Why are so many soccer players one-footed?

y0ssar1an22

This is my biggest pet-peeve in soccer...not really a pet-peeve actually, but something that really grinds my gears :mad:

The amount of scoring opportunities missed because they have to get the ball on their good food, the amount of (good) passes that are never made because they have to turn back on their good foot and pass the ball 10 yards back. Players having to turn in/out to get on their good foot missing the opportunity for a good cross, pass, etc.

Surely these payers that earn ~10-50k+ a week should be able to use both feet? And its never really talked about or acknowledged. Why dont coaches make players improve their weaker foot.

What are your thoughts?

Liam O

I use my left hand every day and still am not ambidextrous. Players can improve yes but it's very difficult.

jester77

Not every player is gifted with a bend in the leg on both legs!

The_Kew_Tour

Valencia maybe the most one sided footballer I have seen.

Owen_S

The_Kew_Tour wrote: »

Valencia maybe the most one sided footballer I have seen.

http://eplindex.com/16854/twofooted-shot-taker-opta-stats-analysis.html

Valencia took 98.25% of his shots with his right-foot over the course of 4 seasons! :eek:

Augmerson

Landmines.

ahnowbrowncow

The_Kew_Tour wrote: »

Valencia maybe the most one sided footballer I have seen.

Arjen Robben is up there

cson

Funny enough I was talking about this to a housemate of mine recently; I cannot for the life of me understand how players can be so one sided. Wilshere is a case in point for my club. When it's your job to play football professionally you'd think that you'd be able to practice enough to get your weaker side up to a capable level. Fair enough having a better or preferred side but you see it with strikers so often; goal opens up but its on their 'wrong' side so they cut back inside or pass.

zl1whqvjs75cdy

Torres must be up there.

thebaz

everyone I know or played with with had one weak foot , very very few are equally good with both feet - like how many people do you know who can write equally well with both hands ? , again i know no-one - such is life and the gifted

Cienciano

thebaz wrote: »

everyone I know or played with with had one weak foot , very very few are equally good with both feet - like how many people do you know who can write equally well with both hands ? , again i know no-one - such is life and the gifted

How many of them were getting paid €100k a week to do it full time though?
Pavel Nedved started out right footed, but he practiced so much on his left he reckoned he slightly prefered shooting from his left.

bucketybuck

There is a subset of people that seem to believe that the very act of signing a professional contract changes a human being both physically and mentally. They always seem utterly shocked when a professional footballer acts in some way just like a person his age that is not a professional footballer, shocked and appalled.

Young men up and down the country acting the maggot every weekend, but when a footballer does it, oh won't somebody think of the children. Young footballers kicking lumps out of each other in parks, but a professional kicks out once! Ban him for ten weeks!

The two footed thing is just another version of this. Apparently the act of signing a contract will make a one footed person ambidextrous, a medical marvel indeed.

I always wonder why it doesn't apply to other things though. Richard Dunne is paid to be a professional footballer, why is he not as quick as Thierry Henry, after all he is able to train every day, why is he not quicker? Why do corners not hit the same spot every time? Why are penalties ever missed, no professional should ever miss a penalty. Why is a player not two footed, even if he wasn't two footed beforehand?

Its all bull**** of course. Professionals can only improve what is there, they can't give themselves new abilities.

thebaz

Cienciano wrote: »

How many of them were getting paid €100k a week to do it full time though?
Pavel Nedved started out right footed, but he practiced so much on his left he reckoned he slightly prefered shooting from his left.

in fact I'd go further , having one good foot is a gift that the average don't have - fact

bucketybuck

Cienciano wrote: »

How many of them were getting paid €100k a week to do it full time though?

I wonder what the cut-off point is? £1000 per week and you have the same feet as before, £50000p/w and you feel your left foot tingling as it magically changes into a professional footballers foot.

riffmongous

Cienciano wrote: »

How many of them were getting paid €100k a week to do it full time though?
Pavel Nedved started out right footed, but he practiced so much on his left he reckoned he slightly prefered shooting from his left.

