education

The Importance Of Using Both Feet

Written by Lee Fletcher Jul 12th, 2017

In this article we explore the importance of playing with both feet and why it should be a vital part of a players technical development.

Game Base Level

In the modern game we are consistently urging our players to work on tricks, skills and flicks often without the base level of the game being explored.
Base Level is our fundamental technical qualities as a football player, for example, receiving, controlling passing and shooting. Around these technical aspects, are the principles of the game which inform how, why and when we might perform these actions.
One technical quality that often gets neglected and forgotten about is playing with both feet.

Weak foot and strong foot

From a soccer coaching point of view, we do often hear the term “weak foot and strong foot”. This terminology should be adapted when discussing this topic. Otherwise, we risk indicating to players that they are weak in an area of their technical capability. When addressing players during a technical coaching drill, use left, right or 'other foot' to avoid negative association.

Why

The ability to use both feet whenever is needed can separate the great players from the good ones but why is it so important to use both feet? Here are some reasons:

Unpredictability

Having the capability to use both feet creates unpredictability in your play. If you are consistently using one foot, it is easier for a defender to identify where a player will be going and how your body will shape when passing, dribbling or running with the ball.
Using both feet means that you are comfortable either side, especially when dribbling with the ball.

When defending, players, often like to get side on, which means they will try to show you the way they want you to go as an attacker. If you are right footed, they will show you to your left, understanding it may be difficult to dribble to the left side. However, if you are able to use both feet then it become virtually impossible for them to predict which way you will go, making it difficult to defend against.
Unpredictability is one of the greatest assets you can have as a player, and playing with both feet helps.

Protection

A Base Level skill that players should be learning is how to protect the ball, shielding away from defenders. When playing with two feet this becomes an easier task.
As a player moves to protect the ball, they can use both feet to shield the ball on the inside as well as the outside of the foot. As with a player who uses one foot constantly, they look to always move to one side or use one foot to control to move left or right. This can expose the ball if the player always turns with the ball with the outside of the foot.

Protecting the ball with both feet can give an air of unpredictability as the defender will have no idea which side you will go.

Balance

When playing with only one foot, players can often have balance issues. This means that if the ball is on one side of the their body, for example the right, and they are left footed, the player will need to stretch their leg to the opposite side of their body to remain in control of the ball.

By being able to use either foot, a player doesn't have to constantly shift their weight across the ball, often causing unbalance when the ball is not under-control or in difficult positions.
Using both feet allows a player to shift their weight across and over the ball with balance and control.

Disguise

Like unpredictability, disguise gives the defender uncertainty in your play. By using both feet to disguise where the pass may go, attackers can play with both feet allowing you to go either way past a defender. This can make it difficult for the opposition to defend against.

For example, when passing, if the player is right footed and running to the left, then the player may find it difficult to pass back to the right side, and would only be able to go forward or to the left side. However, if the player can use their left, he can disguise pass back to the right side cutting the pass across and behind the defenders.

Speed

Speed of thought and speed of play are increasingly vital parts of the game. Using both feet can help both speed of thought and play. This is because actions can be executed when the ball is on either side of the body.
When receiving the ball, we can see how players with two feet look to move the ball by receiving on the back foot to then pass on the ‘front’ foot.

Using both feet to receive and pass creates a quick passing action, to move the ball in one swift movement, rather than if a player receiving on the right foot, for example, and then adjust the body to then pass.
This is beneficial to switch the play or to move the ball forward quicker than with playing on the same foot.
When talking about speed of a player when running with the ball for example, we look at a players stride and how they can push the ball in front of them to run. When playing with both feet the stride can be interchangeable allowing both feet to move the ball forward when running with the ball.
Here are a few players that we feel are some of the best in the business at using both feet.

Anderson Hernanes

Santiago Cazorla

Adam Lallana

Take Home's

• Being able to master playing with both feet is one of the most important parts of players technical development and can often transform good players into great players. 
• From a technical and tactical standpoint, being comfortable with both feet allows a player to play anywhere on the pitch giving options to the team. 
• Players who play with both feet have the capacity to change games with their unpredictability and inventiveness to create football actions quicker than a player who only plays with a left or right. 

In the related content we will see how you can improve a players ability to play with both feet with simple exercises in training.

A load of balls !

After watching an u/8 team running a couple of miles the other day, might be a good read








 6.Get on Twitter! Ask questions, expand your knowledge, read more articles and view session plans. Help your players become the best they can be by trying to become that best that you can be. Follow @CoachingFamily and then go from there.








https://coachchrismclaughlin.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/pre-season-article-ccm.pdf

Leicester city - the counter attack

http://www.coachdanwright.com/blog/2016/2/28/counter-attack

Master the ball - Foundation phase of development

I've put a few you tube clips together of some of the ball mastery skills we have been doing over the last few weeks on a Saturday morning and with the girls on a Friday night  If you can at any time get the kids to practice at home this would be a massive help,  also just kicking a ball against a wall will help with touch and control using both feet  .With  children in the foundation stage its important they spend more time on the ball ,  and you probably noticed a major part of the session is made up of ball mastery (especially Saturday mornings ) .The Football association also  wants 70% ball rolling time ,hope we are getting near this , and hope the kids are enjoying the sessions.


