Also described as receiving, trapping refers to what you do with a pass in soccer to control the ball. The trap is unique to soccer, with nothing quite like it in baseball, basketball, American football or hockey. Knowing the keys to trapping a soccer ball helps you expand your repertoire, contribute to team success and gain more enjoyment from the game as you control the ball rather than the other way around.
Set Up Your Next Move
Even before the ball arrives in your area, look around and plan your next move. You want to not only stop the ball from going past you, but also have it take a slight ricochet in the direction you plan to go. So look for an empty or undefended vector of the field and plan to have your trap bounce that way rather randomly. "In short, you should know where you're going before you trap the ball," says coach Jerry Macnamara of Soccer Classroom.
Create a Cushion or Platform
Think of the top of your shoe, called the instep, the top of the thigh and your forehead as platforms -- flat surfaces that can be presented under the ball to control it, says coach Alan Hargreaves in "Skills and Strategies for Coaching Soccer." Of these three choices, the top of your thigh offers the largest and most stable platform. Envision the more commonly used body surfaces for trapping -- the side of the foot and the chest -- as cushions for the ball. Hold the side of the foot square to the path of the ball, heel slightly raised off the ground and toes pointed up to trap the ball, Hargreaves says. Start by trapping with the inside of the foot and progress to using the outside of the foot.
Yield When the Ball Arrives
Withdraw the surface you use as a platform when the ball arrives, Hargreaves says. This motion takes speed and momentum off the ball. Whatever part of the body you use to trap, from the inside of your shoe to the head, it needs to move slightly backward so the ball stops or drops, rather than remaining immobile and sending the ball bouncing away out of control. This yielding is similar to the slight inbound movement of the hands when catching a football to bring the pass to a safe halt.
Line Yourself Up
Watch the ball come in and line up your body with it, says physical education professor Danny Mielke in "Soccer Fundamentals." Judge whether you can use the inside of your foot, preferred because it keeps the ball in front of you, as your first option. Relax your leg, draw it back, absorb the force of the ball and make your next move, Mielke says.
Member Comments