Exactly, I wouldn't say it is a case of people not being gifted with both feet but more a lack of practice, of course you dont have to be fantastic with both feet but some of the aforementioned players cannot do anything with their weak foot.

premierstone

The_Kew_Tour wrote: »

Valencia maybe the most one sided footballer I have seen.

He's team mate Wellbeck is worse IMO, Santi Cazorla is the complete opposirte, so much so that I haven't a clue which is supposed to be he's stronger side.

y0ssar1an22

bucketybuck wrote: »

There is a subset of people that seem to believe that the very act of signing a professional contract changes a human being both physically and mentally. They always seem utterly shocked when a professional footballer acts in some way just like a person his age that is not a professional footballer, shocked and appalled.

Young men up and down the country acting the maggot every weekend, but when a footballer does it, oh won't somebody think of the children. Young footballers kicking lumps out of each other in parks, but a professional kicks out once! Ban him for ten weeks!

The two footed thing is just another version of this. Apparently the act of signing a contract will make a one footed person ambidextrous, a medical marvel indeed.

I always wonder why it doesn't apply to other things though. Richard Dunne is paid to be a professional footballer, why is he not as quick as Thierry Henry, after all he is able to train every day, why is he not quicker? Why do corners not hit the same spot every time? Why are penalties ever missed, no professional should ever miss a penalty. Why is a player not two footed, even if he wasn't two footed beforehand?

Its all bull**** of course. Professionals can only improve what is there, they can't give themselves new abilities.

regarding the speed thing...they all do SAQ (speed, agility, quickness) training, so they do improve speed/acceleration over time.

I'm not asking for perfect 2-footedness, but they should be able to pass,shoot/cross when the need arises.
There is bound to be some training regime that can be developed that focuses on the obscure muscles that need to be developed to improve weaker foot. Some sort of balance training as well.
They will probably never be equal on both feet (with a few exceptions), but they should be able to use weaker foot effectively. IMO anyway.

GTR63

Was watching Juve vs Lazio last weekend and Gab Marcotti was on about Hernanes going to a specialist to improve his right foot. One of the techniques he suggested to do was to try and write with your weaker foot. Utterly bizarre but if it works......
Doubt you could prove it but I find a right footed player relies less on it than a left footed one.

Mushy

bucketybuck wrote: »

There is a subset of people that seem to believe that the very act of signing a professional contract changes a human being both physically and mentally. They always seem utterly shocked when a professional footballer acts in some way just like a person his age that is not a professional footballer, shocked and appalled.

Young men up and down the country acting the maggot every weekend, but when a footballer does it, oh won't somebody think of the children. Young footballers kicking lumps out of each other in parks, but a professional kicks out once! Ban him for ten weeks!

The two footed thing is just another version of this. Apparently the act of signing a contract will make a one footed person ambidextrous, a medical marvel indeed.

I always wonder why it doesn't apply to other things though. Richard Dunne is paid to be a professional footballer, why is he not as quick as Thierry Henry, after all he is able to train every day, why is he not quicker? Why do corners not hit the same spot every time? Why are penalties ever missed, no professional should ever miss a penalty. Why is a player not two footed, even if he wasn't two footed beforehand?

Its all bull**** of course. Professionals can only improve what is there, they can't give themselves new abilities.

You can practice using your weaker foot so it gets stronger and used to what you do.

You can practice penalties so you don't hit it off target at the very least.

You can practice corners so you don't hit it into the first man like a 5 year old.

I'm not fully sure if you can practice pace though when you hit genuine physical limitations.

tap28

bucketybuck wrote: »

I wonder what the cut-off point is? £1000 per week and you have the same feet as before, £50000p/w and you feel your left foot tingling as it magically changes into a professional footballers foot.

The cut of point is when someone's full-time profession to kick a football.

