Show me where you carry the ball and I'll tell you how good you really are
The ball-carrying position, more than just a technical detail, can be the key that unlocks the entire game.
For many years, I thought carrying the ball was just a technical detail. But in the last couple of years, I’ve come to realize how crucial it actually is — where a player carries the ball can change everything.
I believe it defines everything: possibilities, intentions, even threats.
It’s one of those small details that, when properly analyzed and developed, can transform a team’s entire game.
🦶 Attacking the left foot: A technical solution
I have to admit — I’m a big fan of attacking the left foot.
I truly believe that when a team plays with that mindset, it becomes noticeably more effective.
I know I’m not saying anything revolutionary. We’ve been taught this since we were kids. But still, every time I watch youth games, it seems like the field naturally pushes players to attack down the left — straight into the defender’s forehand.
The point is, this is usually not a tactical decision. More often, it’s the result of a technical flaw.
Given the way we hold the stick, the easiest and most comfortable movement will always be to carry the ball to the left — the stick naturally points that way.
If you stop and really watch youth games, you’ll notice this happens all the time. The main giveaway is easy to spot: the left hand pressed against the stomach.
So, if we want players to have the option to attack to their right side, we need to pay close attention to their body posture when carrying the ball.
To go right, the stick has to point in that direction. And to make that happen, there are two key adjustments: push the left elbow outward, and bring the right hand in closer to the body.
The important thing here isn’t that players must go to the right — it’s that they can choose to, because they have more options available. It shouldn’t be a forced decision caused by poor posture.
This is a great example of how a small correction in a technical detail can completely change the way a whole team plays.
✅ Body posture on the ball
The next point I’d like to share is directly connected to what we discussed in the previous newsletter: the importance of body positioning to expand field vision.
But now, I want to take it a step further and focus on body orientation after we already have the ball.
Another thing we see all the time in youth games is players showing way too early where they’re going to pass.
For example, a center-back receives the ball, turns their body, and closes it off to pass to the full-back on their side.
When the body closes off, the available space to play the ball becomes extremely limited.
The problem? Even if the pass reaches its target, the teammate receiving it will be under pressure much earlier.
Why? Because the opponent, seeing a closed body posture, can anticipate the direction of the pass before it even happens.
It’s like handing a teammate a problem — a ticking time bomb.
So, here’s the adjustment we want to make: even if we already know where we’re going to pass, in most situations we should keep the ball in a position that allows us to threaten more areas of the field — especially the opponent’s goal.
That forces the defense to protect more space and makes it harder for them to read our intentions.
If I adopt a good posture on the ball, I’m not giving my teammate a problem. I’m giving them a solution.
💡 How to train it?
As always, I’ll share a small idea to spark how you might train this.
There are countless ways to work on it, and the most important thing is that, as coaches, we stay focused on the objective and make corrections with this specific detail in mind.
4v1 possession game in a square, two-touch limit.
The focus is on making sure that the player on the ball always positions it in a way that allows them to pass both to the left and to the right.
To make it easier at first, the defender can play only by trying to intercept passes.
As a next level, we can introduce the idea that if I fake the pass, my teammate will then have more time to play.
Using this logic, we can build any similar exercise.
🔜 Next episode
When I was coaching the U.S. National Women’s Team, I often found myself trying to deeply analyze certain situations so I could explain them in the simplest possible way — but with real reasoning behind it.
For almost everything I wanted to teach, I would ask myself just one question: Why?
One of those questions — which might seem simple but opens up an entire world — was this:
Where should a center-back position themselves when a teammate has the ball?
What should they use as a reference point?
Why?
I played my whole life as a center-back. Positioning came naturally to me — it was instinctive.
But having to break it down in order to explain it was a really valuable exercise.
We often talk about “structures” — a back three, a back four — but we rarely dig into the small details that really make the difference.
That’s what the next episode will be all about.
I invite you to reflect on these questions in advance. I’d love to hear your thoughts or ideas.
Until next time,
Javi
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