Solo Soccer Drills: How to Practice at Home by Yourself

Practice makes perfect when it comes to your soccer skills. While it would be ideal for you to be able to practice with a friend or teammate, it isn’t always possible. Luckily, there are a number of soccer drills that you can do on your own.

The following are some of our favorite solo soccer drills that can help you improve your skills.

List of Equipment Needed for Solo Soccer Drills

Most of the equipment you will need for these solo soccer drills are things you probably already have around the house.

A basic list of equipment that you will need for these solo soccer drills include:

• Soccer ball
• Wall or sturdy surface to kick the ball off of
• Cones or another similar sized object that can be used as markers and placeholders

#1: The Soccer Slalom

The soccer slalom drill is great for helping you to perfect ball control. It also helps to improve your balance, coordination, speed and dribbling skills.

To perform this soccer drill do the following:

1. Take several cones (or similar objects that you can use as a marker) and place them in a single row
2. Make sure there is enough of a gap between the cones so that you can go around them
3. Start by standing at the front of the row
4. Dribble the ball around the cones – this will be done in a sort of zig-zag pattern as you weave around the cones
5. At the last cone, stop, turn around and then race up to the starting point
6. Keep the ball close to you as you proceed to run back to the starting line

Some ways that you can make this drill more challenging include:

• Changing the distance between the cones – make some of the cones close together while others are further apart
• Work on rolling over the ball with the sole of your foot – this will allow you to quickly change direction during a match without showing your opponent that you are changing direction
• Challenge yourself to only kick the ball using one foot
• Use different parts of the foot when dribbling the ball
• Try to beat your time – time yourself and try to complete the course faster than you previously did without losing control of the ball

#2: Traveling Around the Square

The purpose of the traveling around the square soccer drill is to help you learn how to control the ball, stay light on your feet and quickly shift positions while in motion.

Steps to perform this soccer drill include:

1. Take four cones (or similar objects) and place them on the field in the shape of a large square
2. Try to make the square approximately 1 yard x 1 yard as this will give you enough room to move around the cones
3. Start at any of the cones
4. Face one direction. This is the direction you will face the entire drill.
5. Slowly move up to the first cone with the ball
6. Without changing direction, move around the first cone with the ball
7. Once you have completed moving around the cone, move to the second cone – make sure you do not change your position. So if you are moving sideways, you will be facing forward and moving to the side
8. Repeat this with all the cones

Some things to keep in mind while performing this drill include:

• Maintain your balance while moving around the cones and changing direction
• Stay light on your feet and try not to stop while you are moving around the square
• Work with your arms to maintain balance and provide your body, especially your legs, with guidance on where to go

#3: Kick and Catch

Kick and catch is a great solo soccer drill especially for beginners. When done properly, this drill helps you work on controlling the ball while kicking it and adding a backspin or some other type of motion to the ball when kicking.

To perform this drill do the following:

1. Stand holding the ball in front of you
2. Drop the ball to your foot
3. Kick the ball upwards
4. Catch the ball

Keep the following things in mind when doing this drill:

• Practice with both feet as improving your weaker foot will make you a better, more well-rounded player
• Try different ways to add backspin to the ball – this will help you learn how to add a desired amount of backspin and direction to the ball during the game
• Make sure the foot is solid when it comes into contact with the ball
• Control the ball so that is moves upwards, but doesn’t go too high or too far away from you
• Work on this drill until you are able to kick the ball and then catch it without having to move around a lot

#4: One-Touch Wall Pass

This solo soccer drill requires you to use a wall or some other sturdy object, like a rebounder, to kick the ball off of. This drill works on developing your passing skills while also helping you to learn ball control.

To perform this drill do the following:

1. Place the ball on the ground and kick it towards the ball
2. Kick the ball back at the wall using the inside of your foot
3. Try to keep kicking the ball back and forth with the wall
4. Kick the ball several times with the one foot then switch to the other

Some things that you can do to make this drill more challenging include:

• Speeding up the time in between kicks – make sure you are kicking the ball quicker and quicker each time it hits the wall
• Don’t trap the ball when it comes off the wall. Work to make sure you kick the ball as it comes towards you. You do not want the ball to stop moving.
• Work on controlling the ball so that you are kicking it in such a way that the ball travels where you want it to go
• Stay on your toes while performing this drill. By staying on your toes, you will be able to quickly shift and change positions

#5: Working to Control an Incoming High Ball

It is easy to control a ball that is coming towards you on the ground. However, if the ball is coming from high in the air, it is often harder to control. This solo soccer drill helps you develop your skills so you are able to react quickly when a high ball is coming towards you during a game.

To perform this drill do the following:

1. Stand holding the ball
2. Throw the ball as high as you can in the air
3. Work to make sure you receive the ball as it comes down towards the ground
4. Try to softly touch the ball with the inside of your foot – this will make the ball lightly bounce off of you and allow you to gain control of the ball

Some ways to make this drill more challenging include:

• Try to throw the ball higher in the air
• Throw the ball in a slightly different way so that it comes downwards at a different direction
• Try kicking the ball into the air
• Try stopping the ball on the ground
• Try automatically passing the ball as it comes down towards you

#6: The Long Pass Drill

Learning how to accurately pass the ball long distances is a skill that is valuable to any player. Offensive players can use it to pass back and forth across the field, while defensive players can use it to move the ball up the field. This long pass drill will help you learn how to accurately pass the ball across long distances.

