When you’re working to improve your soccer game, coming up with a fun game or challenge can be a great way to stay engaged and get your competitive juices flowing.
The following 5 soccer challenges are meant to be somewhat difficult. Don’t get frustrated if you can’t complete them right away, and feel free to use modified versions as you see fit.
These challenges are made to test your skills but also to help you improve as a player.
1.) The Crossbar Game Challenge
The crossbar game is a classic soccer challenge. I played this a lot before high school practices with my coaches.
To do it, stand 30 yards away and drive a soccer ball to see if you can hit the top crossbar of a soccer goal.
If you have with a partner to play with, then see who can hit the crossbar 5 times first. You can also try hitting each of the posts.
As you’re going through the challenge, try both striking a set ball and a moving ball.
Hitting a set ball will help with your free kicks, but you always hit a moving ball during open play in a game so that is crucial to work on too.
The goal of this challenge is to pick a small target and hit it.
This has a lot of real-world utility, because when you are playing in a game, just a couple of inches can determine whether or not you score a goal, complete a pass, or whether your cross gets over a defender’s head.
2.) The Driving Range Challenge
The following game is a variation of the crossbar game. Again, stand 30 yards away and strike a ball at the goal.
The goal of this challenge is to drive the soccer ball into net without the ball hitting the ground.
This will help improve your shooting skills, especially driving a soccer ball.
The more that the ball is on a rope, the quicker it will get from point A to point B. Again, it is often more enjoyable to challenge a friend, and the competition will make you better.
3.) Target Practice Challenge
To do this challenge, place a trash can 40 or 50 yards away and try to kick a soccer ball into it. It’s simple but fun and very difficult to get right.
I saw an example of this challenge in a Youtube video of a behind the scenes commercial featuring David Beckham, one of the game’s best ever crossers.
This challenge will help you with your crossing accuracy. Learn from the best and start practicing.
4.) Juggling a Tennis Ball Challenge
Juggling a tennis ball is very tough, but can do wonders for your touch and control.
You can start by just kicking the tennis ball with your right foot once and then catching it. Then go left foot once and catch.
Progress to right foot, left foot, catch. Once you get comfortable do not catch the ball at all. Just keep juggling.
If you try this one, let us know your high number in the comments!
5.) Partner juggling over a house or a large tree
The final challenge is definitely a strange one. I first saw it on a commercial in the early 2000s, and I am not even sure what the commercial was promoting or selling. I just thought it was so cool to see two soccer players juggling over a house!
So immediately after the commercial my brother and I went outside and tried it. If my memory serves me correctly, then my brother and I completed juggling the soccer ball over our house about 5 times.
You can take as many touches as you need in order to settle the ball and get it under control, but do not let the ball hit the ground. If you need to modify the challenge, then only allow the ball to bounce once per side.
See you if you and a friend can beat beat 5. Let us know. It is tougher than it sounds. (Also, be sure to get permission before trying and don’t try this challenge if you might break something!)
Do you have any other favorite soccer challenges we haven’t mentioned?