If you are looking for some great individual soccer training drills for your team to practice at home, the main goal is to focus on spending as much time with the soccer ball as possible. Learning to control the ball completely, and making it do want, is key.
Individual Soccer Juggling Drills
Juggling a soccer ball is one of the most basic training techniques to improve ball control and get comfortable with soccer movements. Have players start small – maybe just six juggles in a row – and their your way up to the hundreds. The object of juggling the soccer ball is, of course, to not let it touch the ground. Work on training drills that transition from their feet to thighs to head and shoulders, and then focus on the height of the soccer ball in the air. Start with below the waist, then below the head, and eventually try to have them juggle, keeping the ball above the head with each pass. Soccer ball juggling is not only a lot of fun (and it looks pretty cool as well) but also a great way to build foot-eye coordination that will improve performance.
Running and Jogging Exercises for Soccer Team Training
It’s no surprise that players will be running a lot during the soccer season, so it’s essential to work on their individual running and jogging skills. This will help them out on the field, keeping their endurance up and their game strong, while increasing their speed. Some of the best individual soccer training drills to improve speed are sprints. Players can do sprints nearly anywhere. Try an interval circuit, starting with light jogging to fast sprints, back to jogging and then into a full run. Moving in intervals between the different speeds is great for muscles, as well as for overall endurance.
Soccer Dribbling Exercises
Looking to improve your dribbling skills? Cones will be your new best friends. Get on the field and place some cones out. Try spacing them about 2 feet apart in a line or a triangle, and have players work on dribbling the ball between the cones, using both sides (and tops and bottoms) of their feet. The close space of this cone drill will get their heart rate up, and help them get better at quick touch dribbling movements. Another great cone drill is the classic version: line about 10 cones up on the field and weave through the cones, dribbling the ball from left to right. Move back and forth several times to complete this drill, making sure to spend an equal amount of time on each side.
Wall Workouts for Individual Soccer Training
These are individual soccer drills, so players won’t have a partner to help them out. Grab a friendly wall instead – your other soccer workout best friend (besides your cones). Wall balls are great for working on passes. Face the wall and throw the soccer ball against it. Catch the ball with your feet and pass back to the wall, catching the ball again and repeating in a series. Try 50 passes on your left foot, then 50 passes on your right foot. Throw some juggling in there in between if you’re feeling energetic. When working on individual soccer wall balls, make sure you concentrate on the basic movements – and work the inside of your foot as well as the top. You can even work chest passes against the wall, rotating between foot passes.
Training at home on an individual basis is great for the off-season, as well as in between practices. Players shouldn’t need a whole soccer team to improve their skills, and remember that everything extra they do on your own will be a huge help to the success of your team.
