Shielding the Soccer Ball

As I watched a soccer match today, I realized how much the players use their body to shield the ball. I do not see this that much watching the MLS league, but it seems more apparent in the UEFA league. The UEFA league seems to pass the ball more than in the MLS league, where players in this league seem to make more individual runs and challenge players more. I experienced shielding of the ball more and more as I progressed in soccer. Shielding is a very important aspect of the game of soccer. Shielding involves the player in control of the ball positioning themselves between the ball and the opposing player to protect the ball. This is the first step in shielding the ball, the position between the ball and the opposition. Then there is the aspect of controlling the ball with the foot that is farthest from the opponent. The back foot should have most of the player’s weight to keep the player off of the ball. If the opponent comes around the other side, the defender of the ball should switch sides of their body. It is important to keep you head up to look for available options to put the ball. This technique is used a lot on defense where the ball is usually being played towards the net. If the pass has a bunch of pace on the ball, the defender usually can get in-between the ball and the strikers, to have the ball go out of bounds. I usually notice this because I have this done to me on the pitch when playing the forward position.