A change of direction on the run. You hop so your non-chopping leg lands in front of the ball, then slice the ball back and to the side, behind that leg, with the inside of your other foot, and burst away the new way. It is named after Cristiano Ronaldo, and GOAL credits him with popularising it. It is used to send a defender the wrong way, often by a winger cutting inside a full-back, and it needs momentum, so expect plenty of practice before it is sharp.
Set up
Run with the ball with momentum, head up after every touch. In space, take bigger touches to attack it. As a defender closes, keep the ball closer so you can play the chop on the next step.
Pick your moment: a defender closing you down, or one recovering alongside you who is about to overshoot. Use their momentum against them. If you need to slow down to draw them in, do it in the steps before the hop, not on the chop itself.
you are still moving well when the hop starts.
The hop
Hop so your non-chopping leg swings over and lands just in front of the ball. To cut left, your left leg goes in front and your right foot does the chop (and the reverse to cut right). For a moment both feet are off the ground.
legs moving outwards, airborne just before the touch.
The chop
Just before your front foot lands, slice the ball with the INSIDE of your chopping foot, slightly back and to the side, behind your front leg. Ankle locked, toe up. Inside of the foot, not the toe.
Swivel your hips toward the new direction as you chop. The angle of your hips sets the angle the ball leaves at, so turn them to where you want to go.
swivel the hips and snap the ball out of your feet.
Land on a bent knee with the knee in line over your toes, not caving inward. Keep your chest upright or leaning into the new direction, not away from it, and land the foot under you rather than far out to the side.
Burst away
Push off the landing foot and follow the ball the new way. Take a bigger touch out of the move, get your head up straight away and change speed.
Feel it
A quick hop, both feet off the ground, hips swivel, and the ball snaps out of your feet behind your front leg. You land already pushing off the new way. If the defender stays with you, your exit touch was too small or you didn't change speed.
Fix-its
- Ball hits your own front leg or gets stuck under you Get the front leg fully in front of the ball first, then slice it behind that leg just before the foot lands.
- Ball comes out at the wrong angle Lock the ankle with the toe up and turn your hips to the target. Your hip angle sets the exit angle.
- Defender stays with you Take a bigger touch out of the move, head up, and change speed straight away.
- Defender reads it You played it without enough momentum, or before they had committed. Wait until they close in or are about to overshoot.
- Knee caves in or chest leans away on the landing Land on a soft knee over your toes, with the foot under you and your chest upright or leaning into the cut. Go slower until it holds.
Drill
- Warm up first. Dribble a few steps and play the chop, first cutting one way, then the other, at an easy pace. Stop if a knee or ankle hurts.
- Unopposed lines (15 x 25 yd, two lines, a ball each): dribble at the centre cone, chop at it, accelerate into space and join the line diagonally across. After a set time, switch direction to work the other foot.
- Passive defender (same area): the defender is live on your first touch but does not try to win the ball. When they get in front of you, chop and cut into the space inside. Rotate roles and work both sides.
- Fully opposed: the defender can now steal the ball. You score by dribbling over the far end line; they score by winning it and dribbling over the near line.
- 1v1 recovering defender: the defender passes to you and the game is live on the pass. If they are going to overshoot, chop; if not, cut in front and protect the ball with your body.
By position
Wide attackers: GOAL notes wingers often use it to cut inside past a full-back. Anyone running with the ball can use it against a defender who is closing or about to overshoot. Avoid it in a crowd near your own goal, where losing the ball is costly.
Sources
- GOAL — Best football skills: how to do the Ronaldo Chop, Elastico, Cruyff Turn and more (2022)
- MOJO (Team MOJO) — How to Do the Ronaldo Chop (2021)
- Premier Users' Club (Sport Session Planner) — U12 Ronaldo Chop CGSC
- Premier Users' Club (Sport Session Planner) — DWB change of direction: Ronaldo Chop
- Ironbound SC (Sport Session Planner) — Change of Direction: Ronaldo Chop
- Premier Users' Club (Bjelland) — Ronaldo Chop Technique: pressure, recovering defender (Sport Session Planner, 2017)
- England Football Learning — Session programme: moving with the ball and turning to attack (2025)
- Donelon, Dos'Santos, Pitchers, Brown & Jones — Biomechanical determinants of knee joint loads during cutting: systematic review and technical framework, Sports Medicine - Open (2020)
- Dos'Santos, Thomas, Comfort & Jones — Training interventions on change of direction biomechanics and ACL loading: a scoping review, Sports Medicine (2019)
Last checked 2026-10-31.