Skills & drills for women’s football

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What it looks like

Footie tricks » Keepy Uppies

How?

“A keepy-uppy (or juggling) simply involves keeping the ball off the ground for as long as possible using various parts of your body – parts that are allowed to touch the ball in football: feet, knees, thighs, shoulders (not arms), chest, head, even your back. The ball is gently tapped into the air and then back down again, onto either the same or another part of your body, all the time keeping it under control and off the ground. Keepy-uppies require practise, patience, balance and a lot of concentration, but when mastered, they can really improve your ball control skills. Being able to do them might also give you more confidence in match situations.”

Why?

“In a game situation, a player might choose to control an oncoming ball by doing a keepy-uppy before releasing it again, or she might have the ball on the ground and choose to bring it off the ground as a way of beating her opponent or getting the ball into the air. Keepy-uppies are often used as a threat to the opposing team, to make them see how skilful you can be and how relaxed you are with the game, but can also be used to beat a player. The South Americans use keepy-uppies in their game all the time.”

Tips & drills

It’s all about control. Once you’ve got a good touch on the ball, keepy-uppies will come naturally. But the converse is also true: once you can do keepy-uppies, you’ll find your touch on the ball during the game also improves.