Become better at skills

One of the most exciting parts of FIFA is using the numerous skill moves. You can use them to progress up the pitch, or even totally humiliate your opponent.

If you look on YouTube, you will see players in montages ping the ball around five players, beat the keeper, then find the net. These players make it look incredibly easy, but unfortunately, skills at a competitive level aren't as easy as they appear.

The following tips are here to help you become comfortable with skills, and if you put the work in, you will end up a very difficult customer to handle defensively.

If you're confident with skill moves, please skip to step 4.



Step 1. Learn them!

There are A LOT of skill moves, from the simple body feint to the ever so tricky waka waka. There is no easy way to get to know them all, check out some of Nepenthez's skills tutorials, he is one of the better skillers in the FIFA community and his videos will prove very helpful.

Another way to learn is to go into the skill moves section in your FIFA game [settings-controls-button help- skill moves] , it has a list of all of the skill moves and images showing you the analogue movements required.

I recommend starting off with one of the simpler moves. For example, the step over. Practice the analogue stick movements in the arena or training ground.

Remember, the analogue stick movements rotate with whichever way the your player is facing, so if you have your player moving to the right and want to whip out a step over, be careful to move the stick to the right.

Step 2. Learn the players!

A massive part of using skills is to use them with the right player. You need to have at least a basic knowledge of a player's star rating. If you're not confident with this, CHECK BEFORE THE GAME. You don't want to try and rock out a fake rabona with Gareth Barry, it's not going to happen.

Keep an eye out for players rated 4 or 5 star (SKILLS - not weak foot). There are numerous 4 star players around the game and they can do the majority of the skill moves, and until you really are an established skill move user, it's normally all you need.

If you do find a 5 star skill rated player, pass to him. He not only knows all of the skill moves, they tend to execute the simpler moves more consistently.

Step 3. Be confident!

A vital part of learning skill moves is to have the bottle to take risks. Yes, you will lose the ball at first, a lot, but if you're practising moves against real opponents, you will learn fast.

For example, if you see a defender coming at you, and you have an appropriate player, take him on! Try a roulette or a ball drag, and if they work - excellent! If they don't, go back and try it again!

Also when you're one on one with the keeper, and you're Ronaldo or Ben Arfa, take the keeper on! It's always nice to stroke the ball into an empty net or cockily skill pass it in with a helpless goalkeeper standing by

Step 4. Be unpredictable

Unpredictability is the essence of skills. Make sure your opponent doesn't know what's coming, because then they can't stop you. You might even force them to hesitate and give away a penalty!

The trick here is to imagine what you would do. If you would go right, go left. Online players will expect certain things, make sure they can't read you!

Also, try not to repeat yourself too much. If you do the same skill in the same position over and over again, they will expect it and stop you easily because they know what you're going to do. For example, don't use the Ronaldo chop to cut in every time you run down the wing. Because after the second or third time, your opponent will simply block your path and dispossess you.

Also, your opponent will be expecting things he has seen from different opponents. Try this, cut inside from the wing and just stop (LB or L1), your opponent will often slide tackle thin air or run straight past you, making you like a genius, and your opponent look like a complete derp.

Step 5. Simple is good

Yes, you may love to bust out the hocus pocus to show that you know what you're doing, and the advanced rainbow to humiliate your opponent, but if it's goals you're after, there are a few things you may want to consider.

Most of the fancy skill moves kill your momentum: hocus pocus, triple elastico, rainbow and so on. Whereas if you use the simpler skills, like throw in a double stepover, you can bewilder your opponent and keep your speed moving forward.

It also makes your opponent look like a right fool, being beaten by such a simple move with ease.

Step 6. Watch for gaps

When defending, your opponent has control over one player. You can probably identify this player because most opponents will throw him at you at 100 miles per hour.

When this happens, your opponent will leave a large gap in his defensive structure, leaving you the perfect opportunity to get one on one with his keeper.

There is nothing nicer to a skill player than a nice gap to exploit, some opponents will have their fingers jammed to the RB or R1 button, firing a second player at you. Keep an eye out for this because if this is the case; behind the two charging maniacs will be a massive gap, and a massive opportunity to humiliate and score.


Step 7. mind games.

If you use skill moves efficiently, and you know when to use them, you will undoubtedly frustrate some opponents. This, is hilarious. But also can be used to your advantage.

If you humiliate your opponent to the extent where all he wants to do is injure all of your players, he will just slide all over the place. If you manage to stop laughing for a few seconds, you have a chance to have some serious fun. Try the flick up skill, LT or L2 and flick analogue up three times. If this works, you either humiliate him more, or get fouled and get his players sent off, either way, you have an angry message at the end of the game to read with amusement and of course reply, "You mad brah?"


Final step. Have fun!

Skill moves definitely spice up the game and help keep it interesting, and when you get that animalistic run with Neymar, shredding 6 players to pieces to find the net, you get a great feeling.

At the end of the day, you get out of FIFA what you put in, and if you are committed to becoming a better skiller, I promise it will be worth it when you're winning 8-0 because your opponent cant stop you to save his life.

NOTE: THIS IS NOT MY CONTENT, IT WAS COPIED AND PASTED, BUT I FEEL IT WILL HELP MANY PEOPLE OUT!