Inside /outside cut


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQc2HVWoLn4




pull /push


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1S3fugQcCyw


Some of the games at the end of the above video I use with the u/10,s


Few more Coerver ball mastery exercises


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwsUBXrq9UQ


Some small sided games , I think 3 vs 3 is better at the younger ages , more touches of the ball, more decisions to make etc etc


http://coachingdutchsoccer.com/dutch-style-4v4-small-sided-games/

Welcome to the world of the grassroots volunteer coach

Think all us coaches have been there , I have also had a parent who thought her son was a central midfielder at 7,another one who  turned up at half the sessions and wanted her son to be Messi. "Get it out ! clear ya lines !etc etc .This was in fact sent to me by a parent currently at our club, and definitely doesn't need to read it .

A good read for coaches and parents the world of the grassroots VOLUNTEER football coach !

The international break is over, the millionaires are back ensconced in their clubs – and around the country tens of thousands of children are ready to kick off the season at the other end of the footballing spectrum: the grassroots. One coach, who has asked to remain anonymous, offers up 10 pre-season home truths to parents.

1) Quiet, please

“Noooo! Not there. Gordon, bloody well get rid of it … you can't play about with your spreadsheet there. Just email it. NOW! Remember, nothing fancy. Just get rid.” Does your boss stand menacingly near your desk shouting at you when you're doing your job? If he does, do you enjoy it, feel inspired, creative and ready to perform at your best? No, thought not. With this in mind, I'd dearly love it if you could refrain from roaring from the sidelines at little Billy when he's trying to have fun with his friends. He's only eight. It really doesn't help. Ask him if you don't believe me.

2) I'm a volunteer

I know the annual club registration fee has gone up a tenner. And yes, I am wearing new boots. But I can assure you the two are not linked. When I'm not doing my job – yes, coaching is but a (mostly) joyful hobby for me – I am simply a willing, unpaid volunteer at an increasingly hard-pressed grassroots football club committed to giving children of all abilities the chance to play – not a one-man footballing equivalent of Serco out to inveigle a handsome profit from cruelly inflating the footballing dreams of your child and her friends.

3) I'm not a magician

How can I put this? Just because you stump up the registration fee all too readily (after all, as you say, it's only a fraction of the annual fees at the prep school) that doesn't mean you've bought the right to mess the coach and the other players about by turning up with little Gianfranco to training or matches whenever you feel like it. My training sessions are planned carefully; the arrival activities, challenges, targets and games are not merely a series of random events; they're actually planned. And, without going all educationalist on you, I'm a big believer in constructivist learning. Each session is linked thematically to build on the players' knowledge, understanding and skills in a thoughtful fashion, always with the goal of developing the players' skills across the FA's “four corner model”: technical, physical, psychological and social. All of this just might explain why, on several occasions, you've complained to me that Gianfranco isn't feeling “a vital part of the team” or perhaps improving his skills quite as much as you'd hoped. I'll repeat: I AM NOT A MAGICIAN! HE NEEDS TO PRACTICE. That means turning up every week, not just when you feel like it.

4) A chip off the old block

I'm really sorry to tell you this but your child's clearly got your gene for insufficiently honed coordination. With you it's getting your basic timing, application and demeanour in order (do you ever – I mean ever – even so much as glance at my numerous emails and texts?); with him it's ABCs, proprioception and ball mastery (which I'm working on with him all the time). So, as mentioned above, it's a teeny bit unrealistic to expect me to transform him osmotically into Lionel Messi after half a dozen sessions (only half of which he actually attended, all the time wearing hideously unsuitable running trainers and swigging from a can of Monster the size of his leg). So let's strike a deal: you agree to reply to my emails and make sure your son turns up to training suitably attired and not caffeined up and I'll continue coaching him (even though he turns like the QE2).

5) A winning mentality

I know little John's a born winner. He clearly takes after you doesn't he? And I know he was named after your role model. As was his little sister, Terri. You've told me that. A few times actually. I also appreciate their uncle played a few games for Wealdstone reserves in the season they cruised to the Gola league title back in the day. So you clearly know your football. It's just, well, this is coaching, not playing. Or watching. And when we're dealing with children – not adults – we have to think carefully about whether we demand that the players show you how much they really want to win the league - and, of course, the big shiny trophy that goes with it. Overemphasis on what us coaches call extrinsic motivation (pressure to win a match, the threat of punishment etc as opposed to intrinsic motivation) can actually have a negative impact on the child's motivation and self-esteem. Some studies link too much external pressure to stress, burnout and giving up the game, especially among players in the professional academies. The FA also surveyed thousands of kids playing grassroots football a couple of years ago and found the most common reasons for playing were, not winning the league or trophies, but trying their hardest, because it's fun, it's a great game and they love it.

