To become a great soccer player, children need to master many different skills and traits (game intelligence, mental toughness, physical fitness, technique) to be successful in their soccer game. Club soccer teams, private soccer training, summer soccer camps, and futsal training are all designed to develop these traits but it’s also important to practice soccer at home and on your own.
To take your soccer skills and your overall soccer game to the next level, it’s important to practice at home. Here are 3 soccer drills to practice at home to improve your youth soccer player soccer skills:
The Best Soccer Skills to Practice at Home
Figure 8 Dribbling
All you need for this drill is two cones and a soccer ball. To set up the drill, set the cones beside each other but make sure you have enough space in between to create a figure 8 path for you to move the soccer ball through (4-5 yards). Work with 60-second intervals and dribble the ball back and forth in a figure 8. Make sure your knees stay bent throughout the whole drill and lean your body in the appropriate direction. Keep the soccer ball close to you, make sure your turns are quick and short.
Once you master that drill to make it harder you can only use the inside or the outside of your feet through the drill. You can also use your non-dominant foot to work on your overall coordination and make you a more versatile player.
Wall Juggling
The purpose of this drill is to help you develop quicker reflexes and get better at juggling the soccer ball. To do this drill, stand 1 to 3 yards away from the wall and start juggling against the wall. You can also throw the ball at the wall to improve your skills and overall reflexes.
The more you practice the wall juggling soccer drill, the better you will become. There is no set amount of time you should do this for, but the longer and more you do wall juggling the more benefits you’ll see from it. As you become an expert at the soccer drill, you can start to use your chest or thigh to work on your game. Make sure you stay on your toes throughout the drill to keep your balance and keep the ball in the air longer.
Stair Stepping
The stair-stepping soccer drill is designed to increase every soccer player’s stamina and balance. To do this soccer drill, you place the soccer ball in front of you and start to jump on and off the ball without allowing it to roll backward or move in any direction. This drill seems easy, but it’s harder than you would think to master it. With your foot that you kick with on the ball, jump and place your other foot on the ball while removing the kicking foot. This will help with your balance and stamina for soccer games.
Youth Soccer in New Jersey
By working on soccer drills at home your overall soccer game will improve. This will help your soccer team and help your team win more games. Let us know how we can help you with your soccer game. We offer private soccer training, club soccer teams, summer overnight camps, and summer soccer residential camps.