There is one football skill above all others that needs to be worked on. It is the obvious skill that you ignore every time you go to training or play in matches. You even ignore it at home dribbling the ball around the back garden. That skill is using your football weak foot. You can be incredibly skillful with stepovers, faints, and other moves, but if you cannot use your weaker foot, then you will be found out quickly.

A player that can only pass the ball with one foot is completely one-dimensional. They must put the ball onto their stronger foot at all times to make passes, move the ball, or shoot. Using the weak foot seems to be ignored by a large majority of football players, especially amateurs, who think they can get by using their strong foot at all times.

Football weak foot

Players seem to work on the areas of their game that they like, and ignore the things they don’t. Watch kids at grassroots training sessions or in the park, and you will see them consistently shooting or dribbling consistently to play to their own strengths. But to become a better player, you must develop those weaker skills.

Remarkably, football is one of the few sports in which players focus only on one area and ignore another. For example, golfers cannot simply practice their drive and ignore putting. The two go hand in hand. The drive begins the journey to the pin and the putt ends the hole. Just like dribbling or passing may start a move and shooting finishes it.

Footballers often hide their shortcomings within their team by moving away from the things they cannot do well. Many players allow the stronger players in the team to take control of things then accept credit for the team’s overall performance despite their shortcomings.

If you want to improve your skills and become significantly better as a player, you must address your game’s weaknesses straight on. You will have more opportunities, more confidence, and more fun as you develop your all-around skills. Stepovers, faints, and Cruyff turns are great to watch, but if you cannot make a simple pass, shoot, or dribble with your weak foot, you will look lost on the pitch.