Frankie Lee

cson wrote: »

Funny enough I was talking about this to a housemate of mine recently; I cannot for the life of me understand how players can be so one sided. Wilshere is a case in point for my club. When it's your job to play football professionally you'd think that you'd be able to practice enough to get your weaker side up to a capable level. Fair enough having a better or preferred side but you see it with strikers so often; goal opens up but its on their 'wrong' side so they cut back inside or pass.

Wilshere like Liam Brady uses the outside of his foot very well to make up for it though.

BOHtox

Better than having no legs I guess

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxx8SY72E_U

Cienciano

bucketybuck wrote: »

There is a subset of people that seem to believe that the very act of signing a professional contract changes a human being both physically and mentally. They always seem utterly shocked when a professional footballer acts in some way just like a person his age that is not a professional footballer, shocked and appalled.

Young men up and down the country acting the maggot every weekend, but when a footballer does it, oh won't somebody think of the children. Young footballers kicking lumps out of each other in parks, but a professional kicks out once! Ban him for ten weeks!

The two footed thing is just another version of this. Apparently the act of signing a contract will make a one footed person ambidextrous, a medical marvel indeed.

I always wonder why it doesn't apply to other things though. Richard Dunne is paid to be a professional footballer, why is he not as quick as Thierry Henry, after all he is able to train every day, why is he not quicker? Why do corners not hit the same spot every time? Why are penalties ever missed, no professional should ever miss a penalty. Why is a player not two footed, even if he wasn't two footed beforehand?

Its all bull**** of course. Professionals can only improve what is there, they can't give themselves new abilities.

Jasus, where do I start? So much wrong with that post!
First of all, "professional" is the key word here. You get paid to be good at it and it's your only job. You get paid more if you're better. It's not that strange to believe a pro would take his traning more serious than lads up and down the country.
And it's not some medical marvel to become good on your "wrong" foot. I'm sure plenty of lads on here have practiced on their weaker foot and can see how their confidence and ability has got better on that foot. Imagine having no job except playing football/training, having amazing facilities, good natural talent and professional coaches to help you. Is it really that unbelievable to think you can't vastly improve your weaker foot?
As for your last comment, "a pro can only can only improve what there is, they can't give themselves new abilities", I've never read such rubbish! They already have a left foot they can kick with, so they're improving it. What the hell is training for?

average hero

I totally and utterly agree with you OP. I don't want every player I am fond of to have two exactly the same cannons for legs however I do believe that they should be able to use both feet to cross (beat the first man) pass (play an incisive ball through) and at least get a decent shot on target.

Any really good player I have seen recently (Reus, Ronaldo, Gundogan, Ribery, Messi) have all at the very least been able to use their weaker foot to at the very least get out of trouble.

As a youth, my Dad always thought me to play with both feet and it never spectacular, but I was never caught in possession for just having the right one!

Cienciano

Maradona was almost entirely left footed. Other than the ball he played to Caniggia for the goal against Brasil in WC 1990, he never touched the ball with his right foot in his entire career *













*may not be true

bucketybuck

Cienciano wrote: »

Jasus, where do I start? So much wrong with that post!
First of all, "professional" is the key word here. You get paid to be good at it and it's your only job. You get paid more if you're better. It's not that strange to believe a pro would take his traning more serious than lads up and down the country.
And it's not some medical marvel to become good on your "wrong" foot. I'm sure plenty of lads on here have practiced on their weaker foot and can see how their confidence and ability has got better on that foot. Imagine having no job except playing football/training, having amazing facilities, good natural talent and professional coaches to help you. Is it really that unbelievable to think you can't vastly improve your weaker foot?
As for your last comment, "a pro can only can only improve what there is, they can't give themselves new abilities", I've never read such rubbish! They already have a left foot they can kick with, so they're improving it. What the hell is training for?

Another one who believes that the very act of receiving some money magically means you can now do something you couldn't before. Let me put this in simple terms, hopefully you will understand.

I played club GAA for over ten years, was one of those keen players that went to every training session, had a lot of strength and pace but unfortunately no great accuracy. Ten years of training hard, and still I couldn't shoot worth a damn. It was nothing to do with hard work, I simply didn't have the physical aptitude for accurate shooting, god knows I tried.

