As a soccer player, it's essential to develop your skills and improve your game. While team practices and games are necessary, training on your own can give you the edge you need to stand out on the field. But how much should you train on your own? And what should you be doing? Getting in shape for soccer doesn't mean just dribbling the ball in the yard. Here will give you some guidance on how much time you should spend training on your own to improve but measuring your individual soccer training can include several other factors.
First and foremost, it's important to listen to your body and avoid overtraining. Overtraining can lead to injury, burnout, and decreased performance. As a general rule, you should aim to train on your own 2-3 times per week. And don't forget to add in some soccer-specific recovery. The exact amount of training will depend on your age, level, and goals. And while you want to be the best soccer player you can be, it's most important to be healthy and to enjoy playing the sport you love!
For younger players, ages 5-12, training on your own should focus on building a strong foundation of soccer skills. This includes ball control, dribbling, passing, and shooting. A good starting point is to spend 15-20 minutes per session on each skill. As you get older, you can increase the time spent on each skill and begin to focus on more advanced techniques.
For players ages 13-18, training on your own should become more specialized. You should focus on areas of the game that you want to improve, such as soccer speed, agility, or shooting accuracy. Training sessions should be longer, ranging from 45 minutes to an hour. You should also incorporate strength training and conditioning into your routines.
At the college and professional level, you should train on your own regularly to maintain and improve their skills. The exact amount of training will depend on your schedule, but you should aim for at least 2-3 sessions per week. These sessions should focus on maintaining technical skills, increasing speed and agility, and building endurance.
Examples of training routines for different levels and ages:
- Age 8: 15 minutes of ball control, 15 minutes of passing, 15 minutes of shooting (2x/week)
- Age 14: 20 minutes of dribbling, 20 minutes of shooting, 20 minutes of conditioning (3x/week)
- Age 18: 30 minutes of technical skills, 30 minutes of speed and agility training, 30 minutes of strength training (4-5x/week)
- College level: 45 minutes of technical skills, 30 minutes of conditioning, 15 minutes of shooting practice (daily)
- Professional level: 30 minutes of technical skills, 30 minutes of speed and agility training, 30 minutes of strength training, 30 minutes of conditioning (daily)
Training on your own can be a great way to improve your soccer skills. However, it's important to listen to your body and keep it fun. The amount of training you do on your own will depend on your age, level, and goals. By incorporating regular individual training sessions into your routine, you can take your game to the next level. The Techne App is a great guide to make the most of the minutes you spend training!
