Get Great Ball Control in Under 5 Minutes

Get Great Ball Control in Under 5 Minutes

Have you ever heard this quote?

"Without the ball - YOU can't win!" - Johan Cruyff

Cruyff is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all
time. So when he makes a statement like that I listen.

When I read his quote I asked myself, "What does he mean?"

Here is what I teach my students it means.

"Ball control is the key. You and I both know, if you don't have control of the ball, the other team is sprinting down field putting
that ball in the back of your net!"

And kids lose the ball because...

1. They get nervous
2. They are afraid of making mistakes
3. They get too excited
4. They lose focus

So in order to flip those emotions upside down I teach two basic
skills to every player.

a. Deep breathing

Deep breathing is so important and so over looked.
When you are stressed and nervous you are a shallow breather.

But if you are relaxed... your breathing is slow, calm, and deep.

Deep breathing is an effective skill that will help you perform at your
best in the toughest of situations.

b. Practice without pressure.

Boxers call is shadow boxing. Wrestlers, shadow drilling.
I call it Shadow Soccer!

And it's a staple in all of my training systems and programs.

When you practice without pressure you gear your mind up for
game situations. You've actually performed the skill in advance.
Therefore your mind knows what to do automatically.

I work 'Shadow Soccer' sessions into each of my training sessions.

Just 5 minutes a day has been so effective players feel like
the ball is stuck to their foot. Even when they are under
tremendous game pressure.

These two skills are essential to mastering ball control.

Practice for excellence,

Coach Nolan

PS If you have any ideas for videos you'd like to see
me post on my blog send me an email with your ideas.
Until then keep practicing.