Now that pace and strength could have translated into a very good footballer, and perhaps I could have made a good career for myself, maybe even gotten paid to play somewhere. And in your world, getting that pay check would now mean that I need to be a much better shot than I was previously, after all, any professional footballer should be able to shoot, right?

Wrong. That money hasn't changed who I am physically. I can train every single freaking day and come game time and I am 40 yards out from goal, its still a crapshoot whether I score that point or not. We all know professionals can work and perfect their skills, but sometimes if it ain't there, then it just ain't there.

Antonio Valencia clearly has an issue using his left foot. This idea that he just needs to work at it more is quite naive, he will have been working at it for years now, but obviously he simply cannot use it to any comfortable degree. And the fact that he gets paid money by a football club will not change that in the slightest.

Colemania

Have to agree also with the OP. I'm pretty hopeless at soccer compared to even amateur soccer players but when I was about 13 I started kicking the ball off the wall using my left (weak) foot and kept doing it so much that I could pass pretty well with it, cross decent enough with it and shoot from close range well with it too. It's not rocket science. Anyone in the world can improve their weak foot by doing the same. The fact that these professional footballers do it for a living day in and day out and still can't pass or shoot on their weak foot is pathetic. I've played soccer with lads who just play soccer part time and some are great with both feet. You see a hurler shoot from either side and a lot of gaelic footballers can shoot from their hands with both feet (which is much harder than hitting it on the ground) and these guys don't even get paid. In many aspects, GAA players really show up soccer players all over the world!

Skylinehead

premierstone wrote: »

Santi Cazorla is the complete opposirte, so much so that I haven't a clue which is supposed to be he's stronger side.

Pretty sure he doesn't have a stronger side. He used to take corners with both feet

Mars Bar

Santi Cazorla is proper ambidextrous though. He didn't have to work at it!

Corholio

Colemania wrote: »

Have to agree also with the OP. I'm pretty hopeless at soccer compared to even amateur soccer players but when I was about 13 I started kicking the ball off the wall using my left (weak) foot and kept doing it so much that I could pass pretty well with it, cross decent enough with it and shoot from close range well with it too. It's not rocket science. Anyone in the world can improve their weak foot by doing the same. The fact that these professional footballers do it for a living day in and day out and still can't pass or shoot on their weak foot is pathetic. I've played soccer with lads who just play soccer part time and some are great with both feet. You see a hurler shoot from either side and a lot of gaelic footballers can shoot from their hands with both feet (which is much harder than hitting it on the ground) and these guys don't even get paid. In many aspects, GAA players really show up soccer players all over the world!

Only 28 posts before the GAA is better than everything ****e started.

As for the OP's post. It's pretty hard to become very decent to a top level with your weaker foot, there's a reason it's your weaker foot in the first place. It's not a natural motion to automatically wrap your foot around the ball accurately with your weaker foot, it's hard to explain but people who play football often should know what I mean. When your using your 'good' foot, from using it for years and years, it becomes second nature and doesn't even need much thinking to be able to hit the ball in a certain way, it can be very different for your weaker foot, it almost needs an extra half second to fully lever your foot to do what you want it to do.

There's always exceptions of course like Cazorla, but there's not many two footed players, most have a weaker one. This goes for every league in every country, so are people saying that football all around the world are training their players wrong? It's a natural weakness, it's not a lack of training it from professional players, nothing to do with their pay packets either.

keano_afc

Its nothing that cant be worked on though, thats what gets me. I'm right footed, but as a keeper I had to work on my left for backpasses. Took a couple of years but I'm completely comfortable on my left foot now, and now that I'm playing outfield use it almost as much as my right.

gustavo

Colemania wrote: »

Have to agree also with the OP. I'm pretty hopeless at soccer compared to even amateur soccer players but when I was about 13 I started kicking the ball off the wall using my left (weak) foot and kept doing it so much that I could pass pretty well with it, cross decent enough with it and shoot from close range well with it too. It's not rocket science. Anyone in the world can improve their weak foot by doing the same. The fact that these professional footballers do it for a living day in and day out and still can't pass or shoot on their weak foot is pathetic. I've played soccer with lads who just play soccer part time and some are great with both feet. You see a hurler shoot from either side and a lot of gaelic footballers can shoot from their hands with both feet (which is much harder than hitting it on the ground) and these guys don't even get paid. In many aspects, GAA players really show up soccer players all over the world!

