The king of UK freestyling, Abbas Farid shares his favourite tips and tricks, preferred footwear and the ever-growing phenomenon that is football freestyling.
26-year old Abbas Farid is one of the founding fathers of freestyle football. In 2003, he finished first out of 30,000 competitors, to be named the ‘Freestyle King’ in the Nike Freestyle competition. Other titles under the trickster’s belt include: UK Freestyle Champion 2003-05, 2008 World Record Holder in Freestyling and many more.
Freestyle is very far from your average game of football; it is the art of expressing yourself with the ball, while performing various tricks with any part of the body (apart from your hands.)
What are the most popular tricks in freestyle?
I would have to say: Around the world (ATW,) Touzani around the world (TATW,) Abbas around the world (AATW,) the Crossover, Abdullah and Mitch around the world (MATW.)
How have these tricks changed from 10 years ago?
The ATW has been existence for a long time now, but back then, doing one ATW was a big thing. Others like the MATW and AATW are variations of other tricks that have come out. The Abdullah has been a recent phenomenon, after Abdullah himself performed the trick in 2003, since then everyone else has started copying him.
If you want to pull off tricks on the pitch during a game what is your preferred footwear?
I have found that generally, the Nike Mercurial Vapor football boots are the most suitable for tricks as their uppers are very thin which provides a better feel of the ball, but the new adidas F50i is also very good. The football boots that have a classic design such as: adidas Copa Mundial, Puma King, Mizuno Morelia and the Nike Tiempo Legend are usually the best for the all rounder’s, and are more durable than the so called ‘Speed’ boots you buy today.
What are the best three moves you can pull off during an astro game?
Annap, Knee akka and the trick that Henry does kicking off the heel around the player, even though this is not his trick
What are the best three moves you can pull off during a grass game?
Akka, again the ‘Henry trick’ and simple 1 step accurate long passes.
Which footwear have you found that limits your technical ability?
Football boots like the adidas Predator, I have found to be stiff and contain too much padding, which restricts the good feeling of the ball, however, they are excellent for passing and shooting. It is the same with old Nike Total 90’s, the shot sheild destroyed any sense of touch and control. I’d be interested to see how the new Nike T90 Laser III football boots perform. Ultimately it depends on the player and their style of play, which boots suits them most, these selections are only my opinions and I base them on my style of play.
How much of an advantage can you gain from learning tricks and becoming a more technical player in general?
There are many evident benefits such as: improved ball control and awareness, your options are increased in almost every situation on the football pitch, and in turn, this brings more confidence. Ultimately, it makes the game more fun!
Do you still think the English game is a long way behind other technical countries such as Spain and Italy?
Not in the English Premier League, but in the National team yes! They’re lacking behind and need to be more open-minded.
Finally, what tips would you give to a player who maybe feels they don’t have the patience to learn tricks and technical moves?
There is no shortcut to being good, but some people learn certain things quicker than others. The best advice I can give is to teach yourself the moves you really like and want to learn, and from there you’ll discover what you learn the quickest.
For further information about Abbas and his skills please take a look at his website: www.abbasfarid.com
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About the author
Hello, I’m Joe Questier; I am a sports journalism student studying at Staffordshire university and I support Brighton & Hove Albion. I predominantly play 5-a-side football; therefore, my blog will largely be on astro turf trainers, Futsal & Freestyle. I hope you enjoy reading my articles, and feel free to leave comments.
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Thanks for the interesting interview.