The body shape of a player refers to the direction that their body is facing and the orientation of their body to appear like that they are going to perform a certain action, such as a shot or a pass. When used correctly, bating defenders with body shape can create space for a dribble, a touch, or a pass that was not previously there. Players who use body shape very well can shift entire defensive blocks and open up passing lanes. In this post I'll give examples of each, and how incorporating things like body shape is important for a young player's development.
As mentioned before, one of the ways body shape can be used is to open up space for players to dribble into. In the clip below, Atlético de Madrid left back Sheila García receives a pass from her midfielder in a tight area on the sideline. To get the defender to commit to a challenge, García paused and shaped her body so that it looked like she could pass it back to her midfielder. Once the defender committed, she cut and ran into the space down the sideline. She passed to her forward who took a shot and scored.
Video taken from Teledeporte.
Because Barcelona face a lot of low defensive blocks, center back Mapi León uses body shape to disguise line breaking passes. In the clip below, her eyes and body shape looked like she was going to pass to her teammate Alexia Putellas. But she saw the play develop and Jenni Hermoso's movement. Her body shape caused Real Madrid forward to step towards the right to Alexia which opened up the pass to Hermoso.
Video taken from ata Football.
In the same game, León picked up the ball at the halfway line. Hermoso made a checking run from the backline which drew the attention of the Real Madrid defenders, and León's body shape was also facing Hermoso's direction. Once the Madrid defenders started committing to Hermoso's run, León played a ball into teammate Caroline Graham Hansen against the direction of the defenders' movement.
Video taken from ata Football.
León also used her body shape to disguise line breaking passes with Spain at the Arnold Clark Cup. She received a pass from her midfielder, and her body shape had her facing her left back. That was enough to get the German defenders to take a couple of steps to the left and open the passing lane into Alexia.
Video taken from Paramount Plus.
While the use of body shape from León and García were done intentionally in order pass or dribble where they wanted, there are game situations that happen so fast that the action is instinctive. This was the case with Claudia Zornoza in the clip below. Her center back was clearing the ball from the back, without much thought about where it was going. Luckily, it arrived to Zornoza. Zornoza was was surrounded by three Barcelona players. However, her body shaped so that it looked like she could have touched the ball to either her midfielder or outside forward which kept two of the Barcelona defenders occupied. The third Barca defender was also reading her body shape, and was caught flat footed when Zornoza took the touch forward.
Video taken from DAZN UEFA Women's Champions League YouTube channel.
Incorporating small details like body shape into a player's development can have a big impact on their play. It can become involved in their decision making to open up space for actions they want to carry out. And if it is ingrained into a player well enough, it can become instinctive like it was for Zornoza. It reminds me of the quote that Barcelona men's player Pedri gave after he scored in their Europa League game against Galatasaray: "I don't remember the play of the goal. I have to see it in the replay. On the pitch, things happen by themselves." This can apply to a variety of aspects and themes in a player's development. However, body shape is something that can be utilized more and is a very useful tool for a player to have.
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