There are a lot of people who begin playing soccer for fun who move on to become professional players. These people are no different than others. They simply know how to handle the ball and make it do what they want it to do better than other people can. They put in the practice and it pays off for them first as backyard players, then as part of a team, and then as professionals. If you are interested in upping your soccer game play, there are a few tricks that you should try to master.

Learn Control of the Ball

There is more involved in soccer playing than simply kicking or butting the ball down the field if you want to be great at the game. Soccer players spend almost as much time practicing alone as they do playing the game with their team. They often learn to juggle or trap the ball. By juggling, we do not mean hands only. They may start with hands, but they will want to bounce it to their knees, from one knee to the other, head to knee, head to feet, etc. They will also attempt to juggle and then trap the ball with their foot, meaning they will catch the ball with their feet pinning it against their leg. Then they may toss it back up, so they can hit it with their knee or their head. To be a great soccer player, you must be in control of the ball anytime it is in your possession. It does not matter whether the ball is spinning this way or that way, you have to be able to change its direction or stop it without your hands helping you.

Practice Your Pass

Soccer is a team sport. This means you will have to let your ball go to another player at some point in the game. To practice passing to a teammate on the ground, you will want to practice aiming toward them, so that they can get the ball rather than an opposing team member. To do this in your back yard, you can put a small object, such as another ball, on the ground several yards from you. Run your ball toward the target stopping yards before the other “player” and kick it. You want to be able to aim the ball at their feet, so the closer you are able to get with your ball, the better. Once you can consistently hit the other ball at 40 yards, you can then move on to doing the same thing through the air. Only instead of hitting the other “player” you will want to cross over it at the knee or head area, so they have a chance to push your ball further toward the goal.

Receiving the Ball

At other times, the ball will be passed toward you from another player. You may think this is hard to practice solo, but it isn’t. You simply have to use a wall. Kick the ball with your instep toward the wall. The ball should not bounce more than once before it hits the wall. The ball will come back at you and you will want to hit it with the instep again. Step back after you are certain you can bounce it to the wall consistently. As you master this, try to go with the laces kick and master it as well. The wall will help you get the ball, think quickly, gain control of it, and return it to another player faster.