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Why Every Soccer Player Should Know Tactics

By Parker & Walsh Leave a Comment

soccer tactics

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At Soccer Training Solutions, our focus is on individual training and showing players what they can do to improve their game outside of the structured environment of team practices and games. This motivation and work-ethic is vital for players aspiring to unlock their full potential.

But there’s another element to continuous improvement that we also recommend: learning some soccer tactics.

Your individual training will give you lots and lots of touches and to develop your fundamental soccer skills like dribbling, receiving and touch.

These skills serve as your building blocks, but the way you put these blocks together to be the best player you can be requires knowledge of how they all fit into a larger whole in the context of real competition.

And it’s important to clarify that I’m not talking about getting deep in the weeds on theoretical philosophies or a bunch of complicated Xs and Os diagrams.

I’m talking about the basics: common styles of play and how different teams (including yours) go about trying to win games.

Like with individual training, your team’s practices and games aren’t totally sufficient for developing the tactical knowledge you’ll need to thrive.

For one, your coach will usually be teaching just one particular style of play (and depending on your age and level, your coach may be more of a motivator/organizer and not even have much tactical experience themselves outside of putting the best players in the game or making sure everyone has fun).

Your coach’s style may be at odds with what you yourself need to thrive. We of course recommend you always listen to and obey your coach, but you also want to be able to identify where they’re coming from in terms of how they set your team up and how that fits into universal soccer strategies you see in high school games all the way up to the English Premier League.

So what are some of these tactical concepts that are important for any player to know about?

At it’s core, we’re talking about what a team does to try to win?.

Do they try to possess the ball for long periods of time and gradually build up attacks? Or do they try to quickly spring forward and attack their opponent’s goal?

Do they press the opposition and try to win the ball, or sit back deeper and stay disciplined?

This involves the formation (like 4-4-2, or 4-3-3, or 3-5-2) but it’s also much more; any of those formations could be trying many different things tactically and put the players in different roles.

For example, in the team’s midfield, is one player positioned farthest up the field and lead the attack? (A classic number 10). Do the players more or less equally push forward to attack and drop back to defend? (a number 8) Is there one or two midfielders who largely stay back and anchor the defense and start passing sequences? (a number 6)

When the team has the ball, does a forward try to run in behind the defense to receive a through ball? Or do they check back to receive it farther from the goal?

Does the team as a whole try to attack down the middle, or attack the end line from out wide? If the latter, who is it that provides the width and pushes forward? Outside backs? Wingers? (And who is ready to drop back immediately if possession is lost?) Do they mainly utilize quick, short passes or longer, more direct passes? Are any players a big part of the offense for their dribbling ability?

And in response, what strategies does the defense do to try to counter these strategies?

You can discuss soccer tactics with a ton of advanced terminology, but at the end of the day it’s these types of questions that we’re talking about.

So thinking about them in terms of your own team, and looking for them when you watch soccer on TV can make sure you have the larger soccer IQ that will serve you well throughout your playing career.

As a caveat, I’m not talking about burdening the youngest players with this additional requirement (although watching soccer on TV and in person is a great habit for players of any age to build). But by U-13 or U-14 or so, this type of thinking should be happening. (Some more good discussion in this article.)

To take the next step, you can read some of our tactical-related articles, start here. and/or let us know if there are any particular concepts you’d like us to talk about

If you want to take a deep tactical dive, take a look at our list of recommended books on soccer tactics.

Best Ways to Warm Up for Soccer Training or Pre-Game (Solo, Partner, and More)

By Parker & Walsh Leave a Comment

soccer warmup stretch

 

Before you get started with a strenuous training session or a game, you don’t want to go from zero to sixty without any preparation. The way you prepare yourself is with a warm up.

Warming up for soccer helps you improve your range of motion, raise your heart rate and activate your cardiovascular system, which allows for peak performance.

And crucially, warming up also significantly helps you avoid injuries.

Another benefit is that by preparing your body in this way you also are preparing your mind by allowing you to focus on the upcoming tasks and eliminate distracting thoughts.

However, one common mental image we have of “warming up” is sitting around in a circle stretching.

Stretching is an important part of warming up, to be sure, but you want to prioritize dynamic movements which are more in line with what you’ll actually be doing later.

Let’s look at some ideas for how to best warm up.

What Activities Should I Do When Warming Up?

First, it’s important to warm your muscles up before stretching them, so be sure to start your warmup with some jogging.

Jogging 2-4 times back and forth on your half of the field is usually sufficient.

After jogging, many teams like to circle up and stretch. This can be good for group camaraderie and to allow everyone to set their focus together while the coach gives some instructions, but research has shown that static stretching (meaning where you simply sit or stand holding a pose for a set amount of time) can actually hinder performance.

If you’re training on your own, or have the freedom to plan your own warmup, doing more dynamic stretching is preferred where you perform controlled sport-specific movements targeting key muscle groups.

Dynamic stretches for soccer can include walking lunges, leg swings, torso twists, hip circles, and many more.

An even better option is to incorporate dynamic movements into your jogging for a better warmup.

For example, jog across the field and back once, and on your next trip, instead of jogging normally, do high knees, butt kicks, and side shuffles. There are endless variations you can try in addition to these.

Warming Up with a Ball

The next phase of warmup involves ball work. The main things to keep in mind is that you want to get lots of touches and in the case of pregame warm-ups you want to make your work as “game-like” as possible.

