A key facet of a player’s development in soccer is intense personal practice. The coaches, your teammates, and even your personal studies are not enough to help you become the best version of yourself as a soccer player.
Doing solo soccer drills is key to a soccer player’s personal development. When players work on their skills, it makes training easier, scrimmages more educational, and real games more entertaining because the results of their development will show.
The following sections outline eight solo soccer drills that can speed up your development as a soccer player and make you a coach’s favorite!
8 Solo Soccer Drills
Here are the top eight solo soccer drills that can help amp up your skills.
Cone Dribbling for Ball Control and Defense
Cones are one of the most important and versatile soccer equipment because any skill can be learned and perfected using them. They are best used for various ball control drills to help a player master the ball and become one with it.
To practice this drill, set the cones in a straight line about three feet apart. Come in from the side and begin to weave through the cones with the inside and outside of your feet, focusing on technique.
Cone Dribbling for Ball Control and Endurance
Cone dribbling drills can also be used to build endurance. This is because cone dribbling to focus on ball control means that the player has to have the ball at their feet constantly and change directions at the drop of a hat.
For endurance training, set 4-5 cones 20-30 feet apart. Begin at the first cone, quickly dribbling around all the cones and focusing on quick turns. The more you do this, the better your turns and your physical endurance.
Agility and Endurance Drills
Ball control drills are great and very enjoyable when the player is mobile enough to perform them. There is a reason why player fitness is at the top of players’ minds in terms of player acquisition and tactical setups.
Soccer is more than speed, ball control, and technique, which is why agility and endurance are key.
Players need to be agile, think on their feet, and have the endurance to sprint for long periods. Skipping is a great way to build these key physical qualities.
Soccer Ball Juggling
Soccer ball juggling is the ultimate test of a player’s ability to control the ball. As a high-contact sport, practicing soccer ball juggling is a great way to learn and master ball control.
When juggling, try to intercept it with several body parts like your thighs, chest and shoulders as it helps you get comfortable with stopping the ball when your feet are unable to. The goal is to keep control over the ball for as long as you can.
Push-Pull
The chances that you’re reading this because you play soccer at some level are very high, so you must be familiar with the push-and-pull movement that players do on the ball.
The mastery of this skill is pivotal to ball control when changing directions in certain positions on the pitch or stopping the ball.
To practice this skill, push the ball forward and catch it with the sole of the same foot. Practice with each foot individually to perfect control.
Toe Taps
The name just sounds fancy but it is a simple drill that all players should be able to do. They help a player’s fitness much more than their technical skill.
It is similar to the Push-Pull drill described earlier, except that the ball will remain stationary while performing it.
The main purpose of ball control drills is to train the players to use their feet in the right manner for this purpose. It translates to ball control especially when juggling.
Wall Drills
For a player who wants to master the skill of passing on their own, the wall should be their best friend. Here’s why:
- Performing solo passing drills without a partner is impossible. A wall solves this.
- The wall returns the ball in ways that a partner would not, allowing you to develop better control that will help you in real-game situations.
- The wall never gets tired, so you can practice for as long as you like.
- You can try several passing combinations with the wall.
Following that last point, here are three wall drills for better control and passing accuracy.
Direct Touches
This is the simplest wall drill you can perform. You just need to face the wall and pass to it, then control the ball with the inside of your foot.
Train your weaker foot as well by passing and controlling the return from the wall with it.
You can make it more challenging by passing the ball at a higher elevation to improve your control of passes (or shots) that come to you from above.
Give and Go
Give-and-go wall drills simulate passes between two players. With a partner, a player passes the ball and runs into another space to receive it.
With a wall, the player passes the ball at an angle so that the wall returns it to a space where he has to run to receive it. For best results, continue moving up and down the wall, practicing your aim and control over the ball.
The Hard-Stop
Doing this drill means increasing the power of your passes. You may have to shoot at the wall for it to be effective.
In simple terms, you need to pass the ball as hard as you can so that the ball can bounce as hard as it can off the wall and return to you with equal force.
This wall drill will test and eventually train your control for real in-game situations, which are fast-paced.
Goal Shots
Everyone likes to score goals, so why not practice your shooting? Take shots from anywhere so that you can master shooting from any angle. You don’t need a goalkeeper; all you need is a net and a dummy.
Shoot from all angles into various parts of the net. You can also make things interesting by juggling and shooting, running up to a shooting point, then taking a shot, or passing the ball off the wall before taking a first-time shot.
Final Thoughts
The most important thing to note is that these drills are meant to be fun! When drills are fun, the lessons they teach stick longer, and the muscle memory is stronger.
Players also look forward to challenging themselves a lot more in training because they are more confident in themselves thanks to the fun they had in developing themselves with personal drills.
Another important thing to note is that some of these drills may need the input of a coach.
Development outside your soccer mentors hardly yields satisfactory results, so ensure you always get the right advice!
