Dummying
There are many types of dummy in football from simply leaving the ball to dummys when dribbling with the ball. The objective is always to sen your opponent the wrong way, and take them by surprise. Dummys are an important part of dribbling skills and running at defenders, and include the body swerve, stepping over the ball, scissors movements, and many types of soccer flicks and tricks. Dummys should not be over used, and their effectiveness depends greatly on the standard and mentality of your opposition.
Three types of dummy will be discussed here, starting with simply leaving the ball. This is an opportunistic move in which the ball is typically allowed to pass through the legs to another player who is in a better position.
The step over is a dribbling trick that is used to put off and dummy defenders. Transfer the body weight to one side, and move the foot towards the ball as if to turn to that side, but at the last moment step over the ball, and keep going in the same or opposite dircetion. Sometimes this trick is used to put off or intimidate defenders as well as to dribble past them. A variation is to move the foot around the ball in stead of over it.
The next skill is the dummy backheel, which is designed to cause the defender to stop suddenly, whilst the attacker keeps going. It is only effective on the move when running at defenders. The foot is brought forward over the top and in front of the football as if to backheel the ball to somebody behind. However, the ball is deliberately missed on the pretend backheel with the foot passing over the top of the ball, and the front of the foot is used to drag the ball forward without stopping or losing speed.