Speed, Close Control Combination

This Messi clip is just a few seconds but it will give you an idea of how speed and close control make a fantastic recipe for dribbling: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ovN3lplAF0&NR=1

Shoulder Dip

Take a look at the shoulder dip, shouldn't be too difficult to get used to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rX6oiXN5T3A

Basics of Dribbling

Dribbling is arguably the most attractive and debated area of soccer. Most coaches will stress the 'Pass! Don't dribble!' factor. It is correct that when the same result can be achieved by passing or dribbling an opposing defender the former is no doubt the safer option. However, player's don't always have the option of passing to achieve the same result. It is therefore important to gain confidence and fluency in dribbling techniques. Now there are countless tricks and flicks one can waste time practising but outside of the glamour aspect these rarely have the impact of the most simple dribbling techniques. Player's tend to move onto fancier dribbling techniques when the simple one's aren't working. The reason they aren't working isn't because they're simple, it's because they're not being done correctly. Take for example Lionel Messi, a player who is one of the most accomplished dribbler's of all time. Even the strongest defensive lines in world soccer struggle to keep up. Rarely do you see this dribbling machine do a step over or something of the sort. He uses the most simple yet the most effective techniques. If perfected these WILL work on any defender. Two key aspects are Maintaining Close Ball Control while at the same time Manipulating Basic Movement. This can be done in several ways. With a slight feint towards one direction the opposition is put off balance and the player, with a quick burst of speed, can take off past him in the other direction. This feint can be done by a simple bending of the knee, a small movement of the body or even a sudden drop of the shoulder. For example, if a player wishes to dribble to his right he should bend his left knee to throw the opposition off balance and take off take his right with the ball on the outside of his right boot. Remember, dribbling is alot more effective when coming towards the opposition at speed. The player should get quite close to the opposing player before completing the feint. It is important to keep perfect balance will carrying out this feint otherwise the delay in taking off will give the opposition ample time to recover. Once the simple dribbling techniques are mastered it is also easier to understand and perfect the more advanced one's. Try it out and I'll put up a few video examples shortly.