Control a Soccer Ball with your Thigh

Follow these 6 key points to have better control with your thigh!

Key Points:

Key Point #1 - Get your thigh up early! Lots of players lift their thigh up to control the ball right as the ball is hitting their thigh. This causes the ball to bounce up, off their thigh and go high in the air. Think of hitting a baseball. When you swing the bat and make contact the ball is going to go far. If you get the bat up early for a bunt, the ball hits the bat and falls short because their was no swing of the bat. 

Key Point #2 - Cushion the ball in! The idea is right as the ball is about to hit your thigh, you pull your thigh back a little bit. This will take some power out of the ball and cause it to drop at your feet. You don't want it to hit you as if you were a rock and bounce off. You need to be loose like jello to absorb the ball. 

Key Point #3 - Angle your thigh at a 45 degree angle facing down. This way when the ball hits your thigh it will go forward. If your thigh is to high, then it will cause the ball to go up in the air or not even hit your thigh at all because the ball is coming straight at you. 

Key Point #4 - Have the ball hit the middle of your thigh. 

Key Point #5 - We don't want the ball to pop up! Why? If the ball is going up in the air, what does it take for it to come back down... it takes time! That extra 1-2 seconds of the ball being in the air is the extra time a defender needs to close you down. 

Key Point #6 - Be confident!!! Don't think negative as the ball is flying to you like "OMG I'm gonna take a bad touch, why did Sally kick it so hard at me!" Thinking negative will increase the chances of you messing up. Don't hope to take a great touch, take a great touch because you have been working hard at practice. Don't be surprised when it works. 

Equipment Needed:

You will need a partner and a ball. If you don't have a partner that is okay, I'll show you how to do exercises on your own too. 

Exercise Player Can Do:

Now for an exercise we can do to practice. Wether you have a partner or not start off by practicing tossing the ball up to yourself, not to high, and then cushioning it in with your thigh. After a few of these have your partner toss the ball to you underhand from a few yards away. Softer tosses first and as you get the hang of it they can throw it faster. 

Once you are ready have your partner pass you the ball in the air, you take a control touch and pass it back. Do a few reps and then switch with your partner. Do as many sets as you'd like.

If you are training on your own you can throw the ball up against a wall underhand so it comes back in the air to you, control the ball with your thigh, pass it off the wall, pick the ball up with your hands and then repeat. If you don't have a wall then throw ball up in the air and thigh control it when it comes down.

What Player Could Be Doing Wrong:

Some things that could be going wrong. If the ball is hitting your thigh and flying off as a bad touch then you are not cushioning the ball in and/or you are bringing your thigh up to late. Make sure to get it up early.

Start slow in the beginning and get this technique right first before you start trying to receive hard passes on your thigh. 

Bonus Tip!

If you want to take a thigh touch in a certain direction move your thigh in the direction you want the ball to go as you are cushioning the ball in. 

This Video Covers:
How to Control a Ball with your Thigh - How to Control a Soccer Ball - Soccer Ball Control -
How to Trap a Soccer Ball - Soccer Skills- Soccer Drills - Soccer Tutorial