Individual Soccer Training: Specialized Drills For Your Child

If you are a parent, then you know that there is nothing more rewarding than seeing your child follow their passions. You want to see them thrive, whether it is in friendships, school, or even on the soccer field.

You may have a young athlete at home who is eager to become the next big soccer star. If you are wondering how you can play your part and support their journey, you can take a look at individual soccer training to help improve their skills.

Why Individual Soccer Training?

If your child is ready to start honing their skills. Individual soccer training matters! 

This is why individual soccer training matters. It helps your young athlete improve their technical skills, boosts their mental resilience, and nurtures their self-assurance. Individual training is a great add-on to a child's soccer development; whether the soccer player is advanced or just a beginner, individual soccer training helps reinforce some good habits as well as help fix or build the right technical skills. If programming is done properly, the child should also be able to get some physical improvement components and training in these sessions.

If you want to know what these are, continue reading below.

Specialized Soccer Training Drills For Your Young Athlete

1. Ball Mastery/Dribbling Skills

Does your child play for the school or club soccer team? If so, you are well aware of how demanding this sport can be. 

They could be the last line of defense or the ones making the goals. In any case, being in the spotlight can be a nerve-wracking experience, especially if they have one-on-one moments with a player from the opposing team. Yikes!

Most decisions are made in split seconds and while the brain is receiving all types of information and trying to make decisions from the information being received, there is one thing that we might not need to burden the mind with as it should already be stored deep inside of it with neural connections that make the movements seem “natural”: comfortability on the ball with all parts of the feet.

The ability for players to master the soccer ball with both feet and all parts of their feet is the basis and foundation for training. Without the ability to handle the ball, we cannot ask players to make quick decisions in games or under pressure. It's almost like asking the car to drive without the tires! It has no foundation to move with.

These drills are much more than just dribbling around cones and jumping in dribbling patterns through 4x4 boxes. It is the mastery and comfort in space or no space, with speed and no speed, and the ability to make the proper weighted touch on the ball. The ability to generate space with the soccer ball at their feet for themselves and be able to attack space with the ball.

2. First Touch

If you have ever watched a soccer match, then you know that all players on the field, be it the goalkeepers, defenders, and even strikers, need to be able to handle the ball as it is being passed to them.  

The first touch is imperative and an ongoing component that should be in your child’s soccer training. The first touch is imperative. It sets up players for success or for failure when playing. It is the difference between taking a touch into space or taking a touch into pressure. It is also the difference between setting yourself up for a shot or giving the ball back to defenders.

We train the first touch because, without it, once players are cognitively developed, if they do not have a great first touch, they will never be able to play at a higher speed of play. The first touch is trained variously, and while at first it might just be a technical training that is mastered through ball mastery. We can advance the training of it through pressure, decision making, or even speed, which can also be applied in a tactical and position-specific manner.

3. Passing/Receiving

Once we have achieved a good foundation for players in their ball mastery and first touch, then we can work on their passing and receiving, as well as challenging it.

This drill is an important part of private soccer training as it allows players to learn to also generate space and become attack-minded, with the ability to pass and receive. Depending on the level and age of players, players should be working on passing and receiving with all parts of their feet. This comfort with all parts of their feet is first acquired through ball mastery, and now we can challenge it with more specific passing and receiving drills that put players in different scenarios.

We can recreate in session position-specific movements that players perform. For example, while a center midfielder might not be working as much on crossing. The outside midfielders or outside backs might need to be working heavier on receiving and passing crosses on the floor and in the air. If a forward, we might work on our passing and receiving while facing the goal or with backs to the goal.

4. Shooting and Finishing

We also add the component of shooting and finishing after we have generated a foundation. We focus heavily on practicing striking the ball while the player is developing their ball mastery and first touch. We cannot ask players to learn to finish if the first touch is not there, and if a generation of space is unknown to them.

If the foundation is acquired, we can now layer onto the technique by challenging it with decision-making or pressure. This can also be worked with players playing in specific positions. 

5. Reaction And Agility Drill

There is no denying that soccer is a sport that requires you to be quick and fast-paced. This is why players need to be on their toes at all times. One of the drills practiced in soccer training for kids is all about improving the reaction time and agility of your child. 

As a result, your young one can learn how to respond quickly to any given situation in the field. This part is a tool we use to challenge the technical components of the game. How much faster can we make the neural connection between the eye and to feet? We challenge this through visual cues for players while handling the ball once ball mastery and first touch are achieved.

If that is not yet achieved, we might start with more beginner or younger players to work on their reaction and agility with no technical component. Adding the ball might deter the speed and agility of the player due to being uncomfortable or unfamiliar with the ball.

Ensuring A Bright Future For Your Child

Soccer is an intense game that, in its simplicity of play, can have some very intricate development steps. It is important that when taking your child to do individual training, you find someone knowledgeable who understands the developmental components of children in their golden years. While it might seem that dribbling through a set of sticks or having players run around cones beyond exhaustion is proper individual technical development. You now know that youth players are not high school, college, or pro players whose neural connectors have been connected for years now. Our youth athletes are in their prime years of building the right foundation for long-term development, and this takes time! It does not take 1 month or 2 months, or 1 year. It takes years of building and building on the right programming.

Save this blog so the next time you select your next individual trainer, you can look back and see if these components are being developed.