Skills / Turning

The drag-back

Stop the ball with the sole of your foot, roll it back and go the other way. The simplest turn there is.

L R 20 cm
  • Foot on the ball
  • Ball's path

Any age

When to use it

When a defender blocks your way forward, or you run out of space near a line.

Get it right

  • Plant your standing foot beside the ball, not behind it.
  • Put the sole of your other foot on top of the ball.
  • Roll it back towards you, not just stop it.
  • Spin on your standing foot and go, fast, into the space behind you.

Watch out for

  • Stepping on the ball too hard, so you trip over it.
  • Turning slowly. The turn is only worth doing if you then accelerate.

Drawn for the right foot. Learn it on your weaker foot too: it doubles the number of ways you can go.

More turning: The inside hook, The outside hook, The Cruyff turn.

In a match

Practising a skill is half of it. Here is when it turns up in a game, and what to look for.

Where
Near the touchline or the byline, and in tight spaces.
The moment
A defender blocks the way forward, or the ball is about to go out.
Match mistake
Dragging it back into a second defender. Know where the space is before you turn.

Try it in your next match. Use a drag-back to keep the ball in play near a line, then pass.

Match moments where it counts: We have just won it · Make a chance from the wing

Practise it

Drills where you will use this skill again and again.