Why Soccer Juggling Should be Emphasized

What kind of skills do you need when you play soccer?  If you are not a soccer player, or if you are not a soccer fan, then you may think that all soccer involves is running up and down the field kicking the ball into the goal.  There are so many other skills that you need when you want to be a good soccer player.  Not only do you need to work on physical training, endurance, coordination and dribbling, but you also need to work on juggling.  No, not juggling like you would see at a circus.  Soccer juggling is quite a different skill altogether.  Here is a look at juggling when it comes to soccer.

When you think of juggling in soccer, you may immediately think about soccer players tapping the ball on his or her knee repeatedly.  This is indeed soccer juggling and it is a necessary skill when it comes to being a successful soccer player.  In fact, juggling in soccer means that you can tap the ball over and over again on any part of your body, whether it is your knee, or head, as long as you do not use your arms or your hands.  This is a great exercise to master and can teach a soccer player a lot about coordination and body control.

Here are some tips to learn how to juggle a soccer ball and become a better soccer player.  The first thing you want to do is to learn to use the ball.  If you are new to soccer, then you want to get a good feel of what it feels to have the ball in your control.  A lot of soccer players start off by learning how to dribble and then move on to juggling.  While playing soccer, you do not generally use your hands, a beginner soccer player should pick the soccer ball up with the hands in order to start juggling.  A better player has by now learned to “flick” the ball up with the foot to get started and not use the hands at all.

Body parts that are larger are the best ways to learn how to juggle.  The thighs are a great place to start.  Start off at a slow pace and just practice bouncing the ball on the thigh.  After you have gotten better at it, you can progress to a faster pace and to other parts of the body.  The head is another body part that many soccer players use when they play soccer.  You never know when you will need to do a header during a game.

While juggling a soccer ball, there are a few things you need to be aware of as you get better.  Your posture is very important.  You need to stay upright with your head up.  Your heads and arms should be slightly out to the side and have a steady stance.  You must remember to keep your eyes open and aware of what is going on around you.  You simply cannot concentrate just on the ball.  This is because when you play soccer, being aware of the field and the other players around you is very important.  You have to learn to keep your eyes on the game.  This is especially important for children to learn.  Children have the tendency to only focus on one thing, the ball.  You must teach them to stay aware of what is going on around them no matter what they are doing with the ball.  Only practice can help them learn this skill.

Juggling is certainly an important part of learning to play soccer.  It teaches good eye and body coordination and allows the player to learn to be independent while playing.  It is much like practicing dribbling, it is just one of those skills that will help you become a better player.