Soccer Guides / Skills and training
Skills and training
First touch, passing, shooting, dribbling, safe heading, goalkeeping and fitness, with drills you can do in a backyard or at team practice.
Every great player was built from the same basic skills repeated thousands of times. These guides break each skill into simple coaching points and give you drills that need nothing more than a ball, a wall and a few cones.
SkillsDribbling and skill movesClose control basics plus eight classic moves, from the step-over to the Cruyff turn, with when to use each and how to practice.SkillsFirst touch, the skill that buys you timeA good first touch turns a pass into an opportunity. Learn the coaching points, the surfaces you can use and five drills to sharpen your control.SkillsGoalkeeping basicsThe ready position, catching shapes, diving, angles, crosses and distribution, with simple drills for young and adult keepers.
SkillsHeading technique and safetyHow to head the ball correctly, why many youth programs limit or ban heading for young players, and how to recognize a possible concussion.SkillsPassing, from the short pass to the long switchTechnique for the inside-foot pass, lofted ball and driven pass, the decision-making behind good passing, and drills that build both feet.SkillsShooting and finishingHow to strike a powerful shot, when to place the ball instead, how to take a penalty and the finishing drills strikers use.SkillsSoccer fitness and drillsWhat fitness soccer really demands, a weekly plan for amateur players, interval sessions, agility drills and injury-prevention routines.
SkillsTips for youth players and soccer parentsHow kids learn soccer best, what small-sided games are, how to support a young player from the sideline, and when to think about specializing.