A tried and true method to start with is partner passing.

Start by standing just a couple of feet away and playing firm passes back and forth. I like to start with two touch and then progress to one touch. Make sure you are using both feet and both the inside and outside. To help with preparation and getting your heart rate up, keep your feet moving.

A good partner passing progression is to gradually move back several yards as you continue and end up hitting some long balls to each other, both chips and driven balls.

Another partner passing warmup you can try is more dynamic: jogging back and forth across the half-field and working on volleys and receiving.

To do it, the two players stand 2-3 yards apart facing each other. The player jogging backward holds the ball and throws it to the player running forward, who does each exercise and tries to play the ball back to their teammate’s hands.

Work out a progression including volleys back with the laces, chest traps and volleys with the inside, thigh traps and volleying back, and headers.

For one trip across the field, work on one exercise, and players switch roles before coming back. Then move on to the next exercise.

Building a Complete, Technical and Fun Routine

soccer warmup

You can still achieve these goals with a warmup even if you’re training solo. Instead of partner passing, can you use a wall or rebounder to do the same passing exercises?

Beyond these ideas for touches, it’s important to incorporate some fun into your warmup as well.

If you’re with a team, possession drills are one of the best ways to warm up in a game-realistic way with some competition built in.

4v2 (or 5v2) drills with players on the outside keeping possession and two defenders in the middle who switch out when they win possession (to be replaced by the player who lost the ball) is a classic.

With an even larger number of players, you can play larger possession games (ie. 5v5), perhaps with two  “all-time-offense” players to give the team in possession a numbers up situation.

If you’re warming up solo, one idea for competition could be to do a round of juggling and see how high of a number you can get.

You also can achieve the same goals of passing and moving with a dribbling exercise through cones or other objects) combined with passing off of a wall or rebounder and then dribbling back the other way after you receive it.

Finally, you want to make sure the warmup doesn’t exhaust you right before the start of a competition. Make sure all the previous exercises are short and sweet, with rest time built in.

Instead of sprinting before the game, for example, work on your change of pace and acceleration with short sprint bursts of just a few yards. (This is a good exercise for right before the game to get you physically and mentally prepared.)

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The 4 Basic Soccer Skills Required To Play: A Beginner’s Guide

By STS Staff Leave a Comment

Playing soccer successfully requires a certain set of skills from every player, regardless of your position.

While some players have the benefit of extensive natural gifts, others may require more repetitions and practice time to get there.

The good news is that with some practice and determination, learning the most fundamental soccer skills can be relatively achievable for nearly every player. 

In this article, we will explore six basic soccer skills that are required to excel in the game of soccer. This can be helpful if you are new to playing soccer, or if you just haven’t played for a while. Read on to find out more. 

4 Basic Soccer Skills Required To Play

  • Passing

Passing the ball is one of the first things you will learn as a new player. Passing is taught from a young age and at its most basic level is kicking the ball from one player to another. (At more advanced levels passing reaches whole new levels of complexity with countless varieties.)

The idea behind this basic soccer skill is that it teaches individuals to work together as a team. It is important that players can confidently pass the ball to one another quickly as this is the quickest way that a team can move the ball and get it out of danger and into the final third.

Learning how to pass a ball involves using different surfaces and also both feet. It is a good idea to practice this basic soccer skill with other teammates if possible. If you want to practice passing the ball alone, kicking the ball against the wall is a great way to fine tune your technique.

For more details on how to pass the ball, take a look at our article how to get better at passing

  • Dribbling

Learning how to dribble allows players to run with the ball up and down the field easily and attack the space that is available. While dribbling may sound easy, it is much harder to do when there are other players around. The key to successful dribbling is to keep the ball close to your body. This is essential in such a fast-paced environment where quick changes are certain.

But you also want to make sure that you don’t dribble too much in dangerous areas like in your own penalty box. And also remember that passing to your teammates is a quicker way to move the ball around.

This skill again involves both feet and multiple surfaces. One key is to keep the ball close to your body as you move. Once you get the hang of dribbling, your speed will gradually increase over time. 

A good exercise is to lay out small cones and dribble the ball between them in a snaking motion. This will help you gain control over the ball and soon, you will find you can move quickly and confidently with the ball close to your body.

For more on this crucial skill, take a look at our article on the best dribbling drill for all levels.

    • ShootingSuccessfully shooting the ball brings with it a chance of scoring a goal. Therefore, this is a skill that you will probably want to make sure you work on! Shooting involves a powerful kick paired with accuracy and control. You may think that you need a full size goal and a goalkeeper to truly practice your shooting, but this is not the case. Read our article on how to practice shooting by yourself at home to learn how you can improve your shooting in any setting.
  • Receiving Learning how to receive the ball is just as important as learning to pass it. Not only does this basic soccer skill require physical ability, but also concentration and awareness. Receiving is crucial because it allows you to bring the ball under control so you can make your next move, whether that be a dribble, shot or pass. (So you can see how this skill combines with the others we have already talked about.) Receiving can be done with your feet (inside, outside and sole) but also your chest, thighs and even head in some situations. Another important aspect of receiving the ball is making sure you do it across your body rather than closing yourself off and failing to see the rest of the field.

