Soccer Tricks and Moves

The most endearing aspect of soccer is the numerous tricks and moves that the top and most skillful soccer players are capable of performing. Some of these moves may seem a bit flamboyant and unnecessary at times, but at the end of the day, soccer is a game meant to entertain the people, and there is nothing that supporters love more than watching their idols bamboozle opponents with some nimble-footed tricks.

Over the generations, many players have emerged who are now instantly recognizable by the tricks and skills they display, and some even have the privilege of getting a trademark trick named after them.

The primary objective of these tricks is to get past the approaching defender and move to a better position. Who says that you can't do it with style? Just ask the Brazilians, the creators of countless step-overs and extraordinary gravity-defying skills.

Learning the best tricks requires a lot of patience and needless to say, loads of talent. There are thousands of clips over the Internet that show exactly how these tricks can be performed, and the sheer joy of pulling them off successfully, is one that cannot be put into words. Here are a few of them!

The Cruyff
Turn Johann Cruyff was a Dutch footballer who played in the '70s and became synonymous with the concept of 'total football', something Barcelona FC adopt extensively today. His tricks and moves were simply legendary. The Cruyff turn is really very simple, and here's how you do it.

As you are approaching a soccer ball, pretend that you are going to kick it really hard, but instead slip the ball to your opposite side by shifting it behind your standing leg using the inside of your foot. When done in speed, this trick can fool your opponent completely and give you acres of space.

The Roulette
This move was mastered by the great Zinedine Zidane, but it was Diego Maradona who really brought it into the public limelight. As you are moving ahead with the ball knock it forward slightly, and now attempt to pull it back with your leading foot.

As you do this, you lift yourself in the air and do a complete 360 degree turn with your leading foot on the ball. As you are midway through the spin, you drag the ball ahead of you again with the other foot. Master this move, and no one will be able to stop you.

The Elastico
Many versions of the elastico exist, but the most popular version is the one that was extensively used by a certain buck-toothed Brazilian going by the name of Ronaldinho. This is not an easy trick by any means, and it requires a lot of attention to fine detail.

What basically happens is that you shift the ball in one direction with the outside of your foot and then shift it in the opposite direction with the inside of your foot. Sounds like one of the simplest tricks, but the catch is that all this needs to be done in one quick motion. The entire trick lasts barely for a second.

The Stepover
When a person is learning these moves, the stepover is one of the first things that is taught to him. For a trick so simple to perform, it's effectiveness is quite unbelievable. If you're looking for a famous name, then Cristiano Ronaldo comes to mind, as the most expensive footballer ever is also known as the stepover-king.

What you're basically doing is stepping your leg over the ball, either to the outside or to the inside, without touching the ball. What it does is that it leaves the opponent perplexed about where the ball is actually going to end up. The amount of variations that can be derived from this are countless.

The Stepover Pull
This is a move that the Brazilian Ronaldo used as a devastating effect in the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

If you are a right-footed player, you need to step over the ball with your right leg and give the defender the impression that you are going to shoot off towards your left. What you actually do is hit the ball to your right with your left leg from behind the right leg.

If it sounds complicated, then it's only because you have not seen or tried it. Most of these tricks are quite elementary, and more than anything else they require the ability to fake the defender. While trying these, one should pay attention to the shoulders. A drop of the shoulders in a particular direction can completely fool a defender.

The Overhead Scissor Kick
Lastly, we have one of the most exuberant and flamboyant tricks. If pulled off rightly, this trick can be immensely effective. But it is extremely tough, and requires great agility, a strong standing jump, and great concentration on the ball.

This is basically a shooting technique that comes into play when a ball is coming towards you in the air, and your back is facing the goal. You jump up into the air and kick the ball backwards in an overhead kick. It's an extremely acrobatic move, and landing on one's back after that can be quite painful.

All of these require great flexibility and physical fitness. Get yourself really fit before you try all this, or you may end up injuring yourself. All the famous and incredible soccer players master these moves with lots of hard work and practice, and if you can display equal amounts of willpower, you can also pull off these amazing soccer tricks and moves.

Joga Bonito!ou may end up injuring yourself. All the famous and incredible soccer players master these moves with lots of hard work and practice, and if you can display equal amounts of willpower, you can also pull off these amazing soccer tricks and moves. Joga Bonito!