So you want to get better? Practice these soccer drills at your house once a week for 3 months straight and you’ll see big improvement.
There are 3 main elements most people can do at home – even in a small space. Footwork, meaning stationary dribbling type skills, short passing and first touch.
What you need
The only thing you really need is a ball…
You don’t need any equipment, unless you don’t have some sort of a wall.
If you don’t have a wall on the outside of your house or apartment then try to use the fireplace, stairs or couch.
There’s nothing better than a brick wall though!
This rebounder is portable & inexpensive in case none of these ideas work for you.
For a bigger higher quality rebounder get this.
Now this also depends on your parents and even the situation.
Not every fireplace is brick and not every sofa or stairway allows for this.
Passing and first touch soccer drills at your house
Passing against a wall is more valuable than most people know or think…
3 ways to practice:
- One touch passing from 2, 5, 10 yards away. The shorter distance gives you more reps and is easier where the 10 yard passes are more difficult, but realistic.
- Two touches where you trap and pass with the same foot. Do 20 with your left and then the same with your right.
- Two touches where you trap and pass with the opposite foot – taking 3 steps between.
When watching pro games, notice how most of their passes are 7-12 yards.
To get more reps you should practice 3-5 yard passes in addition to the 10 yard passes – give or take a few yards.
Redirection is by far one of the best things to work on…
I have 1 trainee who can train in her driveway and pass against her brick house and garage and just work on switching the field.
Most people don’t have that set up so you might have to get a rebounder or two.
2 rebounder/wall set up ⇓ Can’t tell you how great this is for your passing and first touch.
Be patient and get used to taking steps between the trap and pass…
Stay calm – don’t rush and freak out.
“The more you practice the better you get, making soccer more fun.”
Great motivational story
There’s a family I know who’s kids play soccer and love to practice what they learn.
To this day their living room doesn’t even have pictures hanging on the walls because the kids use the room for practicing.
Everyday they spend time with the ball at home…
The more you play the better you get!
One of the girls is now playing D1 college, yet she ONLY played 2 years of club soccer…
How is that possible?
She developed mostly by practicing on her own. Taking what she learned from me and others and putting in the work.
Her goal since age 10 has been to make the USWNT. She’s on her way:)
Don’t think you have to play in the biggest league for the best youth team… More important is all the hours you can spend with the ball solo.
Stationary footwork drills
When it comes to improving in soccer and getting familiar with the ball dribbling and footwork drills are great.
Most people that train at home have 1 thing in common, which is space…
If you don’t have a lot of room, focus on using both feet with every surface [inside, outside, laces, sole].
Keep your chin up to increase vision – setting good habits.
⇓ 500 touches in 3 minutes
Stationary drills are good because as long as you have a 3×3 yard space it’s enough.
Turning drills are also key!
In a game you’re not going to use fancy stuff very often… Instead it will be fundamental cutting and changing direction.
Best turning skills ⇓ [practical]
When it comes to turning you can use all parts of the feet.
Example: The L-turn requires the sole and the inside, where the pull back is using the sole.
In addition, it’s so important to practice turning with the outside of the feet, but make sure you bend your knee and bring the foot up higher than the ball so you can do a sharp 180 degree turn – see videos here.
Dedication and grit
It’s like most things in life…
Simply knowing what to do and thinking you’re good enough isn’t the right mindset.
Instead, you should want to stay sharp and keep improving little by little.
Two examples I like to use are professional pianists and navy seals… There are only a small amount of each and they are the absolute best.
A pianist will practice the most basic pieces before getting into their show.
Navy seals can do what most humans can’t due to being athletic, strong mindset and training…
They can hit the target with a rifle from 300 yards under pressure, but they still go practice every day. If they didn’t they wouldn’t be as good.
It’s the same with anything…
Once you become great you have to keep practicing and trying to do the simple things perfectly.
Practicing soccer drills at your house will help you keep improving!
Just make sure you stick with the important things.
Always work on improving the fundamentals!
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