| Help your players fool their opponents and open up | | | | Stepover skill |
| space by teaching them Ronaldo's chop to the side | | | | Stepovers are like any soccer skill and they need a |
| and a clever stepover or step across move. | | | | lot of practice so if your players are going to do |
| - Start your players off learning the Ronaldo chop | | | | them, make sure they go home and have a ball |
| with a soccer coaching drill using a static ball. Tell | | | | stuck to their foot all week. |
| them to jump and flick the ball with their right heel | | | | Done properly they can send an opponent in the |
| past the back of their left leg, so they change the | | | | opposite direction, immediately producing two |
| direction of the ball with the back leg. | | | | precious assets – space and time. |
| - Once they have mastered the soccer drill with a | | | | Coach your players to begin with the simplest step |
| static ball, get them to try the same move running | | | | over. Tell them to shape as if they are going to |
| towards a defender and just before they reach him, | | | | strike the ball, but lift that foot over the top of the |
| come from behind with their right heel to move left | | | | ball instead. |
| and leave a bemused defender in their wake. | | | | 1. Make sure the ball is moving so start dribbling |
| | | | slowly. |
| Key soccer coaching tip: Your players must practise | | | | 2. Circle the left foot anti-clockwise by bringing the |
| this soccer drill at home to be able to use this skill at | | | | left foot across the right foot and around the ball |
| speed. | | | | without touching the ball. |
| 1. Get your players to control the ball moving | | | | 3. Dip the left shoulder to angle the body so it looks |
| towards the defender at speed. | | | | like the player will move that way. |
| 2. Quick feet are needed to get the ball in position to | | | | 4. Use the outside of the right foot to take the ball |
| chop it with the heel of the right foot. | | | | past the defender on the other side. |
| 3. Tell them to jump up moving left foot over ball | | | | Once you can do one then practise bringing your |
| and flick it with heel of right foot. | | | | right foot around the ball clockwise, and build up to |
| 4. Then surge forward into the space created. | | | | do two or three in a row. |