Developing soccer skills: turning

Moritz Kossmann defines turning as: “A change of direction on the ball while you are in possession of the ball".

Moritz is a coach at Ubuntu Football Academy in Cape Town, where he coaches the U21s, who play in the third tier of South African football, and oversees the senior section, made up of U18s and U16s.

Having previously discussed receiving the ball, moving with it and finishing, he now talks to SCW about turning – why it is so important to the game, how players off the ball can support the player in possession while turning and what the building blocks of learning turning techniques are…

SCW: Why is turning so important to the game? What can it help us do?

MK: There are two considerations. The first is turning in relation to protecting the ball and trying to maintain possession on an individual level. The second is turning in terms of trying to create dynamic situations and space towards the opposition’s goal.

Players like Xavi and Xabi Alonso were masters of protecting the ball and maintaining possession.

Let’s say they are facing the opposition in a forward direction. They are being pressed from two different sides by different players and so run the risk of losing the ball.

"One consideration is turning to create space towards the opposition’s goal..."

In midfield, in 360-degree situations, these are action patterns that happen quite a lot. So these players would very often use their body as a shield between the opposition and the ball, thereby being able to maintain possession, because now they are more easily able to pass the ball to someone else. 

If the opponent is still pressing, you can draw fouls by using your body as a shield. Then the action of pressing is over, because the opposition has to move 10 metres away.

On an individual level, there are two aims in a football action. One is to give the ball to a team-mate in a better position and the other one is to try to not lose the ball. Turning and shielding is a crucial part of that.

The second [overarching] consideration is turning towards the opponent’s goal and creating attacking situations. 

A common coaching point you hear is ’play what see’ - so you play towards where you look. But the opponent, especially as we get slightly more advanced, is also going to read what you are going to do.

One way to anticipate opposition actions is to look at where the eyes of the opponent are looking. If I am looking towards my right, it is more likely that I’m going to pass to my right. Perhaps you, as my opponent, can then slightly anticipate this action and intercept the ball while it’s on the way.