How To Juggle Soccer Ball

If you want to improve your soccer skills, but have no opponent, net or field, then you need to learn how to juggle a soccer ball. We all know how good it can look when a skilled player juggles the ball, but juggling is good for a lot more than just looks. Juggling will give you a feel for the ball and will teach you how to keep the ball under control on your first touch, which is the initial touch off your body when you receive a pass. This first touch is often the difference between a breakaway goal and an embarrassing giveaway. Juggling the ball will teach you to control the ball with your entire body, sans hands obviously, and make you more confident with the soccer ball when you are playing.

1. Find a hard surface with some open space that you can work with. While you are learning how to juggle, the more open space you have, the better. You will rarely kick the ball straight up. To begin, hold the ball at chest level in front of you.
2. Release the ball and try to kick it back up when it reaches the ground. While you first begin juggling, it may be best to let the ball bounce between kicks. You can use the top or side of your foot, whichever feels better for you. Try to kick the ball straight up so you don't have to chase it down to continue your juggle.
3. Alternate using your chest, feet, thighs and head to juggle the ball. Controlling the ball with your thighs is probably the easiest to learn, and controlling it with your head the hardest. It will take a lot of practice before you feel comfortable using each part of your body. Start slowly and try to master juggling with your feet, then move to your thighs, then chest and feet, and finally your head.
4. Create a pattern of how you want to hit the ball. For example, you might create a pattern of head, right thigh, left thigh, left foot, right foot, chest, foot. Try to keep up the pattern as long as you can. Keeping a preset pattern will teach you to control the ball better than just randomly juggling it. You can change the pattern from time to time, to mix things up.