Most coaches know the perils of training sessions that primarily involve the use of the “weaker” foot. Many young players have the “I can’t do it” mentality and then generally do not enjoy the session.
Coaches want players to enjoy the session and tell their parents it was a fun session. But it is important that we do these sessions, as the capability to naturally use both feet can separate the great players from the good ones.
Here are four reasons why the ability of being two footed is hugely important if you want to go far in football.
Having the capability to use both feet creates unpredictability in your play. If you are consistently using one foot, it is easier for a defender to identify where a player will be going and how your body will shape when passing, dribbling or running with the ball.
Using both feet means that you are comfortable either side, especially when dribbling with the ball. When defending, players, often like to get side on, which means they will try to show you the way they want you to go as an attacker. If you are right footed, they will show you to your left, understanding it may be difficult to dribble to the left side. However, if you are able to use both feet then it becomes virtually impossible for them to predict which way you will go, making it difficult to defend against.
Unpredictability is one of the greatest assets you can have as a player, and playing with both feet helps.
When playing with only one foot, players can often have balance issues. This means that if the ball is on one side of their body, for example the right, and they are left footed, the player will need to stretch their leg to the opposite side of their body to remain in control of the ball.
By being able to use either foot, a player doesn't have to constantly shift their weight across the ball, often causing unbalance when the ball is not under-control or in difficult positions.
Using both feet allows a player to shift their weight across and over the ball with balance and control.
Like unpredictability, disguise gives the defender uncertainty in your play. By using both feet to disguise where the pass may go, attackers can play with both feet allowing you to go either way past a defender. This can make it difficult for the opposition to defend against.
For example, when passing, if the player is right footed and running to the left, then the player may find it difficult to pass back to the right side, and would only be able to go forward or to the left side. However, if the player can use their left, he can disguise pass back to the right side cutting the pass across and behind the defenders.
Speed of thought and speed of play are increasingly vital parts of the game. Using both feet can help both speed of thought and play. This is because actions can be executed when the ball is on either side of the body.
When receiving the ball, we can see how players with two feet look to move the ball by receiving on the back foot to then pass on the "front" foot.
This is beneficial to switch the play or to move the ball forward quicker than with playing on the same foot. When talking about speed of a player when running with the ball for example, we look at a players stride and how they can push the ball in front of them to run. When playing with both feet the stride can be interchangeable allowing both feet to move the ball forward when running with the ball.
Being able to master playing with both feet is one of the most important parts of a player’s technical development and can often transform good players into great players.
From a technical and tactical standpoint, being comfortable with both feet allows a player to play anywhere on the pitch giving options to the team. Players who play with both feet have the capacity to change games with their unpredictability and inventiveness to create football actions quicker than a player who only plays with a left or right.
Keep working players on left foot right foot, we don’t need to say weak or strong so as to take away the stigma of having a weakness. When a player starts scoring with both feet they are so happy and their confidence just grows and grows.