The players we have all enjoyed watching over the years have had a number of tricks up their sleeves.
Louis Lancaster has given us his tips on how to perform each of these famous pieces of skill.
Cryuff Turn
Johan Cryuff is regarded as one of footballs greatest players and his trademark move carries his name to this day.
Feigning to pass or shoot, Cryuff would instead drag the ball back behind his standing foot and power away from his opponent in the opposite direction. The defender would have reacted to the first movement and now be wrong-footed and out of the game.
How To Guide:
-Plant standing foot (closet foot to defender)
-Bring other foot round.
-Use inside of the foot to move the ball.
-Move the ball a fair distance to escape.
-Use plenty of disguise.
Step Over
A similar result is drawn from the step over, though this technique is used when an attacker is face on with an opponent. He will shape his body and foot as if looking to push the ball one way before sweeping that foot over the ball and using the other foot to flick the ball in the opposite direction.
How To Guide:
-Dribble directly towards the defender.
-Perform the skill as close to defender as you can.
-Move the leading leg anti or clockwise around the ball. Keep the foot as close to the ball as possible.
-Use the second leg to escape from the defender.
Ronaldo Chop
Cristiano Ronaldo is famed for making multiple step overs but is better known for his ‘chop’, a move that couples sublime skill and great speed. Running towards a defender, Ronaldo will pause and shape to move in one direction before suddenly chopping his heel down onto the ball, powering it past the defender the other way and using his momentum to spring himself in pursuit. The move is done at such speed that the opponent is often left standing still.
How To Guide:
-Move at top speed
-Put the foot closest to the defender in front.
-Elevate body.
-Whilst in the air use the inside of the left foot to play the ball inside.
-Use plenty of disguise.
Zidane Roulette
Zinedine Zidane may not have had Ronaldo’s pace, but he had silky skills on the ball, best demonstrated with his ‘roulette’. Zidane would drag the ball away from an opponent with the sole of one foot before transferring it to the sole of the other. In the same movement he would turn his body through over 180 degrees ending up with the ball at his feet, in clear space and leaving a bemused defender wondering quite what happened.
How To Guide:
-Place the sole of the leading leg on the ball.
-Use your body to protect the ball.
-Take the ball and escape using the other leg.
-Use disguise
