I want to know how to become a super cool freestyler, just like you. What can you tell me?
Freestyle is about expressing yourself, like an art. You show off amazing skills performed with a football with various tricks
and moves. Here are some moves that you can learn to be just like me, but remember, there's no secret to success. It's
a lot of hard work and practice to become a great freestyler but always remember that it should be fun or you'll get frustrated,
kick the ball away, and cry in your room looking for another lame hobby
NOTE: Click on the names of the tricks in bold for an animation of the tricks.
Please be patient if at first the images don't show up right away.
Beginner/Easy Tricks
Atw (Around the World) – A complete revolution around the ball using your foot. As you are juggling, hit the ball with either the inside
or outside of the foot (depending on which way you are going around the ball) to give it a bit of a spin. Your foot should
make a complete revolution around the ball and come back under the ball to continue juggling. It is perhaps one of the most
basic freestyle tricks. Practice is the key.
Inside atw - Same with atw but different direction.
Half Atw - Almost the same thing as the around the world, except after you make your revolution with your foot around the
ball and before you touch it again, you let the ball drop to your opposite foot instead.
Htw (Hop the World) – A touch with one foot, and the opposite foot goes around the ball outside to inside and comes around and under
to touch the ball, and to continue juggling.
Outside htw - Same as htw but different direction.
Crossover – A simple but nice looking move. You jump up and swing one leg around the ball while having a trailing leg underneath
that leg which kicks the ball up from under the leg you swung around the ball with.
Toe bounce – The ball is allowed to drop to your standing foot. The other leg swings around over the ball as the ball bounces
off the standing foot and comes back up again. Swinging your leg outside to inside is the most common and generally the easier
way to perform this trick, however, you can also perform a toe bounce with your leg swinging over the ball inside to outside.
Balance is the key.
Headstall – Balance the ball on your head roughly where the hairline should be.
Side slap – A very simple trick that is not used very often. Beginners will try this and perform it very easily while thinking
it’s an amazing move. I’m not sure if there are many experienced freestylers who would consider this anything
more than a below average move. As the ball is dropping to the ground you first step over the ball and let it bounce. On the
way back up your other trailing leg pounds the ball down to the ground again from behind the leg you stepped over with and
should now be your supporting leg.
Rainbow – Catch the ball between your feet. One foot (usually the dominant one) rolls the ball up your support leg. Then,
with your support leg, bring the backheel up and flick the ball up.
Aeroplane or Back Roll - From juggling you kick the ball up into the air so it makes contact with your right shoulder, then spin round making the
ball spin across the top of your back and off your left shoulder to carry on juggling.
Piledriver - From footstall (or juggle), the ball is lifted and slammed against the floor using the shin. This can be used in a
combo going into any move such as atw, crossover, tatw etc. The move can also be performed with both legs alternatively
as shown in the gif.
Dislocated Knee (dlk) – Bring your leg up. The ball makes contact with the knee but you also kick out with your foot and the ball kind
of pops up from your knee as you pull your foot back.
Footstall - Rest the ball on your foot. The move can be done much easier if you point your toes upwards so you clamp
the ball between your foot and your shin.
Hotstepper - Pound the ball to the ground continuously using the soles of both feet alternatively. It is just as if you
would be dribbling a basketball with your hands.
Shoulderstall - There is a groove on your shoulder between your back/neck muscles and collarbone where the ball can rest.
However, there are two ways to perform a shoulderstall. One is where you have the ball out in front of you very much
similar to a cheststall, and the other is where the ball is out to your side and you are also using the side of your head
to hold the ball still.
Hamstring Stall - Catch the ball between your heel or the back of your leg, and your ass.
Alternate Hamstring Stall - Catch the ball between your heel and the opposite cheek on your
ass.
Between feet catch - Catch the ball between your feet.
Between knees catch - Catch the ball between your legs, about at the height where your knees
are.
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Intermediate/Normal Tricks
Atm (Around the moon) – From a neckstall, slightly flick the ball up using your shoulders. Make a complete revolution around the ball
with your head and come back around and under the ball to catch it on your neck again.
Nhtw (neck hop the world) - From a neckstall, you slide the ball from off your neck to the side of you while, without a touch, making a revolution
around the ball with your leg.
Henry backheel flick - This move must be split into two parts. First, brush the edge of the ball with your heel planting your foot in front it.
This should cause the ball to flick up and rebound off the top of your heel. After waiting for the ball to rebound adequately,
swing back with the same foot and strike it upward. If you execute the second movement too early, the ball will fly behind
instead of over you head.
