"Dribbling, Passing & Shooting" - By Judes Augustin.
Judes was a semi pro player and currently plays soccer with
us on
Wednesdays.
Although soccer is a team sport, the beauty of the game
is truly displayed through the magic plays of great individualists like
Maradona, Pele, Ronaldinho, Zidane... Such players become great either
thru hard work and/or being just gifted as they can do anything with and
without the ball, which brings us to today’s themes of dribbling,
passing and shooting. These players usually exhibit all three qualities.
First, let’s talk about dribbling. A great dribbler is an artist
as he treats the public every time he touches the ball, he also brings
fear onto the defenders when he brings the ball up the field. There are
different types of dribblers, however they all share a few qualities,
which are the following: good ball control, plays on instinct and patient.
It is the responsibility of any good coach to try to develop and utilize
his players strength in a system that fits them, which can showcase their
abilities to make plays. Christiano Ronaldo and Thierry Henry are fast,
they need space to be effective and usually create the necessary space
on their adversaries by drawing them out of the penalty box. They usually
get their ball from the wing and with their speed bring chaos to the
defense.
Maradona, Romario or Zidane are a different type. They are very good
in a pocket, they use their skills, their excellent ball control and
creativity to get rid of their opponents in tight coverage as well as
on open space, which separate them from the rest. The second type can
play with their back to the keeper. The first type is more effective
facing the goal. Both types wait for their opponents to make a move because
they want to get them off balance. As mentioned previously, a good dribbler
is patient as he awaits and/or anticipates his opponent’s move,
he always has a fraction of a second on his opponent. He must have very
good ball control and be intuitive to improvise, because his opponent
should not be able to anticipate what he is about to do. However, no
matter how good of a dribbler a player is, he must find a way to pass
the ball to his teammates, which brings us to the second topic of passing.
Like any other sports, some players are gifted, some work hard to get
to the next level, others will just be role players. However, whichever
category you think you are in, if you can understand the game and your
role on the field, you can always help any team by playing your part
and working hard..