If only someone had told all those footballers all they had to do is practice with it and they'd all be as good as you are

Fuzzy_Dunlop

premierstone wrote: »

He's team mate Wellbeck is worse IMO, Santi Cazorla is the complete opposirte, so much so that I haven't a clue which is supposed to be he's stronger side.

That's something I love about Santi. Although I believe he has said that his right foot is his preferred one.

Cienciano

bucketybuck wrote: »

Another one who believes that the very act of receiving some money magically means you can now do something you couldn't before. Let me put this in simple terms, hopefully you will understand.

I played club GAA for over ten years, was one of those keen players that went to every training session, had a lot of strength and pace but unfortunately no great accuracy. Ten years of training hard, and still I couldn't shoot worth a damn. It was nothing to do with hard work, I simply didn't have the physical aptitude for accurate shooting, god knows I tried.

Now that pace and strength could have translated into a very good footballer, and perhaps I could have made a good career for myself, maybe even gotten paid to play somewhere. And in your world, getting that pay check would now mean that I need to be a much better shot than I was previously, after all, any professional footballer should be able to shoot, right?

Wrong. That money hasn't changed who I am physically. I can train every single freaking day and come game time and I am 40 yards out from goal, its still a crapshoot whether I score that point or not. We all know professionals can work and perfect their skills, but sometimes if it ain't there, then it just ain't there.

Antonio Valencia clearly has an issue using his left foot. This idea that he just needs to work at it more is quite naive, he will have been working at it for years now, but obviously he simply cannot use it to any comfortable degree. And the fact that he gets paid money by a football club will not change that in the slightest.

So training other than strenght/fitness is pointless, you either have it, or you don't? Didn't Becks spend hours training on is free kicks. Ronaldo is famous for spending hours practicing his dribbling.
This isn't rocket science. Spend an hour playing just with your weak foot, passing against a wall or to your mate. An hour makes a difference. Now, imagine 3 hours a week from when you're 16? You reckon that will make no difference? You're wrong.

bucketybuck

Cienciano wrote: »

You reckon that will make no difference? You're wrong.

Except thats not what I said, please read for comprehension.

Using the left foot is actually an interesting one. Lots of people here with stories of how they kicked a ping pong ball against a gate for six years and improved their left foot no end, but, I would wager that at best they became merely competent with their left foot.

I would also bet that the striking action they have with their left is still very different and less natural than the one they have with their natural right, its still a forced action, not as fluid as they would like.

I used to have this issue fisting the ball with my left hand, I could do it sure, but it was a very awkward process, not at all natural.

2nd Row Donkey

In relation to the OP, I have yet to see a one-footed professional footballer. Can't imagine any club paying a one footed footballer 50quid a week nevermind 50K

I did see 1 or 2 of them in the last paralymic that were decent enough, Then there was the one-footed wrestler in the WWE about 10 years ago. He proved that despite his disability you can make it to the top of your chosen sport.

dreamers75

Cienciano wrote: »

So training other than strenght/fitness is pointless, you either have it, or you don't? Didn't Becks spend hours training on is free kicks. Ronaldo is famous for spending hours practicing his dribbling.
This isn't rocket science. Spend an hour playing just with your weak foot, passing against a wall or to your mate. An hour makes a difference. Now, imagine 3 hours a week from when you're 16? You reckon that will make no difference? You're wrong.

Your wrong.


Theres a reason we use which ever foot we use and why theres a word for people who can use both.

Clear to see who has played/plays football in this thread.

