When receiving longs balls there are several things you need to know. First, the different ways to trap. Second, which drills are best to practice first and most. Third, continue to practice so you stay sharp and keep improving. Even for U16 club players, receiving longs balls is something that can be intimidating.
“The more you practice, the better you get.”
Training ideas
Players who are more advanced and can control 80% of the balls that come in from small space drills [5-10 yards away] will struggle at receiving longs balls from 30 yards away.
It’s important to train in both short and long situations.
The short distance drills give you more reps and are easier. Therefore, it boosts the confidence and skill.
Long balls are more realistic and difficult, but you’ll improve rather quickly… I’ve seen players show improvement within a few minutes, while some take a few weeks or months. Either way the results are fast.
2 players working on 25 yard long balls ⇓
“Never stop wanting to improve.”
Receiving longs balls from 20-30 yards is much more difficult for several reasons.
1) It’s simply harder & more intimidating
2) players don’t get enough reps.
Group session ⇓ dealing with crosses [using the ball launcher machine]
“To benefit from receiving long balls, the service needs to be good.”
For most players, it’s intimidating to control a ball coming from 20+ yards… You have to practice and get used to it.
3 person drill ⇓ ‘Short, short, long’
“Practice until you can’t get it wrong.”
Positive thinking
Whether it be receiving a 30 yard long ball or a 5 yard toss you have to have the right mindset.
Doubts are human tendencies, so when you have them you MUST correct them with belief.
When the ball is in the air you are either thinking “O Crap” or “O Yea – I got this”
Even if you are thinking O Crap, You Have to Replace that thinking with “I got this”
You’ll be so happy with how much better you do!
Parts of the foot and body to use
Top
The top of the foot [laces] is one of the most important things to work on because it’s effective and will help you deal with balls that come from high & low angles.
Work on these reps from a high toss weekly.
Inside – no bounce
For sure a top two if not the number 1 way you will receive long balls. Especially good for those driven balls that come at you knee height.
Work on this at least one day per week.
Inside off the quick bounce
For balls that don’t necessarily come at you, but ones you need to track down this type of touch is good. You will also use this for your second touch to settle the ball better.
Do 10 of these at least once per month.
Outside off the quick bounce
Similar to the one above ‘inside bounce’ you will sometimes need this technique when having to run lateral to trap a ball.
Same as the inside – do these every month at least.
Bottom of the foot / Sole
For when the ball is out of reach, bouncing before you can get under it. The 1st second in this vid you’ll see Aidan use the sole to trap.
In regards to the bottom of the foot (5) we don’t purposely work on this technique. It’s more something you do when the ball is coming in at you short.
Chest trap
For sure something every player ages U13 needs to work on…
There are going to be times where the ball is coming at you high and the only option is your chest.
Practice these from short tosses with a partner or simply toss the ball up, let it bounce big and then run through the ball as it comes back down.
this running through the ball – while jumping – u13 girl
u10 boys learning for first time – no jump
Thigh
Thigh trap is great for when the ball comes at you higher than your knee, yet lower than your chest.
Sometimes you want the ball to settle down, while other situations you might need to pop it up and then trap with your foot.
High repetition drills
To get many reps you need to be close [5-10 yards] to either a partner tossing or you can kick against a wall.
Like mentioned above it’s key to practice with different parts of the body.
Practice using the inside of your foot like this ↓
Stationary drill using the inside of the foot (no bounce) to deal with driven balls ↑
Every player position needs this skill
We could say that defenders need this skill most, but literally every position does.
- Defenders receive a lot of long balls from the opposing teams.
- Center mids get balls coming in from both teams.
- Outside midfielders receive the long diagonal ball.
- Forwards have a lot of chances from their own defenders and mids playing balls up to them.
Moving and using different surfaces of the foot ↓
Bouncing balls
One of the most difficult ways to control the ball is when it bounces right before it gets to you.
You have to be good at using different parts of the foot because depending on the situation, you’ll need to use different techniques.
In addition, there are balls that bounce at you high, which to me is easier. For others it might be tough if they are not comfortable using the chest or thigh.
Then there are balls that are coming at you vs away.
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