Coaches look for this basic skill for their midfield players. Coaches are looking for this skill as young as 8 years old. This skill is the link between defense and midfield. Of course, this skill is dribbling. Find out how and why to improve dribbling at soccer.
Why Dribbling Is Important For Midfield Players
Of all players of the pitch, midfield players move the most with and without the ball. In a recent study, researchers analyzed top levels games in de Spanish and Italian and champion league. One of the items investigated was which position has the most meters covered with the ball. The data clearly shows that midfield players do the most running with and without the ball. See the data below.
Be skillful, Be Creative
Looking at the study, you can see that central midfield player dribbles a lot, but at a slower speed. Apart from the goalie, the central midfield player moves the slowest of all field players. This lack of speed, however, has to be compensated by both creativity and skill. One group of researchers stated;
Teams who dribble more are, on average, higher ranked. One group of scientist found after investigating the Serie A league that;
Be Fast With The Ball
One study found that soccer players who became professional are 0.3 seconds faster on 30 meters dribbling than soccer players who became amateur. The scientist noted;
Dribbling For Midfield
Coaches look for dribblers for midfield positions. As young as age 8, coaches can pick out talented dribblers. One study looked at 744 high-level soccer players between the age of 8-18. The study found that dribbling skills at a young age were a reason for becoming a central midfielder.
Speed can really improve from age 14-16, compared to dribbling. Although dribbling skills can really improve after age 16, coaches and scouts don’t seem to have that kind of patience. Physical fitness doesn’t have a lot to do with dribbling skills.
Differences between Fast And Slow Dribblers
There are a couple of differences between youth players who dribble fast and players who don’t. The mean differences are
- faster players have more touches with the ball than slower players
- quick players have more contacts with the ground than slower players (cadence)
- fast players have almost 4 times as more touches with their “bad” foot compared to their slower counterparts
- lower pace players have a higher center of gravity
- slower players have a higher degree angle than the faster player
In the picture below you can see the difference between fast and slower dribblers. The many more touches on the ball, on the ground and the lower center of gravity results in sharper corners and greater start speed.
How Can You Become Better At Dribbling
Dribbling is a combination of coordination, sight, speed, and strength. There are a couple of things, however, you can do to improve your dribble. The most important thing is to invest time to improve dribbling. Like in most things in soccer, there is no easy solution.
Use Both Feet
The most obvious way to improve dribbling is to dribble with both your dominant and non-dominant leg. Although this won’t improve your total dribbling speed, it can improve your dribbling. Being able to dribble with both feet is preferred by professional soccer academies. One group of scientist noted;
Play Small-Sided Games, Not With Too Many
Studies show that playing small-sided games are great for improving most aspects of soccer. For increasing your dribbling skills, however, small-sided games have to be small. Comparing 3 vs 3 and 6 vs 6, it was shown that dribbling approved with 3 vs 3, while longer passes improved with 6 vs 6.
Improve Your conditioning while Dribbling
A study from Scotland involving Celtic Football Club found a novel way to increase your endurance (VO2 MAX), jump and dribbling. They experimented and found that having a 4 minutes dribble at high-intensity, improved endurance, jump power and dribbling. The youth players performed the dribbling skill 2 times a week for 10 weeks. The session consisted of 4 times 4 minutes dribbling, with a 3 minutes rest jogging at 70% of VO2 MAX in between. See the parkour below, from here.
