Change of Speed

1. Start with the ball at your feet and dribble forward.
2. After approximately 3 metres, make a movement as if you are about to slow down or stop.
3. Instead of slowing down, explode forward and accelerate for approximately 5 metres.
4. Continue moving in a straight line — the focus is on changing your speed, not changing direction.

This movement may look simple, but it is used constantly at the highest level of football. Watch a professional centre-back or central midfielder carry the ball through a pressing line: they rarely just jog straight through at the same speed. Instead, they slow down, sell the impression that they are about to stop or change direction, then accelerate through the space and come out on the other side of the press. The same principle applies to wingers, fullbacks and wide forwards. When attacking space down the flank, a well-timed change of speed can create separation from a defender without needing a complicated skill move. The change of speed is the move.

• Sell the deceleration: make your body movement convincing enough that it looks like you are genuinely about to stop or turn.
• Stay low during the fake, then explode forward immediately with your next touch.