Goals are counted, they aren’t critiqued!
A 40-yard first-time laser deposited by a full volley into the back of the net, counts no more than a toe-poke past the goalkeeper.
They all cout…….ONE!
Toe-poke? Isn’t that a no-no? Don’t we teach players to never strike the ball with the toe of their foot?
Sadly that is often stressed to the point where a young player will never strike a toe-ball, which is often the best option in either scoring a goal or poking the ball off an opponent’s foot.
Too easy to get the rep as a “toe-baller.” And no one likes to be called names. But whoa to the one who doesn’t know the difference between a toe-ball and a toe-baller.
Dan Blank, Associate Head Women’s Coach at the University of Georgia, in his book Soccer IQ, makes a good point when he writes:
“The toe-ball has been tagged with a nasty stigma in our country. We teach our kids not to drink, smoke, steal or kick a soccer ball with their toes. So while Brazilian strikers are gleefully scoring goals with their toes, American players treat the toe-ball like it’s a disease.”
Sometimes the ball lies at your feet and defensive pressure is on the way in the form of one or more opponents, and the best option to get it to a open nearby teammate is to poke it with your toe. No windup needed. Just nudge it along out of danger, away from pressure and to your teammate.
There will be times in front of your opponent’s goal where just a quick touch is needed to move the ball across the line for a goal. Many goals have been scored with a toe-poke, including game-winning goals.
To be sure there are times for an instep drive, a powerful shot where the striker’s weight it transferred through the ball. There are also times when a goal can be scored by simply putting the biggest surface of your foot, which by the way, is the inside of your foot, on the ball and slot it low past the opposing goalkeeper.
Sometimes, for instance on break-aways, the shot should be like a pass. Beat the goalkeeper with a pass into the goal! Hello! They all count…….ONE!
To be sure, we don’t want players who play everything with the toe. It’s not “the” part of your foot to use on every pass, shot, or cross, but one of your options. It’s a good thing to have options!
Of course, the toe-poke isn’t just for strikers and others with goal-scoring opportunities. There have been a legion of blue-ribbon defenders who have saved the goal and saved the game with the short and very fast toe-poke that knocks the ball away from the foot of an opposing player. And that’s a good thing!
A 40-yard first-time laser deposited by a full volley into the back of the net, counts no more than a toe-poke past the goalkeeper.
They all cout…….ONE!
Toe-poke? Isn’t that a no-no? Don’t we teach players to never strike the ball with the toe of their foot?
Sadly that is often stressed to the point where a young player will never strike a toe-ball, which is often the best option in either scoring a goal or poking the ball off an opponent’s foot.
Too easy to get the rep as a “toe-baller.” And no one likes to be called names. But whoa to the one who doesn’t know the difference between a toe-ball and a toe-baller.
Dan Blank, Associate Head Women’s Coach at the University of Georgia, in his book Soccer IQ, makes a good point when he writes:
“The toe-ball has been tagged with a nasty stigma in our country. We teach our kids not to drink, smoke, steal or kick a soccer ball with their toes. So while Brazilian strikers are gleefully scoring goals with their toes, American players treat the toe-ball like it’s a disease.”
Sometimes the ball lies at your feet and defensive pressure is on the way in the form of one or more opponents, and the best option to get it to a open nearby teammate is to poke it with your toe. No windup needed. Just nudge it along out of danger, away from pressure and to your teammate.
There will be times in front of your opponent’s goal where just a quick touch is needed to move the ball across the line for a goal. Many goals have been scored with a toe-poke, including game-winning goals.
To be sure there are times for an instep drive, a powerful shot where the striker’s weight it transferred through the ball. There are also times when a goal can be scored by simply putting the biggest surface of your foot, which by the way, is the inside of your foot, on the ball and slot it low past the opposing goalkeeper.
Sometimes, for instance on break-aways, the shot should be like a pass. Beat the goalkeeper with a pass into the goal! Hello! They all count…….ONE!
To be sure, we don’t want players who play everything with the toe. It’s not “the” part of your foot to use on every pass, shot, or cross, but one of your options. It’s a good thing to have options!
Of course, the toe-poke isn’t just for strikers and others with goal-scoring opportunities. There have been a legion of blue-ribbon defenders who have saved the goal and saved the game with the short and very fast toe-poke that knocks the ball away from the foot of an opposing player. And that’s a good thing!