

24.) Stress Reaction- progressive bone pathology associated with repeated loading.

25.) Biomechanics- application of mechanical principles in the study of living organisms.