Aaron’s Football Drills
My name is Aaron, an I’m going to give you some football drills to try at home. I have work experience at Howdon Community Hub and I have a passion for football. This passion comes from both playing and coaching for a football team. I’ve been playing football for around 8 years. With most of my time being spent at Forest Hall FC and moving through the ages to eventually training with the seniors for a short time and then changing team to Cramlington United which is who I currently play for. I have also been a manager for the past two years of Forest Hall u7s and u8s which has shown me the game from a different perspective and has shown me many implementations I can use to improve myself as a player, such as drills and the value of training in my spare time. Through coaching I’ve learnt that the kids who enjoy the drills the most have a better chance of gaining something from training and developing as a player. As a player I’ve been lucky to have some very good coaches that have taught me to be the player I am now.
In my time as a player I’ve picked up on many things I could improve on and tried to practice these in my own time at home as well as talking to my coach and seeing how I could improve on them in training sessions. To gain the edge over my opponents I would aim to do double the training they would e.g. – if they were to train 1hr a week I would do 1 hour a week with my team and then do an extra hour at home in my back garden sometimes doing more than just an hour. Through my time as a footballer and coach I found that the fundamentals mean the most and are the things you should master first.
In my opinion the 5 most important fundamentals of being on the ball are:
Control
Coordination
Accuracy
Technique
Creativity
Here below is 4 football drills that you can do at home very easily that don’t require much equipment that will help with the development of the 5 fundamentals I listed above.
1.Toe taps
Targets of the drill:
Close control
Fast footwork
Coordination
Confidence on the ball
Instructions:
Place the ball in front of you and lightly tapping the top of it with alternating feet (toe taps). Staying on your toes and keeping a steady rhythm. After 30-60 seconds, switch to foundations by passing the ball quickly side to side between the insides of your feet while staying balanced and keeping your knees slightly bent. Focus on staying relaxed, keeping the ball close, and gradually increasing your speed without losing control.
2. Wall passing
Targets of the drill:
First touch (very important)
Passing accuracy
Reaction speed
Weak foot improvement
Instructions:
Stand a few steps away from a wall and pass the ball using the inside of your foot then control the rebound with your first touch before passing again. Try to alternate feet and keep your passes firm and accurate so the ball returns at a good pace and accurately. As you improve, challenge yourself to use one touch (passing immediately as it returns) or add a turn after controlling before passing again.
3.Dribbling in small spaces
Targets of the drill:
Tight control under pressure
Creativity (skills and moves)
Balance
Agility and quick direction changes
Instructions:
Use a small area like a room or garden and continuously move the ball round using short and controlled touches with both feet, changing direction often to stimulate avoiding defenders. Mix in simple movements like stepovers, drag blacked and inside outside cuts whilst keeping your head up as much as possible. The goal is to stay in control at all times while moving quickly in tight spaces.
4.Juggling
Targets of the drill:
Touch and ball feel
Coordination
Concentration
Balance
Instructions:
Drop the ball and gently kick it upward using your feet, aiming to keep it in the air with controlled touches. If needed, allow one bounce between touches at the start, then try to progress to no bounces while alternating feet. Stay relaxed, keep your eyes on the ball and focus on soft,controlled contact to build consistency and improve your touch.