Soccer Dribbling Moves

There is a Manchester United vs Arsenal game going on. You totally want Man U to win, but the game has sort of stagnated at a tie. Just when you are losing hope, Wayne Rooney comes out of nowhere, from the attacking position, dribbles the ball - left, right, dodging away the ball from the opposition defenders, misleading the poor goal keeper. GOAL! Rooney gets United home. Sounds familiar? I am certain that die-hard soccer fans will definitely relate to this. The win in this situation was the result of Rooney's excellent footwork, consisting of dribbling skills. Soccer enthusiasts and players swear by dribbling and how important it is in a game of soccer. Amateurs especially should learn soccer dribbling skills as soon as they can after learning basic soccer footwork. So I am dedicating this article to Steven Gerrard(s) and Diego Maradona(s) in the making, who want to learn dribbling! Take a sneak peek!

Basic Soccer Dribbling Moves

Cut Back
This is a fantastic move to dupe a player from the opposing team. For starters, when you dribble and move ahead with the ball, cut back, pretending that you are taking a shot. Now comes the coolest part of this trick. Fool the opponent by actually moving, in another direction, different from what is expected from you. Still scratching your head? Okay. Begin with your left foot near the ball and then use the right for moving the ball around to the back of the left foot. Then, give the opponent a surprise and dribble in the opposite direction.

The Zidane Special
Zinedine Zidane does everything with elan. From head butting to a breathtaking dribble. Let us unveil one of his dribbles. It is called Zizou's 360 soccer dribbling move. Get ready for some pretty neat footwork fellas! Here is how -

• Pushing the ball slightly forward, create an illusion for the opponent, so that he feels he can reach it.
• Extending your left foot, place your sole on the top of the ball.
• Hover in mid air for a second or two, push onto the ball.
• Finally, place your left foot on the ground, followed by pulling the ball under you with the right foot.

That was the Zizou magic! The hard part is not mastering this move, but sensing the perfect time to use it!

Scissoring Away
The scissor moves are the most basic dribbling moves in soccer. We start off with half scissor move. For this, you just need to step over the ball and then push the ball away with the outer part of your foot. This really works when the opponents are difficult to get around and the player is on the offensive side of the field.

The full scissor move is where you just have to step over the ball with the other foot. Eventually, therefore, you are stepping over the ball with both the feet. You can then push the ball away with the outer side of your foot.

V-Cut

• Have the ball in front of your left foot and keep your right foot on top of the ball.
• Now, pull the ball back in a way that it comes exactly below your right hip.
• Pivoting your hips, push the ball with the help of your inner part of right foot, similar to a clock's arms pointing to 2 o' clock.
• Ensure that the ball follows a V - path.

This works perfectly in the event of a defender lunging or stabbing at the ball, even before you do the pull back.

The Ronaldo Trick

• Keep the ball close to you and move your leg over it.
• Act as if you would be directing it sideways.
• Place your hovering feet next to the ball.
• You have 2 options now, either to perform a double step over it, manipulating your leg as mentioned in the first few points, or you can cut the ball and dash past the opponent.

This move is attributed to two players having the same name, the Brazilian player Ronaldo and Christiano Ronaldo, the Portuguese football star.

These were relatively simple dribbling moves, there are other advanced ones as well. But we would leave it for the masters to practice and use them for the time being. What say? Here is where I sign off, leaving you to take a shot at the goal!