5 Tips to Become a Great Soccer Player

Figuring out the best soccer training method for you can be a great challenge for many young players.  With hundreds of different ideologies and styles around the entire world, knowing what works best for you is never easy.  Each individual player has unique needs that fit to them and them alone.  Learning how your body responds to various training and what really gets your play into top gear can be a very helpful factor in taking your soccer skills to the next level.  But there are some basics that will help all players, regardless of their specific traits.  Here are 5 general tips that will help most soccer players improve their game:






1.  Get in shape – One key element to succeeding in soccer is your physical shape.  Can you keep up with your opponents after an hour of endless sprinting and battling?  Are you strong enough to fend off physical challenges, and is your top-end speed capable of pushing through defenses?  The best players often happen to be the quickest, strongest, and most agile people on the field.  Good training suggestions for this is to go on occasional long runs (of several miles) and also engage in some weightlifting and strengthening through pushups, crunches, and curls.


2.  Get on the ball – Another major factor in determining a player’s talent level is their ball skills.  When you are on the ball you need to be able to control it and maneuver it exactly as you want.  That means taking a good first touch on an incoming pass, dribbling at exactly the right speed and distance so that you can run comfortably with it, and dictating how you wish to disperse the ball through passes and shots.  It’s quite simple really; the more time on the ball you spend the better your ball skills will be.  Go outside with a ball and juggle, dribble, pass, shoot, and do whatever you want with it.  The more touches you accumulate, the better a soccer player you’ll be.


3.  Practice shooting while on the run – One amateur mistake often made is that players train by shooting from set locations with a nice run-up to strike the ball.  Here’s the problem:  that doesn’t recreate a real game situation!  Unless you’re shooting a penalty kick or free kick, you’ll be very unlikely to use those skills.  In a soccer match, most of your shooting opportunities will come while you’re sprinting at top speed, while the goalie is bearing down on you and a defender is pressuring you from behind.  You have just a slight angle to take your shot and your timing must be perfect.  Recreate this experience by practicing shooting on the run so that you are able to take strong shots in games.


4.  Engage in small-sided games – While every player loves a good full-sided scrimmage (and a game as well), those experiences don’t help you improve that much because you spend so little time with the ball or in the middle of the action.  Contrastingly, a small-sided game of 3 vs. 3 will provide you with constant action and touches, forcing you to focus on your play and really get in the match at all times.  Practice makes perfect, and the more time you spend involved in competitive actions on the field, the more your skills will improve.


5.  Learn from your peers – There’s no understating the value of camaraderie between players of a soccer team.  Every person sees the game from a slightly unique perspective and has their own methods of handling pressure, looking for passes, or clearing their heads before taking a vital shot.  As a teammate, you should look to your fellow soccer players for advice and be open to sharing your advice with them as well.  This will help you and the team grow as a whole and collectively understand the sport of soccer. 

With more knowledge comes a stronger mind to help you win in crucial situations.