Football juggling and tricks
Freestyle football is the art of juggling a football using any part of the body, excluding the💳 elbows to the hands. It combines football tricks, dance, acrobatics and music to entertain onlookers and compete with opponents. The💳 official governing body for this sport is known as the World Freestyle Football Association (WFFA).[1][2]
History [ edit ]
The art of💳 freestyle football can be traced to games of Southeast Asia such as chinlone, jianzi and sepak takraw, which have been💳 practised for 2,000 years. Fundamental freestyle tricks such as the 'Neck Stall' and 'Around The World' were first popularly performed💳 in the West by circus performers, notably including Enrico Rastelli and Francis Brunn.[3][4]
In the 1970s and 1980s, Argentine footballer Diego💳 Maradona famously brought his freestyle 'Life is Life' warm-up to international attention while playing for SSC Napoli. The ability to💳 freestyle, however, was widely criticized at the time as not having direct relevance to playing the game of football.[citation needed]
At💳 the beginning of the 21st century, several significant events helped elevate freestyle football with broader recognition. Brazilian footballer Ronaldinho starred💳 in Nike advertising campaigns such as 'Joga Bonito' (English: The Beautiful Game), which popularized the ability to practice alone with💳 a ball and develop new moves and tricks.[5]
Inspired by Maradona, South Korean footballer Mr Woo sought to become a football💳 entertainer. He established Guinness world records and performed at the 1988 Summer Olympics opening ceremony, and the FIFA World Cups💳 in 1990 and 1994.[6] Soufiane Touzani[7] from the Netherlands introduced a new style of lower tricks, which were popularized through💳 viral videos.[7][better source needed]
Footballer Sandy Levittas ( a.k.a. Bambiball) was among the first women to share videos of her freestyle💳 skills,[8][9] which inspired more girls to take up the sport.[10][11] Different styles were then developed such as lowers, uppers, sit-downs,💳 grounds and blocking.
In 2024, Ronaldinho was recognized by the World Freestyle Football Association (WFFA) as ambassador for the sport.[4][timeframe?] Competitions💳 have been organized across the globe and videos have been shared by over 80 million of people on a monthly💳 basis.[12][failed verification]
In recent years, some of the top football players in the world have credited freestyle and street football cultures💳 for helping to develop their talents. These athletes have included Neymar Jr,[13][14] Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Zlatan Ibrahimović.[citation needed]
Tricks💳 [ edit ]
Tricks or moves in freestyle football are categorized into different disciplines or styles:
Lower body or air move tricks💳 are performed while standing, and use the feet or legs. (lowers)
Upper body tricks are performed with the head, chest and💳 shoulders. (uppers)
Sitting tricks are performed while seated, often with the legs elevated. (sit-downs)
Ground move tricks are performed while standing with💳 the ball on the floor. [ further explanation needed ] Skillful players can make the performance of ground moves seem💳 like a choreographed dance.
Skillful players can make the performance of ground moves seem like a choreographed dance. Blocking tricks are💳 performed by holding the ball with various parts of the lower body. It is a style inspired by breakdancing.
Acrobatic tricks💳 are inspired by circus skills, breakdancing and gymnastics.
Transitions are intermediate moves used to bridge tricks in different styles, ideally in💳 a fluid motion.
Within the above disciplines, the following individual moves are among the most popular:
Around the World (ATW), a move💳 in which the freestyler plays the ball off of one foot, which then circles up and over the ball before💳 returning underneath to play the ball again. An inside ATW makes the initial movement toward the opposite leg, while an💳 outside ATW makes the initial movement away from the opposite leg.
Crossover, a move in which the ball is kicked into💳 the air with one leg, and the opposite leg goes around the ball while it is in the air.
Toe Bounce💳 (TB) a move like a crossover but with the ball bouncing on the foot. [ further explanation needed ]
Hop the💳 World (HTW), a move in which the ball is kicked up with one foot and circled with the opposite foot.💳 [ clarification needed ] Touzani around the World (TATW), a variation of an outside ATW and a crossover. [ further💳 explanation needed ] Created by Soufiane Touzani from the Netherlands. [ citation needed ] Mitchy around the World (MATW), as💳 with the TATW except with an inside ATW. Created by Mitchell James Penn from the UK. [ citation needed ]💳 Lemmens Around the World (LATW), a double ATW, circling the foot twice around the airborne ball without a middle touch💳 between revolutions. [ citation needed ] Palle Around the World (PATW), a triple ATW. Created by Rickard "Palle" Sjolander of💳 Sweden. [ citation needed ]
Stalls, moves which involve catching the ball in a stationary position. This is commonly on the💳 back of the neck but also includes balancing on the forehead or wedged between the heel and thigh.
Clipper, a move💳 that originated from freestyle footbag in which the freestyler catches the ball midair with the inside of the foot on💳 the side of the body.
Combos, moves which directly connect tricks without juggling the ball.
No-touch combos, tricks performed in one motion💳 without any intermediate ball touch. For example, the LATW is a two ATW no-touch combo.
Competitive freestyle [ edit ]
The first💳 major competition for freestyle football was Red Bull Street Style (RBSS) in 2008, which was hosted in São Paulo, Brazil.[citation💳 needed] Séan Garnier won this competition with a style that had not been seen in the public eye before.[citation needed]
Super💳 Ball, the first open world championship (where anyone could compete) catered to freestylers with ranging styles, recognizing the many ways💳 to judge a freestyler. Hosted in the Czech Republic, Super Ball became the premiere annual international event for freestylers.[citation needed]
Tournaments💳 [ edit ]
The following tournaments are recognized by the official governing body of the World Freestyle Football Association:[15][failed verification]
Red Bull💳 Street Style (RBSS) World Finals
World Freestyle Masters
Super Ball World Open Championships
Panther Ball World Open Championships
European Freestyle Football Championships (EFFC)
Asia-Pacific Freestyle💳 Football Championships (APFFC)
African Freestyle Football Championships (AFFC)
Latin American Freestyle Football Championships (LAFFC)
North American Freestyle Football Championships (NAFFC)
National Championships (all countries)
Events💳 [ edit ]
Typical events in competitive freestyle football include:[further explanation needed][citation needed]
Battles
Doubles (team battles)
Routines
Doubles routines
Sick 3
Challenge
Iron man
Show flow
Kill the beat
Max💳 1
3vs3
Ranked freestylers [ edit ]
The WFFA uses results from the official national championships, continental championships, international opens and world open💳 competitions to assign a point ranking to competitors.[16][failed verification][needs update]
WFFA Committee [ edit ]
Other key names that brought their own💳 touch to the art of freestyle football over the years include:
Media [ edit ]
In January 2024, freestyle football has received💳 over 80 million video views per month on social media channels.[citation needed] There are over 70 related events every year,💳 the largest being the Red Bull Street Style World Final. The sport is enjoyed mainly by a demographic of 12–25💳 year-olds, with 85% male.[62][63][64][failed verification]
Major markets in terms of consumption of freestyle football content include the United States, Mexico, Brazil,💳 UK, Spain, Poland, France, the Middle East, China, Japan and South East Asia, with a direct audience of 1.47 billion💳 football fans around the globe.[65][relevant?]
