The body shape tells of things to come. Bob McNab, the former England and Arsenal great, was a left fullback who was naturally right-footed, but no one could tell. If you took a picture of a technically sound soccer player moments before he or she either kicked or received the ball, the body shape would tell you what was to come next, and you could calculate what the chances were of performing the action successfully. Besides giving balance the arms, in particular, provide a strong indicator of how the body poses to perform a technique. In fact, a little attention to the arms and hands can greatly enhance the performance of techniques.
Nothing can beat a good demonstration.
In the absence of a skilled demonstrator, a video is particularly effective because the technique is shown from the beginning to the end of the action. A video is even more helpful because the VCR allows for each stage in the execution of a technique to be paused and studied. The illustration in this chapter show examples of different techniques. Note the shape created by the body, the head and the positions of the arms and legs. Each technique creates a unique shape.