10 Soccer Skills to Beat a Defender: 1v1 Skill Pairs That Will Make You Unpredictable
Most players have one or two favourite skills. And honestly this is a good thing. It is far better to be exceptional at 2 or 3 skills than just okay at 10. However, if you repeat the same skill over and over, a smart defender will start predicting what is coming. They start reading the approach, shifting their weight early, closing the space down, and suddenly your usually successful go-to move is being stopped.
A good way to counteract this is to have pairs of skills. Essentially, two skills that share the same opening movement but finish in opposite directions. You beat the defender with skill A once or twice. Let’s say, for example, that skill A ends with you beating them to their right. They clock this after the second time and start committing early to their right to stop it. Then the next 1v1 you show them the same approach, the same body shape, the same opening movement, and so they again step to their right to win the ball. But this time the skill finishes differently and you go the other way. And you're gone.
Research in sports science backs this up. A study published in PLOS ONE found that deceptive body movements in soccer can reverse the spatial cueing that defenders rely on, causing even experienced players to commit in the wrong direction (Smeeton & Williams, 2014). A separate study in Sports Medicine found that a defender's susceptibility to deception increases significantly when the fake aligns with what they've previously seen as the most probable outcome (Jackson et al., 2020). Essentially, the more convincingly you've shown them skill A, the more effectively skill B will beat them when the start looks the same.
This post gives you five skill pairs, ten skills total, each with video demonstrations and a simple drill setup to practise them repeatedly on your own. If you want to understand the broader principles of when to take a defender on and when to play the pass, check out my post on the art of 1v1 dribbling.
Key Takeaways
Having one go-to 1v1 skill will only get you so far. Defenders adapt quickly and start predicting your moves
Skill pairs give you two skills that look identical in their opening movement but finish in opposite directions
Once a defender has seen skill A, skill B becomes twice as effective because they're already anticipating the wrong outcome
All ten skills in this post can be practised solo using the drill setup described below
Practise each skill with both feet to become truly unpredictable
The Drill Setup
All of the skills below are demonstrated using this simple setup.
Layout: Place a single cone as your starting point. Walk about six paces forward in a straight line and build a diamond shape using four cones to represent a defender. For the diamond, place two cones along the line about two feet apart (one foot in front of the other), then place one cone a small step out to the left of the midpoint, and one a small step out to the right. You can adjust the size of the diamond as you go. Continue walking along the same line about eight paces and build a second diamond defender. Then walk six more paces and place a final single cone. The further the defenders are spaced apart the easier it is so if this feels too cramped make it more than 8 paces to start.
How to use it: Start at the first single cone, dribble towards the first diamond and perform your skill to beat it, bring the ball under control quickly and continue forward to the second diamond where you perform the skill again, then dribble to the far single cone, go around it, and come back through the setup the other way. This gives you four reps of the skill per round.
Do a few rounds for each skill. Start slow and focus on clean execution, then build speed as you get comfortable. Make sure you practise each skill with both feet. For example, if you're doing a scissor with your right foot and outside touch with your left, also practise the left foot scissor with right foot outside touch.
Pair 1: Outside Touch vs Scissor Exit
Skill A: Inside-Inside-Outside Touch
Approach the defender using inside touches of one foot (think Doku or Jack Grealish carrying the ball). As you reach the defender, hop slightly onto your opposite foot as if committing that direction, then push off and take a sharp outside touch with your dribbling foot to explode away. The hop sells the fake and the outside touch is the exit. Make that final outside touch explosive so you accelerate past the defender before they can recover.
Skill B: Inside-Inside-Scissor to Outside Touch
Same approach. Same inside touches. But instead of the outside touch to beat them, you scissor with that same foot. The scissor initially looks identical to an outside touch because your foot travels from inside to outside of the ball in the same way. But instead of touching the ball, your foot goes around it. Then you take an outside touch with your other foot to go the opposite direction. Because the opening looked identical to the outside touch, the defender's weight is already going the wrong way.
Pair 2: Single Scissor vs Double Scissor
Skill A: Scissor, Outside Touch
A simple scissor with one foot, then an outside touch with the other foot to go the opposite direction. The foundation of scissor-based 1v1 skills. Sell the scissor by getting your body low and committing your upper body in the direction of the fake. Then push off and explode away with the outside touch.
Skill B: Double Scissor, Outside Touch
Scissor with one foot, then instead of taking the outside touch, scissor again with the other foot. Now take the outside touch with the original scissor foot to exit the other way. The double scissor works because the defender reacts to the first scissor, recovers, and then gets caught by the second. That second scissor initially looks just like you are about to take the outside touch the other way as you did in A of this pair. Speed between the two scissors is everything. If there's a pause, the defender resets. Keep it fluid.
