Skills / Turning

The inside hook

Reach round the front of the ball and hook it back with the inside of your foot. A sharp turn at speed.

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

From about age 7

When to use it

Running with the ball and you need to turn back quickly, for example when a defender is chasing.

Get it right

  • Plant your standing foot just past the ball.
  • Reach your kicking foot round the front of the ball.
  • Hook it back with the inside of the foot, close to you.
  • Turn over the shoulder of your standing foot, low and quick, and accelerate away.

Watch out for

  • Planting too far from the ball, so you can't reach round it.
  • Hooking it too far, so it runs away from you.

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

More turning: The drag-back, 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
Running with the ball, when a defender is chasing.
The moment
The defender is level with you on your kicking-foot side.
Match mistake
Turning into the defender's path. Hook away from them.

Try it in your next match. Turn back inside once when a defender chases you down the wing.

Match moments where it counts: We have just won it

Practise it

Drills where you will use this skill again and again.