Soccer might look basic and straightforward but the moves and skillsets displayed by professional soccer players are often sophisticated. What soccer fans enjoy as fluid dribbles and skills often take months and years of hard work to perfect.
Dribbling is an element of soccer that most players love engaging in regardless of their position on the soccer pitch. For example, ex-Paraguayan professional goalkeeper Jose Luis Chilavert was an excellent dribbler.
Soccer is usually very tense, especially in competitive games. Fancy dribbling skills help the fans momentarily ease off the tension. In fact, most soccer fans look up to them.
Some soccer moves are easier to learn and perform than others. Nevertheless, with the right level of dedication, persistence, and mindset, all soccer skills can be perfectly executed by any player.
Without dribbling, getting past certain kinds of defenders will almost be impossible. Dribbling enables players to confuse their opponents by making moves that are difficult to decipher.
Players with quick feet, great first touch, close ball control, balance, and coordination are very good with dribbles. Such players are highly prized because they can create goal-scoring opportunities for their teams in difficult games.
There are countless tricks in modern soccer such as the Roulette, Rabona, Rivelino, Nutmeg, Scissors move, etc. Today, we shall focus on a very complex move called the Hocus Pocus. This move merits its name because it is all about cloaking deceptions to confuse opponents.
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How to do the hocus pocus soccer move?
If you are looking for a new soccer skill to add to your catalog of skills, the hocus pocus might be a very good option. It isn’t too difficult to learn and is effective when correctly executed.
The hocus pocus is an intelligent soccer skill that can help you beat defenders at will because it is somewhat difficult to counter. Mastering a skill like this isn’t easy and often requires many hours of practice to perfect.
The hocus pocus is popular among soccer players because it can be done by both advanced players and beginners. Even high school soccer players can do it with the right dedication and practice.
Let’s take a step-by-step look at how the hocus pocus move is done from a stationary position by listing out and describing each of the steps.
Step 1
Position your less dominant foot two or three inches ahead of the soccer ball. When doing this, make sure you are in a stationary position because you might lose balance if you try to execute it while in motion.
Step 2
Now, with your dominant foot positioned frontward, push the ball a bit forward. In quick succession, move your dominant foot around the stationary foot and then push the ball with your shoelaces in a nearly perpendicular direction.
Before applying the second touch on the soccer ball, make sure the ball has rolled past your stationary foot. Executing the 2nd touch too early will disrupt the entire move.
Remember to just push the ball with a little amount of pressure and not kick it. When you kick the ball, it is likely to roll beyond your control.
Step 3
Change pace by accelerating past opponents after you might have dazed them. The Hocus Pocus is more effective when done from a walking, standing, or light jog position.
Trying this trick while running can lead to soccer injuries because there are high chances that you might trip and fall.
In the absence of a training partner, you can use two cones to accomplish this move. The first cone will represent the starting point while the second will represent your opponent.
Bonus Tips
Always allow the ball to roll past your stationary foot before making the second touch. Making the second touch too early will cause the ball to keep hitting your less dominant foot.
Having adequate confidence in yourself while executing this move will help you accomplish it. Don’t try it around your penalty area regardless of your level of confidence because a little mistake might lead to a goal.
5 skills that can help you perfect the Hocus Pocus move
To easily execute the hocus pocus move, there are certain skills you should possess.
Some of these skills might seem insignificant to executing this move until you put them into practice.
1. Agility
If you are not agile, you will hardly be able to dribble in soccer. Agility is simply the ability to change position quickly without losing your balance.
Thankfully, there are numerous agility drills using agility ladders that can help you to get the desired agility to execute tricks like the hocus pocus.
2. Decision making
Your decision-making skills have a lot to do with properly executing the hocus pocus move while training or during matches. This skill will enable you to make the right decisions even before coming in contact with the soccer ball.
It will also help you understand the nature of the opponents you are facing and the best moment to execute the hocus pocus move on them. Being aware and observant on the pitch at all times even while on the bench, is the best way to enhance this skill.
3. Dribbling
Players who are previously good at dribbling wouldn’t find it difficult executing the hocus pocus move. They should already possess the needed level of ball control, balance, and coordination needed to perform this skill.
To enhance your dribbling prowess, you need to engage in lots of cone drills that involve quick paces and successive maneuvers. Knowing how to use both your left and right foot while engaging in these drills is always an added advantage.
4. Ball control
A player’s level of ball control will determine how easily they can perform the hocus pocus move on the pitch. Players who can maintain possession of the ball for longer periods can execute dribbles more successfully.
Juggling balls is the fastest way to build your mastery and dominance over the soccer ball. Engaging in passing and heading drills are also effective ways of enhancing your level of ball control.
5. Spatial awareness
It is almost impossible to execute a good dribble in soccer if you lack spatial awareness. A good spatial awareness is the ability to play with your heads up—but it goes beyond just yourself.
Spatial awareness allows you to have a mental picture of everything happening around you including the position of your opponents and teammates. It is easier to dribble a player when you are watching their movement rather than watching the ball.
Conclusion
Soccer players should spend time accumulating skills if they want to be exceptional in the game. Interestingly, all you need to learn some of these skills is a keen sense of interest and the ability to imitate other players.
Practicing and mastering just a few skills will serve you better than trying to know every single skill in the game. Knowing too many skills and not utilizing them on the pitch is as good as not knowing any at all.
Soccer legends like Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar Jr, Jay-Jay Okocha, and Ronaldinho are all masters when it comes to entertaining soccer fans with breathtaking skills on the pitch.
You can start by learning the hocus pocus move if you want to become like them before advancing to the more complex soccer skills like Elastico.
Hi there, I’m Jay.
Soccer is everything in my life! My friends and I have created this blog with all our enthusiasm, passion, and understanding after years of playing pro soccer. Hope you will enjoy it!