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Any of y'all playing/coaching soccer?? Share your story
Posted on 7/21/26 at 9:27 pm
Posted on 7/21/26 at 9:27 pm
I know we mostly post about pro teams here, but I thought it might also be fun to share a more personal perspective.
One of the best parts of my World Cup experience has been (thanks to watch parties) meeting & joining a 3 on 3 league that plays weekly. I played RB in high school until a broken leg ended my senior season, but it's been years & years since I've played & it's been such a blast.
I'm in decent enough shape to run & balance on one leg etc but don't really know any good drills to practice. I've mostly been trying to practice getting as many different touches as possible & have managed to get my juggling up to double digits (big whoop lol), but have no clue what to focus on other than touches & dribbling.
Any Youtube channels for tactics/drills you would recommend?? Even books or different perspectives on how to approach the game. I have been making time to dive in & have enjoyed every minute of it so far.
I know some of y'all are legit coaches, while some of us are long past playing days....any stories/questions of your own would love to hear as well
One of the best parts of my World Cup experience has been (thanks to watch parties) meeting & joining a 3 on 3 league that plays weekly. I played RB in high school until a broken leg ended my senior season, but it's been years & years since I've played & it's been such a blast.
I'm in decent enough shape to run & balance on one leg etc but don't really know any good drills to practice. I've mostly been trying to practice getting as many different touches as possible & have managed to get my juggling up to double digits (big whoop lol), but have no clue what to focus on other than touches & dribbling.
Any Youtube channels for tactics/drills you would recommend?? Even books or different perspectives on how to approach the game. I have been making time to dive in & have enjoyed every minute of it so far.
I know some of y'all are legit coaches, while some of us are long past playing days....any stories/questions of your own would love to hear as well
6
Posted on 7/22/26 at 4:00 am to Bigdawgb
Find a group to play pickup soccer with and go as frequently as possible. Playing pickup in college really improved my technical proficiency compared to where I was in high school.
Posted on 7/22/26 at 8:07 am to Bigdawgb
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
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
Posted on 7/22/26 at 10:20 am to Bigdawgb
Heck, even co-Ed leagues are great if you’re looking for larger size games. Most of the women that play are former higher level players who weren’t pros. Many are current club coaches who just like the competition. Some are still young.
Depending on how young you are, you can even play in some men’s adult leagues. I wouldn’t unless you’re older. The younger ones have some really good players and a beginner wouldn’t be able to hang.
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
Depending on how young you are, you can even play in some men’s adult leagues. I wouldn’t unless you’re older. The younger ones have some really good players and a beginner wouldn’t be able to hang.
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
Posted on 7/22/26 at 10:24 am to Bigdawgb
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.
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.
Posted on 7/22/26 at 10:49 am to Bigdawgb
This is a pretty good channel on YouTube for beginners and more called Progressive Soccer:
Posted on 7/22/26 at 10:51 am to Citica8
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.
Posted on 7/22/26 at 11:00 am to Bigdawgb
My daughter plays club soccer and has for years and her Middle School Team will be trying to defend their State Title from last season this Fall. I train with her a couple days a week at the athletic fields near our house. It's something to do to stay in shape but it's freaking exhausting. The High School team she'll join next year is Nationally ranked and should be very good the next several years.
This post was edited on 7/22/26 at 11:06 am
Posted on 7/22/26 at 11:08 am to saderade
quote:I’d get through a season playing weekly before committing to multiple games a week, spend that time messing around with a ball.
the biggest thing is I think you just need to play more than once a week
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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