1. Catch Some Air
The terms "chip passes" and "chipping the ball" in soccer refer to a pass that is intentionally lifted into the air. Chip passes are typically made as an attempt to lift the ball over an opponent's head. Some forwards effectively beat defenders by chip passing the ball to themselves. When the ball is chipped, it rises quickly with a backspin. All other passes and shots should have either a front spin or no spin at all.
2. Anatomy of a Chip Pass
Chip passing is one of the few times in soccer you want to kick the ball with your toe. To chip pass the ball, stay centered over the ball with your knee bent and kick the ball using a jabbing motion with your toe. Swing from your knee rather than your hip. Make contact with the underside of the ball, right where it makes contact with the ground. Think of your foot as a wedge you're trying to knock into the angle created between the ground and the ball.
3. Bringing Down the Pass
Chip passes can be difficult to control because of the backspin. Be aware a chip pass moves slower than a traditionally passed ball once it lands. When bringing a chip pass down from the air, cradle the pass with your foot or thigh as if you were catching an egg so the ball doesn't bounce off you out of control.
4. Follow the Ball
Chipping the ball over the other team's last line of defense can result in an offsides call if the player receiving the pass gets in front of the ball before it lands. A player is offsides if she is between the opposing team's goal and last defender. The player can't be called offsides if she has possession of the ball or is chasing a ball down. Some teams use an offsides trap by running forward when a ball is chipped, leaving players on the attacking team between the defenders and the goal. Players receiving a chip pass should always stay behind the ball until it lands to avoid being called off sides.
5. Perfect the Pass
To practice chipping the ball, organize players into groups of three. Have two of the players stand next to cones placed several yards apart and place the third player between them. The players on the cones should chip the ball to each other over the head of the third player. To practice both chipping the ball and trapping chipped balls, split the players into two teams. Place the players into a grid that's split down the middle. Give both teams several balls and have them chip back and forth to each other. If a player loses control of the ball while attempting to trap it, that player is eliminated. Similarly, if a player fails to get a pass into the air, that player is eliminated.
The terms "chip passes" and "chipping the ball" in soccer refer to a pass that is intentionally lifted into the air. Chip passes are typically made as an attempt to lift the ball over an opponent's head. Some forwards effectively beat defenders by chip passing the ball to themselves. When the ball is chipped, it rises quickly with a backspin. All other passes and shots should have either a front spin or no spin at all.
2. Anatomy of a Chip Pass
Chip passing is one of the few times in soccer you want to kick the ball with your toe. To chip pass the ball, stay centered over the ball with your knee bent and kick the ball using a jabbing motion with your toe. Swing from your knee rather than your hip. Make contact with the underside of the ball, right where it makes contact with the ground. Think of your foot as a wedge you're trying to knock into the angle created between the ground and the ball.
3. Bringing Down the Pass
Chip passes can be difficult to control because of the backspin. Be aware a chip pass moves slower than a traditionally passed ball once it lands. When bringing a chip pass down from the air, cradle the pass with your foot or thigh as if you were catching an egg so the ball doesn't bounce off you out of control.
4. Follow the Ball
Chipping the ball over the other team's last line of defense can result in an offsides call if the player receiving the pass gets in front of the ball before it lands. A player is offsides if she is between the opposing team's goal and last defender. The player can't be called offsides if she has possession of the ball or is chasing a ball down. Some teams use an offsides trap by running forward when a ball is chipped, leaving players on the attacking team between the defenders and the goal. Players receiving a chip pass should always stay behind the ball until it lands to avoid being called off sides.
5. Perfect the Pass
To practice chipping the ball, organize players into groups of three. Have two of the players stand next to cones placed several yards apart and place the third player between them. The players on the cones should chip the ball to each other over the head of the third player. To practice both chipping the ball and trapping chipped balls, split the players into two teams. Place the players into a grid that's split down the middle. Give both teams several balls and have them chip back and forth to each other. If a player loses control of the ball while attempting to trap it, that player is eliminated. Similarly, if a player fails to get a pass into the air, that player is eliminated.
