Would you like to reach your full potential as a soccer player? You’ll need more than great technique and ambition. To become a great soccer player, you’ll also need game intelligence, physical tness, and the proper mindset. But what exactly constitutes technique, game intelligence, physical tness, and the proper mindset? What soccer skills are taught in elite soccer programs that can help you reach your full potential and achieve success in football?

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Home Education, Sports & Health 15 Key Soccer Skills – How to Achieve Success in Football | Ertheo
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15 Key Soccer Skills – How to
Achieve Success in Football | Ertheo
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15 Key Soccer Skills –
How to Achieve Success in
Football | Ertheo

2. Would you like to reach your full potential as a soccer player? You’ll need more than great technique and
ambition. To become a great soccer player, you’ll also need game intelligence, physical tness, and the
proper mindset. But what exactly constitutes technique, game intelligence, physical tness, and the proper
mindset? What soccer skills are taught in elite soccer programs that can help you reach your full potential
and achieve success in football?
In this article, we break down the most important soccer skills that can help you reach your full potential
and achieve success in soccer.
1. Technique – Ball control, Dribbling skills, Passing accuracy, Body control
2. Game intelligence – Spatial awareness, Tactical knowledge, Risk assessment
3. Physical tness – Endurance, Balance and coordination, Speed, Strength and power
4. Proper mindset – Compassion, Composure and mental strength, Coachability, Self-motivation
TIP #1
High-performance soccer academies are boarding schools for elite, young soccer players designed
to develop their skills and prepare them to compete at a collegiate, semi-professional, or professional
level. The best academies not only have the connections and the know-how to help their students
make it to the big leagues, but they also take education seriously and prepare their students for
success in all areas of life.
Technique
Technique is perhaps the most visibly obvious element to success in football. Even an amateur can recognize
good technique. Do they have good ball control? Are they fast with the ball at their feet? Can they dribble
through their opponents? Do they pass to feet? Join a summer soccer camp to practice good technique.
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3. Good technique has 4 key elements:
1. Ball control
Ball control refers to a player’s ability to collect the ball and gain control of it using all parts of the body
including feet, legs, chest, and head. A player with good ball control is able to receive passes both on the
ground and out of the air with clean rst touches keeping the ball close to their body. Ball control also
refers to a player’s ability to maintain possession of the ball, successfully protecting it from opponents. The
ability to turn quickly and sharply with the ball is also of upmost important to achieving success in
football and falls under the ball control element.
2. Dribbling skills
Dribbling skills refers to a player’s ability move up and down the pitch with full control of the ball. A
player with good dribbling skills can move the ball in di erent directions at di erent speeds with both
feet They can successfully maneuver through opponents without losing possession of the ball Superb

4. feet. They can successfully maneuver through opponents without losing possession of the ball. Superb
drilling skills are essential to achieving success in football for players of all positions.
3. Passing accuracy
Passing accuracy refers to a player’s ability to use both feet to send the ball to the player’s desired
destination. That could mean sending the ball straight to a teammate’s feet with power and precision,
sending a through pass into space with proper weight, crossing the ball accurately in front of the net, or, for
strikers shooting the ball accurately and powerful into the back of the net. Players cannot achieve success
in football without being able to pass accurately with both feet.
4. Body control
Body control refers to a player’s ability to move their body uidly to optimize balance and coordination.
Since body control falls under the category of technique rather than physical tness, body control refers
mostly to correctness of form. Long strides, correct running form, and a low center of gravity are good
indications of good body control.
TIP #2
Improving technique is a question of hours of practice and speci cally repetitive drills. Playing in
friendly scrimmages isn’t the best way to improve any one of these essential skills. Instead, players
should practice drills which target each speci c skill until they perfect each skill. Then, they
should take those skills to the pitch and practice them critical during match play. Check out these
soccer drills you can practice with a friend.
Game intelligence
Game intelligence is measured by a player’s ability to make smart decisions on the pitch and make them
quickly. A smart footballer aims to keep the game as clean as possible, minimizing energy expenditure
while maximizing results. Essentially, game intelligence implies playing smarter, not harder. Sign up for a
soccer program to learn how to be an intelligent player.
Game intelligence comprises 3 skills:
5 Spatial awareness

