Article: Diving with nobody around won’t fool anybody. To make it look convincing, you have to get up close to your opponent. You get plenty of opportunities to do this while you’re playing the game normally. Look for chances when you’re dribbling, for instance, or fighting for control of a loose ball. The art of a good dive is making it look convincing. Try to get in the way of your opponent. Force them to get close to you or even bump into you. Diving all depends on proper timing. The best time to sell a dive is when your opponent moves toward you. If they touch you, take advantage of the opportunity to exaggerate the contact. Even if they don’t hit you, prepare to fall to the ground.  For example, if your opponent sticks their foot out while you’re dribbling, you could pretend to trip over them. If your opponent shoulders into you from the side, bounce off of them to begin the dive. The way you need to react depends upon the play. Picture what would happen if you actually got tackled or bumped. Then, move in a way that makes sense according to the challenge. A strong tackle while you’re running, for instance, might send you sprawling forward.  If a defender pokes the ball away while you’re dribbling, try dragging your feet a little to fall forward. Make the dive look more realistic by dragging the tops of your feet over the defender’s leg. For challenges coming in from the side, fall in the opposite direction of your opponent like you’re bouncing off of them after the collision. If a defender is behind you, you could fall backward to pretend like they tugged your jersey. Try jerking your head back and raising your arms as you fall back. Stay on the ground for a few seconds so the referee has to make a decision about what to do next. If you’re pretending that you took a hard hit, consider grimacing a little bit or even holding the part of your body that got hit. Don’t make the challenge look too violent since that could backfire on you.  Even professionals flop over, roll around, and grimace in agony when diving sometimes. It’s often pretty obvious when they’re faking. You’re better off sticking with a small reaction instead of overacting. Keep in mind which part of your body you are pretending the defender hit. If you’re faking a trip, grabbing your face won’t do you any good. Hold onto your shin or ankle instead. Don’t spend too much time on the ground, however. Count to 3, then slowly get back on your feet. If you’re selling a harsh tackle, walk and trot around for a few seconds before getting back into the game.  Diving is a part of the game, but it isn’t well-received by others. Expect to get penalized if you get caught, and if you dive a lot, you might get a reputation as a flopper. Like how you limit your reaction to a dive, limit the number of dives you do in a game. Save it for the most critical time in a game, such as when you’re right in front of the goal. You could draw a foul when you lose control of the ball.

What is a summary?
Move toward a player on the other team to prepare for the dive. Anticipate when your opponent will get close to you. Fall to the ground in a natural and convincing way. Make the dive look realistic by reacting in pain. Get up slowly or limp around after the dive.