Improving Weaker Foot

Discussion in 'Player' started by BBC_, Aug 18, 2005.

  1. BBC_

    BBC_ Member

    Jan 5, 2005
    London
    Im left footed but i dont know to improve my left foot, i want to be able to shoot,cross,long pass etc. i want to make it as sharp as my right what should i do?
     
  2. htafc

    htafc New Member

    Dec 12, 2004
    England
    in english?
     
  3. mrelkane2u

    mrelkane2u New Member

    May 18, 2005
    NYC
    hold on. you're left footed but your right foot is better? huh?

    Anyway, one way to improve your weaker foot is to observe closely how you kick with your strong foot (leg motion, arm motion, foot step, the location of the planting foot, upper body motion, ...) and try to do the same when kicking with your weak foot. There is a good chance that the way you kick with your strong foot is NOT the best way to kick with your weak foot, but it provides a good starting point.

    And the problem my trainer pointed out when I practiced kicking with my weak foot was that I wasn't locking the foot at all. makes a lot of difference.
     
  4. BBC_

    BBC_ Member

    Jan 5, 2005
    London
    oops sorry! im right footed.
     
  5. astabooty

    astabooty Member

    Nov 16, 2002
    China
    Club:
    FC Barcelona
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    go find a wall or a friend and kick against it. also juggle. only way to get better is to do it.
     
  6. theblondsoccerstar

    theblondsoccerstar New Member

    Nov 12, 2004
    UT, USA
  7. Shaaarrrp

    Shaaarrrp New Member

    Aug 19, 2005
    yes, just practice. Eventually it will come to you. If youre juggling, dont do it a million times in a row with just your right foot like most people do. Switch it every time. Practice passing, shooting drills. I never really thought about what I was doing with my right, I just kinda got used to kicking it with my left and the strength and accuracy developed
     
  8. Fulham Fan

    Fulham Fan New Member

    Apr 26, 2004
    Bay Area
    To improve the dexterity of the left foot, practice close to a wall. Kick with your left foot and then trap with your left foot when the ball comes off the wall. Also practice one-touch that way. Practice exclusively with your instep and the underside of your foot for several minutes, then exclusively with the inside of your foot, then the outside, and then mix it up.

    Bear in mind that all this practicing with your left foot will also strengthen your ability to balance on your right leg.
     
  9. jdefoe9

    jdefoe9 Member

    Oct 19, 2003
    Canada
    basically, you must touch the ball 3 times with your weaker foot for everytime you touch it with your stronger foot. This will help you make up for lost time.
     
  10. goyoureddevils

    Dec 17, 2002
    Fort Wayne, Indiana
    Touches touches touches.... jdefoe9 and all the rest here have great ideas for how you can develop the same time of dexterity and foot-brain connection with that left foot as you have with the right. I like to see my students discipline themselves, (that's right themselves, because what you do away from coaches and other players is far more important to your development than anything else), practice dribbling, shooting, juggling, passing...all of it with at least three times as many touches on the weak foot as with the strong.

    Listen, I have been name dropping already on this board way too much to protect my fragile ego, but I want to share with you a story, let's call it a secret about a friend of mine. You might just have heard of this friend, his parents and my father worked together for 15 years at Dana Corp in Ft Wayne, and his mom even hired me one summer. See, before Damarcus was "DMB", he was a friend of mine who used to idolize Ryan Giggs and that magical left foot of his. Damarcus must have been about 17 at the time, and was home from Bradenton on a break. We were talking about how bad he would love to be "Giggs Good" someday, especially with that left foot. Seeing as Damarcus was a right footed player, he wanted to know what to do to get to that level with his left..... I suggested the very same things that all of these people have mentioned, but most especially about the 3 to 1 ratio when on his own.

    Well, I don't have to tell you what Damarcus is up to these days with that left foot of his do I? It's a little known fact that that 17 year old kid was not yet very good with his left, especially since a couple of years later he would be killing defenders with it at the world cup! He gets all the credit and respect in the whole world as far as I am concerned though, because he went out and made it happen for himself with all the extra work he put in on his own.

    3 to 1 man...... 3 to 1
     
  11. jdefoe9

    jdefoe9 Member

    Oct 19, 2003
    Canada
    beautiful post.
     