    Conclusion

    A game of soccer is nothing without the basic soccer skills. Once you have become comfortable with passing, receiving, and dribbling the ball, you can move on to more complicated techniques and also start to improve your tactical understanding and positioning since you have the confidence your core skills won’t let you down.

Indoor Soccer Training

By Parker & Walsh Leave a Comment

indoor soccer trainingWith winter in full swing, our attention has turned from outdoor to indoor soccer.

This article will outline a training approach that will allow you to be effective when playing indoor soccer, and the best part is that these skills will translate into making you an effective outdoor player as well.

(If you’re simply looking for any exercises you can do inside, like at home, read this article.)

Indoor vs. Outdoor Soccer Training: How does Indoor Differ?

The major differences between indoor and outdoor soccer suggest some differences in the ideal training regimen.

Indoors, the field is of course smaller and the surface is also faster. You have fewer teammates on the field and are also shooting at a smaller goal.

So that does this mean for training and improvement?

For one, you have more time on the ball in a smaller space, so by merely playing lots of indoor soccer, you’ll get a lot of touches in, which can do wonders for your technical skills. By playing indoor, you’ll also improve your stamina and endurance.

But there are a few other key skills that get amplified in the indoor environment. By improving these skills, you’ll increase your level of play indoors, and also see gains when you return to the full-size game outdoors in the spring.

Drills and Exercises for Improving at Indoor Soccer

Shooting: Indoor soccer is an exciting proposition for a forward who loves to score goals. Due to the smaller size of the field, you’re almost always in shooting range, but at the same time the smaller goal demands pinpoint accuracy if you wish to evade the goalkeeper.

Practice shooting at a target (which could be the corner of a real goal or just a spot on the wall) using multiple surfaces and both feet so you’re better able to take advantage in an indoor game.

Make sure to practice hitting a moving ball, like in a game situation. (You can roll it forward with your sole, play it off a wall or rebounder for you to shoot, or recruit a teammate to play a ball for you to shoot.)

Read how to practice shooting at home for more tips

1v1 Dribbling and Defending: In the indoor game, tighter spaces and smaller numbers on the field mean more time with the ball at your feet, and more direct confrontations with opposing players.

Working on your 1v1 dribbling by perfecting some moves and working on your acceleration and change of pace will help you take advantage of those moments when you find yourself with the ball and a chance to attack your opponent directly.

Conversely, working on your 1v1 defending is important for ensuring that you stay strong in those situations when you are being run at by an opponent, which happens much more frequently in indoor soccer.

Defending is a team concept, of course, but in indoor soccer every player must be strong in individual duels, because there is no way to hide a player who is not.

First Touch: Due to the tight spaces, constant duels, and fast-paced transitions, a good first touch is crucial for any successful indoor player. Practice receiving the ball with all surfaces, with both feet, and quickly getting ready for your next move.

You want to be able to receive a ball and play a pass with your second touch. You also want to be in position to play a one-touch pass if appropriate, so make sure to stay on your toes and keep your head up to see your passing options. If there’s space to dribble into and attack, you also want to be able to take your first touch at speed into that space.

All in all, indoor soccer forces you to think and play faster, and a great first touch is one of the best ways to make sure you’re making the most of each opportunity on the ball.

 

Soccer Cone Drills for One Person to Practice Dribbling

By Parker & Walsh Leave a Comment

soccer cone dribbling
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Dribbling is a key soccer skill and it’s one that’s pretty easy to practice. If you have a ball and a grassy area to play in, you can easily work on your skills by yourself since dribbling is at its core an individual act.

But if you want to commit to improving your dribbling as significantly as possible, you’ll want to add some structure to your individual training.

Specifically, using soccer cones for dribbling is a great way to practice because they allow you to replicate more game-like situations: quick changes of direction, dribbling in tight spaces, and practicing different dribbling moves (link).

Getting a small set of soccer cones, ideally disc cones but full size ones work fine, is cheap and can be a good investment. And if you don’t have any cones at all you can set up a series of shoes, other balls, or similar small objects for you to dribble through.

soccer dribbling
If you don’t have cones, don’t worry! Just be creative finding something you can put down and dribble through, like these players working on their dribbling with bowling pins. image credit

Next we’ll look some good specific exercises you can do with your cones (or other objects).

Best Soccer Cone Dribbling Drills

When it comes to actually setting up cones for working on your dribbling individually, there are multiple ways to do it.

One is to set up a straight line line of cones for you to dribble through (like with the bowling pins in the above image).

The closer you space the cones, the more difficult the drill will be.

Where to Place the Cones: Setting the cones down in a straight line about 2 yards apart will help you with close control, while increasing the distance is good for beginners since it gives you a little more space.

Once you have your “course” set up, start dribbling!

Keeping Close Control: Weave through the cones while keeping the ball close to your feet so you remain in control. Learning how to do this is essential to becoming a

You also want to make sure to master the movement first, and only then try to do it at speed. If you try to go at a quick pace from the start, your form will suffer and you won’t get much benefit.

Dribbling with All Surfaces: Also make sure to dribble with both the inside and outside of your feet. You can choose a pattern of touches, for example cutting one direction with the inside of the foot followed by an outside touch with the other foot. Then vary it up.

In addition to dribbling through a straight line, there are other ways you can set up your cones. One option is to set up the cones in a T formation and dribble to the middle top cone, cut to one side, do a turn around that cone, sprint dribble to the other side, and then dribble to the bottom cone. Any dribbling exercise also helps with your fitness and this one especially so.

