How to play relaxed and know what to do before the ball gets to you?

[newcool]

Sometimes when I play I have a major problem when I receive a pass. I will get anxious and tense up. This results in the defender taking the ball away or usually a poorly placed pass thats intercepted. Other times when I receive the ball I have trouble figuring out the best thing to do with it so I hesitate and also end up losing the ball.

Now I think this is because I am not using my mind properly. I need to be able to think quicker and decide faster so that passes will always be on target and for my team to trust me that I will not lose the ball.

I have heard others say that you should know what to do with the ball before it gets to you. Does this mean always in your mind be constantly thinking something like "If I get the ball right now I will dribble around player X, then pass to player Y. Then perhaps every 10 seconds it would change to something else like pass to player Z or dribble around player X and then shoot" Then as soon as you receive the ball you will know exactly what to do with it. Instead of receiving the pass, trapping it and only then deciding what to do. This should make you a good amount quicker and more likelier to succeed. Would an approach like this work? I'm guessing that within a month or two such decisions should become ingrained instincts and my problem would go away.

Any ideas?

[Ronaldob4hegotfat]

You should always try to keep wary of the situation. You should regularly be looking around to see where players are on both teams and what plays are developing. When you do this and the ball comes you should have some idea of what the right thing to do is before the pass is even played to you.
Hope that helps :)

[loden]

play more and work on your technique!

[schmuckatelli]

I have heard others say that you should know what to do with the ball before it gets to you. Does this mean always in your mind be constantly thinking something like "If I get the ball right now I will dribble around player X, then pass to player Y. Then perhaps every 10 seconds it would change to something else like pass to player Z or dribble around player X and then shoot" Then as soon as you receive the ball you will know exactly what to do with it. Instead of receiving the pass, trapping it and only then deciding what to do. This should make you a good amount quicker and more likelier to succeed. Would an approach like this work? I'm guessing that within a month or two such decisions should become ingrained instincts and my problem would go away.
You sometimes hear people say, "Have your head on a swivel." What they mean is, as you're moving without the ball, scan the area and take mental photographs as you go. You always need to be thinking, "OK, if the ball comes now, what's on?" That way, as you said, you know where to play before you have to, which will tend to make you more calm on the ball when your moment comes. You're less likely to take a panic touch or dwell on the ball and get dispossessed.

If you do get caught unaware, then ideally, your first touch should take you away from pressure. At least you'll get a moment to make a good judgement and your team can keep possession. But by thinking the next play ahead ("What's on now?") your team can not only possess, but threaten.

Does that help?

[servotron]

Unfortunately, advice can only take you so far when it comes to this topic.

The only thing that can truly make you relaxed and aware of your surroundings during a game is practice practice practice.

Also it really helps if you know your team-mates' playing styles... you can see someone open before you receive a pass, know you want to pass to them, but if you are unsure wether that person will make a forward run or come to you square.... it's no good just to know that they're there.

[Devil500]

DUnno but also try to step into the pass and take a step in maybe just so you get that one second more to pick a pass standing there will get you in more trouble.

[rca2]

The situational awareness is not so that you know what you will actually do with the ball before you get it, as to know what you COULD do with the ball. Soccer is a fluid game so you need to be watching so that you know which teammates are going to give you a passing option in what space. Then when you get the ball you can quickly locate your best option for an effective play. The best players only make an effective play maybe 60% of the time. Making a safe pass to maintain possession is better than giving up the ball.

[blech]

Most of it has already been said:

1. Continue to practice and work on your technique, pushing yourself to get better and better. If you're constantly trapping the ball 1 yard away from you, work on trapping it 1 foot away from you. Also work on moving to the ball as you trap it. This is harder you have to cushion the ball more as your overall momentum is moving toward it. The more that your trapping becomes second nature, the easier it will be to stay relaxed and focus on all of the other stuff going on. And, taking the additional steps to the ball may in some circumstances provide some additional time before you're pressured by the defender.

