During the corona crisis, the population was encouraged to stay home as much as possible and minimize social contact. All sports facilities were also closed.
And those who wanted to practice their soccer technique had to practice – at home.
Soccer is strongly associated with the inhabitants of the open space. According to the stereotype, improving playing skills should only occur on a hundred-meter field.
Experts refute this opinion: it turns out that many strength and combination workouts can be done indoors and even at home.
Soccer players from countries with severe winters can keep the schedule all year round and compete with colleagues from South America, Africa, and the Mediterranean region.
In order to be able to exercise sensibly and keep fit even in these times, we present suitable exercises and games for self-training in a multi-part series. Start today with movements and drills to improve technical skills.
A Short Introduction
If you are serious about becoming a successful soccer player, you certainly know that the competition is tough here.
Becoming a successful athlete requires not only putting in 100% effort on the soccer field but also doing some research of your own to find the types of workouts and individual exercises that can help you get to the top.
Your soccer arsenal needs training programs focused on strength, speed, and technique that you can work with on your home schedule.
Keeping fit on the pitch requires a lot of hard work off the field, and players need to put in hours of training throughout the season.
In addition to daily training, players must also identify their weak points and, to improve their game in general, work on strengthening them.
Simple Soccer Drills to do at Home
Before you start training, all you need to do is get a ball and prepare a space where you can do some acrobatics. Even if you don’t have a terrace or a balcony, you can always do it in the living room (but be careful not to break anything!). Have you got your soccer shoes on yet?
Reception with your feet
To do this exercise at home, you will need the help of another person. The goal is to practice receiving and passing the ball with just one touch.
Steps:
- Facing each other, player A starts with the ball in his hand;
- Player B must move left and right;
- During this movement, player A must throw the ball to him, sometimes to one side, sometimes to the other;
- Player B must return the ball with one touch, sometimes with his right foot, sometimes with his left foot;
Perform a series of 20 repetitions.
Ball abdominal workout
A good exercise plan to do at home would have to have a moment dedicated to strengthening the abdominal area. For that, you’ll again need a partner to help you.
Steps:
- Player A starts with the ball in hand;
- Player B should be lying down, ideally on a fitness mat;
- Player B starts doing sit-ups;
- When he comes up, player A should pass him the ball;
- Player B should return the ball with a head touch;
Do a series of 20 repetitions.
Zig-zag with the ball
To perform this exercise at home, you will need to arrange five cones in a row (you can also do it with shoes, for example). The goal is to train balance and motor coordination.
Steps:
- Set the ball in motion with one touch;
- Go around the first cone and pass the ball to the other foot;
- Continue around the rest of the cones, always alternating between one foot and the other;
- When you reach the end, reverse the direction of the run with just one touch and do the reverse course;
Do a series of five complete laps.
Creative Soccer Drills
Dribble, Pass, and Shoot at Creative Targets
“Dribbling, passing, shooting? Well, you need an opponent for that! “
We can partially disagree: Just because there are no opponents or teammates available, this is by no means an excuse not to do anything.
If you are creative, you will definitely find a suitable replacement: dribbling around different objects is also possible, and passing and shooting also work against different walls or at different targets.
Of course, you should only pay attention to panes and windows so that something doesn’t break.
Ginga
Ginga is a very effective exercise that helps you find your way into the moment and acquire new movement patterns.
Ginga is a full-body workout with an emphasis on strength and endurance that comes from Brazil.
This exercise will give you a feeling for movement, and you will recognize a rhythm in the movements that does dancing with the ball seem playful and easy.
NAKA-NAKA – Concentration exercise for young soccer players
The “Naka-Naka” game is an excellent way to train the concentration of your players. At the same time, the exercise can also be easily integrated into warm-up training.
Visual coordination training: rabbit & hunter
Classic training with the coordination ladder primarily trains fast movements as well as running and ankle work.
The special thing about exercises like “RABBIT & HUNTER” is that the additional cognitive and visual tasks make the training much more effective and holistic.
Speed is automatically trained, while the focus is on better networking and the optimal interaction of the eye, brain, and body.
Boost Your Soccer Athletic Performance at Home
Full body exercises
Full-body exercises target major muscle groups, which include the legs, core, and upper body.
In this set of exercises, you’ll use a combination of work with body weight, weights, and resistance. It looks like this:
- Squats on the left leg, the right leg is shifted back with support by lifting the foot on the cube (x12, x10, x8).
- Steps up – stepping onto a cube, then raising the second leg, bending at the knee, and straightening the arms, holding the select soccer ball from the chest forward in front of you (x12, x10, x8 for each leg).
- Weaning off the floor (x12, x10, x8).
- Jumping on a cube with repulsion with two legs (x12, x10, x8)
- Dumbbell press with both hands at the same time (x12, x10, x8)
- Traction of a rubber tourniquet to the chest in a standing position (x12, x10, x8)
- Squats on the right leg, the left leg is shifted back with support by lifting the foot on the cube (x12, x10, x8).
- Pressing the rubber band with straightened arms through the sides forward in a standing position (x12, x10, x8).
- Plank (20 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute).
The great thing about this approach is that it has options: you can add or subtract certain exercises as long as you work for the major muscle groups well.
In addition, you do not need any special equipment to perform the exercises.
Exercises for soccer players on a stationary bike
To perform these exercises at home, you will need an exercise bike, but if you do not have one, a regular bike will do.
To get started, try endurance training by cycling at a slow pace to keep your heart rate up for an extended period of 30 minutes, 45 minutes, or one hour.
If you don’t have an hour to spend on the bike, then you can also try the short version, which can be completed in 15 or 20 minutes.
All you have to do is reach a comfortable pace and then increase the intensity by making a sprint for a set period of time. For example, 40 seconds at an average pace, then 20 seconds at a full pace and repeat.
Leg exercises
Being in shape and being strong is perhaps the easiest part of home workouts and exercises for soccer players. Unfortunately, maintaining your technical skills is a bit more difficult.
However, this can be done with cones or anything that will serve as a visual aid on the ground.
Manchester United and France star Paul Pogba, along with his teammate Victor Lindelöf, have trained in lockdown as follows.
They laid out a rope ladder and home slippers with boots as markers on the floor from the wall.
The training includes sequential exercises for soccer players:
- Short sprints (from the wall forward-backward-forward).
- Dribbling the ball between the markers to the stairs.
- Fast running with placing one foot on each cell of the stairs.
- Passing and receiving a pass from a partner with stopping the ball.
- Running back and forth to the ball.
- Hitting the ball against the wall followed by sprints (to the wall – away from the wall – towards the wall – away from the wall).
To find out more about the importance of leg training for soccer, we wrote an extensive guide Leg Workout for Soccer Players – The Ultimate Guide (2023)
Recommended reading: 5 Absolute Best Soccer Drills for 5-Year-Olds (2023)