Today we are learning how to bend a ball with the inside of your foot.
What’s going on?
Little dap!
It’s Jared Montz.
Former pro and coach with OSA Soccer Camps and Online Soccer Academy.Bending a ball with
the inside of your foot is a great technique for passing, crossing and shooting.
Learn to do this well and you will one, look legit and two, ncrease your total assists
and goals.
First we will learn the technique of bending and then I’ll show you an exercise called
the Becks on how to practice bending using the statUP skill tracking app.
Key Points.
Key point one.
Stand at a 45 degree angle.
Stand about 5-7 steps behind the ball to the side of your non dominant foot.
Your body should be angled at 45 degrees from your target.
Not 90 degrees.
Key point two.
Take a mental photo of your target.
Take a picture of your target then look at the ball.
Once you start your run up focus 100 percent on the ball, don’t look up again at your
target.
Key point three.
Place your plant foot slightly behind the ball.
Un like a pass where you want your plant foot right next to the ball for bending you want
your plant foot slightly behind the ball.
Key point four.
Make contact with the base of your big toe.
Start low on the ball and wrap your foot around the ball from low to high as you make contact.
Your toe should be up and your foot should look like this, not this.
The wrapping of your foot is very important.
This causes the ball to go up, dip and curve.
If you don’t wrap your foot around the ball as you are making contact the ball will go
straight and not have much curve and dip.
If you were to draw a line on the ball it would start here and end here.
This where your foot makes contact and wraps around the ball.
Key Point five.
Have a low back swing and follow through high.
Your back swing should be low so you can come high on the ball for your follow through.
What most players do wrong is they have a high back swing and come down on the ball,
making it hard for them to follow through high.
Key Point six.
Rotate your body to your target and lean back.
On your follow through rotate your body to your target.
Your shoulders should be facing your target at the end of your follow through and you
should be leaning back.
If you over rotate your ball will miss your target.
Don’t rotate too early.
Keep your body at a 45 degree angle of your target and then as you make contact with the
ball rotate to your target.
If you don’t lean back it will be hard to get the ball in the air on your swing.
Make sure you lean back.
Key Point seven.
Think technique not power.
I’d rather see your ball barely go anywhere and you have great technique then you focus
on raw power and try to beast the ball with no technique.
Exercise to practice.
An exercise to practice is a statUP test called the Becks.
Download the statUP test on iOS or Android or sign up at statUP dot com and search for
their test called the Becks.
Here is how it works.
Set up a cone 25 yards on the end line from the middle of the goal.
If you are younger player have the distance be 15 yards and do the Becks Jr test on statUP
instead of the Becks.
Then take 3 strikes trying to bend the ball in the goal.
If it goes in, it’s a hit.
If you miss, it’s a miss.
Keep taking the Becks statUP test over and over again so you can track your improvement
over time.
Remember small improvements daily equal big improvements over time.
statUP helps you see those small improvements daily.
What’s Wrong!
If your ball isn’t curving much you are probably not wrapping your foot or you are
not rotating your body.
If your foot makes contact with the ball, but you don’t wrap your foot until after
the ball has left your foot then it’s too late.
It’s too late!
Wrap your foot as you are making contact with the ball.
Bonus Tip!
Film yourself in slo motion.
Set up a camera to film your swing and then critique yourself.
Hope you enjoyed this Online Soccer Academy video!
Watch our incredibly helpful 200+ free videos at Online Soccer Academy dot com, shop for
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My name is Jared Montz and remember if you Believe in it® and back that up with hard
work, anything in life is possible.
Believe in it!