A very important soccer skill for a complete player to develop is the ability to play a long ball.
Here are some situations where you might need to know how to play a soccer long ball –
You need to cover a long distance with the ball quickly.
Crossing the ball to a player in front of the goal.
Clearing the ball out of the defensive area.
Playing a long through ball to a forward.
Once again, to really see the value of being able to play a great long pass, we’re going to use the example of two players in La Liga, the Spanish Soccer League. These players are Xavi Hernandez of Barcelona, and Xabi Alonso of Real Madrid, both of whom are known as very dangerous passers. One of the things that makes these players such great passers is their ability to quickly play a long pass to an open part of the field. Most of the opposing team’s defense drifts over to their side of the field, then they see a teammate in wide open space on the other side of the field. Their ability to play a long ball and switch the ball over to their teammate can be very helpful in catching the other team out of position.
These two players use some of the same fundamentals when they play a long ball that are shown in the video above, namely –
Planting your foot next to the ball
Leaning back as you strike the ball – this brings your follow through up, forcing the ball up in the air
Striking the bottom half of the ball with your laces
Following through
These same fundamentals are (and were) used by some of the greatest long passers in history as well, such as David Beckham, Paul Scholes, and Andrea Pirlo.
A good drill you can do to work on your long passing is to find a solid wall and simply play the ball against it. Trap your rebound, then play the ball against the wall again. This will help you work not only on your long passes, but also your trapping.
This drill is great to do at the same time as wall passes, since you have to find a wall to play the ball against anyway. This also lets you work on both your long and short passing skills in the same training session.
Finally, don’t get frustrated if you’re having trouble getting the ball up high enough in the air. Keep practicing and working on it. Don’t give up just because it doesn’t work at first. As you continue practicing, you will find that you can play the ball both longer and higher.
For more free individual soccer drills, visit our free drills section.
If you’re looking for a good place to get started with your individual soccer training, download our free 5 day individual training plan.
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