Before soccer became an official sport, it was just a game people played.
The earliest record of people kicking a ball-like object around for entertainment was when the Aztecs kicked around a rubber ball over 2,000 years ago. Some records claim the Chinese did it with animal hide and rock balls.
In these versions of the game, juggling the ball was an important skill. The players would have fun trying to keep the (very hard) ball in the air.
This has carried into soccer at all levels and in this article, you will be learning how to juggle a soccer ball.
5 Ways to Juggle a Soccer Ball
You have seen performers who manipulate several objects by tossing them in the air. The very good ones can manipulate as many as ten items with their hands and legs to wow an audience.
Some even perform stunts with them. This shows that juggling is considered an art in most circles.
It is also considered an art in soccer because you rarely see it in-game. It is mostly performed by freestylers and people just having a kickabout at their leisure.
A training clip of the legendary Argentinian soccer player Diego Maradona goes viral at least twice every year because of his juggling skills. See it below.
Juggling is ALSO an important skill for professional football. See this clip.
Thierry Henry received a heavy pass (a pass played with too much power), and his juggling skills helped him keep the ball for longer. A player who doesn’t know how to juggle would have lost that ball immediately.
Now that you know how juggling can be a fun soccer activity and a key soccer skill, let’s learn how to juggle a soccer ball!
Start with the Ball in Your Hands
This is beginner-level juggling. Toss the ball up in the air a little bit, kick it back up as it lands, and catch. Do this for at least 50 trials before you increase the number of kicks.
This way, you build your control of the ball and learn how much force you have to use when juggling a soccer ball.
For better results, start with the ball at eye level. Hold the ball out in front of your eyes and drop it. Allow it to bounce, kick it up, then catch. Slowly eliminate bouncing by kicking it as it drops.
Alternating Feet
Start with one kick of each foot. Toss the ball up, kick it back up with one leg and as it lands, kick it back up with the other. Then, slowly increase the number of kicks with each foot.
You’ll find yourself trusting your dominant foot after this exercise, which also helps to balance your body as you learn juggling.
The balance you learn from juggling can translate to in-game situations when you try to challenge for a ball in the air. It can also help you control the ball easily in mid-air and continue the play in one swift motion.
Start with the Ball on Your Foot
Now, we’re going to more advanced juggling techniques. Place the ball on the ground, then roll it so that you can scoop it up with your toes.
Once you can do this successfully on one leg, try it on the other one. Once you can do this successfully on both legs, increase the number of kicks, and then alternate your feet.
Try to balance the ball on your foot for better results, then kick it up. This helps build a bond between you and the ball and gives you the confidence that you control the ball, not the other way around.
Using your Knees
Using the knees and thighs is more advanced. For beginners, toss the ball up in the air, use your thighs to kick it back up as it lands, and then catch it.
Do this multiple times until you can comfortably do it on one thigh, then switch to the next. Slowly increase the number of thigh kicks until you’re comfortable.
Freestylers also try to catch the ball between their knees. Then, they release it and continue juggling until their performance ends or until they are tired. You can score popularity points if you master juggling knee and thigh soccer ball.
Using Other Parts of Your Body
This is where the freestyler in you comes out. It is not a skill many can master, and it cannot be taught to anyone.
The only thing to note is that you need to be able to comfortably keep the ball up with other parts of your body except your hands because soccer is not a sport played with hands.
Other parts of your body include the chest, head, and shoulders. Some really good freestylers can use the soles of their feet to juggle the ball too, but they usually go to the ground to gain the balance they need,
Is Juggling a Soccer Ball Hard?
Juggling things with hands is great and all, but at least, both the juggler’s feet are on the ground.
With soccer ball juggling, many things can go wrong. I don’t even want to think about the worst that can happen.
This is why it is more than an art in football.
Yes, freestylers do it to entertain us outside of soccer matches, and players do it to pass the time at home or after training. However, the effort involved in trying not to let the ball touch the ground is insane.
The effort that also goes into trying to keep the ball at a good enough height to be controlled by the feet is even more insane.
Kick the ball too hard, it goes higher and becomes a lot more difficult to control. Use too much backspin and the ball spins away from your control.
So yes. juggling is hard.
How many juggles should a 10-year-old do?
If you’re the parent of a soccer kid who wants to help them get familiar with the ball or just wants to help them learn the art and skill of juggling, there is a threshold number that you should be aiming for at each stage of their development.
The number of soccer ball juggles per age group is:
- 6-9 years old – 10 consecutive juggles
- 10-12 years old – 25 consecutive juggles
- 13 to 15 years old – 40 consecutive juggles
- 15+ – As many as they can do
Take note that the juggles must be consecutive. If they cannot juggle these numbers consecutively, then they need more practice.
Juggling helps with foot-to-eye coordination which is important for a soccer player, because they must know where the ball is at all times amid the chaos that is a soccer field.
Keep at it with your child until they get good at juggling a ball!
Final Thoughts
Juggling is a skill that’s neglected a lot in practice because players rarely get to use it in-game. However, it is the only skill that bonds players to the ball.
Being able to keep in close contact with a ball while controlling it through juggling builds confidence.
This translates to how players move with the ball, as can be seen in the above clips of Maradona and Henry. It also improves a player’s concentration as they can tell where the ball is at all times.
Juggling helps players develop good aerial control of the ball, which translates to in-game confidence.