360 – Have the ball in a neckstall. From there, swing your upperbody around to bring the ball to a cheststall. Then,
get the ball into a neckstall again. The ball follows your upperbody around 360 degrees, hence the name.
In The Ditch - From neck stall, the ball is touched backwards with the head so that it rests in the middle of your back where there is
a ridge which explains the name - in the ditch.
Akka – An elastico/flip flap performed in the air. The trick can be performed in many different ways. Inside to outside,
outside to inside, touch with the knee first, etc.
Helicopter - To spin the ball on the top of your head, while you balance it and have it under control.
Shoe Slip - Footstall then take your shoe off, make sure your shoe is quite loose, when you’re taking it off. Keep the toe of
the shoe touching the ball (that’s what keeps it from falling). Slip the shoe off bottom first. Nearly the same
concept works for the sock slip, which is also just slipping the sock off while you have a footstall.
Hat Slip - From headstall (while wearing a beanie hat) pull the hat off with the ball still on your head.
Bambini
- from juggling the ball is caught under the t-shirt and hit round using the fist quickly. The ball should spin round your
back and fall out of the t-shirt at the front of the body ready to carry on juggling.
Knee htw (Khtw) – Just like a htw trick but first you hit the ball up with the knee and then make the other leg come around the
ball.
Knee atw (Katw) – Just like an atw but first you hit the ball with your knee and the same leg wraps around the ball.
Heel Htw - First your foot will come out from behind and around your body and your heel will make contact with the ball.
Bring your leg out in front of you again and make an outside to inside revolution around the ball.
Heel atw – Just like a normal atw but the trick is executed with a touch of the heel and then your leg comes around the
ball.
Reverse Dislocated Knee – The same idea as a dislocated knee trick but you kick out with the part of the leg that’s behind the knee.
Lipstall – Balance the ball on your mouth. You must tilt your head back immensely so be careful not to damage your neck
if you’re not flexible enough.
Side headstall – Balance the ball on the side of your head. Somewhere around the temple you should feel a little groove where
the ball could easily be placed.
Nosestall – Balance the ball in the area between your eyes, and on the bridge of your nose.
Spinning Crossover - Perform a crossover and then spin around almost simultaneously. Collect the ball out in front of you after
the spin.
Reverse Toe Bounce - Just like a toe bounce but in the opposite direction. Kick the ball up to the outside of you. The
foot you will bounce the ball on would come around from underneath the other leg to meet the ball. As the ball makes
contact with that foot and you lift your toes to fling it up, your other leg will go over the ball in an inside to outside
direction.
Neck Htw - From a neckstall, slide the ball to one side and off of your neck. Without a touch, go straight into a htw
making an outside to inside revolution around the ball.
Leg Spinner - A trick pioneered by Tatsulow from Japan. From a footstall, make a jump. Then while in mid-air, throw your other
leg around the ball as you flick the ball up from underneath that leg from the footstall. Timing is crucial.
Shoulder Juggles - Juggle the ball with the shoulders. More impressive and more stylish if you perform the move by juggling
with both shoulders alternatively.
Head Juggles - Juggle the ball with your head. Keep your eyes on the ball and jerk yourself up at the right moments to keep the ball
up.
Topheadstall - Stall the ball on the top of your head, where you cannot see the ball. More impressive if you try not to
look up at the ball.
Backheel Spin - With your leg coming from behind and around your body, touch the ball up with your heel. Spin around and
collect the ball to continue juggling, or go into another move as a combo.
Tatsulow Head trick - Kick the ball really high in the air. As it comes down jump over the ball so the ball falls and bounces on the ground
in between your legs and comes up behind you. Lean back quickly to meet the ball bouncing up with the back of your head,
to pound it down to the ground.
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Advanced/Difficult Tricks
Tatw (Touzani around the world) – A more advanced form of the around the world. As you are in the middle of the atw trick, make a slight jump and
swing your other foot around as you knock the ball from under that leg. Timing of the jump is the key to mastering this trick.
HTatw (Hopping/Homie Touzani around the world) - It is almost the same as the tatw trick except there is no touch in the middle of the trick. The trick is
performed with the first leg going around like a atw but from the jump you immediately proceed in throwing the other leg around
the ball without hitting it up from underneath with the first leg.
KTatw (Knee touzani around the world) - Almost the same as tatw except with tatw it is almost atw no touch crossover combo while with ktatw the trick
is performed with a knee atw first.
