Skills & Drills: Offense

Trapping
The same as receiving the ball. The key here is ‘cushion’. Almost any part of the players’ body may be used to trap the ball, except the hands of course. The objective of trapping the ball is to stop the ball and keep it near the players’ body and within distance to control it. There are three common areas of the body used to trap the ball.

The foot:. Teach players to use the foot to ‘capture’ balls descending, near or on the ground. This involves the player:

1. Getting in front of the ball.
   
2. Extending the leg and foot forward of the body, anticipating the arrival of the ball.
   
3. Upon contact with the foot, the player should pull the leg back to slow the ball, or ‘cushion’ the ball. If the foot is not pulled back, the ball will carom off the foot and out of control of the player. Get the player to think about catching an egg!

For younger players begin with the inside of the foot, as this is the largest and most forgiving area of the foot. For older and more advance players, practice trapping with the instep or top of the foot and both inside and outside of the foot. Players should eventually advance to using the shin and ankle for higher or wildly bouncing balls.

The Thigh: Because of the large size of the thigh and higher fatty tissue content, this is a very effective method for trapping both slow and fast airborne passes below the chest. Here’s how:

1. Get in front of and square to the incoming ball. Standing on one foot, raise the other knee and thigh to meet the ball.
   
2. Upon contact, quickly drop the knee, allowing the ball to momentarily ‘stick’ to the thigh.
   
3. Continue dropping the knee until the ball rolls from the thigh to the feet.

The Chest: The theory is the same as the thigh, but execution is slightly different.

1. Get in front of and square to the incoming ball. The chest should be ‘pushed-out’ to meet the incoming ball. The arms may need to be up or out to offset the loss of balance coinciding with impact, depending upon the speed of the ball. Note: With younger players, getting the arms in front will result in a handball 90% of the time.
   
2. The chest should be pulled back quickly from the waist at the moment of impact. The players’ should try to get the feeling of the ball ‘sticking’ to their chest.
   
3. Once cushioned, the ball can be dropped to the player’s feet for further action.