Left Footed Players - Question

I've never heard that left footed players are good by default. They aren't, they have no chance of being better then a right footer. People that tell you this just get the stereotype from Messi and Maradonna most likely.

 

I'm a left-footer, and have been told by academy coaches that technically left-footers are excellent. I don't know if there is any truth in this at all, but if you take a look through many teams you will see set-piece takers who are left-footed etc. You could argue that they are aiming for inswinging/outswinging but I think it runs true.

As Impossible says, Messi, Maradona etc were left-footed. It is similar to left-handed people; they 'apparently' use different parts of their brain, and are spatially aware, and better at things such as Art. I think this can also be applied to left-footed individuals.

 

I think this is why, because they're rare, it automatically gives you the label of being special because it is uncommon.


Although, they say most left footers and handers are more commonly ambidextrous because of the use of right handed objects and actions (such as using can openers, etc.) through their life growing up.

But I don't see how you could be any different to a right footer, there have been many great right footers as well as left footers.

 

My son is left footed/right handed and I wonder if that combination is created by playing soccer really early. I think he is left foot dominant because he started playing when he could walk and he needed to balance on his right to kick. But now he is clearly a left footer. So maybe quite a few left footers are created this way?

 

I suspect that left-footers become good because they have more opportunities early in life. More minutes, because coaches want them on the field, and more set pieces, because teams want at least one left-footed player standing over a dead ball. Of course, all else being equal, more practice means more technical ability.

 

Most of my schools team is left footed. Because like someone said they are uncommon when rightfooted people defend leftfooters there some sort of disbalance(so I've read).

 

I know plenty of left footers that are terrible. I think when they are younger they probably get more playing time because the coach will stick the left footers on the left side of the pitch. I also think most left footed players do not develop their right foot kicking ability because they think because they are left footed they are "special". Being left footed on set pieces is only beneficial on one side of the pitch. Just my thoughts.

 

Who cares if a "left footed" player is technically superior to a "right footed" player--or not. Using only one foot is a technical weakness. Whether its a right or left foot is unimportant. If you have two feet, use them both. There is no reason for a healthy player to practice ball skills with only one foot.

 

Quite unfair to generalise so much.

 

no no, trust me I've seen plenty of crazy good left footed players as well. what i'm trying to illustrate is that just because one is left footed doesn't mean you are better than a equally as skilled right footed player. i mean are left handed bowlers better than right handed, no

the point i'm making is that at a younger age a left footed player will probably get the nod because he/she is left footed. i can speak from experience as a coach. we had a player on the team (the only natural left footed player) whom was a automatic choice on the left wing because well he was left footed and i needed someone who could whip in a cross with his left. after the players started to develop I phased him out because I had naturally right footed players who had developed good enough lefts/overall skill that they were better than him. it almost seemed like he got complacent and his spot was always going to be his. i ended up having to cut him.

basically the main thing is, which I'm sure we all can agree on, is develop both feet

 

so it sounds like you didn't rotate a player around to different spots to develop him? sounds like there is blame to go around in that case.

 

I disagree. Every other players skill level drastically surpassed his. Basic skills like crossing, trapping, etc. Skills that we worked on at practice not based on positions. I should also note this was not a rec league team. We were a travel team that were consistently in the top 16 of the state. I had better players on the team that could play the positions he could/wanted to play and had better kids trying out for the team that deserved the spot.

 

When a player doesn't progress it is a coaching failure, and a youth coach is responsible for player development, but that doesn't make it the coaches fault every time a player doesn't progress. Coaches only coach; the player has to put in the effort.

 

sure, but I think rotating the player around is a basic requirement for development. Helps the player see where they are weak. Might supple some motivation. I've only coached the younger ages, but I've had a fair amount of coaches tell me the older kids should rotate positions as well.

 

I'm aware post is a bit old

Their are examples of the greatest footballers ever seen both today and in the past Messi - Maradona and probably more...But - their is many more examples of right footed legends in the game because its more natural.

