Soccer
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5 Best Soccer Drills to Train Anytime and Anywhere
What are the best soccer drills? One of the many reasons soccer, or football, is the most popular sport in the world and why it has its nickname "the beautiful game" is because anybody can play anytime and anywhere. The only equipment you need to improve your individual skills is the soccer ball itself.
You don't even need cleats unless you want to play competitively because many of the best soccer countries in the world, such as Brazil, develop their players through hours of barefoot training throughout their childhood. Brazil is the country with the most World Cup trophies, which means they have to be doing something right, and it would be wise to learn something from them.
The best way to train younger players is to join a team and, on days off from team training, play all the variations of soccer, such as small-sided games, futsal, and beach soccer. This is because players have to train how they play the game, and these exercises best resemble the unpredictability of a full-field soccer game. However, there will come days when you may have to train alone and won't have a lot of equipment.
When this happens, I encourage players to do their best with what they have, get creative, and focus on working on the basics of the game at a high intensity. In this blog, I will share the best soccer drills to add to your next training session, with variations on how to do them alone or with a partner, that you can do anytime and anywhere.
I also encourage players to try these drills barefoot, especially if they have never played barefoot, because it forces players to use their feet differently than when they are inside the cleats. These drills are also some of the most simple and fun soccer drills that will help you become a better soccer player.
Barefoot juggling
One of the best soccer drills you can start doing today is barefoot juggling. This is also one of the best ways to begin your practice session because it helps you get a lot of touches on the ball. You can get tens of thousands of touches every year just by spending a few minutes barefoot juggling daily.
Although you would never juggle in a real game, juggling is a fun, creative way to master the ball. It also improves the fundamentals of the game, such as ball control skills and touch, and you get to work on both feet.
I guarantee that all professional soccer players and even college players can juggle at least 100 without dropping the ball, and aspiring players should also aim to get comfortable juggling high numbers.
If you have a training partner and open space, you can play games such as "two-touch juggling," in which you take only two touches, juggling the ball back and forth. Whoever drops it loses that round. This is also one of the most fun ways to start a team or small group training session.
Maximal Intent Soccer Dribbling Drill
Moving on to one of the best soccer dribbling drills is maximal intent dribbling, which is as simple as it sounds, although it can be very tiring. The point of this drill is to practice dribbling down the field, or however much space you have, at game speed and do different skill moves along the way.
The point of this drill is also to use your imagination. As you dribble down the field at full speed, you imagine opponents coming toward you, trying to take the ball, and you use skill moves to get away. This drill is similar to "shadow boxing," which boxers use a lot, but of course, it is also for soccer players.
This is one of the best ways to improve your dribbling skills, but it is most effective if you go at full speed and try to mimic an actual match as much as possible. If you have a training partner, you dribble at your partner and try to get past them in a 1v1 scenario.
You can also switch so the other player attacks you, which will help improve your defense, which is important for any position, not just defenders.
Maximal Intent Soccer shooting drill
To win soccer games, you have to score goals, and shooting a soccer ball is one of the most fundamental skills for any player, regardless of position. Working on shooting will help improve other parts of your game, such as passing and shooting accuracy, which is why it is crucial for all positions. This drill is similar to the last and must be done at maximal intent. To begin, find a goal, and if you do not have a goal where you are training, grab two cones or any other objects and create a goal.
Position yourself far away from the goal and start by kicking the ball in the air. Control the ball and dribble towards the goal with maximal intensity, and as you get closer to the goal, take a shot. The more training balls you have, the better because you will spend less time ball shagging, but either way, this is a fundamental drill.
If you have a partner, you can have your partner pass the ball to you, either on the ground or in the air; you control, dribble towards the goal, and take a shot. If you have a wall, you can also use a wall to train your shooting, which goes right along with our next drill.
Wall Passing Soccer Drill
Another elementary drill that will improve fundamental soccer skills is wall passing. To do this drill, you will need to find a wall or anything that can bounce the ball back to you and work on passing with both feet.
Depending on the height of the wall, you can try different types of passes, such as one-touch passes, two-touch passes, ground passes, passes in the air, or driven passes. Put a timer for 5 minutes, work on passing with one foot, and then do it again with the opposite foot because using both feet is very important, no matter what position you play.
This drill also works on your ball control and first-touch skills, making it one of the most effective individual training drills. The wall is basically a partner that will never get tired, but if you do have a training partner, you can work on receiving different types of passes. Also, don't forget to train both feet and all types of passes.
Wall Turning Soccer Drill
Like the last drill, you will need a wall, a partner, or something to bounce the ball back at you. For this drill, pass the ball at the wall repeatedly, and after a few passes, work on turning with the ball and dribbling out to space. Again, the point is to do this at game speed and with maximal focus to get the most out of it.
Also, make sure to work both feet and work on different types of turns, such as outside and inside of the foot turns. If you do not have a wall, simply work on kicking the ball in front of you, getting to the ball, turning, and dribbling past from where you started.
As a long-time player who is now getting into the soccer coaching aspect, these are some of the most effective and fun soccer drills that you can start to practice today. Soccer is a simple game, and at the highest level, players are performing the same basic skills they were performing as younger players; the only difference is that they now do everything better, faster, and more consistently. This is why these simple soccer drills are so effective, no matter the age group or what position you play, whether that is in the offense, defense, or even goalkeeper. I also provided alternatives for the soccer drills based on if you have more than one player and I hope you learned some new drills that you can start using today.