You can also set up three cones in a triangle about 2 feet apart, and dribble through them similar to how you did with the straight line.

Specifically to help you work on your dribbling moves, like the stop and go and the pull back V, you can do a great drill with only one cone.

Dribble at the cone from about 10 yards away and treat it as a defender. Perform your move without getting too close, and then change direction with a burst of speed into space.

When you’re learning how to dribble to beat an opponent, change of pace and change of direction are the two crucial aspects to doing it successfully, so focus on those with all of your dribbling practice.

What’s next? Some of our other articles go into even more detail on specific dribbling exercises and goals, so take a look at those for more ideas and inspiration:

The Zig Zag Dribbling Drill

2 Dribbling Drills for your Backyard

We hope this information is helpful to you in upping your individual training for dribbling. Cones are a very modest investment that can pay off big down the line with the structure they can give to your dribbling exercises. If you have any comments or questions, let us know in the comments section below.

Soccer Ladder Drills to Help with Speed, Dribbling, and Ball Control

By Parker & Walsh Leave a Comment

agility ladder soccer

Soccer players need quick feet to move the ball around and to get past defenders. Agility ladder training is a great way to help improve a soccer player’s foot speed.

You can do this in two ways, with a ball and without. After you practice ladder drills without a soccer ball, which is the most commonly-used method, you should also try a variety of ladder drills with a soccer ball. 

Need an agility ladder? Take a look at the best reviewed models on Amazon

Benefits of Soccer Ladder Drills with a Ball

Soccer ladder drills with a ball will not only help develop quick feet but also improve your dribbling and ball control.

By doing ladder drills for soccer with a ball, you can work on your soccer moves in a controlled and often challenging way.

Below are five soccer ladder workouts that you can do to improve speed, dribbling, and your ball control. You will be able get a total of 760 total touches.

*Note: the average agility ladder has 10 boxes. 

One Foot/One Step 

soccer ladder drills

  1. Without the Soccer Ball
    • Right side of the ladder leads with the left foot stepping into box 1. Go up and back down twice.
    • Left side of the ladder leads with the right foot stepping into box 1. Go up and back down twice. 
  2. With the Soccer Ball (160 Total Touches)
    1. Laces Touches (80 Touches)
      • Right side of the ladder leads with the left foot stepping into box 1, so with every step of your right foot, you will be touching the ball with your laces. Go up and back down twice. You will get 40 touches.
      • Left side of the ladder leads with the right foot stepping into box 1, so with every step of your left foot, you will be touching the ball with your laces. Go up and back down twice. You will get 40 touches.
    2. Outside, Inside Touches (80 Touches)
      • Right side of the ladder leads with the left foot stepping into box 1, so with every step of your right foot, you will alternate touching the ball with the outside of your foot and then the inside of your foot. Go up and back down twice. You will get 40 touches.
      • Left side of the ladder leads with the right foot stepping into box 1, so with every step of your left foot, you will alternate touching the ball with the outside of your foot and then the inside of your foot. Go up and back down twice. You will get 40 touches.

One foot in every box works on taking a touch every step to make sure you are in complete control of the ball. 

One Foot/One Step in Every Other Box 

one foot every other ladder

  1. Without the Soccer Ball
    • Right side of the ladder leads with the left foot stepping into box 1. Go up and back down twice.
    • Left side of the ladder leads with the right foot stepping into box 1. Go up and back down twice. 
  2. With the Soccer Ball (160 Total Touches)
    1. Laces Touches (80 Touches)
      • Right side of the ladder leads with the left foot stepping into box 1, so with every step of your right foot, you will be touching the ball with your laces. Go up and back down twice. You will get 40 touches.
      • Left side of the ladder leads with the right foot stepping into box 1, so with every step of your left foot, you will be touching the ball with your laces. Go up and back down twice. You will get 40 touches.
    2. Outside, Inside Touches (80 Touches)
      • Right side of the ladder leads with the left foot stepping into box 1, so with every step of your right foot, you will alternate touching the ball with the outside of your foot and then the inside of your foot. Go up and back down twice. You will get 40 touches.
      • Left side of the ladder leads with the right foot stepping into box 1, so with every step of your left foot, you will alternate touching the ball with the outside of your foot and then the inside of your foot. Go up and back down twice. You will get 40 touches.

One foot in every other box will help you improve your ball control while you are speed dribbling.

One Foot Hop Diagonally and Out Horizontally

  1. Without the Soccer Ball
    horizontal ladder step drill

    • Right side of the ladder leads with the left foot stepping into box 1. Go up and back down twice.
    • Left side of the ladder leads with the right foot stepping into box 1. Go up and back down twice. 
  2. With the Soccer Ball
    1. Stanley Matthews Soccer Move (160 Total Touches)
      • Right side of the ladder leads with the left foot hopping diagonally into box 1 and then quickly and immediately hopping out horizontally, so simultaneously, with your right foot you will tap the ball diagonally with the inside of your foot toward the ladder and then as you are hopping horizontally out you push the ball horizontally with the outside of your foot. The ball should mimic the movement of the arrows. Go up and back down twice. You will get 80 touches.
      • Left side of the ladder leads with the right foot hopping diagonally into box 1 and then quickly and immediately hopping out horizontally, so simultaneously, with your left foot you will tap the ball diagonally with the inside of your foot toward the ladder and then as you are hopping horizontally out you push the ball horizontally with the outside of your foot. The ball should mimic the movement of the arrows. Go up and back down twice. You will get 80 touches.

