The Art of Dribbling

This is the first installment of our “The Art Of” series where we cover the most important football skills — dribbling, goalscoring, and defending.

Dribbling is one of the most mesmerizing parts of football. It’s what makes the game beautiful. Some of the most iconic players the game has seen, the likes of Ronaldinho, Neymar, Ronaldo Nazario, Messi, and Zizou, are notable for their remarkable dribbling ability, flair, and technique.

There’s no magic in football without dribbling.

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Ronaldinho beating defenders with stepovers.

So what makes a good dribbler?

There are a variety of attributes that contribute to this. Balance, agility, quick feet, speed, change of direction, and invention.

Dribbling isn’t about showboating. It serves a purpose. Good dribbling is really about deception and situational awareness. If you think back to the Brazilian players of previous eras, they were seen as very flashy due to their dribbling style but still effective in the outcome they wanted to achieve, which was to get the opponent on the wrong foot and change direction.

Messi, one of the game’s greatest-ever players is also a very good dribbler. His style is more subtle. Messi relies more on feints, shoulder drops, and sharp turns to get the same outcome—create space to pass or shoot.

Stepovers, elásticos, pirouettes,

Cruyff turns and feints are all effective tools in a dribbler’s arsenal.

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Zizou using his signature move to beat opponents.

How to become a better dribbler

So, you want to get better at dribbling?

It takes practice—a lot of practice, and a lot of trial and error to level up your dribbling skills.

Watch videos, take a ball, find a field, and try things. The most important things to focus on should be improving ball control, coordination, and situational awareness. With these, you’ll notice an improvement when next you’re in a match situation.

The ability to scan your surroundings, anticipate your opponent’s moves, get past them, and create opportunities is part of the art of dribbling.

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Neymar leaving the defender in the mud.