Practice lol sign that man up as a coach, he cleary knows more than modern sports scientists.

sydthebeat

Giggsys played 21 seasons with one foot

y0ssar1an22

dreamers75 wrote: »

Your wrong.


Theres a reason we use which ever foot we use and why theres a word for people who can use both.

Clear to see who has played/plays football in this thread.

Practice lol sign that man up as a coach, he cleary knows more than modern sports scientists.

I would suspect sports scientists haven't looked at this in great detail. There are a ton of muscles used in a kicking motion. Some are easy to develop, such as quads. Some of the small and obscure muscles that, combined, also play a large role in the motion are harder to develop.
There is a way to develop these muscles.
The planted foot also plays a role in the kicking motion, and if you can improve your balance and form with the planted foot, you should be able to improve ability with weaker foot.
These 2 combined, along with practice, and muscle memory; if the player is committed; can improve there weaker foot to a very adequate level.
It will never be as good as your natural foot (with a few exceptions) but you should be able to cross/pass/shoot with your weaker foot. Maybe not a 40 yard bullet, but certainly a 10 yard shot with the ball coming across box on your weaker side.

sydthebeat

The best example of the ' practise makes perfect' slogan is bobby charlton.

Cienciano

dreamers75 wrote: »

Your wrong.


Theres a reason we use which ever foot we use and why theres a word for people who can use both.

Clear to see who has played/plays football in this thread.

Practice lol sign that man up as a coach, he cleary knows more than modern sports scientists.

Do modern footballers train on their weak foot? Yes. Ask yourself why? I've no idea why people have a hard time believing practice makes you better at something. This isn't some secret that sports scientists don't know!

bucketybuck wrote: »

Except thats not what I said, please read for comprehension.

Using the left foot is actually an interesting one. Lots of people here with stories of how they kicked a ping pong ball against a gate for six years and improved their left foot no end, but, I would wager that at best they became merely competent with their left foot.

I would also bet that the striking action they have with their left is still very different and less natural than the one they have with their natural right, its still a forced action, not as fluid as they would like.

I used to have this issue fisting the ball with my left hand, I could do it sure, but it was a very awkward process, not at all natural.

You won't be perfect on it, I don't think anyone is arguing this. But good enough to take a shot. Lots of footballers score with either foot, so there's proof that it can be done. The problem (i'm assuming) the op has, is that some players seem completely unable to do it. Great positions to take a shot with the left, and they'll go for the more difficult right.

inforfun

Robin van Persie, when getting into the Feyenoord team, only had his right leg because otherwise he probably would fall over.
And look at him now. He did train very hard on becoming 2 footed but i guess because of his enormous talent, it was easier for him than for others.
And he was also willing to invest a lot of time in improving himself.

Captain Havoc

Mirror of colemania, I'm not very good but I practiced on my left foot and make a point of using it in training. I'm not afraid to use it in matches and it's gotten me out of holes. I think the OP isn't asking for players to be ambidextrous but to be at least able to use the bad foot some way accurately which if their job, they should be. Does anyone here tell their boss they can only use one hand for work?

dmc17

The_Kew_Tour wrote: »

Valencia maybe the most one sided footballer I have seen.

Anderson doesn't even have 1 good foot!

bucketybuck

dmc17 wrote: »

Anderson doesn't even have 1 good foot!

He's got one food gut.

TimeToShine

bucketybuck wrote: »

Another one who believes that the very act of receiving some money magically means you can now do something you couldn't before. Let me put this in simple terms, hopefully you will understand.

I played club GAA for over ten years, was one of those keen players that went to every training session, had a lot of strength and pace but unfortunately no great accuracy. Ten years of training hard, and still I couldn't shoot worth a damn. It was nothing to do with hard work, I simply didn't have the physical aptitude for accurate shooting, god knows I tried.

Now that pace and strength could have translated into a very good footballer, and perhaps I could have made a good career for myself, maybe even gotten paid to play somewhere. And in your world, getting that pay check would now mean that I need to be a much better shot than I was previously, after all, any professional footballer should be able to shoot, right?