One foot hop in the box diagonally and out horizontally will help you improve the Stanley Matthews soccer move.

Diagonal Skater Hops

diagonal skater hops ladder

  1. Without the Soccer Ball
    • Left side of the ladder start. Hop diagonally across the ladder to the next box ahead and quickly hop diagonally back to the left side to the next box ahead. Go up and back down twice. (This is working on your feint soccer move. Your first hop diagonally is your feint to the right and then you quickly explode away from your defender leaving them in the dust.) Go up and back down twice.
    • Right side of the ladder start. Hop diagonally across the ladder to the next box ahead and quickly hop diagonally back to the right side to the next box ahead. Go up and back down twice. (This is working on your feint to the left soccer move. Your first hop diagonally is your feint and then you quickly explode away from your defender leaving them in the dust.) Go up and back down twice.
    • Start on either side of the ladder, hop diagonally across the ladder to the next box ahead and stick your landing. Then hop diagonally across the ladder to the next box ahead and stick your landing. Go up and back down twice. 
  2. With the Soccer Ball (120 Total Touches)
    1. Sole Stop (Place a ball in the middle of each box. Most people don’t have 10 soccer balls so any ball will work and as many as you can.) (80 Touches)
      • Left side of the ladder start. Use the right sole of your foot to tap the top of the ball like you are stopping it and then continue to step diagonally over the ball to the next box ahead. You should be diagonally straddling the ladder so the soccer ball is between your feet. Next, use the left sole of your foot to tap the top of the next soccer ball and continue to step diagonally over the ball to the next box ahead. Continue up the ladder and then back down twice. You will get 40 touches.
      • Right side of the ladder start. Use the left sole of your foot to tap the top of the ball like you are stopping it and then continue to step diagonally over the ball to the next box ahead. You should be diagonally straddling the ladder so the soccer ball is between your feet. Next, use the right sole of your foot to tap the top of the next soccer ball and continue to step diagonally over the ball to the next box ahead. Continue up the ladder and then back down twice. You will get 40 touches.
    2. Brazilian Sole Roll (Start with the soccer ball on the opposite side of the ladder and one box ahead.) (40 Touches)
      1. Left side of the ladder start with the soccer ball on the right side of the 1st box. Use the sole of your right foot to flick the ball across the ladder and slightly forward. Then use your left foot to flick the ball across the ladder and slightly forward. Continue until you get to the end of the ladder and then back down twice. You will get at least 40 touches.

The diagonal skater hops will help you with moves like your feint, sole stop to get the ball between your legs, and the brazilian sole roll.

Two Feet in the Middle Crossover Step Across

two feet in the middle ladder

  1. Without the Soccer Ball
    • Left side of the ladder start. Step into the first box diagonally putting both feet in and then stepping out continuing into diagonally. Next with your right foot perform a crossover step over the box all the way to the left side. Continue until you get to the end of the ladder and then back down twice.
    • Right side of the ladder start. Step into the first box diagonally putting both feet in and then stepping out continuing into diagonally. Next with your left foot perform a crossover step over the box all the way to the right side. Continue until you get to the end of the ladder and then back down twice.
  2. With a Soccer Ball (160 Touches)
    • Left side of the ladder start. With your right foot take two touches diagonally with your pinky toe, one touch to put the ball in the box and second to put it outside the next box. With your next touch, use the inside of your right foot to drag the ball across the ladder all the way to the left side. Then use the inside of your left foot to stop. Then continue the pattern of two touches with your pinky toes, drag across, and stop with the inside of your foot all the way to the end of the ladder and then back down twice. You will get at least 80 Touches.
    • Right side of the ladder start. With your left foot take two touches diagonally with your pinky toe, one touch to put the ball in the box and second to put it outside the next box. With your next touch, use the inside of your left foot to drag the ball across the ladder all the way to the right side. Then use the inside of your right foot to stop. Then continue the pattern of two touches with your pinky toes, drag across, and stop with the inside of your foot all the way to the end of the ladder and then back down twice. You will get at least 80 Touches.

This will help with the drag move or a double touch move.

An agility ladder is an easy (and cheap) way to add some variety to your fitness and ball work. Take a look at the best reviewed models on Amazon.

top image credit: flickr

How to Improve Your Foot Skills in Soccer

By Parker & Walsh Leave a Comment

As coaches we always say that just about any type of person–tall, short, muscular, skinny, etc.–can play soccer and learn to do it well. That’s one of the best parts of this game we love.

But if there’s one common thread across just about all proficient soccer players, it’s that they all have mastered their foot skills.

This is an area where the United States has long lagged behind South American and European countries. By emphasizing attributes like speed and strength over foot skills at young ages, too many kids ultimately fail to develop their technical abilities sufficiently.

Recently, however, there have been some major shifts to correct this historical shortcoming, and foot skills are starting to be emphasized much more at all levels.

If you’re a player hoping to reach your full potential, then there are some specific things you can start doing today to improve your foot skills.

Drills and Exercises for Improving Foot Skills

As a general principle, to improve your footwork, you need to be getting as many touches as you can. Fortunately this is easy to do! It doesn’t require a lot of space, and all you need is a ball. Soccer cones can help, but it’s easy enough to throw some shoes or other small objects down and use them.

