How to play soccer and improve your performance

by Sung Woo Kim
(Fryeburg, Maine, United States)

I am only a 19 years old soccer player (played soccer from the days I can't remember); yet I am confident that I have some knowledge of soccer that can help some players. Most of the times, when I hear my friends and amateur players talking about soccer and playing soccer, I can observe that they try things that professional players do, such as Ronaldinho's flip-flap and Ronaldo's turnovers. I would say nothing if those players are equipped with proper basic skills in soccer, but not a single of them is.

I see there are two traits that make a soccer player who makes difference in games: View, ball control combined with speed.

View - Knowing what you are going to do even before you receive the ball and being able to conduct that action with smooth transition from receiving to passing or shooting make the soccer player. Also, knowing where to be when not having the ball at your feet is an exceptional trait of a good player.

To achieve this quality, I think there is no other best way than quantitative and also qualitative experiences in games and watching professional games. When you watch how those great mid-fielders Zidane, Veron, Gerrard, Beckham - play, you can see how intelligently they play the game, being a smooth transition between defense and offense. In addition, in order to know what to do before your receive the ball, it is favorable to look around and also at your back in order to analyze the situation easily.

Ball control combined with speed - Trapping the ball, passing the ball, dribbling the ball and shooting the ball. The fastest man is never the best soccer player. The one who becomes the best friend of a soccer ball becomes the legend. I feel that there is no secret in improving ball control. Practice, practice, practice, and again practice.

Of course, there are other qualities that will transform you into an outstanding player, such as speed, header, unique style, and etc. I mentioned above two traits because they are usually overlooked by young, amateur and even by professional players. I hope anyone who reads this remember that the base always makes the difference.

Thanks for reading!