{"id":19316,"date":"2021-12-08T14:01:30","date_gmt":"2021-12-08T22:01:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/traceup.com\/?p=19316"},"modified":"2022-09-20T07:53:03","modified_gmt":"2022-09-20T14:53:03","slug":"how-and-why-to-improve-your-soccer-vision","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/traceup.com\/how-and-why-to-improve-your-soccer-vision","title":{"rendered":"How (and Why) to Improve Your Soccer Vision"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Every player has heard the instructions a thousand times: \u201cPick your head up. Keep your body open. Make quick decisions.\u201d But the soccer field is a chaotic place, and in the heat of the moment, with action happening all around you, it can be easy to get overwhelmed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s why the most important skill in any soccer player\u2019s arsenal is their vision: the ability to see the field, understand how play is developing, and make the right decision. Good players do it quickly. Great players do it immediately. And the best players do it instinctively, intuitively, and without a second thought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Top players play efficient, intelligent soccer. They make the right choices, and they make them quickly. On the field, they seem to have more space and time than anyone else. But too often we talk about these elite players like they\u2019re blessed with some superhuman ability to see the game in slow motion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s much simpler than that: their stellar soccer vision, like most things, comes from hard work and good habits. It\u2019s something they develop over time and through practice, and it\u2019s something every player should commit to cultivating. This guide will help you stay one step ahead of the game and see what\u2019s going to happen next, before it even happens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

See the Field<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Good soccer vision starts with physically seeing the field before you get the ball. That means players\u2019 positioning is paramount. The more of the field you can see, the better you understand how play is developing. Every inch of space counts: for outside players, that means using the full width to maximize your field of vision. For central players, that means backing up into space and keeping an open body position, rather than only facing the ball. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is where technique comes into play. Players must be adept at receiving the ball with their back foot \u2014 if the ball comes in from the left, receiving with your right foot allows you to keep an open body and face the field (and vice versa). Too often, as players fixate on the ball, their first touch goes right back in the direction of the incoming pass. That limits passing options, shrinks the field and restricts your hard-earned space and time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scan the Field<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Not every player is in a position to see the full field, however. Central midfielders, in particular, are surrounded by action and activity in all directions, and not even phenomenal body positioning is enough to see everything going on around them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s why checking your shoulder and keeping your head on a swivel is so important. These physical movements are part of a skill called \u201cscanning the field\u201d by the revolutionary former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger. Wenger says scanning the field means gathering all the information you can before receiving the ball: \u201cI try to see what happens to a player in the 10 seconds before he gets the ball \u2014 how many times he takes information, and the quality of the information he takes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

“Great players isolate from the ball. Their head is like a radar.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\nArsene Wenger<\/strong><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The iconic English midfield of Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard each scanned the field more than 0.6 times per second. Spanish midfield virtuoso Xavi Hernandez has them both beat, scanning the field 0.83 times a second \u2014 that\u2019s 50 times every minute! Xavi says his role is to \u201cthink quickly, look for spaces. That\u2019s what I do: look for spaces. All day. I\u2019m always looking.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n