Balance ability mainly originates from a player’s core strength, and is also related to various abilities such as the player’s balance, physical reaction ability, and ability to guide force.
If strength is the direct external martial art, aimed at destroying and suppressing opponents,
then balance is the reserved and low-key internal martial art, using Tai Chi to control everything, with 200% control over one’s inner power.
In the same collision with an opposing player, those with poor balance can only compete on strength attributes, and if they can’t win the collision, they just can’t.
But those with good balance might seem a bit shaky but actually maintain their center of gravity and control over the football without being significantly affected.
It’s like a roly-poly toy, swaying yet walking with the wind.
The player who exemplifies this the most, without a doubt, is Messi.
He may appear to stagger under the pressure of multiple opposing defenders, but during this process, he can not only protect the ball but also find opportunities to change the pace and get past stronger opponents.
Similarly, Neymar, who is also skilled in dribbling, has a different style from Messi, relying mainly on his eruption and ball control skills. His balance is not as strong as Messi’s, making him more prone to being knocked down and rolling.
Of course, balance isn’t everything; it mainly shows in "soft" contact.
If the opponent is much stronger and charges directly at you, the balance attribute won’t help much; you’ll still be knocked down.
Thus, for top players, strength and balance are both indispensable.
Even though Messi might not seem physically prominent, his physical fitness and strength attributes are not low.
Finally, tight ball control can be roughly understood as "step frequency."
Bell’s outside lane overtaking and Kaka’s Big Step Meteor, in a certain sense, are divine-level skills.
But they are classified as star-level, rather than superstar-level, mainly due to the step frequency. For specific individuals, this is an invincible skill, but for most players, these skills are not practical.
The common feature of these two skills is the large step frequency; after one touch, several fast steps are required before the ball can be touched again, during which the ball can easily be intercepted by opponents ahead.
But coincidentally, both Bell and Kaka are strong in speed.
Bell because his eruption and absolute speed are so fast that the large step frequency plays to his advantage, as others can’t catch up with him. He doesn’t need to adjust the ball direction as much, so the large step frequency becomes a strength in his playing style.
Kaka, on the other hand, because of his strong second acceleration, when using Big Step Meteor seems very fast, but once you think he has lost control of the ball and prepare to intercept, he can suddenly accel again to regain control and dribble past you.
Therefore, these two skills are divine talents only because their users are Bell and Kaka!
If other players possess these skills, especially those without super outbreak and speed, they would only be star-level skills, if not cumbersome.
Even for Bell and Kaka, they manage to mitigate the drawbacks of a large step frequency, but that doesn’t mean their step frequency is flawless.
The ongoing recurrence of thigh and groin injuries in both has much to do with their playing style.
It can be said, they find success in turmoil, but also defeat!
Step frequency previously mentioned refers to how many steps a player takes between two consecutive touches.
The frequency varies during high-speed and low-speed dribbling.
Different players will have different step frequencies even during low-speed dribbling.
Previously when introducing the Fried Meatballs, it was mentioned that Messi once completed Fried Meatballs with one foot, which is an excellent step frequency.
Authoritative media have evaluated Messi’s step frequency, believing it to be as high as 4.4 Hz.
In layman’s terms, Messi can take four steps per second.
The average person trying to consecutively step four times per second would call it twitching.
Similarly, Messi’s dribbling ability is terrifying, capable of touching the ball once per step during his peak.
With his step frequency, he can touch the ball three or four times in a second.
The speed of changing direction with Rabona is extremely fast, but only twice.
Fried Meatballs allow for three or four changes in direction, but it definitely takes more than a second.
Top step frequency and ball feel make every touch and every second of Messi’s dribbling seem like executing top-notch dribbling moves.
Combined with his occasional shoulder dip feint, fake pass shots, etc., it’s mind-boggling... Messi is just indefensible.
It can be said that with tight ball control, even if Lu Yang knows no dribbling moves, even if his ball control and dribbling are atrocious, he could become a dribbling master!
No other reason, but quick feet!
...
"Eh? You’ve learned Fried Meatballs?"
On the training field, seeing Lu Yang skillfully using Fried Meatballs, Morici felt complex emotions.
It seems everyone just discussed this move a few days ago, and Lu Yang learned it already?
Do you Chinese people only need a name to learn technical moves?
Is translation the real hindrance preventing Chinese Football from reaching the peak of world football?
It’s ridiculous!
"Momo, keep calm, things like this will happen more and more in the future," Lu Yang said while patting Morici on the shoulder, "By the way, when are you coming back, can you still play? I’m worried sick keeping your second place in team assists."