Soccer Tutorial

Why is juggling so important?

In my opinion, juggling is very important for any freestyler. By juggling, you train your first touch and overall soccer technique. That's a vital part in order to learn soccer tricks and soccer freestyle.

Lots of freestylers perform their tricks while juggling. Some professional soccer players are even trained to become better juggler.

Train yourself

You can train your juggling skills very easily. All you need is a ball and some free space. You could do a regular juggle or a juggle mixed with soccer tricks.

Juggle combinations to practice

There are a few combinations that will test your soccer skills. Master these and you're again one step further.

Only use your head. Try to juggle the ball 10 times by heading the ball. Then move on to 20 times, and so on. Juggling the ball 30 times with your head is very impressive.

Move the ball from one foot to the other. Kick the ball with your left foot up in the air and kick it back with your right foot. Keep repeating this. You can also do this with your knees.

Move the ball from top to bottom. Start with heading the ball. Then, let the ball drop on your chest, then your knee and then your foot. Kick the ball up again and start over without using your hands or letting the ball touch the ground.

The next one isn't a real juggle, but it's still a good way to train your first touch and ball control. Kick or throw the ball up 5 meters or more. Then, control the ball with a Foot Stall.

Tips and Advices

There are a few things you can do to increase your skills faster.

Juggle with a small ball. A smaller soccer ball is harder to control than a regular-sized soccer ball. If you're able to fully control a small ball, a normal ball should be no problem at all.

Train on different surfaces. The easiest juggle training is on a hard surface such as concrete. Training on grass is a bit harder. But have you tried juggling on the beach?

Juggling on the beach is very hard, because you have to keep your balance as well. Balance is very important when performing tricks where you stand on one leg, for example.

Challenge yourself. Keep trying different things. If you've mastered juggling with a normal ball, move on to a small ball to further increase your soccer skills. This is the way to keep getting better.