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Quick Tip: 3 Video Progression – Heading
Quick Tip: 3 Video Progression – Heading
Whether you are scoring off crosses, knocking the ball down to a teammate, or controlling it for yourself, being comfortable with the ball at your head is important no matter where you are on the field. Here are three iSoccer Skill Videos that you can use as a simple, effective progression for learning how to head the ball!
Step 1: Start with a seemingly simple exercise, and see if you can hit a perfect header with your forehead right to your hands every time. (You can also try 2 or 3 touches to a catch.)
Step 2: Find a wall and challenge yourself. It may take a minute to get the hang of it, but find a rhythm and as you get more comfortable, move further away from the wall.
Step 3: This one isn’t easy either, but is great for perfecting your head and volley control. How many can you do in a row? 3? 5? 10? 20?
Neymar shows that a good touch with your head can make a huge difference, no matter where you are on the field. Right through the legs!
Learning basic, yet important skills like heading the ball is all about repetition. You can use the iSoccer Skill Videos to work your way up, and then keep it fun and interesting by creating challenges for yourself, like seeing how many juggles between your head and feet you can do!
The iSoccer Team
Quick Tip: Learn How to Bend the Ball
Quick Tip: Learn How to Bend the Ball
Being able to bend the ball is not only fun to do, it also makes you a more dangerous passer and scorer. However, bending the ball effectively takes practice. Here are three iSoccer Skill Videos that are a simple, effective progression for learning how the bend the ball!
Step 1: Find a wall, a friend, or a parent and get comfortable volleying the ball with the inside of your foot.
Step 2: Standing sideways, focus on creating spin and hitting the ball cleanly. As you establish a rhythm, hit the ball harder and move further out.
Step 3: Create spin with the inside of your foot, and practice hitting a stationary ball off the ground. Once you are comfortable striking a clean, bending ball, set up a target and challenge yourself and your friends to a game. Get creative and make up the rules!
As a young player, David Beckham used to hang a tire from the corner of a goal and try to curl it in for hours. Later he was able to do this!
Learning basic, yet important skills like bending the ball with the inside of your foot is all about repetition. You can use the iSoccer Skill Videos to work your way up, and then keep it fun and interesting by creating challenges for yourself, such as bending a ball through a tire!
The iSoccer Team
Feel free to forward this to anyone who loves soccer as much as we do.
Quick Tip: 3 Juggling Skill Challenges
Quick Tip: 3 Juggling Skill Challenges
Here are 3 iSoccer Skill Videos that you can use to make quick, fun skill games this summer. Challenge yourself, or your friends, and see how many you can do!
For Beginners: Once you can do the 1-2 catch, see how many more you can do in a row. 3? 5? 10? Right and left footed.
For Intermediate Players: This one is great for learning proper foot angle for striking a clean, driven ball. Complete as many as you can with either foot. Remember – no backspin (a little forward spin is even better).
For Advanced Players: How many can you do in a row while knocking the ball as high as you can followed by a small control touch? The higher you knock it, the more skill is required. And remember, only use your laces!
You can use any of the 500+ iSoccer Skill Videos to create a game. Make up the rules and get creative. Skill training is always more fun when you turn it into a game! Cheers!
The iSoccer Team
Feel free to forward this to anyone who loves soccer as much as we do.
A Tribute to John Wooden
“If you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not doing anything. I’m positive that a doer makes mistakes.” Coach John Wooden
On the soccer fields across the country, mistakes happen every day. And mistakes do not discriminate against age, gender or ability. Whether it is a bad pass, poor touch or scoring an own goal, mistakes inevitably happen. Surrounding every field, we hear coaches and parents alike, instructing players (sometimes very loudly) before they have the opportunity to make their own decision. Pass it! Boot it! Shoot! Play It! Run!
So what is the point of the quote from one of the greatest coaches of all time? Maybe it is that one of the best ways to learn is through making mistakes. If we never push our limits. If we never stretch ourselves. If we never fail. If we never make mistakes – then how do we ever really know what we are capable of?
So next time you are on the field, try something new or try and play out of a situation instead of just “booting it”. You might fail. You might make a mistake. You might turn the ball over. But over time, you will feel more comfortable with that specific skill or situation. And that is exactly the point. Keep doing and keep making mistakes so that difficult things eventually become easier and you can attack newer challenges.
In summary, do what is more challenging. Do what does not come naturally. Doing leads to development. So every time you are on the field – Remember to be a “doer!”
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