Already know a move?
What comes next is turning away from pressure with the ball.
See the turnTwo Simple Skill Moves: Step Over, Fake Shot
Skill-Building Games
Simple football skill moves for beginners really only need to be two: the step over and the fake shot.
Both are genuinely simple enough for a beginner to start with. The step over is stepping around the ball to fake one direction before going the other. The fake shot is winding up to shoot, then rolling the ball sideways instead. Both work the same way, by selling a fake direction before going the real one.
I put off teaching any actual "trick" for ages, worried it would just turn into a party piece with no real football use, until I realised these two work precisely because they're simple.
Already know a move? Turning away from pressure is what comes next.
The step over move for kids, broken down
The Step Over
Start standing still with the ball at rest before ever adding a run-up or speed.
- 1
Step around it. One foot circles round the top of the ball without touching it, as if about to go that way.
- 2
Plant it, then go the other way. That foot lands beyond the ball, and the very next touch sends the ball off in the opposite direction with the other foot.
A fake shot trick football beginners can learn safely
The Fake Shot
Start standing still with the ball at rest before ever adding a run-up or speed.
- 1
Wind up like a real shot. The whole run-up and leg swing look exactly like the child is about to strike the ball properly, once the move is happening at walking pace and the roll is landing cleanly.
- 2
Stop, and roll it sideways instead. At the last moment the kicking leg checks and the inside of the foot rolls the ball off to one side.
"Shall we practise selling it properly first, before we go fast?" keeps both feet, so to speak, on the ground while the habit forms.
The real mechanism, not just the move
Why Selling the Fake Matters More Than the Footwork
Both moves work for the same reason: a convincing fake genuinely speeds up an opponent's reaction in the wrong direction, something a beginner skill moves game can lean on even before the footwork is polished.
Research on adult players watching video clips of deceptive moves has measured this directly (Read the study on deceptive moves, Wright and Jackson, 2014). The study used adult participants only, in a screen-based reaction task rather than real defending, and the authors themselves note the on-screen footballers were smaller than a real close interception on the pitch. It shows the adult-verified mechanism behind why a good fake works, not a proven result for a young beginner.
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Where this fits
What Comes After a Move That Works
A step over or fake shot that actually works usually needs a follow-up: turning away from pressure with the ball, or shielding it if the defender recovers quickly. Neither move is the finish on its own.
Quick answers
Common Questions About Beginner Skill Moves
What's the easiest football skill move to teach a beginner?
The step over, practised standing still with the ball at rest before ever adding speed or a run-up.
Will teaching a fake shot cause bad habits?
Only if it's rushed. Doing it slowly and exaggerated first, at walking pace, is what makes the technique stick properly rather than turning into a sloppy shortcut.
What age can a child learn skill moves like a step over?
There's no fixed age. Once a child can dribble a ball under control at a walk, they can usually start learning the footwork for a step over or fake shot at the same gentle pace.
Keep going
Where to Go From Here
Three places to go next, depending on what your child is ready to try.
Prefer footwork without a defender to fool?
Cone-based direction changes, no fake required.
See the footwork drillWant to see the whole skill collection?
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See the collectionTonight's five minutes
Sell the fake. Then go the other way.
Walking pace first, both moves, on a flat bit of garden.