Hi, my name is Dylan Leeman; welcome back to my blog on Soccer IQ. Today I am going to explain the 2nd of 5 clinical skills that are important to learn. The other clinical skills are: receiving with the proper foot, passing to the proper foot, lifting the tight angle pass, and the ball in behind. If you didn't get a chance to read my last blog on lifting the tight angle pass, you should go check it out. Today I will be talking about "The Toe Poke".
"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 its a disease"(Blank 48). This is an interesting quote because poking the ball with your toe is usually frowned upon due to lack of control. It can be very helpful at times, on both offense and defense. On the offensive end it can be used in situations when you are very limited on time, or in a scramble in front of goal when you just need to get a touch on it to score, On the defensive end it is also used when you are lacking time but you are just using it to get the ball away from your goal(Blank 48).Why do you think more coaches don't teach their players about how to successfully execute a toe poke?
I think many coaches don't teach their players toe pokes because they can be inconsistent. Toe pokes can be very hard to control and it might not always go where you want it to. But I agree with how it can a great option in certain situations. I have had many experiences where a toe poke has helped me out of a difficult defending situation.
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting on my blog Madison. I agree that toe pokes can be very inconstant but as you said in your example they can be very helpful when you absolutely need them.
DeleteI agree with Madison. I remember being taught young to never toe poke because it is very difficult to control and takes a long time to get right. But there are a lot of times where a toe poke can be useful, especially if its the only option, like if you are standing at an odd angle to kick the ball.
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting on my blog Shane. I agree that toe pokes can be very difficult to control but if you are at an odd angle in may be your best option.
DeleteI agree with both Shane and Madison that it is very helpful to learn or be taught the toe poke. Most coaches tell you not to use it but recently my coaches are saying to use it when you need to, because at times it catches people off guard.
ReplyDeleteI think that it's one of those things where your coach is going to tell you not to do it, because it is so much harder to control the ball, and it's not something that you want to make a habit of doing, but it's definitely a skill that you need to master. Maybe this is one of the skills that can be worked on in a small amount of space Noah! Like practicing against a wall or fence even.
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