Adapted from Football Academy
Stand with the ball on the inside of your favourite foot. Now without moving the ball, change your foot position so that the ball is on the outside of your foot. The easiest way to do this is to step over the ball. Practise doing this several times from standing, and then try it whilst running with the ball. Avoid exaggerated foot movements; it is a very simple movement of the foot.
When running with the ball, some players prefer to run with it almost on the end of the foot, whereas others prefer the ball to be further back on the instep. Again, this is largely personal preference. The main point is not to carry the ball on the toe.
The body swerve is the simple change of direction, we have been practising, but with a twist. With the ball on your right foot, dip your left shoulder, and start to transfer your body weight as if you are going to the left. However, instead of turning to the left, quickly lean to the right transferring your weight to the right, and use your left foot as a springboard to accelerate away to the right.
The movement is in reverse with your left foot. First dip your right shoulder, and transfer your weight to your right side. Then move your foot to the outside of the ball, transfer your weight to the left and accelerate away on your left.
Why do we make the change of direction? The answer is that we are trying to dummy our opponent getting him off balance. When he sees us take the ball to the inside, he will try to follow. That’s when we move the ball to the outside leaving the defender with his momentum and weight in the wrong direction. This is often called "wrong footing" or "dummying" the defender. We are pretending to go one side, but go the other side.
Get a feel for the move with your stronger foot, and then try it with your weaker foot. You don’t always have to use the dummy. Be unpredictable! Sometimes you carry on going inside, and the rest of the time you switch to the outside.