Also, to truly improve your foot skills, make sure you are training both of your feet equally, not just your stronger one. And with that, make sure you are using all surfaces of your feet including the inside, outside, laces, and sole.

Here are some specific exercises you can work on for improving your foot skills.

Juggling

Working on your juggling is one of the best ways you can get lots of touches in a small area, significantly improving your foot skills.

Specifically, it helps with everything from touch and control to balance and prepares you for game situations where the ball comes at you from all directions and heights and forces you to adjust quickly.

Cone Dribbling

In addition to juggling you want to make sure to practice some good dribbling drills to help you get more touches at game speed. Here are a few ideas with cones:

Set up a line of cones and dribble through them. Try a pattern of cutting across with the inside of one foot, and pushing the ball out with the inside of your other foot. With this type of drill, make sure to start slowly to get the technique and pattern down, then increase your speed as you are able.

Also, set up a few cones around in a medium-sized area and work on performing dribbling moves. Don’t go overboard with extra fancy footwork, but rather repeat and master the simpler moves like feinting one way and cutting the other way. Another go-to is performing a step-over and then cutting away with the outside of your other foot.

When you do a dribbling move, make sure you explode away with a change of speed. This is what helps you gain separation from your defender in a game situation, and learning how to keep the ball under control as you accelerate is an important part of developing your foot skills.

Toe Touches/Toe Taps

Another great way to get a lot of touches quickly in a small space is toe touches (also known as toe taps). This is a familiar exercise for many players, and it’s very simple.

Start with the ball in front of you and lift one of your knees so you can touch (or tap) the ball with your toes/sole of your foot. Then lower that leg and raise your other leg to do the same thing.

As with the other drills, you want to start slow, but when you start to feel comfortable with the movement, increase your speed. When you do, you’ll see that the repeated shifting of feet is also great for your improving your fitness!

Sole Rolls/Lateral Rolls

Think of the sole roll exercise as a kind of extension of toe touches where you take the same kind of touches alternating feet, but instead of standing still, you move with the ball.

For one variation, you can roll the ball forward with your sole, alternating feet, and then backward to where you started.

You can also do “lateral” sole rolls where you start with the ball on the outside of your body, roll it with your sole to one side, and continue using that same foot’s sole for each touch to continue in the same direction. Then reverse the movement and use the sole of your other foot to roll the ball back to your starting point.

We hope these ideas help get you started with improving your soccer foot skills!

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Mastering the Pull Back V and Related Ball Control Moves

By Parker & Walsh Leave a Comment

soccer ball control

The Pull Back V is a simple move but it can be quite effective when you are trying to maneuver in tight spaces.

This article will share a series of Pull Back V Ball Control Drills which are a part of a series of articles designed to help players get to 10,000 touches per day. 

You can work on the drills in this article either inside or outside.

By doing the Pull Back V Ball Control Drills you can get a total of 1,700 touches, but in order to boost your performance to the ELITE level you will need to do this series of drills 6 times.

If you want to vary up your exercises, you can check out our other articles about how to get more touches, including The Best Soccer Dribbling Drill, Juggling in your Backyard, Soccer Moves and Exercises to Practice Inside, and Ball Control Drills in a Box.

Performance Levels:

Beginner:  1,000 – 3,000 touches per day

Proficient/minimum:  5,000 touches per day

Elite:  10,000 touches per day 

V Ball Control Drills (1700 Total Touches)

  • Inside Push V (600 Total Touches)

    • Right Foot Only (200 Touches)
      • Directions:  Start with the ball in front of your left foot, use your right foot to reach across your body and pull the ball with the sole towards your right foot’s starting position. Then push the ball with the inside of your right foot out at a 45 degree angle. You have now created a V with the ball. Next use the sole of your right foot to pull the ball back towards your left foot and then push the ball with the inside of your right foot moving the ball back to its starting position above your left. This is one rep. Perform 5 reps then take a 10 second break. This is one round. Do a total of 10 rounds or 50 reps totaling 200 touches.
    • Left Foot Only (200 Touches)
      • Same as above but you will be using your left foot.
    • Using Both Feet (200 Touches)
      • Directions:  Start with the ball in front of one foot, use your other foot to reach across your body and pull the ball with the sole towards your foot’s starting position. Then push the ball with the inside foot of your same foot out at a 45 degree angle. You have now created a V with the ball. Next create a V using your other foot to pull the ball back with the sole and push the ball with the inside of your foot back the starting position. This is one rep. Perform 5 reps then take a 10 second break. This is one round. Do a total of 10 rounds or 50 reps totaling 200 touches.

  • Outside Push V (200 Total Touches)

    • Directions:  Start with the ball in front of one foot, use your other foot to reach across your body and pull the ball with the sole towards your foot’s starting position. Then push the ball with the outside foot of your same foot out at a 45 degree angle. You have now created a V with the ball. Next create a V using your other foot to pull the ball back with the sole and push the ball outl with the outside of your foot back the starting position. This is one rep. Perform 5 reps then take a 10 second break. This is one round. Do a total of 10 rounds or 50 reps totaling 200 touches.

