Soccer, or football as it is known in the developed world, is a game of skill and physical prowess. Two teams battle for ninety minutes to try and find the winner, the side with the most goals scored emerging victorious. Unless they have the same number of goals, in which case it is a draw. That is, unless it is a knockout competition and there must be a winner, so they play a replay or have a penalty shootout, whichever is more appropriate. There are many ways of scoring a goal, most of which involve kicking the ball into the opposition net. One of the most effective ways to do this is to put in your striker on goal in a one against one with the goalkeeper. To do this your striker must beat the offside trap set by the cunning defenders and you must play him an inch-perfect through ball. If the through ball is good then the striker will have an easy chance to score a vital goal. The first thing to bring to the pitch when attempting a through ball is confidence. Without confidence you won't strike the ball well and your pass will be too heavy. If you play a bad pass then the striker won't be able to reach the ball and the chance is lost. Strike firmly and confidently, try to envision a successful pass before you make it and you will pull through. The most vital property of a good through ball is timing. You must play the ball early enough that the striker is still onside when you play the ball. If you leave it too late the forward will have strayed offside and he won't be happy with you. However, if you play the ball too early then the defense will have time to read the pass and cut it out. Generally speaking it is better to play the ball early, but make sure that the striker is in position and expecting the through ball. Through balls can be chipped or along the ground, both are good options. To chip a through ball just hold the L1 button before you press triangle, this will loft a ball over the top for the striker to run on to. Usually a ball along the floor is better as it is easier to control and shoot first time from. A through ball is best played to a quick striker as they will have the pace to get onto the pass. A slow donkey won't make it, you're better off just punting long balls at them to head down. Hopefully this article will have helped you to understand the elusive through ball, an enigmatic addition to any footballer's arsenal.
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