Pair 3: Scissor La Croqueta vs Scissor Inside-Inside
Skill A: Scissor into La Croqueta
Scissor with one foot, then immediately start a La Croqueta going the same direction as your scissor. So, if you scissor with your right foot (faking right), your left foot drags the ball laterally across your body to the right, and your right foot pushes it forward past the defender. The scissor shifts the defender's weight one way, and the La Croqueta takes you past them on that same side before they can recover.
Skill B: Scissor into Quick Inside-Inside
Same scissor. Same start to the La Croqueta with the opposite foot pushing the ball laterally. But instead of letting the ball travel all the way across your body, you bring your other foot in early to redirect it back across the defender the other way. The lateral movement looks like the La Croqueta starting up again, which is exactly what pulls the defender the wrong way.
Pair 4: Pull-Chop vs Pull-Chop-V Pull
Skill A: Sole Pull and Chop
Pull the ball back with the sole of your foot, hopping your standing leg slightly forward as you do to give yourself room. Then with that same foot, chop the ball behind your standing leg using the inside of your foot and accelerate away. A sharp, compact skill that works well in tight spaces where you need to change direction quickly. You will see in the video that there are two common ways to execute the pull chop: a) pull and then release the ball before chopping with the inside of your foot and b) pull but keep your weight down on the top of the ball and chop it more with your toes all in the one motion. Try both and see which one feels more comfortable.
Skill B: Pull-Chop into V Pull
Start with the exact same pull and chop. But as the ball moves away from the chop, catch it with the sole of what was originally your standing foot. Now complete a V pull: drag the ball back towards you with the sole, then push it away to the other side of the defender with the outside of your other foot. Having seen the pull-chop before, the defender shifts to cover that exit, which is what opens up the V pull back across them.
Pair 5: Fake Shot Inside Cut vs Fake Shot Inside-Inside
Skill A: Fake Shot, Inside Cut
Touch the ball out in front of you and go into your shooting or passing motion. Raise your balance arm, step in, sell the shot. Then instead of striking the ball, use the inside of your shooting foot to cut it across the defender and break away. You can do this as one big cut (first close up in the below video), or follow up with an outside touch of your other foot to accelerate away (a fake shot into inside-outside, second close up in the below video). One of the most effective 1v1 skills in the game because defenders instinctively react to a shooting motion by trying to block, or flinching, which opens up the space to cut inside.
Skill B: Fake Shot, Inside Cut, Inside Redirect
Same fake shot. Same inside cut. But as the ball travels across the defender, you bring your other foot in and use the inside of that foot to redirect the ball back the other way. A fake shot into two quick inside touches that change direction. The redirect catches the defender mid-recovery because they've already shifted to cover the inside cut they expected.
Tips for Practising These Skills
Sell the fake. Every skill pair relies on the defender believing skill A is happening again. If you half-commit to the opening movement, the defender won't bite and the variation won't work. Get your body low, commit your upper body, use your eyes. The fake has to look real.
Speed of execution matters. The transition between the opening movement and the exit needs to be quick. A slow scissor gives the defender time to read it. A sharp one forces them to react before they can think.
Start with one pair. Pick the pair that feels most natural, get both skills clean at walking pace, then build to full speed. Once that pair feels automatic, move to the next.
Practise both feet. Every skill in this post should be practised on both sides. In a game you won't always approach the defender from your preferred angle. The more comfortable you are on both feet, the more dangerous you become.
Transfer these to games. Skills practised on cones become useful when you start using them in real situations. Next time you're in a 1v1, try skill A. If the defender starts reading it, skill B is ready. That's the whole point of training them as pairs.
Ready to Add More Skills to Your Game?
If you want to develop your 1v1 ability with personalised coaching, I offer private training sessions across Melbourne where we work on the specific skills that will make you a more dangerous player in game situations.
I offer a free trial session so you can see what focused, individual development looks like. Get in touch to book yours, or visit cdprivatesoccercoaching.com.au to learn more.
Soccer 1v1 Skills FAQ
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There’s no such thing. All you can do is get creative, try out all the ones you like and then find which ones come most naturally to you. Start with a simple body feint and a scissor with outside touch. These are the foundation skills that every player should have. Once those are comfortable, work through the skill pairs in this post to build variety and become unpredictable.
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Learn skills in pairs where the opening movement looks the same but the finish goes in opposite directions. Once a defender has seen one skill, the paired variation becomes much harder to defend because they're anticipating the wrong outcome.
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You don't need dozens. Having three or four reliable skills that you can execute at full speed, plus a variation for each, is more effective than having ten skills you can only do at walking pace. Master a few and make them automatic.
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Yes. The drill setup in this post uses cone diamonds to represent defenders and lets you practise every skill solo. Focus on the technique and speed of execution. Adding a real defender comes later once the movements feel natural.