Top 5 Skills to Learn at Home
If you thought the only way to play and improve at football is by being surrounded by other players then you're wrong! The truth is that you can work on the majority of the basic football skills at home or in your local park - as long as you have the right approach and some basic equipment.
To give you a push in the right direction we have come up with our Top 5 football skills to learn at home.
1. Practice Control Against A Wall
Use a wall to act as a rebounder. Mastering touch, control and passing is all about repetition. Pass the ball against the wall and control after it rebounds. Kick the ball with more power, move closer or further away to add extra difficulty. Another challenge is to hit specific targets on the wall which enables you to control the ball from different heights and adds the element of accuracy into your passing.
2. Practice Passing & Shooting With A Pop Up Goal
If you're an attacking player who needs to sharpen their shooting then it’s hard to practice and be motivated without a goal. Have a look on Amazon or Ebay and you'll find some reasonably priced options which are lightweight, portable and can be erected and dismantled in a matter of seconds. Failing that, use jumpers for goalposts!
3. Use Cones For Touch & Dribbling
A smattering of cones laid out and you have your own dribbling assault course. Dribble around the cones at speed without losing control. You can gradually increase the difficulty level by placing cones closer together to ensure continued development.
Another great exercise is to set up the cones into a small square and stand inside, rebound the ball against the wall and ensure your 1st touch stays inside the square (to protect the ball from the imaginary defender) or alternatively ensure your 1st touch goes outside the square before accelerating away (past the imaginary defender).
4. Use Just a Football For Ball Mastery
One ball and a little bit of space on an even surface and you can improve the most fundamental aspect of football, the ability to manipulate and control the ball. Three great exercises to improve mastery of the ball are toe tops - moving the ball side to side with the inside of both feet. Inside Outside - moving the ball inside followed by the outside of your foot and Sole Rolls - moving the ball using just the sole of your feet.
5. Find Your Own Personal Football Coach
Search Coachability and find your own personal football coach in your local area who will help to improve your skills, get you fit and increase confidence. Whether you want to improve a specific part of your game, just get fit or learn the basics an experienced football coach will be able to benefit your game
If you're looking to improve your football skills further either at home or in the park then take a look at our guide to the 'Best Football Skills To Learn' where you find skills such as the Maradona, Cruyff Turn and Paneka.