Youth soccer players have an amazing opportunity to learn several skills at their age because they are still very much in the development stage of their careers.

In this age of the internet, so many resources are available to these youngsters if they are serious about becoming top professionals in the game.

Players like Alex Morgan, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar are very well known for some of their ridiculous goalscoring feats and the records they break as often as possible.

Some of these records require what fans could see as magic, but the only true magic in the world of soccer. happens through learning skills and practicing them over and over again.

Every player who has reached the college or professional level and achieved success in their soccer career has undoubtedly mastered several skills.

Some are specialists in some of them, and this specialty makes them indispensable in their team, so it is important that youth soccer players learn special skills.

In this blog, we discuss some of those skills that are key to the success of most soccer players around the world. And we will start with my personal favorite the Scissors.

The Scissors

The Scissors is one of the most popular 1v1 skills in soccer. It is a technique used by players to deceive opponents to create space while dribbling. It involves a rapid change of direction using a scissor-like motion with the legs.

The player approaches the defender or opponents, typically at a moderate pace, and then quickly drags the ball with the sole of one foot across the body. This sudden change in direction often catches defenders off-guard, as they anticipate the player to continue moving in the original direction. At the same time, the attacking player swings their other foot around the back of the ball, feinting as if they will kick it with that foot. Instead, they swiftly pull the ball back and change direction, leaving the defender off-balance and creating an opportunity to continue their attack or pass the ball to a teammate.

Players who have mastered the scissors move possess excellent ball control, quick footwork, and the ability to execute the technique seamlessly in real-time situations. By incorporating the scissors move into their repertoire, soccer players can add an element of flair, deception, and creativity to their gameplay.

I encourage you to watch the video you shared and observe how Melanie Barcenas utilizes the scissors move. Pay attention to her footwork, timing, and ability to create opportunities through this dribbling technique.

Melanie Barcenas Debut

Bonus: Enjoy the video below of some of Ronaldinho best scissors in games.

Ronaldinho Signature “Scissors” Skills Move

The Pullback

The pull-back is one of the most important skills every young soccer attacking player must have in their skill set.

It involves passing the ball back into the opponent’s area instead of crossing for teammates inside the box.

The pull-back can be more effective than a cross because the opposing defenders will almost expect a cross, and a successful pull-back will fool them.

This skill is great for every player on the pitch to have but is most important for the full-backs, wingers, and wide attackers.

The likes of Jordan Henderson and Nicolo Barella are two midfielders who perfectly play the pull-back.

The V Move

The V Move is one of the most effective ways to beat defenders, and it is one skill every midfielder needs to have.

It involves moving the ball forward with your preferred foot as if you want to pass to a teammate and then placing your foot atop the ball and dragging it back to where you started the move.

You’d then use the inside of your foot to push the ball in the other direction and move. This way, you would have fooled the defender and dribbled past the individual.

This is one skill that helps when you’re being pressed by opponents in any area of the pitch, but it is brilliant when players pull it off and send a superb pass to a teammate in midfield or defense.

It could also be an effective way to break a press and launch a counter-attack against any opponent.

The Inside Chop

The inside chop offers one more easy way to dribble past any opponent when you have enough space on the pitch.

The middle of the pitch is the perfect place to perform this skill, but when they get very good at it, even in a small space, a youth soccer player can still beat their man.

The skill involves hitting the ball toward your opponent, but you use the inside of your boot to move the ball the other way just before the opponent can get close enough to make contact with it.

Two-footed players make this skill even more delicious because the opponent does not know which foot the attacker will use to kick the ball past them.

Manchester City’s Matteo Kovacic is one player who is very skilled at this, as it helps him to beat anyone in midfield and advance the ball, which is why it is so hard to get the ball off him.

One attacker who also knows how to use the inside chop very well is Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala, and his fantastic close control and body balance means he can comfortably beat several players at the same time.

The Outside Chop

The outside chop is very similar to the inside chop, the difference being that the player uses the outside of the boot to make the move. Example below Alphonso Davis vs FC Barcelona during the champions League match

You just need to push the ball close to the opponent and use the outside of your left or right boot to hit the other way before the defender gets close enough to touch the ball.

For some people, this might be much harder to execute, but it becomes much easier, and you can get accustomed to it after several hours of practice.

The L turn

The L Turn is one impressive piece of skill that can help you get away from several markers at the same time, and it can also help players create space to dribble, pass, and take a shot at the goal.

One man who is skilled and is never afraid to use the L Turn is Neymar. Of course, the Brazilian is a bag of tricks who is never tired of pulling one off in any game.

The L Turn is one way he gets away from his marker or wriggles himself out of a tight spot without losing the ball.

To perform this skill, place the sole of your feet on the ball and drag it slightly backward, as the ball passes, hit it with the inside of the same foot behind you to the left or right.

This is an easy way to pull through from a group of players, and several players use this to create openings for themselves in different situations.

The Step Over

The step-over is probably the most popular way to beat anyone in 1v1, and it remains an enjoyable skill to master.

Any defender will fall for this trick in any game, and it gives the attacker time and space to execute a pass or even score a goal.

To perform this trick, the player steps over the ball with one leg and uses the outside of the other foot to move the ball forward in the other direction.

That first step over would fool the defending player and make them think the player wants to move in that direction, creating space for them to run in the opposite direction.

This skill was one of the main skills associated with Brazilian legend Ronaldinho and African superstar Jay Jay Okocha.

Many new players have followed their lead and have even made it a much more pleasant piece of skill to pull off.

Every player can have this skill in their Arsenal, but it might be too risky for a defender to pull it off because it could cost his team a goal if it fails.

However, if a midfielder or attacker pulls it off and loses the ball, other players on the pitch could rescue him.

This is another skill that requires a lot of technique to pull off. If a player is blessed with some natural technique, it would be much easier to learn it, but others might need a bit to practice to include it in their game.

The Feint

The feint is very similar to a step-over and is one easy way to beat any opponent in an area of the pitch. Unlike the step-over, where the leg movement fools the opponent, the body movement is used to deceive the defender in the feint.

To perform this skill, the player will move the ball close to the opponent and then drop their shoulder as if they want to run in a certain direction, but use the outside of their foot to kick the ball in the opposite direction and move that way.

Lionel Messi and Lindsay Horan are often praised for for their quick quick feet and abilities make the feint look fancy when it is just a simple move. He uses his quick footwork and body feints to outmaneuver defenders to create space and scoring opportunities for themselves or teammates.

The upper body movement(dropping the shoulder) is highly recommended in order to deceive the opponent. the player quickly moves past them when the movnent tries to recover but an’t catch up. this skill is exmplified by players like like Lionel Messi, Tobin Heath, Lindsey Horan, Neymar, Kylian Mbappe…

These are some of the important ball skills youth soccer players need to have that will make them valuable to any team they play for.

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