5. 5. Spatial awareness
Spatial awareness refers to a player’s ability to see space clearly across the entire pitch and utilize it to
their advantage. What does it mean to see space clearly?
First of all, players need to be aware of the immediate space around them. According to the position of the
ball, their own teammates, and their opponents, where should they be? Should they be moving into a space
to receive a pass? Should they be drawing defenders away from their teammate who has the ball to create
open space for them?
Secondly, intelligent players are always aware of where their teammates are and where they should be
according to the positioning of the other team. There are two reasons they need to know where their
teammates are and should be: (1) to tell them where they should be if they’re not there, and (2) to anticipate
their teammate’s position and make a quick, instinctive pass almost without looking. In fact, scouts often
look for this sixth sense of a footballer.
Finally, intelligent players are extremely aware of the geometry of the game. They know how to position
themselves and others to make wide angles and easy passing opportunities for themselves while on
o ense and narrow angles and di cult passing opportunities for their opponents while on defense.
Spatial awareness is a complicated skill which encompasses many other skills absolutely essential to
achieving success in football. In fact, spatial awareness is also closely related to the next game intelligence
skill, tactical knowledge.
TIP #3
One way to improve spatial awareness is to watch a lot of beautiful football and watch it actively.
That means paying attention to more than just the ball. Watch the position of all the players on the
eld (on both teams) and try to anticipate their passes and positioning. Tip: Watch older recorded
games. Pause the game often and really concentrate on players’ positioning. Save the current
matches for enjoying with friends.
6. Tactical knowledge
Tactical knowledge refers to a player’s knowledge of the nature and structure of the game. The
formation of a team highly in uences the tactics they will use to win. Soccer formations have changed
drastically throughout the years. If you want to be an intelligent soccer player, it’s a good idea to get to
know the various kinds of formations ( http://www.soccer-training-guide.com/soccer-formations.html )
d d d h i d i h l i h h

6. used today and the tactics and strategies that go along with each one.
While spatial awareness helps intelligent players see their immediate opportunities, tactical knowledge
contributes to a player’s ability to anticipate the future opportunities that will arise from each move. For this
reason, tactically intelligent players are great at maintaining possession and not only waiting for the right
moment to attack, but also creating the right moment to attack. By anticipating the moves of their own
players and their opponents, intelligent players can move the ball across the eld, creating gaps in the
opposing team’s defense until they have just enough space to attack.
Tactical intelligence is also critical to performing well on defense and perhaps even more important. On
defense, players should constantly be assessing the eld to accurately anticipate their opponents’ next
moves. If they anticipate correctly, they can close down their opponents’ angles, prevent easy passes
between them, and force them to make a mistake.
Tactical intelligence is especially important for center backs and central mid elders because these
players are in the best position not only to see the entire pitch but also to communicate with and command
their teammates. Nevertheless, extraordinary tactical knowledge is vital for anyone who really wants to
achieve great success in football.
TIP #4
One of the best ways to acquire game intelligence is to train with di erent coaches and players at
various times throughout the year. By doing so, players learn di erent perspectives and expand their
strategic repertoire.
Many well-known club teams like Real Madrid and Manchester City o er summer camps and year-
round camps where players get to learn to play according to their philosophies and methodologies.
Some programs even o er theoretical workshops and video analysis where they discuss the decision
making skills of each player on the pitch. Check out a complete list of elite soccer programs.
7. Risk assessment
Risk refers to the fact that certain aggressive decisions could lead to loss of possession (or failure to
regain possession in the case of diving or tackling on defense). When a team loses possession, each and
every team member must expend extra energy until they regain control. Such aggressive decisions could
lead to over expenditure of energy and inability to perform well for the full 90 minutes of the match.
On the other hand, a complete lack of aggressive decisions in an e ort to conserve energy and maintain
possession could prevent the team from scoring goals and ultimately lead to a loss.

