Practicing Soccer Alone: Homework, Challenges, and the Difference Self-Practice Makes

More Ball Touches — More Technique

The simplest way to improve technique: more ball touches. This might sound trivial, but it has a direct consequence for training.

A player who comes to training twice a week might have around 80 training sessions in a season. If they also practice alone for 20 minutes three times a week, they'll accumulate over a hundred extra hours with the ball by the end of the season.

The difference after one season is noticeable. After two seasons, it's dramatic.

The problem: Many players don't practice outside of training — not because they don't want to, but because they don't know what to do. Juggling? How? Kicking against a wall? With which foot? How many repetitions?

If coaches don't structure self-practice, it remains random. And randomness is not a development concept.

What You Can Truly Practice Alone

Not every exercise is suitable for self-practice. Tactics, duels, game forms — those require others. But technique can be practiced wonderfully alone. And technique is precisely what young players need most.

Juggling

Juggling is the classic self-practice — and for good reason. It trains:

• Ball feel (foot, knee, thigh, head)
• Coordination
• Concentration
• Self-awareness

Important: Juggling is not an end in itself. The player should get to know the ball — how it feels, how it reacts, how much power is needed. Juggling with the weaker foot is especially valuable.

Getting Started:

• Two-touch juggling: pick up the ball, one touch, catch it again
• Ascending: 2 → 5 → 10 → 20 consecutive touches
• Then: right only, left only, incorporate thighs

Slalom Dribbling

A ball that can curve. Between cones, shoes, backpacks — anything works. Slalom dribbling trains:

• Close ball control
• Body awareness during dribbling
• Speed with the ball vs. without the ball

If you don't have a garden: stairs, parking lots, playgrounds. Creativity is encouraged.

Feints and Step-overs

Feints are best practiced alone — without an opponent, just against a cone or a marker. Step-overs, fake moves with the upper body.

First slowly and consciously. Then faster. Then with an approach. The feint must be so deeply ingrained that it comes automatically in a game — without thinking.

Typical Exercise:

A player dribbles towards a line of cones, performs the step-over with their right foot, accelerates left. Ten times. Then leads with the left, step-over right. Ten times.

Wall Pass and Shooting

A wall is the perfect training partner. It always returns the ball, is patient, and immediately shows if the pass was sharp.

Wall Pass Series:

• Flat pass with the instep — right, then left
• First-time pass: ball returns, immediately play it back without a first touch
• Variation: control the ball with the weaker side

Shooting:

Those with a goal (or a wall with a marked target area) train shooting accuracy. Aim for the corner, gauge power, use various shot types (instep, laces, outside of the foot).

Challenges Instead of Mandatory Tasks: Why It Makes a Difference

“You should juggle every day until the next training session” — that sounds good, but rarely works.

Why? Because mandatory tasks create reluctance. As soon as something becomes an obligation, it loses its playful character. The player does it because they have to — not because they want to.

Challenges work differently. They awaken a competitive spirit. They have a clear goal. And they are conclusive — not an endless obligation, but a concrete task.

4 Examples of Challenges:

The Juggling Record

“Beat your record — how many touches can you get without the ball touching the ground?”

Players log their personal best. At the next training session, records are compared. Those who have broken their record receive recognition.

The beauty of it: The competition isn't against others, but against oneself. Everyone can win — regardless of their starting level.

The 50-Step-over Challenge

“Do 50 step-overs by Wednesday — 25 right, 25 left. Done is done.”

Clear task. No pressure. Players can spread it out (10 today, 15 tomorrow) or do it all at once. The main thing is to get it done.

During training, hands up: “Who completed the challenge?” — this creates social affirmation without shaming those who didn't manage it.

Wall Pass Series with 10 Left First-Time Touches

“10 clean first-time passes with your left foot against the wall. Only when 10 in a row succeed is the challenge complete.”

This challenge brings the weaker foot into play — a classic development area for young players. And it has a clear metric for success.

5-Day Ball Challenge

“For 5 days, spend 10 minutes daily with the ball. No matter what — juggling, wall work, dribbling. The main thing is to engage with the ball.”

For players not yet accustomed to self-practice, this is a gentle introduction. It's not about perfection — it's about building a habit.

An Example Weekly Plan for Self-Practice

Self-practice doesn't have to be complex. 15–20 minutes a day are enough for real progress — if done regularly.

This isn't a rigid plan — rather, it's a framework for guidance. Motivated players will do more. Those with less time will do less. That's perfectly fine.

How Coaches Can Introduce Self-Practice — Without Pressure

The mistake many coaches make: self-practice is announced as mandatory, and those who don't do it are questioned at the next training session — in front of the group.

This creates shame, not motivation. Players who haven't done self-practice feel bad. Players who have done it might feel better — but the effect quickly fades if the atmosphere isn't one of genuine willingness.

Better: Introduce Challenges as an Offer

“I have a suggestion for you this week. You can try it — or not. But I promise you, whoever does it will notice a difference after three weeks.”

This grants autonomy. Players who don't do it aren't exposed. Players who do experience real progress — and report on it. This draws others in.

Make Challenges Visual:

A board or a note in the changing room with the current challenges. Players can check them off when they're done. No ranking, no penalty — but visibility generates motivation.

Celebrate Personal Records:

When a player says, “I've increased my juggling record to 47,” coach recognition makes a difference. Two sentences are enough: “Excellent. What did you do differently?” This shows interest — and motivates them to continue.

Involving Parents as Supporters

For younger players (U8–U12), parents play an important role in self-practice. Not as coaches — but as enablers.

What Parents Can Do:

• Keep a ball available that can be used for self-practice
• Join in briefly: parent throws the ball, child juggles it back
• Ask: “Did you do your wall passing today?” — without pressure, but with interest

What Parents Should Not Do:

• Make self-practice mandatory and demand it
• Draw comparisons with other players
• Criticize technique without a pedagogical background

A parent who shows interest in self-practice and occasionally joins in is the strongest motivational factor for young players. No coach can replace that.

Parent Communication by Coaches:

A quick note at the parent meeting or via message: “This week, there's a challenge for home — here are the details. You don't have to do anything, but if your child asks, here it is.” That's enough.

Motivation is the Decisive Factor

Technique can be learned. Knowledge can be shared. But self-practice only happens if the player truly wants it.

Intrinsic motivation — that is, motivation that comes from within — is more effective in the long term than external rewards or pressure. A player who realizes they are improving no longer needs prompting. They'll pick up the ball themselves.

How is intrinsic motivation created?

1. Experience of Competence — Players notice they are improving. This generates joy.

2. Autonomy — Players can decide for themselves what and how they practice.

3. Social Connection — Challenges are discussed in the group, progress is recognized.

Challenges that cater to these three factors work. Obligations that don't address any of these factors usually fail.

Four Takeaways