YPT u16: dribbling | finishing

Описание: More training videos on instagram: YPT_usa.

Part 1: dribbling. Quick sole of the foot change-of-direction followed by a driving dribble followed by a tight turn before going back through circuit and finishing at the opposite cone to which he started. The player would then turn and complete the circuit again, but from this opposite starting point.

I particularly like the tight, quick turn at the top of the circuit and no hesitation before heading back through the cones. Super clean. This is a player who has committed significant time on the ball over the years and it shows here.

Part 2: Now a finish is added to end of the dribbling circuit. The main focus is here was his body mechanics and striking technique. His backswing (how high he lifts his foot before striking the ball) needs more work. It needs to be lifted higher for maximum power but he locks his ankle and knee well which results in some clean strikes. He also does well to keep his follow through low after the strike which helps with driving the ball and keeping it from going over.

Another key focus here was his ‘exit touch’. The exit touch is the last touch after most moves. This touch takes you quickly past your defender, into space, with one big touch which allows you to accelerate to the ball and away from the defender you just beat. This acceleration, and subsequent momentum, aids in the shot being hit with more power. Notice his final touch once he finishes the circuit. He doesn’t simply dribble away, he pushes the ball into space with one touch. There is a direct correlation here between the quality of his exit touches and the quality of his strikes.

In my experience, unfortunately, too many American players have never been exposed to the concept of the ‘exit touch’ but it is an important skill. I see too many players, even older more experienced players, just continue to take short touches after beating a defender even though they have open space in front of them. These short touches only make the player easier to track down by a chasing defender and susceptible to a tackle. Learning to run with the ball in open space (and knowing when/when not to) is a skill like any other and needs to be trained just like any other skill.

Over the last 2 years, Thomas has spent time with academy trainers and players from Fluminense FC, of the Brazilian first division. He traveled with them to Portugal and Spain, respectively, and trained at the academies of Benfica SL and Atletico Madrid before heading to The Iber Cup: Portugal and The Iber Cup: Spain, respectively. Both times, playing up at attacking center mid position, he helped lead his team to the finals. Fluminense would go on to win The Iber Cup: Portugal.

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