  12. Beckham7

    Beckham7 Member+

    Jul 10, 2001
    Northern, California
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Hey im right footed, and i just kept using my left foot all the time and it eventually got stronger and more accurate.Just use your left more when you practice and it will become more like your right.
     
  13. blastoff

    blastoff New Member

    Aug 27, 2005
    Basingstoke
    I'm a left footer and i hurt my left ankle once and refused to stop playing, so i used my right foot the whole time - its quite sharp now! :D

    would like to cross and shoot better with it though, cuz shots and crosses are a bit hit and miss for me and my right foot - it either lands exactly where i want it to, or doesn't lift off the floor :confused:
     
  14. PSsoccer123

    PSsoccer123 New Member

    Jul 22, 2003
    That is amazing, I thank you Mr. Man.
     
  15. goyoureddevils

    Dec 17, 2002
    Fort Wayne, Indiana
    Blastoff you are probably getting your plant foot, your non kicking foot, in the wrong position on those crosses and long balls. Remember it has to be slightly behind, but no more than a ball's width away to the side if you want to put power on it. Practice with free kicks on goal, trying to put them into the side netting each time....don't worry about actually shooting, just think of that as your target as you hit a dead ball. Practice it from different angles, into the near post, then the far...... once you have hit 40 or 50 dead balls, now start to push it forward and still hit it the same while it's rolling as you did when it was not. You'll see you have to get the timing and balance just right, and most of that is in approaching with small steps for good balance, and planting that foot just behind the ball.

    Good luck.
     
  16. blastoff

    blastoff New Member

    Aug 27, 2005
    Basingstoke
    Cheers for that - i'll have to try it sometime! - i'll get back to you :D

    thanks again
    blastoff
     
  17. SeanK 03

    SeanK 03 New Member

    Aug 9, 2005
    get one of those brazilian juggling balls and just start juggling, thats what i did
     
  18. MLS SupaStr3

    MLS SupaStr3 New Member

    Jul 2, 2003
    NJ
    get a ball inside your house and dribble it with your left foot where ever you go in the house.
     
  19. goyoureddevils

    Dec 17, 2002
    Fort Wayne, Indiana
    Great idea......house dribbling i mean.
     
  20. Anarchist

    Anarchist New Member

    Mar 20, 2003
    Stuart, Florida
    I know this is a bit off topic, but bradenton... did damarcus come out of IMG academy too? o_O;

    And I don't know, I was lucky enough to have a natural left. But what I do know is that it's all about -where- you strike the ball. Dunno if anyone's talked about it yet. But try concentrationg solely on that, don't try to chop it as hard as you can, you'll wank it a lot. Take it easy, get the form first before you try to do cross field longballs and rips at goal yaknow?
     
  21. Rooney#8

    Rooney#8 New Member

    Sep 5, 2004
    MANCHESTER!
    I started practising with my left foot last year when i shot for once with it and it went in top corner I was amazed. I started kicking the ball against the wall on my left foot and started doing keepy uppy's with both feet and now after a few months it is as strong as my right. I can cross better with it shoot volley the lot. It's just easier because if some one blocks your right side you can pass or shoot with your left plus defenders never know which way you will run.
     
  22. Alex_8

    Alex_8 Member

    Oct 29, 2005
    Malaysia
    I'mm a right footed person and i can shoot the ball like normal.But my left leg is not as good as my right. The feeling when i kick with my right leg is like i have a built in powerpulse inside my foot XD. But when i kick with my left foot, it feels like i am kicking with nothing. It just flies. Should i try the techniques like above? And help will be very good :)
     
  23. Beckham7

    Beckham7 Member+

    Jul 10, 2001
    Northern, California
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Just use your left foot more at practice and it will get better. Im right footed and thats what i did..Now i can kick just as well with both feet.
     
  24. Bleacherbutt

    Bleacherbutt New Member

    May 1, 2001
    Rochester, NY
    I cannot dispute the 3:1 ratio, but the most difficult touch to develop with the opposite foot is your final touch (in my opinion). I would recommend commiting yourself to making the final touch with your opposite foot--whether it's a lay-off, a pass, shot, clearance, etc. You should be able to do this in small-sided games and in scrimmages. If you are playing while your coaching staff is watching, you might want to tip you coach off to the restriction you have placed on yourself.
     
  25. Madison midfielder38

    Sep 29, 2005
    Ohio
    yes i say the best way is to juggle thats how i got better with my left foot
     

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