Why Is Ball Mastery, Ball Manipulation and 1 v 1’s So Important

Individualism is one of the key aspects of football but it is seldom overlooked.  How many times have you watched a football match and heard a coach screaming at the young player “pass, pass it, just pass it next time”.  Do we believe the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were told to pass the ball all the time, (we don’t think so).  Messi and Ronaldo are without doubt 2 of the worlds greatest players, players that get us off our feet and excite us the most!

When was the last time England had a player like Gazza, who could and would make something out of nothing.  These are the sort of players our game lacks and what we are crying out for.

We as football fans all look up to the likes of Barcelona, what a fantastic team they are.  But they are in fact a bunch of fantastic individuals put together to create that team.  The back players like Pique are just as comfortable on the ball as the forward players, they have no fear bringing the ball from the back and starting off attacks. Too often coaches prefer the young player not to engage in individual play for fear they may lose possession and a goal and subsequently lose the game!!

As a result, it is rare to find training programmes that encourage individual play and complete mastery of the football.

Our ball mastery is aimed at providing the individual technical training required to improve the individual!!

The ball mastery part of every session is designed to make all players feel more confident in possession of the football in the following ways:

  • To make players more creative and positive e.g. in 1 v 1 situations. 
  • To give our players the confidence to try things when faced with an opponent and make good decisions.
  • To be able to operate in tight areas and under pressure.
John Barnes

“Technical training is a matter of constant repetition until that technique is completely mastered.  The hours of practice and repetition will help the individual improve and eventually have it set in their mind!  The old saying practice makes perfect is wrong, practice makes permanent” – John Barnes Ex-Liverpool and England