  • Left Foot Pull with sole, Left Foot Push with inside, Right Foot Pull with sole, Right Foot Push with outside (200 Total Touches)

    • Directions:  Start with the ball in front of your right foot, use your left foot to reach across your body and pull the ball with the sole towards your foot’s starting position. Then push the ball with the inside foot of your left foot out at a 45 degree angle. You have now created a V with the ball. Next create a V using your right foot by pulling the ball with the sole towards your foot’s starting position and push the ball with the outside of your right foot out at a 45 degree angle. This is one rep. Perform 5 reps then take a 10 second break. This is one round. Do a total of 10 rounds or 50 reps totaling 200 touches.

  • Left Foot Pull with sole, Left Foot Push with outside, Right Foot Pull with sole, Right Foot Push with inside (200 Total Touches)

    • Directions:  Start with the ball in front of your right foot, use your left foot to reach across your body and pull the ball with the sole towards your foot’s starting position. Then push the ball with the outside foot of your left foot out at a 45 degree angle. You have now created a V with the ball. Next create a V using your right foot by pulling the ball with the sole towards your foot’s starting position and push the ball with the inside of your right foot out at a 45 degree angle. This is one rep. Perform 5 reps then take a 10 second break. This is one round. Do a total of 10 rounds or 50 reps totaling 200 touches.

  • 6 Touch V (Total 300 Touches)

    • Directions:  Start with the ball between the toes of your feet. Use the inside of your left foot to push the ball out at a 45 degree angle to the right. Use the sole of your left foot to pull the ball back towards its starting position and then stop the ball with the inside of your left foot. This will be your third touch. Then use the inside of your right foot to push the ball out at a 45 degree angle to the left. Use the sole of your right foot to pull the ball back towards its starting position and then stop the ball with the inside of your right foot. This will be your sixth touch and you have now completed a V with the ball.  This is one rep. Perform 5 reps then take a 10 second break. This is one round. Do a total of 10 rounds or 50 reps totaling 300 touches.

  • 4 Touch V (200 Touches)

    • Directions:  With the ball starting above your left foot, use your right foot sole to pull the ball back at a 45 degree angle then push the ball with the inside of your right foot at a 45 degree angle creating a V. Next use your left foot sole to pull the ball back at a 45 degree angle then push the ball with the inside of your left foot at a 45 degree angle. This is one rep. Perform 5 reps then take a 10 second break. This is one round. Do a total of 10 rounds or 50 reps totaling 200 touches.

Soccer Ball Control Drills You Can Do Inside Your Basement or Living Room

By Parker & Walsh Leave a Comment

soccer ball control

If you are looking for a way to get a lot of touches on the ball and improve your ball control when you only have a small space to use, then I have the Soccer Training Solution for you.

I like to call these Soccer Ball Control Exercises in a Box.

The drills are a variety of individual exercises designed to improve all aspects of ball control including your touch, balance, agility, and endurance.

Ultimately, these exercises will help you stay over the soccer ball and keep it within your area of control, between your feet.

Fortunately, the exercises do not require much space, so you can do them either inside or outside.

In fact, they only require a 2 yard by 2 yard area.

If I was going to have my soccer team do these exercises, I would have each player put down four soccer cones to create a box.

However, the cones are not necessary. The box is just a visual to map out your area of control. You can also thrown down shoes or other objects if you are playing in a basement or other indoor area.

You may recall in our previous articles (The Best Soccer Dribbling Drill, How to Get Better at Juggling, and Soccer Moves You Can Practice at Home), we have talked about elite players striving to get 10,000 touches per day.

Our Ball Control Exercises in a Box are another way to accomplish your goal of becoming an elite soccer player, as they will help you add to your number of touches per day. 

Performance Levels:

Ball Control Drills for Beginners:  1,000 – 3,000 touches per day

Proficient/minimum:  5,000 touches per day

Advanced and elite players:  10,000 touches per day 

Without further ado, let’s get to the specific ball control drills.

Ball Control Exercises in a Box

With this series of ball control drills, you will get a total of 1,700 touches.

You will find that many of the drills take you to one side and then back to your original position, so you can easily do them in the 

One last piece of advice: These drills should be performed at game speed to improve your skills.

  • Inside Cut, Outside Push (200 Total Touches)

    • Directions: Start on one side of the “box” (or small area). Cut the ball straight across your body to keep the ball underneath you and then push the ball with the outside of your other foot towards the other side of the box. Going side to side is one rep. Perform 5 reps then take a 10 second break. This is one round. Do a total of 10 rounds or a total of 50 reps totaling 200 touches.

  • Single Foot Inside Outside (400 Total Touches)

    • Left Foot Small Touches (100 Touches)
      • Directions: For the small touches you will be keeping the ball on just one side of your body, the left side, touching the ball with the inside of your left foot and then the outside of your left foot. This would be one rep. Perform 5 reps then take a 10 second break. This is one round. Do a total of 10 rounds or 50 reps totaling 100 touches
    • Right Foot Small Touches (100 Touches)
      • Directions: Same as above except you use your right foot.
    • Left Foot Big Touches (100 Touches)
      • Directions: For the big touches, start on the left side of the box. Cut the ball across your body with an inside cut and then shuffling your feet to cut the ball with outside of your left foot back to your starting position using the whole “box.” This would be one rep. Perform 5 reps then take a 10 second break. This is one round. Do a total of 10 rounds or 50 reps totaling 100 touches.
    • Right Foot Big Touches (100 Touches)
      • Directions:  Same as above except you start on the right side of the box and use your right foot.

