Tiki Taka Introduction

Please click the "Possession Playlist" Link on the right side of the Blog.

There are two short videos there that demonstrate the heart of Barcelona FC play and also led to Spain wining the World Cup in 2010.  It is truly what is meant when people refer to soccer as the "beautiful game".

Barcelona does not have the best athletes (tallest, quickest, fastest), nor the best individual skill, nor the highest paid.  They have Messi and though he is considered the best scorer in the world I would argue he does not have the skills of a Christiano Ronaldo or a Ronaldinho.  But what he does have is a tremendous nose for the goal (like a Wayne Rooney) but what makes him better is he has a team that by far have the best passing skills and have the best team play there ever has been.

Barcelona most of the time when they play other teams even when they loose they out posses them by at least 2-1.  Meaning Barcelona has the ball at their feet over 66% of the time and their opponents are just chasing.

When you watch especially the 2nd video of Barcelona playing please notice these key things:
1. When a Bacelona person has the ball at least 3 team mates are moving to give them a clear easy pass
2. The passes are made directly to feet, not long leading passes in open space (95% of the time)
3. The passes are firm but on the ground, not bouncing so that the receiver is able to easily control the ball and make the next pass.
4. When they receive the ball they already know where they are passing next.
5. Please see the last 2 incredible wall passes Messi makes with his forwards to score a goal in the end.  It wasn't so much his dribbling as the, a lot like the warm-up video.

Of course these are all great players but you girls also are learning the foot skills so that you can move to this next level of intentional passing, using your foot skills to get out of trouble.  The key just like basketball the receiving player needs to move to an open line of passing and just like basketball again the passer needs to pass (firm, on the ground) the ball to the person not just kick it in the direction a team mate may be.

Eric