The toughest part of this soccer trick is catching the ball. You have to trap it between the calf and butt WITHOUT letting it bouce off either one. So, the timing has to be perfect with raising your calf.

The final “flick” takes a little practice too. You have to give the ball an extra push to set it up for the opposite foot. You will see this in the video.

YouTube Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZwFgi0GTUo

Performing the ATW is an accomplishment. But THIS variation is much harder. Not only are you doing the ATW trick TWICE, but you are doing it in REVERSE…AND immediately after you do the normal one.

You will have to be very patient with this trick. Your legs will start to burn after only a few minutes of practicing. What’s WORSE – is as you continue to practice, youre legs will get more tired and sluggish. So I would recommend only practicing this trick a few minutes at a time – otherwise you are going to end up getting more frustrated by the minute.

Same basic prinicples apply here. Anytime you do the ATW, you need to focus on moving the foot immediately after you touch the ball. This is especially true for this variation of the trick.

Patience!

YouTube Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4BBgynS7T4

Even though Danny is doing this trick straight from a foot stall, you can also do this from a juggle.

From a foot stall, the lift needs to be high enough so you can connect with the knee, but be sure to leave some space between the ball and the knee so you can lower the knee enough to strike it well.

There’s not much to say about this one. It’s pretty simple to do. Great for beginners.

YouTube Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-t4x-TI3YE

Once you’ve learned the ATW (Around the World) trick, there’s lots of combinations you can try with it. This is one that I like.

The Toe lift can be found in a separate video, but all you do is roll the ball to your other foot and lift the toe up at the right moment to make the ball pop up in the air. Takes some timing.

The ATW trick is broken down in a separate video so if please check it out if you are having trouble with it. The MOST important things to keep in mind with the ATW are: 1) Foot should go around the ball IMMEDIATELY after the first touch. 2) The swinging motion needs to be quick, so train your leg to do make that motion over and over until it’s fast.

YouTube Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIIrpUM_Em4

There’s not much to this trick. Roll the ball up the leg and turn around at the same time.

The Rule:

If you use the RIGHT foot to roll the ball up the other leg, then you turn to the LEFT. And vice versa.

The only other advice I can give you is to lift the ball HARD so that you have plenty of time to catch it and continue the juggle.

This one isn’t too bad folks. A couple dozen repetitions and you should have it.

Youtube Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JPnA0FNvW0

If I had to choose ONE thing that will help you be successful with this trick, it’s this:

MAKE SURE YOUR BODY IS MOVING IN AN UPWARD DIRECTION WHEN YOU TAP.

My biggest mistake was lack of upward momentum. If you don’t have it, the ball will just drop after the tap and you will not be able to continue juggling.

Do ANYTHING you can to emphasize the tap. Believe me, it’s hard to get a hard tap on the ball when you’re in midair. There’s nothing to push off from. In the video, you’ll see both Laurent and Genier curving their body to get an extra push on the tap. That’s what it will take.

Don’t lose hope on this one. It takes many repetitions to get comfortable with it. Be patient.

Youtube Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXhMSLagQmw

If you watch the video closely, you’ll see that Genier uses his entire body to push the ball into the ground (not just his leg). He pushes toward the ground quick AND releases quick. You have to release the ball QUICKER than the ball can rise off the ground – otherwise, you’ll get in the way. That’s hard to do.

If this trick isn’t working for you, it probably means you are NOT doing one or more of these things correctly:

1) Pushing FAST with a lot of FORCE (get the whole body into it)

2) Push straight down

3) Releasing FAST – Get the leg out of the way! (raise the leg up quickly so the ball can spring up)

4) Use the spot between your foot and shin (or somewhere close to that) to push.

It will take many tries before you can get the ball to come up, but you’ll get there. You will find a way to make it work. Be patient.

Youtube Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moMfKisZU0M

The three variations you’ll see in this video are:

1) From a foot stall

2) From a juggle

3) With the opposite foot (the one that doesn’t release the ball)

In my personal opinion, I would say that the first one is the easiest and the third one is the hardest. So, it might be a good idea to start with the first and work your way to the third.

General tips:

Wrap the leg around the ball AS THE BALL IS GOING UP. Doesn’t matter whether you do it from a foot stall or a juggle. If you don’t start moving your leg around while the ball is going UP, then it becomes VERY HARD to make it all the way around.

So, BEFORE you start to swing your leg around MAKE SURE you lift/tap the ball in an upward direction. This is the ONLY way to make this trick work.

YouTube Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sGFd7y2kL4

This is basically a two-part lift:

1) Start off with a simple ankle lift. Here’s the link to the basic ankle lift. Start at the ankle and roll the ball up the leg.

2) Use the same foot to strike the ball down towards the ground – preferably with the heel.

IMPORTANT TIPS:

-As SOON AS you strike the ball with your heel, move the foot FORWARD out of the way to allow the ball to bounce back up.

- Get some good height when you roll it up your leg. Otherwise you won’t have any space to hit the ball down.

- If you want the ball to go in front of you after the hammer – make sure to hit it with a forward motion (moving your foot forward a bit as you hit the ball down) – even if it’s only a little bit. It makes a big difference.

YouTube Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csePB9lISbw

For some people, this lift may be EASIER than the Basic Lift that most people use to start juggling.

The KEY to pulling this off is to do it with ENOUGH FORCE to make the ball go up in the air long enough to starting juggling. There MUST be a least a little bit of “airtime” – otherwise you won’t be able to react fast enough.

But for most of you, this should be a piece of cake. Just watch the slow motion carefully if you have any trouble.

Youtube Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzDMs8b2oxU