Top 4 - Soccer Tricks:


The Cryuff Turn

Johann Cryuff was a Dutch footballer who played in the 70's and became synonymous with the concept of 'total football', something Barcelona FC adopt extensively today. His soccer tricks and moves were simply legendary. The Cryuff turn is really very simple, and here's how you do it. As you are approaching a soccer ball, pretend that you are going to kick it really hard but instead shift the ball to your opposite side by shifting it behind your standing leg using the inside of your foot. When done in speed, this trick can fool your opponent completely and give you acres of space.

The Roulette

This move was mastered by the great Zinedine Zidane, but it was Diego Maradona who really brought it into the public limelight. As you are moving ahead with the ball knock it forward slightly, and now attempt to pull it back with your leading foot. As you do this you lift yourself in the air and do a complete 360 degree turn with your leading foot on the ball. As you are midway through the spin, you drag the ball ahead of you again with the other foot. Master this move, and no one will be able to stop you.

The Elastico

Many versions of the elastico exist, but the most popular version is the one that was extensively used by a certain buck toothed Brazilian going by the name of Ronaldinho. This is not an easy trick by any means, and it requires a lot of attention to fine detail. What basically happens is that you shift the ball in one direction with the outside of your foot and then shift it in the opposite direction with the inside of your foot. Sounds like one of the simplest soccer tricks and moves, but the catch is that all this needs to be done in one quick motion. The entire trick lasts barely for a second. Blink and you'll miss it, fortunately this applies to the defender as well.

The Stepover

When a person is learning how to do soccer tricks and moves, the stepover is one of the first things that is taught to him. For a trick so simple to perform, it's effectiveness is quite unbelievable. If you're looking for a famous name, then Cristiano Ronaldo comes to mind, as the most expensive footballer ever is also known as the stepover-king. What you're basically doing is stepping your leg over the ball, either to the outside or to the inside, without touching the ball. What it does is it leaves the opponent perplexed about where the ball is actually going to end up. The amount of variations that can be derived from this are countless.

The Stepover Pull

This is a move that the Brazilian Ronaldo used to devastating effect in the 2002 FIFA World Cup. If you are a right footed player, you need to step over the ball with your right leg and give the defender the impression that you are going to shoot off towards your left. What you actually do is hit the ball to your right with your left leg from behind the right leg. If it sounds complicated, then it's only because you have not seen or tried it. Most of these soccer tricks and moves are quite elementary, and more than anything else they require the ability to fake the defender. While trying these soccer tricks and moves, one should pay attention to the shoulders. A drop of the shoulders in a particular direction can completely fool a defender.

The Overhead Scissor Kick

Lastly, we have one of the most exuberant and flamboyant soccer tricks and moves. If pulled off rightly, this trick can be immensely effective. But it is extremely tough, and requires great agility, a strong standing jump, and great concentration on the ball. This is basically a shooting technique that comes into play when a ball is coming towards you in the air, and your back is facing the goal. You jump up into the air and kick the ball backwards in an overhead kick. It's an extremely acrobatic move, and landing on one's back after that can be quite painful.