Another 3 Golden Rules of Soccer
To wrap up our Golden Rules of Soccer series is less about specific techniques (read our first three Golden Rules here, and our second three golden rules here, and more about general approaches to the game. It’s helpful to know that regardless of which team you’re playing against, there are certain fundamentals that can always be applied to your advantage. Coaches and scouts will be impressed by your approach to the game when you make these rules instinctual because it signifies a high soccer IQ.
Here is our last batch BGM’s of the Golden Rules of Soccer:
1. Do What Your Opponent is Least Comfortable With
Put simply, it’s what every smart coach tries to do, and it’s how great teams get beaten.
The idea is to make your opponent uncomfortable and take them off their game by attacking their weakest areas. For example, if your opponent is right-footed, push them to their left foot. If they’re tall, make them run. If they’re fast, slow down the game.
On the more technical side, let’s say your opponent is trying to incorporate a counter-attack strategy. Think about the kind of playing style that would make this team uncomfortable. Would playing a little deeper, so the opponent has less space to counter-attack into, make their job harder or easier?
The bottom line is, when you pick up on a weakness, capitalize on it.
2. Seek Overloads, Avoid Being Overloaded
Our next rule will definitely help you better understand soccer from a coach’s perspective. When high-level players are dribbling up the field and deciding where to put the ball, they’re usually trying to create an overload, or a situation where your team has more players in a certain area than your opponent. In other words, they either dribble or pass towards an area where there’s fewer players from the opposing team. Simply put, it’s easier to move the ball up the field when you have fewer barriers - a.k.a. defenders - blocking you.
Consequently, this also means that when you’re on defense, the last thing you want is for your opponent to outnumber you. So, as soon as your opponent tries to create an overload, recognize and neutralize it before the numbers game sways too heavily in their favor.
3. 1-Touch Shots are Always Preferred
Roughly 70% of goals scored are from one touch shots. If you want to score a lot of goals, you have to get your shot off before the goalie has a chance to get set. And it you are trying to set up your teammate for a shot, put it somewhere they can take a one-touch shot from.
It’s only natural to think that giving yourself more time to shoot increases the likelihood of a goal. But it actually does the opposite. You end up giving the other team - and their goalie - more time to get in position and block your shot. The more time you take to shoot, the less clear your shot becomes.
So, if you want to improve your finishing ability, try to get shots away as quickly as possible. If you’ve watched a lot of soccer, you’ve probably noticed that virtually every truly great goal scorer only needs a single touch to put the ball in the net.
Learning techniques that you can make instinctual so that you can make faster decisions – and become a faster player – are infinitely easier to learn when you’ve seen them in action. That’s why we created BGTV, a massive library of professional footage organized by position with analysis from professional players. Each clips features high-level players making smart decisions - like doing what their opponent is least comfortable with – along with breakdowns from professionals explaining how the player knew what to do in this situation.
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