FineSoccer Kids 28

Welcome to the FineSoccer Kids Newsletter. Today's subject deals taking players on and beating them with the dribble.

The most important thing to realize when you dribble at a person and try to beat them with the dribble is that it wont always work. The key is to be willing to take chances and to know when to take chances.

A one versus one situation might be fine to take a player on in the offensive third of the field but in the defensive third of the field (the third of the field closest to the goal you are defending) this would be a bad choice. Near the midfield line MIGHT be safe but it depends on where your support is. If you are around midfield and are the last player back (not counting the keeper) then this would not be the time to take a chance while if you are in the exact same spot with the ball and have 4 supporting players behind you, then this might be the right time to take a chance.

In other words, it's not good enough to say take chances in one part of the field and not another without knowing more of the situation involved.

Once you have decided you are in a good position to take a player on, the first thought should be to do just that. Go RIGHT AT THE DEFENDER! Too many players think the best way to beat a defender is to try to go around the defender but unless the attacker has significantly more speed, this usually does not work.

When attacking the defender, the next decision is to know what move or feint you want to use. To learn more about various moves, go to http://finesoccer.com/soccer_edition_56.htm. 

If you have decided you are in a good position to take a player on, and go at the defender and use a move to try to beat the defender, the next thing is to realize it just might not work. By knowing this going into the confrontation, you wont be shocked when it doesn't work and thus will be able to continue to play. It's the players who don't realize that over the course of a game they will make mistakes that are doomed for failure. Knowing that you might not succeed in beating the player and having taken that into consideration will allow you to also plan for what happens when it works.

When you know the proper places to take places on, and you know ways to take players on and you know the consequences of taking players on the very last thing to do is have fun trying things. Realize that the players who have had moves named after them (such as Sir Stanley Mathews, Johan Cruyff and Roberto Rivelino) had to of tried and tried the various move and failed hundreds (if not thousands) of times and were willing to try it yet again.

Take chances (in the right situations), have fun and you will be successful.

Any comments, questions or suggestions should be sent to kidscomments@finesoccer.com. 

To subscribe to any of the FineSoccer Newsletters, please go to http://finesoccer.com/subscrib.htm. 

Have a great day! 

Lawrence