One of the most important skill sets that a soccer player possesses is that of footwork. In a sport where using your hands is against the rules, being able to control and maneuver the ball through traffic with the feet is undeniably crucial. Simply watch any top-shelf soccer league for an afternoon, and observe the dazzling deftness of foot displayed by the world's elite: none of those players would be where they are without years of intense training--including soccer footwork training.
Importance of Soccer Footwork Training
Soccer is a game of constant movement, this requires a great deal from the feet, as all movement requires the feet to absorb shock from ground contact and use that energy to propel the body in the desired direction. That being said, the best way to prepare the feet for the rigors of 90 minutes on the pitch is hard work and efficient soccer footwork training procedures.
Considerations
Quick feet are really little more that quick and supple hips. With that in mind, controlling and positioning your center of gravity should be a major goal of proper soccer footwork training. Additionally, it is not required that you be up on your toes. Your weight should be distributed roughly 75 percent to the front of the foot and 25 percent to the rear. This will allow multi-directional movement.
Stick Drills
Using 1x1 sticks that are 4 to 5 feet long, you can make a nice little training course to work on soccer footwork training. Lay the sticks out on the ground so they resemble the rungs on a ladder. Running drills can include stepping once or twice between each stick, running between the sticks lengthwise and shuffling sideways between them. Players can also benefit from hopping between the sticks on one or two feet. They can hop sideways, forwards and backwards and also alternate feet.
Ball Practice
Using the sticks from the previous section, players can perform numerous soccer footwork training exercises with the ball, increasing foot speed with possession. Players can dribble the ball around the sticks, pass the ball through them and dribble after it, shuffle between sticks and push the ball from the end of one stick to the next using balls on each end of each stick or practice passing the ball through the lanes between sticks.
Speed Work
Set up a series of five to seven cones in a zig-zag pattern, with each cone about 5 yards apart, 5 yards between the starting line and the first cone and 5 yards between the last cone and the finish. Two players are needed for this drill and must run the course together. Each player sprints to the first cone and touches it with the near side of the foot. The angle of the turns can be made more acute by widening out the markers. This drill will help players make quicker turns during a game, a crucial skill that will have immediate impact on effectiveness on the field. The players should view every cone in this drill like a ball.
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