Feints and Dummies

Key Points and description on how to perform feints and dummies effectively.

Ok, so what are “ Feints and Dummies ?” Well a feints and dummies are techniques of deceiving your opponent into thinking you are going to do one thing and then doing something different in order to get past him with the ball, or to play the ball past him to a team mate, or even shoot on goal.

You see feints and dummies or “moves” all the time in soccer and you just need to master a couple of them in order to be effective. It is not necessary to be able to perform 10 different feints when it is much more effective to master just your favorite two.

For example, as you approach an opponent, you can “Feint” to the left so that the opponent moves to your left to block you and then burst to the right in the space created.

Another example of a feint is to deceive the opponent into thinking you are running with the ball when you have actually stopped the ball dead, took a step forward as if you still have the ball and then you quickly turn and take the ball in the opposite direction (Stop Turn.)

A “Dummy” occurs when you act as if you are going to do something with the ball (receive it, pass it, shoot it) when in fact you don’t actually do anything with the ball, you simply let it pass by you to a team mate who is in space

who can then take advantage of the fooling of the opposition.

For example, you and a team mate can be bursting into the penalty area as a cross comes in from the wing. You approach the ball as the first attacker knowing that your team mate is behind you in space. As you attack the ball as if you are going to shoot it, the opposition will move towards you and the ball and be distracted away from marking your team mate. Now, instead of you doing anything with the ball, you either let it run in front of or behind you, or you step over it or deliberately miss it and the ball rolls past you to your team mate. He/she is now in open space with a clear path to goal and a very good chance of being successful.

Watch out for examples of dummies the next time you watch soccer and then go ahead and try and recreate and practice them with your team. They are very effective.

Here’s a quick tip, in order for a dummy to be successful the players involved need to communicate that they are going to carry out a dummy. Either the first player to the ball can tell his team mate he is going to do it, or the second player can communicate to the first player that he wants him to dummy the ball. Make sure that your team has some sort of code word to call a dummy so that they don’t give the idea away. My teams shout “Fred” to indicate they are either going to dummy the ball, or that they want the first player to dummy the ball and let it roll through to them.

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