Juggling is pretty important to master if you want to really fly high in the world of soccer. I would daresay that it’s really a fundamental soccer skill you need.

So, in that spirit, here are some tips for increasing your juggling abilities. You may print them out and use them as a checklist while practicing on your juggling. Let’s start…

• Edson Arantes do Nascimento – The great Pele once said, “I don’t believe there is such a thing as a ‘born’ soccer player. Perhaps you are born with certain skills and talents, but quite frankly it seems impossible to me that one is actually born to be an ace soccer player.” Keep that in mind when practicing on your juggling. If one of the greatest soccer players in the world is telling you that you need to practice – pay attention and practice! 😉
• One of the best ways to learn juggling is to find a friend or someone in the park that have solid soccer knowledge and practice with him or her.
• When you increase your level of juggling, try to pick up the ball without using your hands. You will not only get better soccer skills by picking up the ball using your feet, it also looks cool and other soccer players will be impressed!
• To pick up the ball you will not need to get too cutesy and complicated. Instead, just roll the ball backwards using your kicking foot. Simply, place your foot on the top of the ball, perform a quick pull back using your kicking foot and as the ball rolls back place your foot under the ball and flick the ball up.
• Start to juggle with your feet and flip the ball to your head and thigh when you feel comfortable. You may also try to juggle with your shoulders. However this is pretty overkill even for experienced players.
• Keep in mind to have good balance while practicing on your juggling. The best way of doing that is to keep your eyes on the ball, have your knees little bent and have your body relaxed. You should also try to stay balanced on your toes which will make it easier for you to make quick movements if you should lose control on the ball.
• Some people prefer to start juggling with using only their thighs. However, I would recommend you to start juggling both with your feet and thighs. Some players claim also that juggling with your thighs is much mover easier for someone new to soccer. However, my experience is that juggling with thighs is heavier and you will get tired much faster.
• If you like challenges, you may try to juggle using the outside and inside of your foot. You could also try to get the ball to spin while juggling with your feet. This can be little difficult in the beginning but it looks pretty cool when you learn it. You may also try to catch the ball using your feet. You can do this by cushioning the fall of the ball and hold it in place using the instep of your foot.
• If you try to juggle before and after your regular soccer practice I can ensure you that your skills will increase much faster.
• You can also compete with yourself by trying to beat your juggling record every week or so. This will increase your motivation and is much more fun than just juggling without counting the number of hits.

Summary

By praciticing on juggling your will be able to indirectly improve your other soccer skills like dribbling and receiving. Remember the more you practice the better you will be. Don’t ever forget that!