Freestyle Football - Freestyle Tricks

Freestyle Tricks

Freestyle football is divided into different disciplines/styles:

• Lowerbody/Air Moves - This is the most popular with the new generation of freestylers. The ball is kept aloft using mainly the feet and legs. This style is considered to be the most difficult and the one that gives a multitude of opportunities to come up with new moves and impressive combinations.
• Upperbody - This style is very popular in Japan and Russia. Most tricks are done with the head, chest and shoulders.
• Sitting/Sit Down - This style has become well known. All tricks are executed while sitting on the floor with your legs in the air, and the inability to move after the ball greatly increases the difficulty of any trick performed.
• Groundmoves - These are normal football moves, but then executed without an opponent. Skillful players can make the performance of groundmoves seem like a choreographed dance.
• Special - This style has been introduced recently and refers to the acrobatic or break dance moves performed with a football what is becoming more popular in the freestyle football world.

Within the above disciplines, the following individual moves are among the most popular:

• One well-known move is known as the Maradona 7, in which the player must play the ball with the right foot, then the left foot, then the right thigh, then the left thigh, then the right shoulder, then the left shoulder, and finally the head.
• Around the World (ATW) is also popular; in this move, the player plays the ball off of one foot, and that foot then circles up and over the ball before returning underneath to play the ball again. It is subdivided into Inside and Outside depending on the direction in which you make the turn.
• Crossover is one of the basic tricks. This move requires the player to kick the ball into the air by his trail leg, while the other leg goes around the ball.
• Toe Bounce (TB): Similar to Crossover but without making the leap, letting the ball bounce in the foot.
• Hop the World (HTW) is a famous move performed by pro footballers and freestylers all around the world. Kick the ball up with one foot, and circle the other around the ball.
• Touzani around the World (TATW) is a favorite of most, It is a variation of an outside ATW and a crossover.
• Mitchy around the World (MATW) is also a favorite. The same as TAWT except with an inside ATW.
• Alternative Mitchy around the World" (AMATW) is a variation of a HTW and a crossover.
• Lemmens Around the World (LATW) is a double ATW (you circle your foot twice around the ball in the air without a middle touch between the two revolutions).
• Palle Around the World(PATW) is a triple ATW (you circle your foot three times around the ball in the air without a middle touch between the three revolutions).
• Stall moves involve catching the ball in a stationary position. Many freestylers are able to catch the ball on their foreheads, the backs of their necks, or wedged between their heel and the back of their thigh.
• Combos are where one trick is connected to another without juggling the ball. For example (lower combos):

1. Simple combo : ATW - crossover; ATW - ATW; ATW-cross-ATW; ATW - HTW; HTW-ATW; crossover- ATW. 2. Intermediate combo : ATW - ATW - cross - HTW - ATW; toebounce (TB) - ATW - ATW - HTW - TATW. 3. Pro combo : ATW - ATW - HTW - HTW - ATW - TATW - TATW - {TATW - ATATW (no touch)}- LATW - ATW - ALATW.

Combos were introduced in early 2000-2002 and are popular in freestyle football.

Nowadays, the number of new freestylers is constantly increasing so is the number of new moves. Connecting freestyle football with break dance moves has become more popular recently and has given a name to the new style mentioned above - Special. It adds up to the creativity in this sport and keeps it developing. This style of performing may be easily noticed in Japan but not solely.