My guide to getting that five-star weak foot.

Technical

The weak foot is an essential part of the game. The best players in the world today are two-footed, and there are many reasons for them. The following are the most commonly mentioned:

Unpredictability: Having a good weak foot makes you extremely difficult to guard. Being able to go either way is extremely important, especially for a forward or a midfielder.
Wider range of passing: To be able to play a pass on your weak foot opens up much of the field to you. You will be able to make more passes from a single position with both feet than you would being able to use a single foot.
Improvement of control: Being able to control a ball with your weak foot makes controlling a ball much easier overall. Similarly, it is much more difficult to defend someone who can dribble with both feet.
Confidence skyrockets: Speaking from experience, having a good weak foot can make you confident in many different situations. Once you get the hang of the weak foot and begin to feel stronger on it, your confidence will go up in situations you previously felt timid in.

Now, giving reasons as to why you should train your weak foot is fine and dandy, but how does one go about actually beginning to train on the weak foot? It may seem like a daunting task, but it's actually not as difficult as it is made out to be. In fact, it's relatively simple.

I've tried to find the link to a pair of videos that have really helped me work on my non-dominant foot, but I unfortunately cannot find them. So, I will do my best to summarize what both of the videos said in the rest of this post, but with my own interpretations in some parts. So, without further ado. How to train your weaker foot!

Things to Remember

Stop calling your non-dominant foot a "weak foot." This is completely wrong and is creating a barrier in your head that you really need to get rid of in order to become successful. In fact, your non-dominant foot has the same amount of power in it compared to your dominant foot. Therefore, after you read this sentence, you will never again use "weak foot" to describe your non-dominant foot.
Focus on technique rather than power. A lot of people that are beginning to train their non-dominant foot tend to simply try and blast the ball and forget about technique. You should never do this. As Billy Wingrove of the F2 says, you don't need to hit the ball with power if you have good technique; power comes from the technique. Focus on your shooting and passing and consciously make sure your technique is good.
Make a conscious note of how often you use your non-dominant foot in a game. It is important to recognize improvements in how often you use it. For one, it gives you more confidence. Secondly, it shows you that you are developing instincts to use it. You should come to the point where you've finally realized that you can't even remember how often you've used it because you've used it so much.
If you make an incredible pass or score a goal on your non-dominant foot, allow yourself a celebration. Similar to item #3, this will give you more confidence and reinforces your belief that you can use your non-dominant foot. Don't go crazy, but tell yourself you did a good job.
Don't neglect your strong foot. What I -- and some of my friends and teammates that I helped train their non-dominant feet -- have had a tendency to do is to forget that we have a dominant foot. Even both-footed players like Mason Greenwood and Cristiano Ronaldo still prefer to strike the ball with their dominant foot despite being able to blast it in from range on their non-dominant. Simply because you CAN use your non-dominant foot doesn't mean you SHOULD.

Drills

Passing: (Please note I have not found a good method to practice high crossing other than just trying multiple times over and over again, which is why I haven't included it.)

Short passing

Go to a wall and begin to pass the ball against the wall. Initially, start out maybe half-a-meter (~45 inches) and pass the ball against the wall. As you pass, make sure that you do everything with your non-dominant foot (pass, control, maneuver). As you get more and more comfortable, increase the distance steadily until you reach five meters. You should aim for at least 500 passes a day.
1. Every 100 passes, reward yourself with five passes on your dominant foot (do not count the dominant-foot passes to the total).
2. When you're more comfortable, try one-touch passing.
3. I give you my guarantee that this drill will give you results within two days if you follow it to a "t".
As you become more comfortable, add movement to the ball. You will not always have a perfectly steady ball to pass, so try rolling the ball forwards and stepping into a pass. Do this a little bit further away than the first drill to afford you some more space. You should aim for at least 500 passes a day.
1. Every 100 passes, reward yourself with five passes on your dominant foot (do not count the dominant-foot passes to the total).
2. Remember to focus on technique. It can be awkward at first and it may discourage you, but you should never give up. Keep at it and you will see results.
An issue the non-dominant foot has to start with is side-to-side movement. It will always be awkward as your feet will not know where to go. So, using a wall again, try passing the ball directly sideways. Stand parallel to the wall (facing the same way as the wall) and just pass the ball sideways into the wall. Try taking a touch to put the ball forwards onto your non-dominant side and then pass the ball against the wall. This simple drill will help you a lot when it comes to crossing and awkward shots/passes. I recommend at least 250 passes per day.
1. Every 50 passes, reward yourself with five passes on your dominant foot (do not count the dominant-foot passes to the total).
2. Actively focus on your technique. You need to mentally check yourself and make sure that you feet are doing what they should be. Do not be discouraged if it is difficult at first.
One issue you might come up with is being unable to use either the inside of your non-dominant foot or your dominant foot at all. Therefore, it is also important to train yourself on using the outside of your non-dominant foot. Don't try and practice a trivela immediately. Just focus on passing the ball straight with the outside of your non-dominant foot. Repeat the steps mentioned in item #1, but do this with the outside of your non-dominant foot. Aim for at least 300 passes a day.
1. Every 50 passes, reward yourself with five passes on your dominant foot (do not count the dominant-foot passes to the total).
2. Remember to focus on your technique, don't just swing your foot around. Make good connections with the ball.

