10 essential components for soccer success

Training is important for soccer success because it’s where you get repetition. If you want to be successful at something, repetition is very important, doing something well and continuing to improve upon it. We should be training more than we play matches because that’s the environment where we try and get better. We can simulate the game but we can also coach and reinforce and be repetitive in the instruction of what they’re doing.– Jill Ellis, U.S. Women’s National Team Coach and former Director of Development

Keeping up your skills for soccer success

When you want something to grow you need to deal with the roots.  The roots is the mental part.  Skill programs should produce control of body and comfort on the ball. The skills should breed confidence from soccer skills strength that buys time on the ball, and provide education about the individual’s particular skill set, knowledge of the game, and tactical awareness.

Good trainers should work with all ages and skill levels and put focus on the individual as such and on personality and drive traits that influence a person’s game.

The following categories are just a few of the essential components to each age groups soccer success.

• Fundamental / Foundational Skills
• Dribbling / Advanced Ball Control
• Passing short
• Long passing
• Shooting different ways 

• Receiving balls on the ground
• Aerial control (trapping and passing) 
• Tackling, shielding and playing aggressive 
• Heading the soccer ball properly and knowing the different ways 
• Goalkeeping

To really improve the right way, get my online ball control courses.  It’s on a safe platform with no ads.  You can mark complete after each lesson to keep track of your progress.   Once you learn the lessons, you won’t have to get online each time, but will always have in case you forget. 

I recommend you do 30 mins a week to give you time for other things.  The courses/lessons are all self-paced and you can always send me video of you training to get feedback. 

It’s not too late for you to improve in soccer

Players develop and mature at different rates and stages physically, mentally, and emotionally. What this means is that even though we have mapped out an age chart does not mean that if a player is behind that it is too late. For the late-starter or late-bloomer as a soccer player, to go play college or pro soccer is not impossible but that player will have to be driven and/or athletically gifted.

The mindset to play competitive soccer

Let’s face it, no matter what you do for a passion there are going to be hard days. Knowing this early helps players not get stressed out or shocked when bad days come. Knowing that it’s alright to have frustration in what we love. There are days where you will have pain physically or emotionally. You want to keep working hard and take all those good feelings in. They outweigh the times where we feel frustration or hurt.

You have to set a culture to have soccer success.  Know that working at your skills is working at your passion. Have that mindset in knowing that it takes hard work.  You have to put in all the extra minutes.

Soccer is a sacrifice and you give up other things in life.  In the end others who are not doing what you are doing are jealous of the opportunity. They will probably never tell you but why would they. They are worried more about them and what makes them feel and look better. Set that culture in knowing what it takes to play soccer.

Players who want more soccer success

Being comfortable with the ball is vital if you want to play soccer at the highest level your potential allows. Anyone can just kick a ball, but very few can control a ball.   There’s a difference of knowing how to do tricks compared to teaching your feet and brain how to handle the ball with different parts of your foot.   You’ll love soccer even more after doing my online courses. 

So footwork, foot skills, ball control, ball handling…  Whatever you want to call it is what will take your game to the level you want. Spending just 30 min per week for 1 season will change your game!  Get my online ball control courses and I’ll help guide you through. 

Remember the ball control courses are on a safe platform / no ads.  Any videos you see of mine on youtube are not the courses, but instead are just to give you some ideas and show you how I teach.