Wrong. That money hasn't changed who I am physically. I can train every single freaking day and come game time and I am 40 yards out from goal, its still a crapshoot whether I score that point or not. We all know professionals can work and perfect their skills, but sometimes if it ain't there, then it just ain't there.

Antonio Valencia clearly has an issue using his left foot. This idea that he just needs to work at it more is quite naive, he will have been working at it for years now, but obviously he simply cannot use it to any comfortable degree. And the fact that he gets paid money by a football club will not change that in the slightest.

How could you possibly compare yourself as an average joe footballer to top level professional athletes? Never mind GAA, this is football, the most competitive sport in the world. You compete on an international stage against the cream of the crop from every country in the world, not a 15 a side kickabout with the lads up the road. Now to think you can compare your situation to that of a premier league/CL footballer, people who have been specifically identified as the best in the world at what they do is absurd.

bucketybuck

TimeToShine wrote: »

How could you possibly compare yourself as an average joe footballer to top level professional athletes? Never mind GAA, this is football, the most competitive sport in the world. You compete on an international stage against the cream of the crop from every country in the world, not a 15 a side kickabout with the lads up the road. Now to think you can compare your situation to that of a premier league/CL footballer, people who have been specifically identified as the best in the world at what they do is absurd.

Stop frothing and actually read the posts, because you missed the point so badly I don't even know where to start.

Andersonisgod

I am going to have to mention him because nobody else has yet and because he is do ridiculously good with both feet but for me David Luiz is one of the best players from both feet in the world. He can play either side, he can lead with either foot when jostling, I've seen him play crazy sweeping passes from both feet, I've seen him shoot with both feet, I've seen him take freekicks from left and right foot. He's a properly gifted player with both feet.

dreamers75

y0ssar1an22 wrote: »

I would suspect sports scientists haven't looked at this in great detail. There are a ton of muscles used in a kicking motion. Some are easy to develop, such as quads. Some of the small and obscure muscles that, combined, also play a large role in the motion are harder to develop.
There is a way to develop these muscles.
The planted foot also plays a role in the kicking motion, and if you can improve your balance and form with the planted foot, you should be able to improve ability with weaker foot.
These 2 combined, along with practice, and muscle memory; if the player is committed; can improve there weaker foot to a very adequate level.
It will never be as good as your natural foot (with a few exceptions) but you should be able to cross/pass/shoot with your weaker foot. Maybe not a 40 yard bullet, but certainly a 10 yard shot with the ball coming across box on your weaker side.

Cienciano wrote: »

Do modern footballers train on their weak foot? Yes. Ask yourself why? I've no idea why people have a hard time believing practice makes you better at something. This isn't some secret that sports scientists don't know!

You won't be perfect on it, I don't think anyone is arguing this. But good enough to take a shot. Lots of footballers score with either foot, so there's proof that it can be done. The problem (i'm assuming) the op has, is that some players seem completely unable to do it. Great positions to take a shot with the left, and they'll go for the more difficult right.

Please hand back your access to the soccer forum (OP called it that, clearly a troll)

Seriously hand it back, you talking about ****e you have no ****ing clue about.

Mushy

dreamers75 wrote: »

Please hand back your access to the soccer forum (OP called it that, clearly a troll)

Seriously hand it back, you talking about ****e you have no ****ing clue about.

How don't they? I don't think anyone is saying that they should be as good with their weak foot, just that they should be able to competently pass the ball or maybe take the odd shot without totally relying on their strong foot?

lordgoat

From a very non professional footballer. I practiced with old leftie for years. Nothing serious, just i'd play practice games where i'd use my left foot the whole time, and mirror how i shot with my right with it. After 7/8 years of practice and 7 aside i can pass and take a corner decently with either foot. No real power on my weaker side but accuracy def improves and it improves overall comfort on the ball.

Edit: I'll also cross/shoot with my left if that's the best option rather than take a touch and swap sides.

It shocks me that pro's in the game will use the outside of the right for a pass that is easier with the left. But hey, what do i know?