When it comes to football skills that you could do with learning, the V-cut is one that comes in a few different variations, each of which promises to give you space and time to decide on your next move. The reason it is such a useful thing to opt for is that it is reasonably simple to pull off, but done well it can leave an opponent wondering what happened and where you went.
All of the different versions of it are essentially slightly different takes on the same move, but if you spend your time mastering them then you will have a bag of tricks to be able to pull out during a game.
Drag And Push The Ball In A V Shape
In its purest form, you place a foot on top of the ball before dragging it back towards you. From there, you open your hips up before pushing the ball with the inside of the same foot to the opposite foot in a diagonal direction. You then gather the ball with your other foot before repeating the motion on that side and sending it back to the original foot. You can probably work out from there where the skill’s name comes from, given the fact that the ball is moving in a V shape. If you find yourself with time to spare, you can see how many times you can do that move successfully in a minute.
As mentioned in the intro, there are several different variations of the same skill, which can be brought out as and when needed. The above one is known as the inside V-cut, on account of the fact that you’re hitting the ball with the inside of your boot. You can do basically the same motion but kick the ball with the outside of your boot in order to produce the outside V-cut, virtually in the space on your boot where the laces are. Then there is the alternate V-cut, where you use the outside foot to stop and drag the ball before doing it in the opposite direction, repeating as necessary.
You can also look to combine an inside V-cut and an alternate V-cut, shifting the ball backwards and forwards as you need. Finally, you can combine the inside V-cut with the outside V-cut, moving the ball as quickly as possible. Although this is a skill to practice at home or whilst you’re waiting for a match to start, it is also worth bearing in mind that you can bring it out during a game if you have truly mastered it. The entire point of the skill is to give you more space and time on the ball, shifting it away from the oncoming tackle of an opposition player in order to then find a teammate or shoot.