The L-turn is a sole drag back followed by a push with the inside of the same foot behind your standing leg, so the ball's path makes an 'L' and you leave at roughly a right angle. It's a way to change direction in a tight space when a defender closes you down. No governing-body manual we found names it; it comes from club and futsal session plans, and the sole and shielding pieces are taught by The FA and England Football.
Set up
Dribble with your head up and the ball close, and slow down as you approach the defender.
Small touches, eyes up.
Put your weight on your standing foot with that knee bent, so your working foot is free to work the ball.
Balanced on one foot.
L
Put the sole of your working foot on top of the ball and drag it back toward your body.
Sole on top, pull it in.
As the ball comes back, hop your standing foot slightly forward to clear a path for it.
Little hop, get out of the way.
Without putting the working foot down, push the ball with its inside behind your standing leg, toward the standing-leg side.
Back, then across behind.
Angle your body toward the new direction as the ball goes across, so you're already facing where your next touch goes.
Take the next touch with your other foot, keep your body between the defender and the ball, and accelerate away.
Turn, then go.
Feel it
It should feel like one flowing action on one leg: sole back, a small hop, inside push behind you, then away. Your weight stays on the standing foot until the ball has gone across, and the ball stays close the whole time.
Fix-its
- The ball hits your standing foot Hop the standing foot slightly forward as you drag the ball back, so there's a gap behind it for the ball to pass through.
- You wobble or put the working foot down between the drag and the push Keep your weight on the standing foot with the knee bent. Practise the move standing still until you can do it in one balance.
- You arrive too fast and the ball runs away Slow down before the defender and shorten your touches so the ball is under you when the sole goes on it.
- Stiff, straight standing leg Bend the standing knee and keep it pointing the same way as your toes. More knee bend is linked to lower knee loading when changing direction.
- You turn and then stop The move only works if you accelerate straight after it. Take the next touch into space and go.
Drill
- Standing L-turn: L-turn with one foot, stop the ball with the sole of the other foot and roll it back across your body to start again. Work 45 seconds, switch direction for 45 seconds, 3 rounds. Focus on the balance and the small hop.
- Double L-turn: an L-turn with the right foot straight into one with the left, aiming for a steady rhythm. Count how many you finish in 1 minute, 3 attempts, and add the scores.
- Gate turns: in a 15 x 15 area with a cone in the middle as the defender, dribble at the cone, slow down, L-turn, and leave through a gate on the far side. Then add a passive defender who pressures from the side, and you L-turn away through the open gate.
- 1v1 to goal: on a 15 x 15 pitch, score 1 point for a goal and 2 for an L-turn followed by a goal. Use the move when the defender could block your shot, and accelerate away after it.
Sources
- Palacios, Premier Users' Club — Futsal At Home Session 3, Group 1: L Turn and Double L Turn (Coaches' Voice Session Planner)
- Ironbound Soccer Club — L-Turn academy session (Coaches' Voice Session Planner)
- Premier Users' Club — L turn academy session (Coaches' Voice Session Planner, 2018)
- Pride Soccer Club — L Move drill
- The FA — Futsal for Schools resource cards (2019)
- England Football Learning — How using the sole of the foot can benefit players (2023)
- Dos'Santos et al. — Training interventions on change-of-direction biomechanics linked to ACL loading, Sports Medicine (2019)
Last checked 2026-10-26.