7. “If you’re attacking, you don’t get as tired as when you’re chasing.”
Kyle Rote, Jr.
Intelligent players, therefore, are constantly assessing the risk and reward of their decisions on the pitch.
Should we make the long cross into the box and hope that someone touches it into the net but risk losing
possession? Or should we maintain possession and pass around the top of the box until one of our players
has an open shot on goal?
Risk assessment, tactical knowledge, and spatial awareness are all complex skills that lead to smart, fast
decisions, and, ultimately, game intelligence.
“I am not a perfectionist, but I like to feel that things are done well. More important than that, I feel an
endless need to learn, to improve, to evolve, not only to please the coach and the fans but also to feel
satis ed with myself. It is my conviction that here are no limits to learning, and that it can never stop, no
matter what our age.”
Cristiano Ronaldo
TIP #5
Developing game intelligence requires an excessive amount of match play and an even greater
amount of re ection. The most intelligent players always re ect on their mistakes and determine
what they would do di erently to improve their performance.
Physical fitness
Physical tness is another essential element to achieving success in football; a football match lasts for 90 –
95 minutes with very few subs. According to Livestrong, mid elders run an average of over 11
kilometers per match. Wingers perform the most “high-intensity” runs averaging nearly 150 sprints of at
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8. least 75% of their full speed per match. Apart from goalkeepers, center-backs run the least but still average
9.5 kilometers per match.
In addition to endurance and speed, footballers need balance and physical strength to defend the ball at
their feet, to shoot, to pass the ball long distances, to win balls out of the air, etc.
In conclusion, physical tness in football comprises 4 essential elements:
8. Endurance
According to dictionary.com, endurance is the ability or strength to continue to last especially despite
fatigue, stress, or other adverse conditions. That is, endurance not only refers to a player’s physical
tness and ability to make it through the entire 90 minutes. It also refers to a player’s mental strength and
ability to continue despite the overwhelming fatigue he or she might feel.
Elite footballers must not just endure physically but also mentally. As the body fatigues, control, focus, and
decision making becomes more and more di cult. The ability to perform both physically and mentally for
more than 90 minutes is crucial to achieving success in football.

9. “The vision of a champion is bent over, drenched in sweat, at the point of exhaustion, when nobody else is
looking.”
Mia Hamm
9. Balance and coordination
Great balance and coordination are necessary skills for footballers. Footballers are often moving fast in
small spaces either weaving through defenders or, on defense, keeping up with the moves of o enders.
Moving quickly in small spaces with one foot on the ball requires a superb amount of balance and
coordination. Balance and coordination (mixed with speed) is what makes a player agile and agility is a
necessary skill for the best footballers.
TIP #6
Make sure you work on both feet. It’s di cult to be balanced and coordinated if you can only work
comfortably with half of your body.
10. Speed
Speed is necessary for footballers in terms of both quickness and quick feet and speed across greater
distances. Speed in terms of quickness and quick feet goes hand in hand with balance and coordination.
This type of quick speed in small spaces contributes to a player’s agility and ability to weave through
defenders. The quickness is also essential for defensive players to keep up with their mark and to keep
o ensive players from dodging them or sprinting passed them with the ball.
The second kind of speed is speed across greater distances. Such speed assists footballers in beating
their opponents to the ball and also beating them in long runs down the sidelines both on o ense and
defense. Speed is a baseline skill for footballers and is of upmost importance. A player might be super agile
with the ball at their feet, but if they’re slow and can’t beat their opponents to the ball, they’ll never get the
opportunity to show o their agility.

10. Related article: Your BEST CHANCE at becoming a PRO SOCCER PLAYER - Joining a
high performance soccer academy
TIP #7
Running form is extremely important for speed. There are some general rules of running form that
equate to running e ciently and increasing speed. For example:
1. The runner should run with their body slightly leaning forward. This allows the runner to
keep the core contracted to lift the knees and drive forward.
2. Additionally, such form makes it easier to land with the knee just over the toe. A runner
should never strike the ground in front of their center of gravity as they not only run the risk of
injury but also lose power.
3. The runner should run with short quick strides. Stretching and over-striding makes it di cult
to strike the ground in line with the knee and results in risk of injury and loss of power.
Proper running form is a semi-controversial topic. Some say that the runner should land on the
forefoot rather than the heel of the foot. Others say that the runner should always strike the ground
from heel to toe. Seeking professional advice or attending a camp designed to improve running form
would be a great investment for a football player who’s interested in increase their speed.
Additionally, functional strength training could greatly increase running speed. Functional strength
training in terms of running includes running with parachutes or weight sleds, or running in
partners with bungee cords (over-speed training).
Read this article about improving sprint speed.
Check out the video below explaining how to use bungee cords to run faster.

11. 11. Strength and power
Strength and power contribute to a player’s speed and agility as well as their ability to shoot, make long
passes, defend and shield the ball, steal the ball from their opponents, and win balls out of the air.
Leg strength is undoubtedly important for passing the ball long distances and shooting and is undeniably
advantageous in almost all aspects of the game. That being said, upper body strength and particularly
core strength is also favorable while defending and shielding the ball and stealing the ball from
opponents. In football, arm strength is often used to create space between the attacking player and their
opponents while leg strength is used to maintain a low center of gravity. Therefore, while leg workouts are
essential and should be prioritized, upper body workouts should not be overlooked.
Speed and agility are the physical attributes that are typically assigned to a so-called skilled player, but even
an agile player can be easily pushed o the ball and lose possession without strength and power in both the
upper and lower body.
Technique and game intelligence are vital to achieving success in football. However, without the strength
and power to win the ball, protect the ball, send long and powerful passes, and sprint past opponents, even
the most intelligent players are quite useless on the pitch.
Proper mindset
Proper mindset is the nal key to achieving success in football. To really achieve success, footballers have
to put all their heart and soul into their sport. That being said, such passion can result in devastation after
defeat or burnout. To achieve success in football, football players need to nd a balance and learn to be
passionate, while maintaining composure, and demonstrating resilience.