AAtw (abbas around the world) - A trick pioneered by Abbas Farid. It is a complete rewind of the trick tatw. Your first leg hits the ball up.
Your other leg goes around the ball inside to outside. Then, you make a jump in which your first leg follows with an
atw.
Latw (Lemmens around the world) – A sort of double around the world. You touch the ball to start the around the world trick and move your foot
around the ball twice (720 degrees) before making contact with the ball again.
Inside Latw - Same latw but different direction.
Matw (mitchy around the world) – Also known as a rtatw (reverse touzani around the world). Basically the same concept as the tatw trick but instead
of an inside to outside atw, you start the move off with an outside to inside atw.
KMatw (knee mitchy around the world) - It is a matw but an inside direction knee atw is used to initiate the trick.
Atatw (alternate touzani around the world) – You first hit the ball straight up. With the other leg you make an inside to outside rotation around the ball.
At the same time you make a jump and swing the other leg around the ball and kick the ball up from underneath that leg.
Amatw (alternate mitchy around the world) – You hit the ball straight up with one foot. With the other foot you make an outside to inside rotation around
the ball. At the same time you make a jump and swing the other leg around the ball and kick the ball up from underneath that
leg.
Jatw (Jay around the world) - A move pioneered by Palle originally but since he didn't want a move named after himself he decided to name it after a
friend, Jay Ransome from england. It is a tatw but in the end instead of making an inside direction revolution with
the other leg, an outside direction revolution is done. A quite awkward move if you have never tried before.
New Shit - A combination move involving the toe bounce, a backheel flick with a spin,
and after you have swung around with the spin, a no touch hop the world. Pioneered by Soufiane Touzani in his "Deel
Drie".
Timo atw - Touch the ball with your dominant foot. Your non-dominant foot
will make an inside to outside rotation around the ball as the ball falls straight back on the dominant foot. And then
a tatw is completed.
MGatw (Mel Gibson around the world) - A trick pioneered by myself. Touch the ball up.
Make a jump and touch the ball on either side with both feet at the same time. And then make an outside to inside revolution
around the ball with both feet at the same time. An easier way to do this move would be from a between the feet catch.
Eatw (edward around the world) - Another trick invented by myself. Touch the ball with
your heel. As you let the ball drop once to the ground, move your leg over the ball in the outside to inside direction.
Continue to swing your leg in the same direction as the ball comes up and perform an amatw.
Yatw (yoon around the world) - A trick invented by myself, inspired by aatw. It is
like the aatw but your legs go in completely the opposite directions. Touch the ball up. make an outside to inside
direction revolution with the other foot as the ball falls back on to your original foot. Make a jump and perform an
inside to outside atw.
Toe Juggles - Juggle the ball with the toes pointed straight up.
Shinnies - Juggle the ball with your shins. You must have your leg straight and bring it up almost parallel to the
ground.
Chest Juggles - Lean back and keep the ball up using your chest. Jerk yourself up at
the right moments to keep the ball up.
Neck/back juggles - Juggle the ball at the area slightly below where you would normally do a neckstall. Everytime you hit the ball up,
watch the ball as it comes down and jerk your body up to hit the ball on the spot you need to.
NOTE: Some freestylers combine Chest and neck/back juggles to use both parts of the body alternatively.
Mouth juggles - Be careful not to hurt yourself while trying the trick. Tilt your head back as if you would do the lipstall
trick. Juggle the ball on your mouth. Jerk yourself up at correct moments to keep the ball up.
Sole Stall - Stall the ball on the sole of your foot while lying down flat on your back.
Gerbeshi Breakdancing Footstall - Have the ball in a footstall. Now clamp the ball down real hard and make sure you have a good feel for the ball.
Now get down on the ground and start breakdancing, serious! It appears as if the ball is "glued" to your foot and if
you have good dance moves like Gerbeshi (the dance instructor) it can look VERY stylish.
Nelson New Shit - A combination of backheel spins performed one after the other, consecutively.
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Master/Pro Tricks
AHMatw (alternate hopping/homie mitchy around the world) - A very difficult and advanced trick. It is a hmatw but the starting touch is with the opposite foot. Your first
foot touches the ball up. With a jump, your other foot makes a rotation around the ball in the inside direction.
Without an extra touch, your first foot also makes an inside direction rotation around the ball before touching the ball with
your first foot again. Best explained by viewing the animated image.
RHJatw (reverse hopping/homie jay around the world) - First an inside direction atw is done in the first part of the trick. Then, with a jump, without hitting it again
with the same foot, the other foot goes around the ball in an outside direction and touches the ball.