Long passing. Honestly, once you've got short passing down, long passing is a piece of cake. But, here are a few drills that you can do. These require a friend.

Stand ten meters away from your partner. Pass the ball between one another. You want to be able to accurately deliver a pass to him with your non-dominant foot. Ensure that the ball arrives to them within two meters of them. Try and also keep the ball down. Attempt to make this pass around 100 times a day. Increase the distance between yourself incrementally up to fifteen meters.
1. Every 20 passes, reward yourself with five passes on your dominant foot (do not count the dominant-foot passes to the total).
2. Focus on your technique and the position of your planting foot. For longer passes, your technique needs to be solid. If the ball curls away from your target, you're overcompensating. Remember: technique is what brings power, not how fast you can swing your foot.
This drill is similar to the sideways pass drill we did for short passing, but this is more like a low cross. Touch the ball forwards (with your non-dominant foot) to give yourself some distance. Focusing on technique, try and drill the ball accurately and with power into the box. Make sure you keep the ball low. In my experience, it works better if you hit the ball like a shot, making contact with the big bone in your foot rather than the side of your foot. Complete this pass about 70 times. Have your partner change locations after each pass to make it a little more realistic: your target won't be in the same place each time.
1. Every 10 passes, reward yourself with a cutback onto your dominant foot for a pass (do not count the dominant-foot passes to the total).
2. Focus on your planting foot and try not to swing your body on your planting foot after passing. Try and land with your non-dominant foot after you pass. It will be awkward at first, but you will get the hang of it. The follow-through will really help you out in terms of generating power and precision.
This next drill can be considered as a short passing drill as well, but I'm putting it here since it's a little more technically complicated. Have you and your partner spread out between 5-10 meters. Then, try and lift the ball into them (that is, try and chip/lob the ball into your partner). I like to try and lift the ball onto my boot and lift it towards them. Try 200 of these passes.
1. Every 25 passes, reward yourself with five dominant foot passes (do not count the dominant-foot passes to the total).
2. The main issue I came up against with this drill was making poor contact and simply toe-punting the ball. Make sure you are focused on getting under the ball properly in order to avoid that issue.

Shooting: (I will clump shooting all together, since the technique for all is relatively the same. Shooting will be the trickiest training in terms of technique and things to remember.)

