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Ball-Control

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

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.

image credit

Soccer Juggling: Tips and Drills for Improving Your Game

By Parker & Walsh Leave a Comment

soccer juggling

image credit

When you’re looking for the best ways to practice your soccer skills by yourself, there’s one exercise you can do that’s very simple but also does wonders for your touch and control.

I’m talking, of course, about juggling.

Juggling can be difficult to master, but you don’t need to do anything super advanced in order to reap the benefits.

Benefits of Practicing Juggling

We’ve already written about how juggling can make you a better soccer player.

For one, it helps greatly with your touch improving your ability to control the ball when it comes at you at all speeds and from all angles.

An improved touch will also see you better able to make passes with the proper weight as well as keep the ball closer to you when dribbling.

Additionally, juggling helps you improve your balance and coordination since it forces you to make quick adjustments in order to keep the ball in the air.

A Great Backyard Exercise

Another of the biggest benefits of juggling is that you don’t need any special equipment aside from a ball; not even a wall or teammate that you typically need to practice passing or receiving.

This makes juggling a great exercise to do anywhere you have even a little patch of space: your backyard, a playground, even a local street or sidewalk.

Practicing juggling just a few minutes a day is enough to see real improvements when you are consistent with your training.

So how can you maximize your juggling practice as a beginner so that you can ensure it’s worth your while?

The Basics: Tips for How to Juggle a Soccer Ball for Beginners

The basic move of juggling needs no real introduction: just keep the ball in the air!

But if you’re just getting started and juggling a ball dozens of times seems intimidating, there are easy ways that you can start more slowly.

First, practice by holding the ball in your hands and dropping it. Let it bounce once, then kick it back up with your laces and catch the ball again.

Keep working at it until you have enough control with your kick that the ball easily comes up to chest height and you don’t have to reach out far to catch it.

Next you want to slowly increase the number of juggles: 2, 3, 4, and more as you are able to. (Depending on the surface and ball that you’re using, you can also drop the ball, let it bounce, kick it up, let it bounce, and then kick it again.)

Don’t forget to work with your non-dominant foot too! Practice alternating juggling with your left and right foot.

Some other general juggling tips include to keep your ankle locked so you avoid weak contact with the ball. You also always want to make sure you keep your eye on the ball when you’re just getting comfortable.

Finally, stay on your toes so that you can more quickly anticipate and react to the ball’s movements. This has an added benefit of building a great habit that you can carry forward to the team practice and game environments too.

Juggling with All Parts of the Body

To get the maximum benefit from your juggling you don’t want to stop with your feet; juggling is an exercise that can involve just about all body parts.

So work in some juggles with your thighs, your head, even your chest and shoulders when you feel confident enough to do so.

With your feet, you can also very up how you strike the ball. When you’re just learning you usually kick the ball so it has backspin; but when you’re more advanced you can work on juggles with no spin or even topspin, which is more difficult.

Best Soccer Juggling Drills and Challenges

player juggling soccer ball

image credit: wikimedia commons

The following are a few different drills and juggling challenges that you can try:

  • Juggle uninterrupted until you can get up to a chosen number (you might start with 50 or 100). After you achieve the challenge, increase the number and get it again.
  • Juggle with only your non-dominant foot for as many reps as possible.
  • Juggle in a pattern around your body, by going right foot, right thigh, head, left thigh, left foot, and repeat.
  • Juggle with no spin for as many reps as you can (then try doing the same with topspin).
  • Juggle while slowly jogging forward (then try jogging backward too).
  • Juggle with your feet while avoiding letting the ball get above your waist

If you have a partner or teammate with you, you can also work on a variety of juggling drills together, like juggling a set number of times and then volleying it to the other person who chest traps and then juggles the same amount before passing it back.

We hope this article gives you some good tips and pointers for good juggling technique as well as some ideas for what you can do to practice. If you have any other comments or questions or some other good juggling exercises that you like, let us know below.