Once you join a soccer team, improving your play should become a priority. During any game, you will shoot, pass and handle the ball, so improving all of these skills is important. Improving your individual soccer skills makes it easier for you to make a positive contribution to your team.
Leg Power
Before you work on your individual skills, work on improving your all-around power. Power allows you to shoot harder and accelerate more quickly when running. It also helps you to fight past opponents as they attempt to take the ball from you, which can give you more scoring opportunities. Drops, a plyometric exercise, can help you increase the power in your legs. Find a platform between eight and 30 inches from the ground and drop from it without jumping. When your feet touch the ground, explode back into the air as high and you can. This stretches and then contracts your leg muscles, making them more powerful over time.
Shooting the Ball
Shooting remains an integral part of soccer, as you must have shooting ability to get the ball into the net. To have the most success, practice drills where you shoot the ball on the net while running, since you usually do not have time to stop in the middle of the play to line up a shot. Run down the field with a couple of teammates, passing the ball to each other every couple of steps. Once you reach the 18-yard box, take a one-touch shot on net. This helps you to get a shot on the net without taking too much time to set it up.
Passing the Ball
Before you can get a shot on net, you must pass to your teammates, since you cannot dribble the ball down the field on your own every time. During a soccer game, you want to use short, quick passes to prevent the defense from organizing itself. The faster you pass the ball to a teammate, the more rapidly the ball moves down the field, since the ball moves faster than a person can run. Practice your passing by moving the ball between yourself and two other teammates while an opponent attempts to steal the ball. Once you make your pass, move to an open area of the field, as this gives your teammate more room to pass the ball back to you.
Ball Handling
Many times in a game, you have to make a quick decision with the ball. If you end up with your back to the net with an opponent coming up behind you, you must either pass the ball or protect the ball with your body and attempt a shot. You can practice this by having a teammate pass you the ball while in this position and you have to either get a shot on net or pass the ball off before you opponent gets to you.
References
- "The Science of Training: Soccer: A Scientific Approach to Developing Strength, Speed and Endurance"; Thomas Reilly; 2006
- "101 Great Youth Soccer Drills: Skills and Drills for Better Fundamental Play"; Robert Koger; 2005
- "Soccer Skills & Drills"; National Soccer Coaches Association of America; 2006
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