To improve your ball control you will need to understand that practice is the way to success. This might be a bit unclear at first, so let me provide a real world example for you.
When you started to learn how to write you felt that every sentence took a day to complete. However, after a year of practice you even managed to write a short story about your summer trip. Today, after several years of practice you are able to write a sentence in only few seconds.
The point with this example is to make your realize that the more effort you put in something, the better results you will get. You can’t expect to have great control if you don’t practice.
To help you out I have created this guide to give you ideas on how to improve your ball control. The next section is all about the most common used soccer techniques for ball control.
Inside
If you are new to soccer you should try to use the inside part of your foot as often you can. It will be easier for you to set up the ball then if you were using any other parts of your foot. It might seem awkward at first, but the technique will feel more natural as time passes.
Outside
The outside is the most frequently used part for controlling a ball in soccer. The reason is pretty obvious, it is impossible to achieve the same speed with any other parts of your foot. Keep in mind that you can squeeze the ball to the outside of your body with very little effort or need for foot readjustment. This is achieved with a smooth movement which can also disguise your intention to an opponent. This is the part you should use when you want to achieve maximum speed on the soccer field.
Sole
The sole is very useful for controlling the ball when you are facing the opponents goal with your back with minimum space available but also when you are performing some particular soccer moves (e.g. 360 or Ferenc Puskas).
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Summary
These are just a few ways to control the ball during a soccer game. It might sound straightforward, but you really do need to make sure that you practice as much as possible.