Flick and Stab Chips

 THE “FLICK” CHIP AND THE “STAB” CHIP

© CoachingAmericanSoccer.com®

Although rarely seen, both the “flick” chip and the “stab” chip are advanced soccer skills available to an attacker in tight spaces, often inside the penalty area, that can be used for dribbling, shooting and even passing.  Both involve arcing the ball in the air either over or beside a facing defender in a 1v1 situation.

The Flick Chip

A “flick” chip (or “flip” chip, or “flip over”) in soccer is a stylistic and often flashy way of directing the ball over or beside a defender using a quick lifting motion of the foot from under the ball.  This is usually performed with the top of the toes.

Demonstration/Technique

  • The foot motion involves a quick upward lift of the foot from under the ball.  To do so, the foot is first thrust forward, directly under the bottom of the ball, starting with the toes.  The foot must be angled slightly downward to get under the ball without kicking it.  The foot is then brought forward enough so that the ball is on top of the toes or the lower instep.
  • By raising the upper leg at the hip and simultaneously extending the lower leg slightly, the ball is then popped up and forward with a lofted arc, typically without backspin.
  • The motion is similar to slipping a spatula under a hamburger on a grill and then lifting it up to flip it over.
  • The ball is then sent either over the opponent’s head or past them about waist-high.

(Future Graphic) The Bottom Striking Surface of a Soccer Ball

#3 – Top Toe

Practice

  • Two players should first experiment on their own, using a cone or a disk as the initial “defender,” in a space about 15-yards long.  Players should start with a stationary ball and then tap it forward.
  • It is recommended that coaches then switch to coaching stakes or mannequins as “defenders” to start and then move to live opponents once a degree of mastery has been achieved.

Application 1: Beating a Defender – A dribbling form of “Self-Pass”

  • Dribble at a defender who is standing still, approaching slowly, or stopping their approach.
  • Quickly scoop under the ball with the top of the foot and then flick it over the defender’s head or beside them at approximately waist level.
  • Immediately sprint around the defender and collect the ball.  Note that the ball may “run on” because the flick chip usually has very little backspin.

Application 2:  Pass to a Teammate

  • Same as the flick personal pass, but to a teammate who has made a run behind the defender.

Application 3: Flicked Shot

  • In front of goal, with the keeper rushing out, lift the ball with a quick flick motion to chip over or beside the goal keeper and under the crossbar.

The Stab Chip

A “stab” chip in soccer is a type of short, dynamic chip pass or shot that is executed quickly with a stabbing motion of the foot under the ball, usually to place the ball over or beside a defender or goalkeeper in tight spaces.  The stab is more like a regular chip because backspin is imparted to the ball, but instead of using the instep-face part of the shoe, the foot is forcefully directed under the ball from the top of the toe and then along the instep.

Demonstration/Technique

  • The foot action involves a quick, stabbing motion, leading with the toe, and then following with the instep to get under the ball and pop it up. The front of the foot must be angled slightly downward to get under the ball without kicking it with the toes.
  • The motion is like that of jamming a pointed shovel into the dirt and then flipping the load up and forward.
  • Like the flick chip, the ball is then sent over the opponent’s head or past them about waist-high.
Lower Middle Striking Surface

The Lower Middle Striking Surface of a Soccer Ball

#5 – Low Instep

Application 1: Beating a Defender – A dribbling form of “Self-Pass”

  • Dribble at a defender who is extending a leg to block the ball.
  • Instead of dribbling around, use a stabbing motion with the toe and then the top of the laces to chip the ball over the defender’s leg.
  • Immediately sprint around the defender and collect the ball.

Application 2: Chipping the Keeper

  • Go one-on-one with the goalkeeper who is coming out to close the angle.
  • Based on the actions of the keeper, use the stab chip to either lift the ball over the keeper or beside the keeper’s body and into the net.
  • If the keeper’s hands are down low, chip over the top.  If the keeper’s hands are raised, chip beside.

Practice

  • Two players should first experiment on their own, using a cone or a disk as the initial “defender,” in a space about 15-yards long.  Players should start with a stationary ball and then tap it forward.
  • It is recommended that coaches then switch to coaching stakes or mannequins as “defenders” to start and then move to live opponents once a degree of mastery has been achieved.

Soccer Coaching Tips:

  • There will be lots of trial and error for individual players just learning the flip or stab chips.  It will take time and both players and coaches need to be patient. This often includes kicking the ball directly into a teammate acting as the defender.  Accordingly, starting with coaching stakes or mannequins as the “opponent” is highly recommended.  Then proceed to live defenders.
  • Ronaldinho and Neymar have used the flick chip to humiliate defenders, often in 1v1 street-style moments.  Joga Bonito videos are full of this move.  As such, successful use of a flip or stab chip can be very demoralizing to an opponent and should be used judiciously.  (An opponent could seek to retaliate later in a match.)  It is better understood when chipping a goalkeeper to score.
  • Lionel Messi, Andrés Iniesta, and Francesco Totti have all used stab chips, especially in tight spaces around the box.  Totti was especially known for using this kind of chip in 1v1 situations with goalkeepers, often finishing with a nonchalant, delicate lift.
  • The flip over is also known as the “Sombrero move” because it goes “over the defender’s hat.”
  • The flick or stab chip may sometimes be referred to as a “rainbow,” but this is not common because the term may be confused with the behind-the-back-heel-kick “rainbow” dribbling skill.
  • An alternative to the flick or the stab chip is to pull the ball back, first using the sole of the foot, onto the top of the instep, and then volleying the ball over the defender.
  • A Unique Application for the Stab Chip: A Backward Pass
    • The player with the ball is facing away from the goal, with a defender at their back, and a teammate runs past them.
    • The player with the ball uses the stab chip motion to continue the same path of the ball, but to re-direct it, over their shoulder and either over the head or beside the defender, to their teammate.
    • This is most often used as the ball is being passed to the player facing away from the goal, who then performs the redirection, one-touch, as the ball is being received.

 

© John C. Harves