The Importance of Individual Training for Football

When it comes to football in England, there seems to be some resistance to giving our young players the same credit, time and encouragement as budding gymnasts or skilled musicians, for example. There are talented, skilled and gifted individuals at all levels of society and sports. These people need to be supported as well as any other elite athlete candidates.

Although football is very much a team sport and is often measured by the ‘game’ on a Saturday or Sunday, hours and hours of endless practice that young players put in is frequently forgotten.

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If a child is regarded as one of the best violinists in the area, there would be no question over lots of extra hours both during and after school for practice. In terms of football though, that kind of additional individual training and support is viewed as somewhat unwarranted because it’s ‘just football’.

It’s amazing how beneficial it can be spending quality time with the ball for players of any age, level or aspiration. It often heard by parents that local team or school training is focused only on the team and there is never any individual technical work completed.

Lack of technical development is a very real problem in the UK and is often overlooked because:

Coaches have limited time with the players so that team-based training is usually given priority.

Coaches often prioritize winning the game over the long-term technical development. The focus is on the ‘now’.

These issues are not just limited to grass roots football; they occur in a number of the Football Academies at of pro clubs too.

Another reason why this issue is reinforced is because young people no longer spend hours playing ball in unstructured environments such as streets, playgrounds and parks. This was a common scene many years ago and would have filled in some of those gaps in technical development but sadly it is rarely seen now.

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Train individuals to achieve your goals

Just like everything else in our fast-paced society, we’re looking for a more efficient answer to our problems. This is where people with specialist training can so effectively allow deliberate practice within a fixed period. This is evident in many disciplines and is no different in football. For effective Soccer Training Drills training, visit a site like Sportplan

Here’s why you should take the time to do it:

It gives 100% focus on the needs of the player. It’s all about their development.

Technical football can be difficult and it allows the player to develop fresh techniques in a protected environment where they can practice away from the eyes of the team or during a game.

Fix and master the techniques they have found it difficult. It could be tackling skills, ball control or play patterns practice.

All of the above will build player confidence. It will strengthen the mentality of the player as well to try new things and be more creative in the field.

Nobody could suggest that individual football training will instantly turn you into a pro overnight but it certainly will assist you in significantly improving your game. Just 20 minutes a day is all that’s required and will be even more beneficial if it also complements the training of team players.