Take the ball into the six-yard-box and begin to side-foot the ball into the goal. At first, start with the ball sitting still. Then, add some movement to the ball. Your non-dominant should follow-through and you should land on it after you kick. Do not hop with your non-dominant leg after you shoot. If you do this, it means you are not striking the ball properly, which can cause the ball to move in directions you didn't want. Attempt 100 of these shots. Make sure you are shooting from different angles and make sure you differentiate the speed of the ball moving once you begin to take moving shots.
1. Every 10 shots, you may take two shots with your dominant foot (do not count the dominant-foot shots to the total).
2. Remember: focus on technique. Make sure you aren't hopping on your dominant foot after you shoot. Make sure you land on your non-dominant.
Go to a wall and gently bounce the ball. Volley it with your non-dominant against the wall, focusing on pointing your toes and keeping your foot straight and your ankle locked. This drill will help once it comes to shooting with power. Do not hit the ball with power, but simply focus on your technique. As you become more comfortable, step further back and increase the distance. Attempt 100 of these shots.
1. Every 10 shots, you may take two shots with your dominant foot (do not count the dominant-foot shots to the total).
2. Focus on pointing your toes and keeping your ankle strong. Try and make contact with the laces. Eventually, begin to incorporate half-volleys to simulate kicking the ball when it's on the ground.
After practicing on the wall, go to the field again and get into the box. Practice on shooting the ball with your non-dominant, focusing on hitting with the laces/big bone. Make sure that as you shoot you are landing back on your non-dominant foot. This will allow for more power and ultimately will lead to a more accurate shot. As you get more comfortable, move further back and add movement to the ball. Shoot from multiple angles. Attempt 100 of these shots.
1. Every 10 shots, you may take two shots with your dominant foot (do not count the dominant-foot shots to the total).
2. Remember to focus on your technique. Technique is everything. If you are not landing on your dominant foot after shooting, you will not have a good shooting technique which will ultimately result in tame efforts.
3. Disclaimer: Make sure you are swinging your foot straight. A lot of people have a tendency to hack at the ball in a curved manner when first training. Really try and emphasize the straight leg path in order to get maximum power.
4. This drill can also be repeated out of the box. I highly recommend trying it out of the box as well, as it will help you a lot.
Let's go for a finesse strike. Get into the box and practice curling the ball with your non-dominant foot. I really recommend you start with the ball moving slightly and then transition to a dead-ball situation. Make sure you are properly following through with your strikes and landing on your non-dominant. Attempt 50 of these shots.
1. Every 5 shots, you may take two shots with your dominant foot (do not count the dominant-foot shots to the total).
2. Again, focus on the technique. Make sure you are hitting the ball around the balls/arch area of your foot to get maximum whippage.
3. This drill can also be repeated outside of the box and I highly encourage doing just that.

Dribbling (there are really only two portions to this, so this is going to be a short section)

Take two cones and place them at a distance. Then, dribble back and forth using your non-dominant foot. Alternate with one length using the outside of your boot and the other the inside of your boot to dribble. You must also make sure to switch up which length you use either part of your foot on. Do this 25 times.
1. When you are feeling more confident, try and go around the cone using three touches. If you want an example, look at Hazard's three-point turns. This will help your control and ability to move the ball.
2. As you get better, add some more cones in so you can do lateral movements as you dribble down. For this I recommend alternating between each foot (almost like doing a croqueta) as it will help in the skills section later on. It will also help in passing and shooting as you will get better at touching the ball onto either side.
3. Later, try and do some sprints down the length with your non-dominant foot. You will not always have a light, easy dribble. Make sure you can effectively conduct the ball at speed.
Skills are important to be good at when it comes to dribbling, so here are a few drills that I recommend being able to do on your non-dominant foot (you obviously don't have to, but it's really recommended). If you do these skills, I promise you will see a great improvement in your ability.
1. Croqueta (from left to right; right to left)
2. Stepovers and sideways touch with your non-dominant
3. Reverse elastico
4. Elastico
5. Chop
6. Hyperchop

Finally, since it's a small section, I'm going to recommend that you learn to juggle on your non-dominant foot. This is going to really improve your control on it. I recommend at first taking a few touches with your non-dominant as you mainly juggle with your dominant. Then, slowly but surely try and cut out your dominant foot entirely. Once you've mastered that, try throwing the ball high into the air and controlling it with your non-dominant thigh or foot (or however you choose as long as it's on your non-dominant side).

I saw marked improvements within a few days after I started doing this. The key is to not get frustrated because it is a long process. I only properly got the shooting technique down after a good six months and there are still things I can improve on. Personally, the long-passing is still a little tough for me but I'm working on it!

If you have any questions or suggestions to add, please feel free to! I'd love to know what you guys think! Also, if you start doing the drills above I'd also love to know your progress so please give me an update!

I sincerely hope this helps! Good luck!

Posted Apr 24, 2020, 7:41 PM UTC

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