If you’re training extra on your own, it’s likely that improvement is important to you. The Techne App is geared towards guiding you in getting better -- not just in terms of what to do, but how to do it and how to track it.
The bottom line with all improvement is that it takes time. There are no shortcuts to speed up becoming a better soccer player. You have to spend time doing focused work. Some skills will come more easily to you, and for some players, improvement happens quicker. Be patient with yourself and don’t compare yourself to others. Improvement is about competing with YOURSELF.
1. Keep score
Not all skills can be counted. Anything you’re able to track with numbers, though, makes it easier to know if you’re getting better. Our Time Trials allow you to do just that, and to see your progress over time. We have players who have been training with Techne for almost 5 years now, and they can see their progress on the same drill over that time. If you want to keep score, make sure your set-up and scoring are consistent each time. A score is only as helpful as how detail-oriented you are in recording it. You can use Techne, the notepad on your phone, or a good old pen and paper to record your scores, but be sure to write them down. It’s very satisfying to be able to visually track your numbers as they go up.
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2. Take video
Video analysis is helpful not only for game situations. Nowadays with smartphones, most players have access to record themselves, or have a friend/sibling/parent record them doing a particular drill or exercise. Just like watching professionals play soccer, you can learn a lot from watching yourself! Does your drill video look like the demo drill video you watched? Does your right foot look the same as your left?
We have a brand new feature in the Techne App with which players can record video of themselves doing a particular drill and save that video to review later. They can even send it to a coach for feedback. Even within a short 10-minute session, if you take a video of yourself working on a single skill, you’ll be able to see how much more comfortable you look in the last video compared to the first. Plus, it’s fun to be able to share the videos to show others that you’re working hard and getting better!
3. Trust the process.
Regardless of whether your scores improve quickly or slowly, or if you’re able to take video to analyze your progress, the bottom line is that if you train with focus and intention consistently over time, you WILL get better! If you want to know how to get better at soccer by training on your own, check out all Techne has to offer.
Sometimes long periods can pass when the work doesn’t feel like it’s paying off. The worst thing you can do in those cases is to give up. Plateaus are completely normal. They happen even to top players. At Techne, we want to take the guess-work out of the process. Every player still has to plan their training, have the discipline to stick with it, and the self-awareness to know when to rest, but the bottom line is: if you want to get better, you have to put in the work! And when it comes time to get on the field with your team, you’ll be glad you did!
