Top 5 - Soccer Dribbling Moves
Ah, the dribble. The salt and pepper of the game, the move that makes fans go wild, club shirts sell and defenders cry. It’s no wonder that some of the players that are considered today’s best are great dribblers. Just look at the likes of Ronaldinho, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Zlatan Ibrahimovici or Lionel Messi. They all built their careers and image as spectacular players on a few dribbling moves. Today, we’ll cover some of the dribbling moves that were branded by these players. Feel free to try and copy them :)
> Cruyff’s Dribbling Move
This move, branded by Holland’s superstar, Johan Cruyff is quite easy to reproduce but that doesn’t mean it’s less effective. Actually, it’s one of the most effective moves to perform at the edge of the box, or inside it faking a shot, or even on the wings, faking a cross. I’m sure that many of Cruyff’s former adversaries will acknowledge this move’s effectiveness. Here’s how you do it:
1. Push the ball slightly forward, as if you are preparing to take a kick
2. Plant your base foot (not the one you’re fake kicking with) just a tad ahead of the ball
3. When your fake kicking foot reaches the ball, instead of shooting, cut it under your body, behind your base leg
> Zizou’s 360 Dribbling Move
One of the dribbling drills that’s probably easiest to get a hold on from a technical point of view. However, knowing how to perform a 360 is not the hard part, knowing WHEN to perform it is. Here’s how to get it done:
1. Push the ball slightly forward, giving your direct opponent the impression he can reach it
2. Extend your left foot and place your sole on top of the ball
3. Push onto the ball, hovering in mid air for a second
4. Place your left foot on the ground and pull the ball under you with the right foot
> Ronaldinho’s Elastico Dribbling Move
Ronaldinho has some of the best dribbling skills in today’s game and this move that was branded by him only goes to show that. It’s a rather difficult dribbling move to master, but if you can get it done right, it’s a killer. Defenders will rue the day they met an attacker that can pull off a quality Elastico, because it’s very hard to
defend yourself from its quick change of direction. Here’s how it goes:
1. With the ball close to you, push it slightly forward and sideways with the outside of your foot
2. Quickly cut it in the opposite direction using the same foot, but with its inside
> Puskas’ V Dribbling Move
This dribble is called the V-move because you “draw” a V on the ground using the ball. Puskas used it intensely while he was playing for Real Madrid, so this move is usually attributed to him, although a lot of players use it occasionally nowadays. The basic principles behind it:
1. When an opponent is close to you, quickly pull the ball back
2. Place your base foot ahead and sideways of the ball
3. Push the ball in a sideways direction opposite of your base foot, drawing a V with the help of the imaginary line you pulled the ball backwards on
> Ronaldo’s Stepover Dribbling Move
This one’s slightly funny, because it can be attested with equal rights to two players that are named Ronaldo: Ronaldo Nazario da Lima, the Brazilian striker and Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portuguese winger. Both players make intense use of this move, although it’s the Brazilian that was first renowned for it. The stepover is not easy to master, but a few days of dribbling drills should get you going:
1. With the ball close to you, move your leg over the ball, simulating that you would move it sideways
2. Plant your hovering feet next to the ball
3. Now you can either perform a double stepover, using your other leg as explained above, or you could cut the ball with this leg and accelerate past your opponent.