12. "Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacri ce and most of all, love of
what you are doing or learning to do."
Pele
Proper mindset comprises 4 core traits:
12. Passion and love for the sport
The most important trait that a footballer must have to achieve success in football is a burning passion and
love for the sport. In order to achieve success, footballers put in incomprehensible hours of practice, and
once they achieve success, they continue to do so. These hours not only include time on the pitch but also
time spent watching football matches, analyzing them, re ecting upon a player’s own performance
on the pitch, etc. To achieve success in football, one must eat, sleep, and breathe football.
DID YOU KNOW…
Have you heard of the 10,000 hour rule? The 10,000 hour rule states that it
takes 10,000 hours of practice to become an expert in something. The rule
was based on a study by K. Anders Ericsson and made famous by Malcolm
Gladwell’s bestselling book Outliers. Although the rule has o cially been
disproven, the point remains – it takes a lot of practice to become an
expert and even more practice to become one of the best in the world.
13. Composure and mental strength
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13. Passion and love for the sport is often accompanied by extreme competitiveness. Those who LOVE their
sport LOVE to win. This competitiveness is certainly crucial to achieving success in football, but it should also
be accompanied by composure and mental strength.
Composure and mental strength ( http://www.thecoachdiary.com/mental-toughness ) can help a player
to:
(1) Perform well under pressure – When time is running out, players often begin to play frantically.
Composure helps a player to make rational decisions even in the last minutes of the match.
Composure is also important in crucial game situations such as penalty kicks or even breakaways.
(2) Accept defeat – Mental strength is important for a player to be able to accept defeat and
continue to train and play with a clear mind, empty of regret.
(3) Deal with unnecessary aggression from the other team – During matches, players can
certainly get unnecessarily aggressive with players from the other team, pushing, elbowing, and
stepping on feet when the referee isn’t looking. It’s easy to retaliate in rage. However, rage invokes a
physical state which leads to poor decision making on the pitch and, ultimately, losses.
(4) Accept rejection and persevere – Footballers on the path to becoming professional football
players will certainly have to deal with rejection along the way. The path for most is long and
arduous. Many players get rejected from teams that they think will be their road to success. It’s
important to accept this rejection and keep moving forward.
"The secret is to believe in your dreams; in your potential that you can be like your star, keep searching,
keep believing and don’t lose faith in yourself."
Neymar
14. Coachability
Another important trait of a football player with the proper mindset is their coachability. Dr. Goldberg,
Sports Performance Consultant and internationally-known expert in peak sports performance, describes
the un-coachable athlete as “that individual who feels that he/she is never wrong, that the coach is unfairly
picking on them whenever any kind of critical or even constructive feedback is given and the player who simply
refuses to take any responsibility for his/her mistakes or failure.”
No matter how talented a player might be, they have to be willing to learn from their coaches. This
means not only listening to his or her instructions, but also seeking out, accepting, and integrating
feedback without defensive backlash. Players should also demonstrate an ability to self-correct and try
new actions to get improved results.
15. Self-motivation

14. The nal trait a football player must possess to truly achieve success in football is self-motivation. As
mentioned early, becoming one of the best in the world requires an incredible amount of practice. To
practice for the necessary amount of hours at the necessary intensity, serious footballers must put in extra
hours and make all kinds of sacri ces including waking up early to train, adhering to a strict diet and
exercise routine, and missing out on all kinds of experiences with their peers.
Final thoughts
Becoming a successful soccer player is a challenge for even the most talented players. These 15 skills are
essential to your development as a soccer player, but you’ll need more than skill to go pro. Speci cally, you
need knowledge about exactly how you can become a professional player. The absolute best way to achieve
success in soccer and even become a professional soccer player is to attend a high-performance soccer
academy as a high school student. At high-performance academies, students explore their options to play
professionally without neglecting their education.
It’s a lot of work, but check out how much successful soccer players make! Click the picture below to nd
out.

15. powered by ProteinBee.co.uk
If you decide you want to succeed more than you want anything else in the world, then success is
possible.
Good luck on your mission.
Source: This video was made using Invideo.
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