Body Feint — Sell & Explode

1. Set up one starting cone.
2. Place 3 cones in a line 4 metres in front of the starting cone, covering approximately 0.5 metres in total.
3. Place another cone 4 metres behind the three-cone line to mark the end of the movement.
4. Start at the starting cone and dribble towards the three-cone line.
5. As you approach the cones, perform a body feint to the left and explosively take the ball to the right side of the cones.
6. Dribble to the cone at the opposite end, turn around, and attack the three-cone line again.
7. This time, perform a body feint to the right and take the ball explosively to the left side.
8. Dribble back to the starting cone and repeat.
9. You can slow down at the start/end cones before accelerating towards the next body feint.

The body feint is one of the most fundamental and widely used 1v1 movements in football. Every position should be able to use it confidently in both directions. When facing a defender, a well-executed body feint can make them shift their weight one way before you explode into the space on the other side. Look at a player like Lionel Messi: rather than relying on complicated skill moves, he has often used simple body feints combined with extremely quick touches and changes of direction to unbalance defenders. Mastering this basic movement gives you a tool you can use anywhere on the pitch.

• Sell the feint: commit your shoulders, hips and body weight to one direction before exploding the opposite way.
• Make your first touch after the feint aggressive and into space — the goal is to create separation immediately.