Any of y'all playing/coaching soccer?? Share your story

3 v 3 (small sided games) and indoor soccer for technical and tactical.

Even though it’s recommended for kids, the best drill for developing touch is playing with a wall. You can work on 1 and 2 touch passing. Find a comfortable distance from the wall and mark it. Then pass at the mark and receive, then pass back. Repeat.

As an aside, I wish more kids were taught the proper way to defend (delay, deny, destroy). So lacking in youth basics

Unless you grew up with a ball at your feet you will be behind, that’s not to say you couldn’t or shouldn’t play adult league, just recognize you’ll have a lower ceiling than if you came up playing, and don’t let it frustrate you.

I’ll say the same thing I tell my 12 year old, and what is done at the “academy” level prior to competitive.

Juggle, juggle juggle. Start with it in your hands and drop it to your feet. Play numbers (get 1, then 2, then 3, if it drops start over ant 1) even if you need a bounce in between each juggle, that’s how we taught the younger age groups. As you become proficient in this, start juggling with the ball on the ground and experiment different ways to get the ball up, scoop, pull backs, rainbow. You’re never too old to juggle or too good to juggle. A lot of MLB players hit off of tees daily.

Foundations or bells, start slow, get faster. The same goes for toe taps, roll overs and pull backs again start slow, get faster.

Walk around the house with a ball at you foot, find a brick wall or a rebounder and just hit short (5-10ft) passes at it (one touch and two touch passes) work on your non dominant foot more than your dominant foot. Then back up 10-12 yards and hit the ball with pace, this is all done using the instep the same part that you use when doing foundations.

Kick or throw the ball from 5 feet in the air and try to trap/settle it, again with both feet (knees/chest) trying to drop it right in front of you. As you master that go up to 10 feet then 20 feet.

There’s 100s of YouTube videos showing the drills in bold.

See if there is an adult/co-ed indoor or futsal league near you and if so join, it’s a lot more touches on the ball than 11v11, and I enjoyed it more, just don’t be a bulldog out there and try and play as physical as you just watched in the World Cup. Most importantly go have fun and drink some beers after.

Great points mentioned above but the biggest thing is I think you just need to play more than once a week. Whether it be 11v11, 6v6, futsal, coed or whatever. Not sure where you live but in New Orleans there are multiple leagues to play in with different environments.

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the biggest thing is I think you just need to play more than once a week

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I’d get through a season playing weekly before committing to multiple games a week, spend that time messing around with a ball.

Overcommitting or having work/family/life get in the way will always happen, and there is nothing worse than playing a man down or with no subs in an adult/co-ed summer league.

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This all depends on where you live. If you live in a large metropolitan area, you have more choices. I live in the Dallas area-Fort Worth area. Lots of options up here

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I’m in Arlington. Any recs for pickup or coed in this area? I’m not looking for anything too intense.

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there is nothing worse than playing a man down or with no subs in an adult/co-ed summer league

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Having experienced this at 5/6 PM games in Baton Rouge I would rather be waterboarded.

That’s a rough way to go out

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Baton Rouge at 5PM Independence Fields Summer soccer after working all day

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This was exactly what I was thinking about

I play mostly pickup games down the street with friends. I’m 55 so I can’t keep up with many of the younger guys.
I would check out TOCA and Soccer Spectrum for indoor leagues.

For Arlington, look at this link:

Arlington Adult Soccer

If you want to see others in the DFW, check out this link:

NTX Adult Soccer

That’s awesome, thanks dude. Y’all looking for any borderline crippled mid thirties players who haven’t touched a ball in 4 years since my last knee surgery?

My youngest son starts UNT this Fall and he’ll be going out for their club team.

I haven’t been able to keep up with him since he was 10.
55 years old, bad knees, had back surgery and shoulder surgery this past year. I’m out of shape, unless you call round a shape. Well, it’s not that bad.

But if you get winded after 15 minutes or less, I wouldn’t recommend even a recreational league. Some of those guys are serious, younger, still in shape, and are sometimes dirty. And your age would fall in that category.

Instead, I would recommend the Co-Ed league. More people show up for each game and you don’t have to play as much if you can’t. The women are more competitive (usually former players and current coaches for Clubs) than the men. It’s fun.