Ball Mastery Exercises

It is important to work with with a ball as much as possible to improve individual skills, footwork, first touch, and develop an overall level of confidence on the ball.

• Make sure you are in a good athletic position with your knees slightly bent.
• Go slow at first until you understand the specific footwork pattern.
• Challenge yourself and train at the edge of your ability.
• As you get more comfortable on the ball through practice and repetition, increase the speed, intensity, and number of touches.
• If these ball mastery exercises are trained consistently, you should see an improvement in all the technical components of soccer such as dribbling, passing, receiving, shooting, and overall confidence on the ball.

10 minute ball Mastery workout

• This is a ball workout video that you can follow along with.
• It is an interval type workout where you will work hard for a minute, then rest.
• While you are resting, the next exercise will be explained.

1,000 ball Touches in 10 minutes workout

• Follow along with the video and get 1,000 touches on the ball in 10 minutes.
• Stay light on your feet and keep your knees slightly bent.
• See Ball Mastery Exercises at the top of this section for more information

1,000 touches wall passing workout

• Stay light on your feet, and keep knees slightly bent.
• Practice good foot/eye coordination.
• Keep ankle locked.
• Make solid contact in the center of the ball.

1,000 Touches in 10 minutes dribbling workout

• Follow along with the video and get 1,000 touches on the ball in 10 minutes.
• Stay light on your feet and keep your knees slightly bent.
• See Ball Mastery Exercises at the top of this section for more information

10 Ball mastery exercises in limited space between cones

• You can follow along with this video at your own pace.
• There are 10 different exercises that work on close ball control and change of direction in a tight space.
• Place two cones about a yard apart.
• These exercises work on all parts of the foot (inside, outside, sole) and both the left and right.

15 minute ball exercise with cones

• 32 different combinations utilizing movement in and out of a line of cones.
• Set up approximately 7 cones in a line about a yard apart.
• Follow along and do your best to follow along.
• Keep moving and getting as many touches on the ball as possible.

10 minute soccer workout for small spaces

1. Plyometrics (Round 1- Side to Side Jumps 2 feet) (Round 2- Side to Side jumps 1 foot) (Round 3- Quick feet)
2. Muscular Endurance (Round 1- Push Ups) (Round 2- Drop Squats) (Round 3- Lunges)
3. Core Exercise (Round 1- Russian Twists) (Round 2- Sit-Ups) (Round 3- Plank with ball roll)
4. Ball Juggling
5. Ball Work

how to strike a long distance pass

1. Take an angled approach at least 2 yards away.
2. Place the non-kicking foot next to or slightly behind ball, pointing toward target.
3. Strike ball with the instep/laces
4. Lean back and contact bottom half of ball to get it in the air

How to shoot for power

• Proper technique is the key to shooting for power and accuracy.

1. Start about 3 yards away from the ball at an angle.
2. Run up to the ball and place non-kicking foot next to ball and point toward target.
3. Non-kicking foot should be slightly bent and keep body balanced.
4. Strike the center of the ball with your laces, and keep the ankle locked
5. Lean over the ball to keep it on frame
6. Follow through towards your target and land on the kicking foot.

how to beat a defender 1v1

• Practice the lunge move around a cone or any other object.

1. Stay balanced and keep close control of the ball.
2. Approach defender at speed and keep them off balance.
3. When you are about a yard in front of the defender, get your body low and lunge making it believable you are going that direction.
4. The defender will be slightly off balanced in the direction you lunged. Quickly push ball at speed around defender in the opposite direction and accelerate at speed past them.

how to pass accurately using the inside of the foot

1. Place non-kicking foot next to ball directly toward target.
2. Non-kicking foot should be slightly bent.
3. Lock the ankle and contact ball with the inside of the foot.
4. Contact the center of the ball.
5. Follow through toward your target.

how to improve your first touch with close control

1. Stay on your toes and keep your knees slightly bent.
2. Contact ball with front of foot, or area closer to your toes.
3. As you are about to make contact to bring the ball down, slightly "give" with the ball to absorb impact.
4. Bring ball down softly and be ready to make your next move, whether it's a dribble, shot, or pass.