A NEW study confirm that technical skill is the most important attribute for soccer success! Enclosed are six measurable home training activities to improve your performance levels

A New Study confirms that Technical Skill is the most important attribute to achieve Soccer Success!

Young players can significantly improve their technical ability at home. Today, I am enclosing a set of my own technical challenges that young players can complete at home in a 5 m x 5 m area. I have been using this content in my technical work with young players for over 5 years.

We can now work with Elite players to benchmark themselves technically and physically against academy players at professional clubs in Europe.

We can then design an individual learning plan (ILP) that can be 100 % delivered ONLINE so that young North American players can work towards achieving the performance levels in leading soccer nations.

Ball Mastery Test # 1

Ball Mastery Test in 5 m x 5 m grid. Five quick touches with inside of feet at cones in illustrated sequence. Players take five quick touches at starting cone, using insides of both feet, then alternate between central cone and 3 other outside cones before stop ball at starting cone. The time to complete is recorded in seconds.

Ball Mastery Test # 2: Toe Taps

Ball Mastery Test in 5 m x 5 m grid. Five quick touches with soles of feet (toe taps) at cones in illustrated sequence. Players take five quick touches at starting cone, using the soles of both feet (toe taps) then alternate between central cone and 3 other outside cones before stop ball at starting cone. The time to complete is recorded in seconds.

Ball Mastery Test # 3: Laces/Insides Juggling Combination

Players juggle ball for 30 seconds. Ball starts on ground. Players follow a laces, inside foot sequence and the highest number of consecutive juggles are recorded after 30 seconds.

Ball Mastery Test # 4: Laces/Thigh Juggling Combination

Players juggle ball for 30 seconds. Ball starts on ground. Players follow a laces, thigh combination and the highest number of consecutive juggles are recorded after 30 seconds.

Test # 5: Dribbling & Turning

Four gates are set up in 5m x 5m square with one central gate in middle of square. Players dribble through the 1st gate and then compete turns in subsequent gates. They will alternate between completing turns at central gate and gates on outside. In total they will complete 7 turns. They are timed from when they dribble through 1st gate until they dribble back through the starting gate.

Test # 6: Passing & Receiving

Four cones are placed to form a 2 metre x 2 metre square 5 metres away from a wall or bench. Players begin by passing the ball from the square, receiving it back in the square and taking a 1st touch to the right of the cone to complete another pass against the bench. Once they receive the ball back they take a 1st touch to the left to complete another pass against the bench. When the ball is returned they take another touch to the left and complete another pass against the bench. When that ball is received back they then take a 1st touch towards the right (into the square) and after completing another pass repeat the same passing and receiving sequence again. The players are rated on the number of successful passes they can complete within 30 seconds. Passes are incomplete if a player hits a cone or passes are completed in front of the cones that are 5 metres from the bench.