If you are planning to join a social soccer league but want to improve your soccer skills before you do so, you are not alone. As a matter of fact, many individuals take a few days or weeks before the start of the league to sharpen their juggling, passing, or kicking skills.
Below, we provide six vital tips that will help take your soccer skills to the next level.
Dribble With Slalom Poles or Cones
Dribbling is a technique that will help you move the ball down the field while maintaining control of its direction and pace. During soccer training, keep the ball closer to your feet, as this will help you skip past an opposition player.
Dribbling involves different skills, such as:
● Feints;
● Balance;
● Creativity;
● Touch and Control;
● Reacting Under Pressure;
● Quick Changes of Direction;
● Awareness of Your Opponents.
Through soccer training, you can master these skills and be able to keep the ball closer to your feet while moving it down the field — even when you are under pressure from the opposing team.
An effective way of perfecting your dribbling skills is by setting up courses using slalom poles and cones. Place the slalom poles or cones far apart and move them closer together once your dribbling skills start to improve.
Keep practicing until you can move the ball in and out of the slalom poles or cones without losing control.
Juggling
Juggling is a skill you learn in soccer training that allows you to use your head and feet to control the ball. In soccer, you cannot use your hands or arms to control the ball, so you need to incorporate other parts of your body to pass and juggle.
The best way to learn how to juggle is by starting with one foot and gently juggling the ball by kicking it up a few inches into the air. When you can comfortably juggle the ball with the first foot, repeat the same process with the other foot.
Then, swap feet after every few kicks and incorporate your head into the juggling mix.
Trapping
Trapping a ball involves kicking the ball as high as you can and then using your chest, thighs, or feet to bring the ball to the ground while keeping it in your possession. While trapping is a bit trickier than dribbling or juggling, you can still learn the skill through soccer training.
The main goal is to trap the ball with your chest, thighs, or feet without allowing it to bounce too high off or away from your chest, thighs, or feet. With regular practice, you can effortlessly bring the ball under control from a high pass and bring it to zero speed.
Passing
You can practice passing at soccer training by putting another ball or a cone about ten yards away from where you are standing to signify the distance between you and your teammate. Then, try to hit the ball or cone straight-on without raising it off the ground.
When you are comfortable passing the ball on the ground, try passing it in the air. Passing the ball in the air is known as a “perfect pass” in soccer and is a necessary skill for players who want to master the game.
Kick the Ball Against the Wall
As part of your soccer training, you can use a wall to practice your aim. It is important to choose a wall that has no windows or doors to avoid costly damages.
Mark an “X” the size of a soccer ball on different areas of the wall, then try to hit those marks from different distances and angles.
You can also try to kick the ball from a distance of about thirty yards: this is perfect for practicing how to kick goals or bending the ball.
On-Field Communication
On-field communication provides your teammates with the information needed to make decisions at the moment. Studies show that verbal and non-verbal intra-team communication are beneficial to performance during competitive soccer matches.
Movements, gestures, and body language are forms of non-verbal communication on the field. Pointing out an opponent, gesturing in the direction where you want the ball to be passed, and sprinting to the ball are all ways of communicating your intentions to your teammates.
Verbal communication is more concise than non-verbal communication. You can shout “man on” to let your teammate know that an opposing player is behind or “keeper” to let your teammates know that the goalkeeper is coming off his line to catch the ball.
Keep Training To Improve Your Soccer Skills
While the rules of soccer are easy to understand, taking your soccer skills from one level to the next takes lots of practice. These six tips are a great starting point, and mastering them will help improve your soccer skills and make you a valuable player in your social soccer league.
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