Up

Time to get ready for any soccer season

1,000 touches a day

The following activity, taken from the soccer coaches' mailing list, will improve your skills and help you get ready for the season.  Note to keepers: I strongly suggest that you spend the time to work on these activities.  These will improve your foot skills and make you a more complete player. The foot work activity is designed to give you about 1,000 touches in seven minutes. And I know that everyone can find seven minutes a day to work on their soccer skills.  The full workout takes about 25 minutes.

Paul Wiseman, Coach of the Tosa Kickers, compiled the recommendations and descriptions from information posted on the coaches' mailing list. We owe him a big vote of thanks. (Click here for descriptions of moves)

The workout:

Daily foot skill (Seven minute) Drill

Rolls: 4 each foot
1) Inside Roll
2) Outside roll

Foundation: 4 each foot, alternating feet 3 touches between moves
1) Side to Side Push-Pull
2) Side to Side Step-On
3) Side to Side Front Roll

Pull back and go. Do sequence with one foot then switch - 4 times each foot
1) Pull, Instep Push
2) Pull a Vee
3) Pull & Take with Outside of foot
4) Pull & Roll Behind

Turns: Travel 10 feet turn 180 degrees. Use 3 touches between turns; 4 times each foot
1) Pull Turn
2) Inside of foot turn
3) Outside of foot turn
4) Cruyff
5) Stepover (Figure 8) turn

Change of direction with fakes, 3 touches between turns; 4 times each foot
1) Hip Swivel
2) Matthews (Betsy)
3) Cap
4) Scotch
5) Stepover
6) Scissors

Traps: 5 each foot. Trot forward, toss the ball up and forward, trap, touch, pick up & repeat
1) Sole ahead
2) Instep cut
3) Outside cut

You can substitute any of the "Moves to Beat an Opponent". Complete daily
drill is almost 1,000 touches on the ball.

Additional workout suggestions

5 minutes passing against a wall, both feet, both one and two-touch, instep and inside of feet, include fake kicks. Keep feet moving and work on accuracy.

5 minutes juggling the ball. Try to improve your consecutive juggles record each day.

Do 50 to 100 sit-ups, 25 push-ups, then stretch. Try to do complete workout every day. This workout can be done anywhere that there is little danger of breaking things, for instance in a basement, playroom or outside.

Total time for complete workout about 25 minutes. I suggest that you run at least 3 days a week in addition to this workout.