Gary Fixter - Types of ball driving

The ball driving can be classified according to the trajectory of the ball, the presence of opponents and the contact surface between the soccer player and the ball.

1. According to the trajectory of the ball

This type of ball driving can be done linearly, zigzag, cornering and making turns.

2. According to the presence of adversaries

In driving the ball with opponents, the player must implement its protection, which will vary depending on where it is located. This type of driving can be lateral, dorsal, without an opponent and frontal.

3. According to the contact surface between the soccer player and the ball

The player must take into account a series of basic aspects in this type of ball driving. It is necessary to use the front part of the sole of the foot, the touch to the ball must be as smooth as possible, the sole must be inclined when hitting the ball and both the ball and the foot must go very close together.

In addition, all types of driving must also be worked to achieve greater efficiency in all the actions that occur in the real game.

This type of driving can be classified as follows:

* Inside: Driving the ball using the inside of the foot is perhaps the first lesson to be taught to players. Despite being slower than the others, the truth is that for the footballer it is very easy to carry out, since it is a fairly large contact surface. To correctly conduct the inner ball drive, you have to turn your hip a little each time the ball is hit gently. In this way it is possible to carry it in a straight line.

* Exterior: this surface is not usually used as much for driving, since when it is used it is quite difficult to carry the ball in a straight line, and it is also very slow.

* Exterior and interior instep: both zones are the most used by soccer players, but they are also the ones that present the greatest difficulty when learning. This complication arises when the footballer continuously alternates between these two contact surfaces in order to try to prevent the ball from following the desired path. To carry out the driving correctly, the ball must be tapped both with the outer instep and the inside in an alternative way.

* Upper: This contact surface is used at the same time as the inner and outer upper. In order to make ball driving faster and more effective, all three zones can be combined.

* Sole of the foot: as a general rule, driving tends to be lateral. However, with a little practice the footballer can make it straight. One of the main advantages of using the sole of the foot for driving the ball is the security it provides the player, since it has a large contact surface, in addition to being able to go out in any direction and having the ball well protected.

* Chest, head and thigh: these contact surfaces are rarely used practically to carry out elevated balloon driving, since they present great difficulty.