How to practise your football skills at home (or alone)
We have all heard it many, many times, but it doesn’t get away from the fact that we are all currently experiencing unprecedented times. It’s vital that as a nation, we stay fit and healthy and spend as much time at home as possible. However, for all you sport-loving adults and kids out there, it can be really tough to stay indoors.
With that in mind, here at FOOTY.COM we have come up with 10 different ways you can practise your football skills at home, all using some very simple and affordable home football training equipment.
No matter what position you play, whether your garden is 100 feet long, or a small terraced space, there is sure to be something for every player to come out of this period an even better baller. Check out our list below:
1. Practise shooting with a garden football goal
With football always evolving, it’s not just strikers who get on the scoresheet now. Attacking full-backs, ball-playing central defenders and box-to-box midfielders all want to get amongst the goals.
By equipping your garden with a set of football goals, then you can start picking targets and improve your shooting. A good drill is to take 10 shots on each foot, picking out a separate corner each time. If you’re keen on this idea, don’t forget to check out our Best Garden Football Goals for Kids blog, which runs you through how to find the best value for money.
And remember: there’s no better feeling than when the ball hits the back of the net - no matter what level you play.
2. Improve Your Skills With a Football Rebounder
Potentially one of the most versatile bits of home football training equipment comes in the way of the football rebounder. This stylish bit of kit will keep you entertained for hours but, most importantly, improve so many elements of your game. Pass into this off both your left and right foot and improve your touch as the ball comes flying back at you.
Some rebounders also adjust to various angles meaning you can mix it up by using your head, thighs or any other part of your body to keep the ball moving and under control. A few weeks of practise with a football rebounder and you could have a better touch than Zinedine Zidane (one for the parents) or Neymar (one for the kids)!
Okay, so maybe you won’t quite reach that level, but you will have improved from when you started.
3.Discover Online Training Drills
One of the most uplifting parts of this pandemic is to see so many coming together to help each other through it. And, of course, due to the isolation, much of this help has been online via social media and other digital platforms, and that’s exactly how you should improve your football training.
As good as equipment is, it’s important to discover some training drills to keep yourself entertained, and to ensure you are gaining out of each session at home. Luckily there are some great coaches out there, who have leant the outside world a helping hand. We recommended that you check out Manchester-based YouTube channel Coaching Manual, but there are many, many more!
4. Choose the Right Football
Choosing the right size football may seem simple, but it’s a vitally important thing to get right, both for safety and to make the most out of developing your football skills at home. Firstly, you need to think about the age of the person practising. You do not want your six-year-old attempting to dribble in the garden with a size 5 ball, they could injure themselves and would find it a struggle to improve.
However, what also needs to be considered is the space available to you at home. Luckily for you, we recently put together a Football Size Guide to make it even easier to choose the right ball.
5. Improve Dribbling with Cones
Before the lockdown was in place, you may have never considered getting some football cones for yourself or your little football star. However, with no football training session to run along to, it’s vital that the good work put in all season is maintained.
Football cones are a must for any positive football practice session, so there’s no reason why they shouldn’t be lined up on the grass near the conservatory! Get your kids running between the cones with the ball, using both feet and use them as a fitness tool to ensure they can still run box-to-box when the season returns!
Additionally, they can also be used as makeshift goalposts while you await the delivery of your football goal.
6. Using the Garden Wall
With no matches to play and no scheduled football training, it’s time for everyone up and down the country to get creative! This blog has run through the basic equipment you need for practising football skills at home, but you should also take a look at what you’ve already got access to.
Use the garden wall, create your own fantasy top corner in the netting of the climbing frame - there’s always something (within reason!) that can be used when you use your imagination.
For example, this amazing child came up with his own goalkeeping drill and recently broke the internet. He’s now, rightfully, been rewarded with a goalkeeper training session at his club Leeds United when football comes back! What a glorious day that will be.
7. Don’t Annoy the Neighbours!
At a time where everyone is looking out for one another, it’s important you do the same when becoming the next Marcus Rashford in your back garden. Many of us have next-door neighbours who may not want to be front row supporters!
Of course, it’s fine to play out in the garden to your heart’s content, but there are certain measures you can put in place. Don’t use the garden fence as your main shooting target as it could cause a loud noise, which is why we recommend using a rebounder instead of knocking it relentlessly against the wall. In fact, you could even try practising your football skills indoors!
Oh, and if you have a small space, you could consider using a softer ball. These balls are safer, quieter and will still help to improve your game. Plus, you won’t have to sweat over the possibility of a broken window or two.
8. Enjoy Other Football Games
Ok, as much as we’d love to, there's always a time when you need a break from constant football practise. However, that doesn’t mean enjoying football has to stop!
For example, why not spend this time honing your management skills with the computer game Football Manager? You can put in the time needed to get your local club up to the Premier League and beyond. There’s also football Top Trumps, Subbuteo, FIFA and many other ideas that will help pass the time when the weather isn’t great or you have just spent the last six hours doing drills in the garden!
READ | Our top drills and fun football games for kids this summer.
9. Get a Good Pair of Astro Boots
Right, let’s head back outside to your new favourite place to practise your skills. One thing that may need to be considered is a quality pair of astro turf boots to play in.
You may have spent every one of your football training sessions in your firm ground boots, but unfortunately that will be the end of the freshly-cut lawn in the back garden! Plus, if you don’t have grass, you will need some trainers to power the ball into the top corner of your new football goal (or the gap in the trampoline). Acquiring new astros doesn’t have to be a bad thing, they are very adaptable trainers for many types of surfaces, even for those summer tournaments when they eventually come back!
READ | Our guide on choosing the best astro turf boots this season.
And, last but not least...
10.Work On Your Whole Game
Football is all about practise, practise, practise as we know, and this blog is all about how to keep the training up in your own home. Well, an important element is to ensure you are working on many different areas of your game. Don’t just focus on shooting, or working on your touch, you need to cover various aspects. Using the equipment provided, some online training drills but, most importantly, your imagination, we are backing you to make sure you continue to improve.
Well, there you have it, 10 ways to practise your football skills at home, during these difficult times.
And remember, if you are in the market for some cheap football equipment, there is no better place to look than FOOTY.COM. We compare prices from across the market, to make sure you are getting the very best deal on your purchases. We now can’t wait to see your home drills across social media!
