I have constantly been told that practicing on my own, outside of normal training, is the key to success in soccer. This was not super exciting to me when I was younger because all I really did on my own was juggling. So, I am going to share some individual practices you can do to help your personal development. I would suggest working to improve these areas specifically this spring:
1. Speed
2.Endurance
3.Touch
4. Power
Certainly there are other necessary skills in soccer, such as strength and vision, but these are those that I will focus on today, and in my spring training. Starting with speed and endurance...soccer is made up with tons of quick little sprints to the ball, in which speed is a huge advantage. To manage an entire 90 minutes of these sprints, one must have a strong endurance as well. So how do we improve on these two things? One exercise to develop speed, as well as good footwork, is using a speed latter.
A speed latter is a great way to increase agility, propelling oneself quickly in and out of the boxes. It keeps you light on your feet and aware of where you are placing your feet, while forcing you to move fast. For those of you who do not own a speed latter, chalk drawings can substitute.
While a speed latter is great to advance your agility, it does not increase your endurance unless you keep up with it for a very long time. This is where I suggest interval training, which will help establish a greater endurance, and the speed at which you can go for an allotted time. A great interval training would consist of running hard for 0.5 mi, then resting at a slow jog for 0.25 mi. This process repeats, and leaves you a lot more exhausted than you would think. The total amount of miles you run, whether it be two of six, depends on how developed your endurance already is. If needed you can begin with the opposite distances until you get the hang of it.
Next is touch...all aspiring soccer players need to have excellent touch and for the ball to basically move at a single thought. Though I mentioned before that juggling may not be super entertaining, it is a great way to improve your touch. If you have a juggling record in the hundreds and the standard juggling does not seem to help you much, try moving to a smaller soccer ball, which takes more work to control.
Another way to drastically improve your touch is to simply keep a soccer ball with you around the house. We have tons of soccer balls littering our floors, so wherever I go there is a soccer ball at my feet. I get into the habit of doing little cuts around the furniture and juggling without noticing when I am bored. We pass the soccer balls against the couches and play pass-back under the table. This, though not seeming like work, it makes the ball seem very natural at your feet and makes you comfortable with the ball on the field.
Last but not least, I recommend working on your power this spring. Having a strong drive and powerful shot from outside of the 18 is invaluable. We have a net at my house called an "UltimaGoal" which is great for working on your power shot, but if you do not have one, I simply recommend going to a field nearby and shooting, or taking corners, whether or not you have others with you to return them. Practice good form and strong contact.
Obviously there are many other things you could do to improve your individual skills, but these are just a few that hopefully you will keep in mind this spring.
