Soccer Training for Beginners

Soccer is known as the world game and players across the globe begin playing at the earliest of ages. When teaching the sport to anyone who is a beginner you must start with the basic skills and then slowly show how they are all put together to play the game. Soccer is a game of great skill and fitness and can provide quite a challenge for beginners.

  1. Time Frame

    • It is best to start training soccer players at the earliest ages. Soccer is a game that is played with the feet and only uses the hands on two occasions (goalie play, throw ins). For this reason the sooner a person starts to train, the better. Most instructional level soccer is taught for the ages of 4 to 6 or for kindergardeners and first grade students. It would be best advised though to begin training soon after basic motor skills are mastered. This is because of the use of the feet. As it is unnatural to use the feet in such a skilled way, players who begin at an earlier age are able to excel at soccer sooner than their peers.

    Skills

    • The skills that should be focused on for beginners are the basics such as dribbling, passing and shooting. Dribbling the soccer ball should be practiced with both feet and while keeping your head up. The ball should remain as close at a step or two away at the most when running and always be under control.

      Passing can be worked on by using the inside of the foot (practicing using both feet) and passing the ball on the ground with smooth strokes. Start at a distance of five feet and then begin to increase the distance. The ball should always be under control.

      Shooting can be practiced by teaching the proper shot technique (knee over the ball, using the laces, striking through the ball) from a distance of 12 yards. Both feet should be used and there should be special consideration to swing through the ball and drive it, as opposed to leaning back and floating it or using the toe and not controlling it.

    Conditioning

    • Beginning soccer conditioning should start with distance running. Running laps around a soccer field will get the body familiar with the size of the field and the distance the legs will be covering. Soccer is also a game of constant movement with elements of sprinting. For this, it is best advised for beginners to practice interval conditioning training. This type of training has players run or jog at one speed, then sprint a certain distance (15 to 30 yards) and then return to their original jogging pace.

    Ball Control

    • Ball control or 'trapping' the ball can be practiced by yourself or with a partner. Beginners should start by mastering juggling the soccer ball. Juggling refers to keeping the ball in air by using different parts of your body (feet, knees, chest, head) and keeping the ball under control. A decent beginning number of touches to have before the ball hits the ground is between 15 to 25 for beginners.

      Another way to practice ball control is to have someone either toss or kick a ball to you and you can practice 'trapping' the ball. Trapping refers to gaining control of the ball from the air with your body (thighs, chest, feet). The goal of trapping the ball is to soften the blow from the ball when it is intercepted from the air so that it drops to your feet so you can control it.

    Struggles and Concerns

    • Beginners will often find themselves very frustrated if they are learning and training for soccer at an older age. This can also happen with children, but is less common the younger they begin to play the game. Players who become frustrated are best to be reminded that they are asking their body to perform tasks which are unnatural to the human body's design. Your feet are made for running, walking and standing, not controlling a soccer ball. For this reason, beginners must fight the desire to get frustrated and give up when things do not go smoothly initially. With time and practice your skills will begin to improve. The same can be said for your fitness. Soccer players are among the fittest athletes in the world because of the game's constant movement combined with bursts of speed. Take your time when training as a beginner and focus on learning and mastering your skills and fitness.