Football drills at home

Are you looking for the best soccer drills or other football exercises that you can perform at home? Football drills are a good way of enhancing your ball handling, agility, accuracy, and throwing skills. You can therefore make the best use of the backyard at your homestead to improve the above skills. The good thing about performing football drills at home is that you can do them by yourself or with the help of a friend. Keep reading this article to learn more about how to execute soccer drills at home, with a ladder, and with cones.

Football drills at home

To completely master the skills and mechanics of playing football, you should ensure that you perform three sets for each drill, each lasting approximately 30 seconds. The trick is to start on a slow momentum and when you are confident enough, advance to a higher speed. Here are some of the soccer drills that you can perform in the comfort of your home;

Hex Jumps

If you want to enhance your reaction time, footwork, and agility skills, it is advisable to begin with the hex jumps. Here are the steps that you can follow.

Simple steps to follow when performing hex jumps

1. After securing chalk or tape, form or draw a hexagon structure on the ground. Each side of the hexagon should measure one foot.
2. To begin performing this drill, position yourself inside the hexagon, athletically, whereby you bend your knees, concentrating your weight on your feet’s balls. Identify any first line on your front side and jump over it. Then immediately jump back into the hexagon shape.
3. Identify the top right line on your front side and jump diagonally over it, then jump back into the center of the hexagon.
4. Repeat this procedure on each line of the hexagon while jumping back inside the hexagon shape. Do it in a clockwise manner.
5. Once you are through with the first clockwise rotation, repeat the procedure in an anticlockwise manner.
6. After repeating this procedure for approximately 45 seconds, rest for 30 seconds before embarking back to the drill. You can also try the same drill using one leg instead of two legs and then switch to the other leg.

Jumpcut drill

This football home drill specifically focuses on enhancing your acceleration, deceleration, balance, and footwork skills.

Steps to follow

1. Make sure you have approximately 6 to 7 cones.
2. Find a secure point in the backyard and place the first cone and another one some 5 yards ahead of it.
3. While on the second cone, secure two points towards the right and the left and place one cone on each side. Each of them should be 1 yard from the second corn, thereby forming a T-shape.
4. You need to start with a forward acceleration from the first to the second cone to perform this drill.
5. While at the second cone, execute a lateral jump cut before accelerating at a five-yard distance. Repeat the drill while taking turns of rest.

Switch and shuffle drills

Football drills at home are more exciting and engaging when performing the switch and shuffle drills. Therefore, if you want to enhance your skills of maintaining a low center of gravity and ball security, this is the home football drill for you.

Steps to follow

1. For this drill, you need approximately six pool noodles or agility bags. Place them at an interval of 2 to 3 yards apart.
2. While holding a football in your hands, begin at one end of your choice. Accelerate towards the bag and then make a move. After making a move, jump-cut out to the left position.
3. While your eyes are on the next bag, accelerate towards it and make a shuffle move across the bag’s front side. This entire time your shoulders should be in a north/south position.
4. Each time you approach the end of each bag, make a forward explosion before cutting back inside.
5. Once you arrive at the last bag’s position, make a forward explosion of around 5 to 10 yards.

Football drills with ladder

To be a pro, you have to improve the speed of your feet significantly. Engaging in adequate and regular footwork is one of the main methods of boosting your feet’ agility and speed. When your feet are fast, you also get to improve how you tackle, change direction, or block an opponent. Are you a beginner at performing soccer drills? Football drills at home are the right way to start working on your footwork by incorporating the best ladder drills for football. If an agility ladder is a new tool to you, don’t worry. Here are some of the football drills with ladder that you can efficiently perform at home;

The one-step in each hole drill

To achieve this football drill, you need to have an agility ladder. After securing the ladder, you need to get one foot into every section of the ladder. Next, begin from one end and run through the entire ladder, ensuring that each step falls into each section of the ladder in an alternate manner. Once you achieve the first attempt, repeat the drill while alternating the foot that you begin with.

The two steps in each section drill

With your ladder in place in your backyard, perform an advancement of the first ladder drill. Therefore, instead of putting one foot in each section, run through the ladder, putting both feet in each part. That said, choose the best side of the ladder and start with your right foot, then the left foot into the first hole. Repeat the drill for the rest of the sections of the ladder. You can also alternate by starting with the left foot followed by the right foot. The aim is to be fast and cautious, not to step on the rungs but instead maintain your feet within the spaces.