So I'm not saying regaling children with that infamous winner's aphorism “show me a good loser and I'll show you a loser" is always wrong. Actually, yes I am. Again, just keep quiet. Please.

6) A valuable lesson

“Why on Earth did you play him there? He can't play there. He's not a defender. He's a forward; he only wants to play as a striker; he'll get you 30 goals a season from there.” But he's only seven years old. Your son's clearly good at maths too – I suppose it's all that counting practice keeping track of his goals tally – but would you instruct the teachers in his primary school to excuse him from literacy lessons so he can focus on becoming a mathematician instead? No, so give him a chance to breathe, let him develop new skills and you'll be surprised at how good he can become. In relation to point five, I really want him to be successful too. A winner, yes. But not just in an under 9s match where, frankly, he's simply much faster, stronger and older than most of the other players. (The wonders of a September birthday.) But this won't necessarily last. I'm trying to provide the players with the full range of skills necessary to win when they're 15, 18 and 21.

7) Fancy a promotion?

You know when I say I'm not interested in league tables … I actually really, truly mean it. It creates a race to the bottom with 10-year-olds, where long-term player development is relegated at the expense of hoofball, ranting parents and pressure to win at all costs. And no, I don't see it as an infringement of our human rights that the FA is finally scrapping them for all under-10s and younger from this season. But hey, I do find it intriguing the way you and Cristiano's dad, Eric, tried manfully last season to keep track of all the other teams' results to work out your own league tables. I sort of appreciate your initiative guys but did you really need to try to publish it on Facebook? Don't get me wrong though: I'm with them on the league tables but I'm no apologist for the FA. I see the new Wembley as a citadel of profligacy as much as the next person. And I'm the one practically remortgaging the house to complete my coaching licence CPD each year by shelling out for coaching courses. But you know, there's only so much we can do to change the FA. Back here at the grassroots, however, I'd love it if you could direct your efforts towards something a little more meaningful. Like, say, one of the many admin/committee roles at the club: there's communications, secretary, treasurer, welfare officer (actually, maybe leave this one for someone else), pitch coordinator - take your pick. Or you could just volunteer to fetch and carry equipment to and from training. Or what about linesman once we start playing offside? I'm not picky. Hell, we can't afford to be choosy in grassroots football.

8) Why the big rush?

And I know you're desperate to move your child up from the local pro club's community £5 a session gravy-train dream-building “development” sessions to the intermediate/advanced/demi-semi-elite “beyond-development” squad and eventually get the golden ticket – a slot in the full-blown junior millionaire elite “over-developed” squad because it's YOUR lifelong ambition – yeah, I get all that. And you want it all done before he's in secondary school. But can you please explain why? While you're thinking about it, please try not to relive your life through your child.

9) This is serious

Let me say this again: I'm not a childminder; I'm a qualified coach. Experienced too. Keen and passionately interested in helping the children fall in love with the game and reach their potential in a safe, fun-filled environment. Got that. Good. Now please let me let them play. They're children. That's what they love to do. They take play very, very seriously.

10) Bring on the dream team

Let's end on a positive note. You know that little schtick I do occasionally about the importance of fostering a growth mindset with the players (“mistakes are learning opportunities” etc)? Well, I genuinely believe we can be the living embodiment of all of this. Yes, you and me. Parents & Coach United. We'll both make mistakes. Even you, honest. But imagine the impact we could have together if all parents trusted the coach, backed him or her up and reassured your child by simply saying to them after a match: “I loved watching you play. It was great fun.” This would allow them to move on from mistakes and bask in the warm, character-enhancing glow brought about by riding on the physically, technically, socially and psychologically challenging rollercoaster that is playing a competitive team sport; if you could just remind yourself that we both want them to become the best player they can possibly be, we could create an environment for them to succeed unencumbered by a crippling fear of failure. Just try it. Go on, please. It might be tough at first but just, you know, do your best.

Sent from my iPhone

I,m a Striker !

A re post but think its relevant  after seeing some adds this week from teams advertising for position persific players at u/8  !






https://keeptheball.wordpress.com/2014/02/02/im-a-striker/

A game of too many cliches !

Not read too many articles worthy of a re-post lately , but I think this is definitely worth a read .I remember  a coach from a former club at half time, telling a group of 7 year olds to "TURN THE SCREW " in the 2nd half. If im honest I have also reflected on sayings and terminology after a game or a coaching session and thought why did I say that !


https://jojodebrazza.com/2016/04/21/football-its-a-game-of-too-many-cliches/