As a soccer coach you should always be on the lookout for kids soccer drills that not only teach players valuable skills, but that they want to learn. Juggling the soccer ball is one of those drills.
If you have watched older youth soccer players, you have probably noticed them standing on the sidelines effortlessly bouncing the ball from one foot to the other, occasionally bouncing the ball off of their thigh or head, then back down to their feet. Many of them will bounce the ball in the air continuously with the ball never touching the ground. In soccer terms, this is called juggling.
Although this kids soccer drill is not one that youth soccer player really enjoy trying to learn, with a little effort it is not very difficult to master. Once the players have learned how to do it, they really enjoy being able to show off their juggling skills.
There are several benefits to learning to juggle a soccer ball. First and foremost is that it gives your players a lot of touches on the ball. The more times a player can touch the ball, the more comfortable and confident they will be during a game.
As players become better at juggling they learn to have a better first touch. They learn to soften their touch on the ball in order to get it to go where they want it to go. They learn not to hit the ball too hard or too softly. They also learn how to position their bodies in order to control the direction of the ball.
Learning to juggle is not difficult; it just takes time and repetition. It begins with simply holding the ball out in front of you between your two hands. Start by holding the ball about waist high. Drop the ball try to gently kick the ball back into your hands. Use your dominant foot to begin with, and when you reach a point where you can get the ball back to your hands consistently start using your other foot. As you become more comfortable, start holding the ball higher and bouncing the ball off of your thighs.
The next step is to drop the ball, gently kick the ball back toward your hands, but instead of catching the ball, allow it to fall back toward your foot and kick it a second time. As you get more comfortable, try to increase the number of times you kick the ball back in the air. You should also begin switching from one foot to the other. You should also work at alternating between using your feet, suing your thighs, and going back to your feet.
If the ball does happen to hit the ground, but it bounces back up in front of you, get a foot back on the ball. The more you practice, the less the ball will hit the ground and the longer you will be able to juggle without the ball getting away from you.
One tip that is helpful for players just learning to juggle is to stand in front of a wall or in front of the net when practicing. The ball will get away from kids that are just learning, and having something in front of them will make it easier to retrieve the ball.
This is a great kids soccer drill for your players to use as a warm up. It gets them concentrating on the ball, it warms up their quads, and it gets them on their toes ready to react. They may not enjoy the frustrations of trying to learn to juggle, but once they learn it is a skill that they will always be glad that they know.
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