Do you play soccer? In the United States, it has been estimated that about 284,000 high school boys and 209,000 high school girls participate in the sport. There are some great ways to learn soccer skills at home and without a lot of expensive equipment.
1. Try juggling! Have you ever tried juggling?
Many people scoff at the idea of using juggling to help them lean soccer skills and worry that they would have to good at juggling to get any benefit from the activity. The thing that juggling can do for you is help you with your touch. By practicing and perfecting your juggling techniques, you will make yourself better able to control the soccer ball. Practice juggling until you have gotten as good as you can get and then try out your skills at your soccer camp or in your youth soccer league.
Work on moving the ball you are juggling in a variety of ways. Try with and without a spin on the ball. Try with top spin, side spin and back spin. The more control you can have over the ball when you are juggling it, the better you will be able to do that when you playing soccer. Being able to make the ball do what you want is a big deal in soccer. Say if you need to put some backspin on the ball to keep it in play. The ability to make the ball curve around someone leg to get your pass though is a great skill.
2. Trap the ball.
Another thing you can do to learn soccer skills is to trap the ball in the air. Start by kicking the ball as high as you possibly can while maintaining some control. You may need to get into a small sprint, which will also help with your fitness level. As the ball is falling back down, try to catch it with the lace portion of your shoe and lower it to the ground. There should be little or no bounce when the ball goes from your shoe to the ground. This is part of the control you were mastering with the juggling and is key to helping you learn soccer skills. You always want to keep that ball close.
3. Work on dribbling.
People think this deceptively simple task is just that, simple. It is but it is also crucial to the game. When you want to learn soccer skills, practicing your dribbling in your yard is a great way to get good at it. One thing you will learn as you learn soccer skills is that when you are dribbling you cannot merely be focused on what you are doing, you need to be able to think a few plays ahead. The goal is to get that ball into a space that you can reach but your opponent cannot. You will have to take your eyes from the ball and look instead a few feet ahead. You can use your dribbling practice to exercise your dog. Try to get the ball past your dog.
4. Kick the ball against the wall.
Do you have a shed or garage or fence in your back yard? This can be perfect for practicing your soccer moves. In the best case scenario, the fence, wall or structure is made of brick or concrete. Be careful as you can damage it and that is never a good thing. Watch out for windows.
Start by kicking the ball with your foot’s instep. You should work on kicking the ball with both feet. Go back and forth from one foot to the other. Make sure the ball is only given enough time to bounce once. When you first start, you should place yourself at about a distance of two feet from the wall. Move farther and farther away as you get better at this exercise. Work on doing at least 100 kicks of the ball off of your wall.
Next hit the ball with the lace part of your shoe. Again, the ball should only bounce one time. This is great soccer training.
Whether you are going to a soccer summer camp or just playing with friends, these tips will make you a better player.
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