Patw (palle around the world) or
also called "the triple" - just like a lemmens around the world but instead of going around the ball twice before
touching it again, you go around the ball three times. A very difficult and complex move to perform and only performed
so far by a few elite freestylers.
ALatw (alternate lemmens around the
world) - It is just like the htw trick but instead of the other leg making a revolution once, it will go around twice
without another touch.
APatw (alternate palle around the world)
or also, Alternate Triple - Touch the ball with one foot. Without another touch, make the other foot go around
the ball three times. Never before has this move been completed but this move has been created in theory.
LTatw (lemmens touzani around the world)
- Start the maneuver as you would any other latw. When the second rotation around the ball is almost complete, make
a jump and throw your other leg around the ball just as you would a tatw.
LMatw (lemmens mitchy around the world)
- It is the same as above but with the latw starting in the opposite direction.
Toe Stall - A trick pioneered by Maradona. others have tried and completed the maneuver, but not totally successfully (couldn't
hold it for long). Basically, hold your foot out and point your toes up. Balance the ball on your toes.
Since there is so little a surface area to use, the trick is very difficult.
Heel Stall - Pioneered by Tatsulow of Japan. Hold your leg out with your toes pointed down to the ground and heel pointed straight
up. Balance the ball on your heel.
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Combos
What are combos?
Combos are when tricks are performed consecutively,
one after another, without any extra juggles in between. More experienced freestylers use many different tricks in a combo
because it shows greater skill, showcases more tricks in a short time, and looks uber cool.
examples of beginner combos:
atw-htw, crossover-atw, cross-htw, etc.
examples of normal combos: crossover-atw-atw-htw, toe bounce-atw-atw, crossover-htw-atw, etc.
VIDEO - Normal Combo Examples - coming soon
examples of advanced combos: atw-atw-atw-cross-htw, toe bounce-atw-atw-cross-atw, tatw-amatw, etc.
VIDEO - Advanced Combo Examples - coming soon
examples of master combos: cross-atw-atw-htw-htw-atw-htw-htw-atw-atw-tatw, tatw-matw-amatw-htw, ktatw-ktatw-htw,
etc.
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Making Your Video
So now I know all these awesome tricks. What now?
You would probably
want to make a freestyle video to be cool like me. You can either get a webcam which you can't take anywhere and gives crappy
quality videos but you can afford because you're poor, or a digital camera with video functions which gives decent quality
video and isn't too expensive (compared with camcorders) and also very easy to use, or camcorders which are a bit more expensive
and a bit more difficult to use and etc., or anything else you can think of that'll record video.
I personally chose to go with the digital camera. But make sure it doesn't record in quicktime because that format sucks and
you can't use it for anything. And after you have all your video clips you'll probably want to upload it to your computer
for editing or what not (uploading process will differ depending on what method of video capture you have used).
Ok,
I have my clips uploaded but since I suck I have too much messed up videos. I want to edit and make a really awesome video
like you, but how?
You'll need a video editing software program thing as you would probably
have guessed. There's Windows Movie Maker which comes free with windows XP. It's easy to use, not too simple but not too complicated,
and a really user-friendly program. But nothing good in life is free. The drawback is that you'll be enjoying it for a while
and then experience frequent crashes and never be able to use it ever again.
Ulead Video Studio
is a great program, but not free. However, it can be free for 30 days. I'm talking about a demo here. But be sure not to get
version 7. Go for version 8 or 9 demos because version 7 will take a million years to upload your video clips and then crash
when it's done.
But the best out there I think is Sony Vegas. It's amazingly expensive but
still, there's the demo. Version 4 demo won't let you do anything so don't get it, but version 5 demo will be great.
Or, if you think you know better than me go out and find another program yourself to make your sh*t with. Use your program
to make titles, put videos together, make cool special effects, use awesome transitions, maybe have some credits at the end
and save your amazing freestyle movie (note: video making processes will differ depending on the type of video editing program
being used. Owen4ever will not be held responsible for a crappy video if you don't know how to make anything good because
this tutorial doesn't cover all that kind of stuff. You'll figure it all out, hopefully).
Ok, I have my video. I
think I'm the best freestyler in the world so now what do I do with it?
Take your video and
try to get it up on the internet. You can acquire a link from either yousendit, youshareit, rapidshare, or etc. and post it
everywhere or you can upload to soccershowdown, soccerclips, expertfootball etc. or email to voetbaltruc etc. to get some
exposure.