I'm left handed & Both footed where the right dominates - I have probably scored most goals with my left foot though. As someone saids on here being a one footed player is a weakness - it doesn't matter which foot, but if you can only use right or left foot you are in real trouble if the opponent figures this out. For a coach this is a big thing and a much bigger thing than people think, if you see a player who is left footed playing on the right, part of tactics with that player will be to challenge the centre and get a shot on goal same goes for the left side if player is right footed, this can be counter productive though if the opponents are aware of this they can be fully aware of the players intentions and close down his game totally! - However if the player has some skills with his opposite foot he suddenly become dangerous and unpredictable if ofcause its backed up by good technical skills and acceleration/pace.

So left foot playing in the right side I would show him that he's allowed to go right but not give him an inch to the left/centre of the field cutting in - Reversed in the other side if right footed.

Being one footed is simply a weakness - unless you have godlike skills like Maradona and Messi - Theirs a very good chance you don't have those abilities because then we would know who you are . If you are at the same level as everyone else, you are the weakest link being one footed simple as that, but if you can improve your weakest foot which you can then you become more interesting to a coach because he can now rely on something good will come out of your decisions with the ball+ theirs a good chance you can confuse opponent defenders even more and add the unpredictable to your play - If you are a defensive player you should be playing in the same side as where your foot strenght is.

Thanks for this thread - I actually needed this to reorganize my brain, I'm a coming soccer coach for a lesser team and I just told myself what to instruct players in more defensive positions against especially a left footed player. Its a little detail, but a detail that can be the decider between win or lose if not being aware.

Cheers

 

Couple of thoughts from a former right footed player, a father of a lefty and an academy coach. Two general thoughts here on this topic.

First, we live in a right handed world. Lefties are forced to do many things with their right hands and probably develop both sides of that part of their brain more than righties do. Most lefties are much more ambidextrous than us "left challenged". My son, for example, can write and draw with both hands (sometimes at the same time which is freaky). In practice when I do a drill with the "off foot", my couple of lefties tend to be better with their right than visa versa.

Second, we are conditioned to right footed play. Since most people are right footed, we tend to force players to their left foot. This becomes an unnoticed defensive habit. Until you adjust to forcing someone onto their left, that is our natural tendency. We are also more used to the left curve from someone's right foot, the left curve throws us off. (I also played a lot of tennis growing up, I always had a big adjustment period when facing a lefty, think of facing the curve of a left handed pitcher - it also applies in soccer). In a game that can move fast, if you instinctively defend a certain way you are at a disadvantage when you are forcing someone to their dominant foot.

I would say being left footed does have some advantages over being right footed, but as others have mentioned being two footed will give you the biggest advantage.

 

Here is a question I have wondered about. My son is a left side player, and left footed. He has always worked with right footed midfield players. I think right footed youth players seldom have good vision to their left. It may be me being a parent, but even when is off the field, I see right footed mids favoring a bad pass to their right over a wide open pass to their left. has anybody else noticed this, or is this just parent-itis?

 

As always, wish you were out coach. ours is ok, but the two left footers on the team never leave the left side. I think thats standard and completely wrong headed.

 

I'm not sure left-footers are "more ambidextrous" than others -- I've seen plenty of left-footed players, even at the professional level, who are awful with their right foot. I think I've even seen more pros with "no right foot" than with "no left foot." I tend to subscribe to the "more minutes" theory: even if they don't develop their right foot, they get more playing time, which helps them develop.

Also, there is that subconscious tendency to mark all players as if they're right-footed. Left-footed attacking players all seem to get at least one free shot per game from defenders cheating in the wrong direction.

I really dislike the tendency of so many youth coaches to keep left-footed players glued to the left flank. It's several decades out of date. I'm right-footed, but when I was younger and played outside mid, I had a very strong preference for playing on the left and cutting inside to shoot.

 

I don't think I have ever been on a team with more than 2 natural left-footed players. When I played competitively, I was the second best right half, but I always started on the flank somewhere because I was one of the ten best field players and could shoot, pass and cross accurately with my left foot too. Usually I started at left half or left wing, but I would fill in for whoever was unavailable that match. I improved a lot, but would not have played much if I hadn't used my left foot.

It is never too late to improve your "weak" foot.