  • Single Foot Inside Outside Two Touch each (400 Total Touches)

    • Left Foot Two Touch Each Direction (200 Touches)
      • Directions:  Start on the left side of the box, use the inside of your left foot to take 2 touches to go across the box. Then use the outside of your left foot to cut the ball back towards your starting position. Take a second touch with the outside of your foot to get to your starting position. This would be one rep. Perform 5 reps then take a 10 second break. This is one round. Do a total of 10 rounds or 50 reps totaling 200 touches.
    • Right Foot Two Touches Each Direction (200 Touches)
      • Directions:  Same as above except you start on the right side of the box and use your right foot.

  • Outside Push x2, Sole Stop (300 Touches)

    • Directions:  Start on one side of the box, use the outside of your foot to take two touches to go across the box. Then use the same foot to stop the ball with the sole of your foot and step over the ball so the soccer ball is now between your feet. Next, use your other foot to push the ball with the outside of your foot to go back to your starting position. Then use the same foot to stop the ball with the sole of your foot and step over the ball. This is one rep. Perform 5 reps then take a 10 second break. This is one round. Do a total of 10 rounds or 50 reps totaling 300 touches.

  • Sole Roll, Outside Push (200 Total Touches)

    • Left Foot (100 Touches)
      • Directions:  Use the sole of your left foot to roll the ball across your body, then use the outside of your left foot to push the ball back to your starting position. This is one rep. Perform 5 reps then take a 10 second break. This is one round. Do a total of 10 rounds or 50 reps totaling 100 touches.
    • Right Foot (100 Touches)
      • Directions: Same as above except you use your right foot.

  • Sole Roll, Stop (200 Total Touches)

    • Directions: Use the sole of one foot to roll the ball across your body, then use the inside of your other foot to stop. Next, use the sole of your same foot you just stopped the ball to roll the ball back across your body, then use the inside of your other foot to stop the ball. You are now back to your starting position. This is one rep. Perform 5 reps then take a 10 second break. This is one round. Do a total of 10 rounds or 50 reps totaling 200 touches.

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How to Get Better at Soccer without a Ball

By Parker & Walsh Leave a Comment

soccer running

The best way to improve in soccer is to play, play, and keep playing, but what about when you don’t have access to a soccer ball for a period of time? Even if you do, mixing things up is always a good idea. So for this article we will explore the question of how can you improve your soccer game without using a ball.

First, fitness work is crucial to improving your overall game so that is an obvious way you can get better without a ball.

In our article on why being soccer fit is so important, we explain that there are many specific benefits that you can see in many aspects of your performance, many of which you may not have thought of.

These include improving your touch, and even your communication (since if you’re too tired, you won’t have the energy to talk and share important information with your teammates).

So fitness work can be crucial, but there’s more than just jogging around at a single pace. Interval training, where you alternate between a short period of high intensity activity (like sprinting)

You can also train for the Man U, 120s or other fitness tests to give your conditioning work a concrete goal.

In addition to running, strength training with weights or just your body is another great way to improve your game. Focus on exercises that work the muscle groups that are most important for soccer, like your shoulders, core, and legs.

Improving Your Game By Watching and Thinking

You can also improve your game without even breaking a sweat. I’m talking about watching soccer with a specific focus on how you can get better.

When you watch, don’t just follow the ball. Instead, identify what players in your position do with and without the ball. How do they find space and get open? How do they receive and control the ball? How many touches do they take before passing it away? What do they do when their team loses the ball?

It’s a good idea to watch games yourself and even write down notes for yourself. You can also search YouTube to find compilations and explanations of a specific skill or concept. In addition to videos, if you’re an avid reader you can read and study soccer tactics books as well.

Once you’ve identified some new ideas and concepts to incorporate, do some self-reflection on how best to apply them to your own game.  What elements do you already do well? Which may be the most difficult to do?

You can set individual soccer goals for yourself that are SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound) which will help you stay on track and moving towards improving the areas that you’ve consciously chosen. (Ideally a coach or mentor can help you with this.) In addition, many players find exercises like visualization of positive performance helpful, and these are all ways that you can improve long-term.

How Practice Soccer with a Tennis Ball

tennis ball

We can draw a distinction between training without any type of ball, which we’ve been talking about, and practicing without a soccer ball.

For the latter, a good exercise you can use to improve your game is to use a tennis ball. How exactly can this improve your game?

In general, using a smaller ball helps you improve your control since it is more difficult and requires you to adjust more quickly. By the time a regulation-size soccer ball comes your way again, it will seem a lot easier to exhibit good ball control.

Of course, some activities will be next to impossible with such a small ball, so it’s best to work on close control. You can set up a small area to practice your dribbling a tennis ball. Make sure to work on using both feet in quick succession

Another good exercise you can do is to practice juggling with a tennis ball, a difficult activity that can do wonders for your touch.

Start by just kicking it up in the air once and let it hit the ground. Perfect your kick so that the ball rises in the air the appropriate distance, and make sure to use both feet. Next do two juggles, both with one foot and alternating between feet. As you get more comfortable, gradually increase the number of juggles you can do.

All of these activities, from running and lifting to goal setting to working with a tennis ball, can significantly hone your skills without the need to use a real soccer ball. Make sure, of course, that you are still playing in games and practices as much as you can so that you are applying these concepts when they are fresh in your mind.

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