Four Ways to Improve Your Soccer Skills
Find yourself out of practice? If so, here are four ways to get back into the game.
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Soccer is one of those sports where practice is everything. The only way to get better is to continue to get touches on the ball and to simply be involved in the game year round. So, here are four tips from me to cultivate your soccer skills so that you can become a better all around player.
Juggle Everyday
Even though juggling is not normally a skill you’ll need in the middle of a soccer game, it is still an exercise that will help you develop better ball control. If you can’t do a single juggle, just start by dropping the ball and kicking it back up into your hands. Then drop the ball and juggle once before kicking it back up. Then try to drop it and juggle twice, and then three times, and so on. After a couple weeks of juggling fifteen minutes per day, you will be surprised at the progress you’ve made. You should also notice that you are able to settle the ball more easily and volley it to other players with greater accuracy.
Condition to Keep Yourself in Top Shape
A soccer player runs an average of about 5 miles during a typical game. This running is of course not steady-state, but is made up of many stop and start intervals. Therefore, going on a ten mile jog will not improve your performance on the soccer field. Instead, high intensity interval training is the way to go. Interval training incorporates periods of high intensity (sprinting), followed by periods of low intensity recovery (jogging). For example, a workout can consist of jogging for two minutes followed by sprinting for a full minute, and then repeating this set four or five times. These workouts train your heart rate to perform at a wide range of beats-per-minute instead of a single rate, which would be the case in steady-state training. In as little as a week, you will notice that you will become out of breath much less often during a game if you follow this type of conditioning program.
Consider Joining an Indoor Soccer League
If a league exists near you, and if your schedule permits, I highly recommend that you play on an indoor recreation team during the off-season. Playing indoor soccer will improve your game in many ways. Because only a few players are on the field at one time (most games are 6v6), you will get many touches on the ball, which will improve your ball control skills and self confidence. Also, since the field is relatively small, possession becomes a key part of the game, along with accurate passing and player formations. These aspects of indoor soccer will help your improve almost every aspect of the game, so consider joining a local indoor program.
Dedicate Time and Stick With Your Training Program
Improving your game always boils down to being consistent with your training regimen. Train every day, and the results will speak for themselves. Soccer skills are improved by doing repetitive exercises until they become second nature, so you will be at your peak performance during a game. Because of this, make sure that you dedicate yourself to your program and don’t give up!