2. I heard it said many years ago in a context other than the soccer field that the "best" do not think on their feet because they have done the preparation and thinking beforehand. The principle applies here as well. In an ideal world, you would be able to close your eyes at any given time and know where everyone on the field (your teammates and your opponents) are. Obviously, to do this, you need to constantly be checking around while you're moving and keeping track of everyone and everything. If you have an idea that someone is open wide on the left side, then you can trap the ball differently to make that pass easier and/or make it without having to think about it in the same way.

If you haven't thought about what you're going to do next, then what happens? You trap the ball. You then look up to figure your next move as someone closes down on you. And, guess what, you feel nervous as you're trying to process everything while you're under attack.

Of course, you're not going to actually stop and close your eyes and test yourself, but be thinking about it and see if it doesn't improve your play.

[Yañez]

I had the same problem and have fixed it a little bit. I play Wingback so i have even less time. I think its impossible to keep track of your whole team, i just constantly monitor my closes defender, and or midfield. Always keep an eye on at least 2 players. If you concentrate on too many then you loose focus or itll take too long. If that doesnt work there is always plan B, which is, use ur back to block the ball, this will give you a lot of time :)

[Dr. Wankler]

First and foremost, loden pretty much nails it.

I had similar problems when I was in high school and was playing on a men's team in my town. Our coach, though, had been a Russian major when he was in college, and he travelled there a lot, read sports journals in Russian, etc. He came across an idea that the old Soviet National Team used, and we tried it over the winter once.

We played chess. A couple times a week, we'd get together and play. We'd bring in the best players in town to kick our asses and to train our minds, and we'd do what we could to get better.

It worked. When the spring season started, we were all better at thinking ahead, at anticipating where our teammates and opponents might be, and most importantly, at having two or three ideas of what we might do with the ball when we'd get it. It helped quite a bit -- maybe not as much as playing futsal in the offseason would've, but there was a marked improvement for just about everybody. If there's a chess club near you, and you have the time, look into it.

[ALEX408]

Play more skrimish games that's all I can say.

[Skaog]

I dont think there i much you can really do execpt play more. The more to play the quicker you will find open players and the more comfortable you will become with the ball. so just Play Play Play

[rca2]

[QUOTE=Yañez;11377283] ... I think its impossible to keep track of your whole team, i just constantly monitor my closes defender, and or midfield. Always keep an eye on at least 2 players. If you concentrate on too many then you loose focus or itll take too long. ... [QUOTE]

Actually this depends on the team. If the team has played together for a while and all understand the system that you are using, then you know where people are supposed to move in all situations so its just checking to see if people are actually moving as expected. If the team is disciplined enough, you don't have to look. You can pass blind confident that your teammates are making the runs that they should. If there is less than perfect understanding of the system, if there is an injury, if someone falls, if someone is new to the team or system...all those reasons make play less predictable. Being able to easily combine and support each other is the advantage of having a system of play.

[thegeneral]

I would really advocate practicing this and some visualization. I don't think more game experience will help. Basically, your mind is a huge part of sports. I'm new to soccer but played many other things and do well because I understand things like spacing, how to apply pressure, playing with heart and how to actively listen for instructions while concentrating on what I'm doing.


Find a wall to kick against. Kick the ball against it and then when it comes to you trap it properly (do research if you don't know how), pause, look around and then pass it back to the wall. Say out loud what you're doing. Trap, relax, look, move. Thus far you're only getting the first part. Do this with practice and then actively think about it during the game. When a ball comes towards you, say those things quietly to yourself. A good rule of thumb is if someone is close, find someone to pass it to and if nobody is on you then go.

Your team should also be communicating to you. Basically, you should know if someone is close and if they are, you should know who you pass it to. You should work on slowing things down and getting over this. Quite frankly, getting the ball stolen from you every time is worth getting past this. It's the first big step to being a decent player.

[tribalflank17]

Look over your shoulder when the ball is coming towards you or just before the ball is played to you. It helps SO much.

[red & wite army]

Look over your shoulder when the ball is coming towards you or just before the ball is played to you. It helps SO much.

It does help, and its something I've learnt from watching Fabregas - he ALWAYS does it.

[Henry Porter]

Awareness, experience and intelligence are key. Without all of these, you'll be tense.