The bunny hop drill

There are many similarities between this ladder drill and the previous two steps in each section ladder drill. The only difference is that the requirement is to bunny hop in this drill instead of stepping. To effectively accomplish this drill, choose the best side of the ladder and start hopping into each section of the ladder. Perform the bunny hopping stunt simultaneously with both feet. Repeat the process several times while taking resting turns.

Bunny hopping with one leg

This exercise is almost similar to the previous bunny hopping ladder drill. The only difference is that you hop with only one leg and then shift to the other leg in this case. After identifying the best end to start, start bunny hopping from section to section of the ladder using one leg. The other leg should be at an approximate right angle off the ground.

Hopscotch

This drill is one of the best ladder drills for football, which requires you to combine the two bunny hop drills above. Therefore, your jumping motion into each section of the ladder should alternate between two feet and one foot. Then, continue with the sequence until you reach the other end of the ladder.

Soccer drills with cones

If you are an aspiring top-tier soccer player, improving your speed and agility should be your priority. Fortunately, you don’t have to have a massive investment in equipment to achieve these skills. Cones are readily available with cost-friendly price tags. Additionally, in this drill, you need to be two, you and your coach or trainer. Here are some of the best football drills with cones that you can set up and execute at the comfort of your backyard.

The dribble drill with straight cone

This drill primarily focuses on enhancing your skill of controlling the ball closely while dribbling. When you can maintain close ball control while dribbling, you are better positioned to change from one direction to the other, even when you are under extreme pressure.

Setting up

You need around ten cones to set up this football drill with cones. From one penalty arc to the other, position the cones in s single straight line. The distance between the cones can range from 0.8m to 1.5m.

Execution

1. Position yourself at the first cone and the trainer at the sideline with the ball.
2. The trainer should kick the ball in your direction at high speed.
3. As the trainee, you need to receive the ball and closely control it as you dribble through the remaining cones. Ensure that as you dribble through the cones, you can keep the ball in control with the inner and outer parts of both of your feet in an alternating manner.
4. After reaching the final cone, you should go around it using the least number of touches. At high speed, sprint back to the first cone while closely holding the ball.
5. If you are exercising at home, you and your trainer can decide on the number of times you should repeat the drill.

The dribbling drill of attacking the cone

The primary purpose of this drill is to emphasize learning the skill of controlling the ball closely while on high dribbling speed.

Setting up

To set up for the execution of this drill, you can choose to have participants. Put the other participants into groups consisting of four participants. Allocate each group with four balls and five cones. Find a flat ground and arrange the cones so that they will form a square measuring 15 by 15 yards. Put the remaining cone at the center of the square. Each group’s participants should position themselves by each of the four cones forming the square.

Execution

1. The drill starts with all four participants starting to dribble their respective balls towards the direction of the central cone.
2. After reaching the middle cone, the participants should return to the perimeter cone while increasing the dribbling speed.
3. You can execute this cone drill using a different procedure with only two directly opposite participants performing the drill simultaneously. This procedure requires the trainees to proceed straight to the opposite cone and return to the original cone. The trainees should not stop at the middle cone. 

The forth and back cone soccer drill

The great emphasis put in this cone drill is to improve the speed of your feet. Therefore, when you perfect this drill, you will be faster in turning and sprinting.

Setting up

This drill is one of the most straightforward soccer drills with cones when it comes to setting up. Using six cones, place them strategically on a single straight line. Ensure that the interval between each cone is equal.

Execution

1. The initial step in this drill is to dribble the ball through the cone at the first point towards the second cone. Then quickly turn and sprint back to the cone at the first point while maintaining a straight line.
2. While at the first cone, repeat the dribbling procedure, but now it will be through the first and second cone towards the third cone. Then quickly turn and sprint back to the first cone while on a straight line.
3. Repeat this sequence until you reach cone 6.

Conclusion

For a sizeable backyard, you can perform each of the above football drills with or without cones or a ladder. Make good use of the resources that you have at home. For instance, if you do not have a professional agility ladder, you can use white markings to create an agility ladder shape on the ground. That said, we hope that you can now perfect your football skills and play like a pro. More exercises in this sport.