To perform this drill you will want to do the following:

1. Take several cones or other similar objects and create a square on the ground – the size of the square can vary depending upon your skill level and what you are practicing
2. Move several meters away from the square – we estimate that 20 meters is a good distance for this drill
3. Start practicing the long pass by kicking the ball and trying to get it to a specific target
4. Try passing the ball on the ground, in the air or while the ball is bouncing or rolling

Some ways that you can make this soccer drill more challenging include:

• Changing the distance to the markers and cones
• Moving further away from the target
• Focusing on only one type of pass – for example, trying to pass the ball so that it bounces and reaches a specific target as opposed to kicking it across the grass so it rolls to a target
• Perfect your form while performing a long pass. You will want to lean into the ball and kick the ball with the top of your laces. If you lean backwards, this will cause you to lose your balance and could prevent you from being able to control the ball. Kicking the ball without proper form can also send the ball flying through the air with little or no control.

#7: The Gate Challenge for Dribbling

The gate challenge helps you learn how to move around defenders and other individuals on the field while maintaining control of the ball.

This solo soccer drill can be performed by doing the following:

1. Take several cones or other items and create “gates” on the field. A gate is just two cones places across from each other with enough room for you to pass through
2. Set up several gates across the field. Each gate that you set up should be placed at a slightly different angle or position of the other gate. This makes the gates appear as if they are players on the field that you will be moving around.
3. Start at the beginning of the course
4. Dribble the ball through the first gate. Make sure you keep the ball close to you.
5. Quickly shift your position and continue to dribble through the second gate.
6. Continue to do this with all the gates that you have set up on the field.
7. Repeat this drill several times as repetition will help you perfect ball control

Keep the following things in mind when working on this soccer drill:

• Start off slowly as you work your way through the gates
• Build up speed as you get more comfortable with the course. The goal is to be able to quickly move through the gates without hitting any of the cones or losing control of the ball.
• Keep the ball close to you. You do not want to kick the ball too far forward as you will lose control of it or it could go to another player on the field.
• Work on quickly shifting positions without having to more your entire body. You should be able to quickly shift so you can go through the different gates without having to move your entire body or stop and think.

#8: The Laying Down Shot – The Jump Up and Kick Shot

Every soccer player needs to know how to think quickly when on the field. This solo soccer drill works to help you develop quick thinking skills. It works to teach you how to transition from one position to another and quickly pass the ball to a specific target.

To perform this soccer drill do the following:

1. Pick a target that you want to kick the ball towards
2. Place the ball on the ground away from the target
3. Move away from the ball – approximately 5 meter or so
4. Lay down on the field
5. Count in your head to 5
6. Jump up and quickly run towards the ball
7. Kick the ball without stopping and try to aim it towards the target you picked

Some things to keep in mind when performing this soccer drill include:

• Don’t stop when in motion. The goal is to jump up, get to the ball and kick it to the target as fast as possible.
• Try not to spend too much time thinking about foot position. Just get up and kick the ball.
• Practice from different distances away from the ball or pick different targets

#9: The Two-Touch Wall Pass

This solo soccer skill is very similar to the wall pass, but it adds an additional touch to the drill. The goal of this drill is to help you learn how to control the ball. It also helps you learn how to trap the ball when it is coming towards you, then quickly kick it towards a specific target or goal.

To perform this drill do the following:

1. Place two cones near the wall – this will be your ‘goal’. You will be trying to aim the ball so that is goes between these two cones
2. Stand back from the wall
3. Kick the ball towards the wall so that the ball goes between the two cones and bounces back towards you
4. Trap the ball with your opposite foot so the ball stops
5. Pass the ball from the foot you used to trap the ball to your kicking foot
6. Kick the ball again towards the wall
7. Repeat this drill several times using the same foot then switch it up and do it with the opposite foot

Some things to keep in mind while doing this solo soccer drill include:

• Use the inside of your foot to control the ball when passing it from foot to foot. Using the inside provides you with more control over the ball than using the laces or the tip of your foot.
• Pass the ball gently from foot to foot. If you put too much power in the kick, you could lose control of the ball.
• Speed up the drill. Start off slowly and speed up the drill as you practice. This will force you to make quick decisions with how you kick the ball.

#10: Juggling

The last solo soccer drill you can do on your own is juggling. This helps you learn ball control and develops your foot-eye coordination.

1. To juggle the soccer ball, do the following:
2. Grab a soccer ball and drop it towards your foot
3. Use your foot and keep the ball in the air by gently kicking the ball upwards. Try to kick the ball using the top of the laces of your shoe so the ball goes upwards.
4. Try to keep the ball in the air as many times as possible

When kicking the ball during this drill, you will want to keep the foot as flat as possible. This will give you more control over the ball.

Once you have perfected basic juggling, there are a few things you can do to make it more challenging. Some things you can do include:

• Challenging yourself to only using a specific foot such as only use your right foot
• Pick a set number and challenge yourself to kick the ball that many times with one foot then switch to the other foot and do it that many times
• Mini-juggling – this is where the ball starts on the ground, you scoop it up with your foot and then bounce the ball on the laces of your shoe. You do not want to kick the ball, just do little mini bounces with it.

For more tips on juggling, read our in-depth guide.

To become a better soccer player, you need to practice. These individual soccer drills will help develop the skill and technique you need to become a better soccer player.

You may also like:

• Best Drills For Soccer Ball Mastery and Control
• How To Get Quicker Feet In Soccer
• How to Get Past Defenders in Soccer