How to Be a Good Soccer Player – 3 Essential Tips

Soccer has long been the most popular team sport based on the huge amount of fans from different countries around the world and the many boys, girls, men, and women who have participated in the sport over the years. Soccer, known as football by most fans around the world, continues to gain fans and participants in the United States at an accelerated pace.

Whether you wish to pursue a professional soccer career, or just want to get some exercise and make new friends, there are some essential skills to master in order to play on a competitive fashion.

Juggling

As the name implies, juggling is basically keeping the ball in the air with the feet. The beginner should start by using one foot at a time to keep the ball bouncing up and down in as straight a line as possible. At the very beginning, the ball can be caught with the hands until the skill is developed. The objective is to eventually keep the ball bouncing up and down off by employing both feet. To make this training exercise more challenging, make a game out of it by stipulating the amount of bounces off on foot before transferring to the other. As an example, do five minutes of two bounces per foot then three per foot for five minutes before changing to another choice of bounces per foot. As your skill level increases, you can participate in juggling with other players to increase your awareness of how to manipulate the path of the ball.

Passing and Receiving

It’s essential to develop the skill of getting the ball to a teammate in an accurate and controlled manner. To practice this skill by yourself, find a flat wall and kick the ball to it from a varying distance between five and ten yards. Concentrate on kicking each time to a designated small space. When the ball rolls back to you, the objective is to keep it about a foot in front of your body before kicking it to the wall again. This method allows for more control and accuracy that will be a valuable asset on the field of play.

Scoring

Much like the passing and receiving drill, the scoring drill can be practiced solo by incorporating a flat wall. The objective differs slightly from passing and receiving in that a more powerful kick should be practiced. That’s not to say each and every shot on goal should be a full out kick, but a solid powerful kick should be developed for when that particular skill is called for. A good scoring practice routine consists of standing fifteen yards from the wall and delivering a powerful kick to a designated spot with the right foot then doing the same with the left. Pick out at least four different spots on the wall, two low and two high, and practice the alternate foot routine for thirty minutes to an hour at a time. To keep it interesting, you can challenge a friend to a game of accuracy. Once the skill level rises, you can alternate playing goalie with a friend to simulate actual playing conditions.

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