10 Soccer feints/fakes

Forwards often use feints and fakes to unbalance defenders and create space for a shot, cross, or pass. These moves don't rely on speed or power, but rather on timing and deception. Here's a list of 10 of the most basic and effective fakes for forwards:

1. The Body Feint

This is one of the most fundamental moves. It involves shifting your weight to one side as if you're going to move in that direction, then quickly pushing off and moving the other way. This simple shift in body weight can cause a defender to commit to one direction, allowing you to easily go the other way.

2. The Step-Over

The player swings one foot over the ball without touching it, faking a move in one direction before quickly moving in another. A key to making this move successful is the upper-body movement, which must sell the fake.

3. The Scissors

Similar to the step-over, but the player swings their foot around the outside of the ball to the inside. It's a quick, two-footed movement that tricks the defender into thinking you're going one way when you're actually going the other.

4. The Matthews

This is a simple but effective move. As the ball is in front of you, you use the inside of your foot to feint a pass or shot, then immediately push the ball with the outside of the same foot in the opposite direction.

5. The V-Pull

This is a change-of-direction move that fakes a forward pass. The player uses the sole of their foot to pull the ball backward and then uses the inside of the same foot to push the ball forward at an angle, forming a "V" shape.

6. The Drag-Back

When a defender is approaching head-on, the player uses the sole of their foot to pull the ball backward, away from the defender's reach, and then quickly changes direction.

7. The Cruyff Turn

Named after the legendary Johan Cruyff, this move is a classic. While facing one direction, a player feints a cross or pass, then uses the inside of their foot to quickly drag the ball behind their standing leg, completely changing direction.

8. The Fake Shot

This is all about deceiving the defender and goalkeeper. The player winds up as if to take a powerful shot, but at the last second, they stop the motion and either pass the ball or take it around the committed defender.

9. The Fake Pass

Similar to the fake shot, this move involves a player preparing to pass the ball with the inside of their foot, but then stopping the motion and changing direction. It's often used when a defender is expecting you to release the ball.

10. The Fake Cross

Used by players on the wing, this move involves a player winding up as if to cross the ball into the penalty box, but at the last second, they take a touch and cut inside toward the goal.