How to Juggle Soccer Balls

It is scientifically proven that juggling a soccer ball can increase a player’s neuro-sensitivity and motor skills to a great extent. This step-by-step guide shares all the basic to advanced techniques on how to juggle a soccer ball that you can master easily.  

How to Juggle a Soccer Ball

Juggling a soccer ball is a technique and a skill-centered drill that focuses on improving the leg–eye coordination. It has been observed that juggling has boosted the fundamental football skills of the players and thus, helped them improve their gameplay.

Steps to Juggle a Soccer Ball

• Juggling: Basics To Intermediate 

To Juggle a Soccer Ball to Your Chest Height

1. In the first step, it is vital to keep the toes of your dominant foot facing upward. When the inclination is towards the above rather than facing downward, the ball slips less, and it gets easier to bounce the ball.
2. The next important thing is, don’t keep your foot sloppy or limp. Because when the foot isn’t locked, the ball gets kicked forward or deflects away from the body. So instead of doing that, lock your foot at a certain inclined angle to create several juggles.
3. Make sure that your knees are quite straight and relaxed while juggling. Bending the knees too much while juggling will not work at all.
4. Now, bounce the ball on the ground and kick it up till the height of the chest. Make sure that you don’t have to bend your spine to receive the ball. This will help know how much power one has to put in to juggle their soccer ball high.
5. Practice step 4 at least 10-15 times with your dominant foot. Then repeat the same with your non-dominant foot. 

To Juggle a Soccer Ball at a Lower Height

1. Take your balls in your hand bounce them on the ground once again.
2. Then after that, keep knocking the ball upwards and keep it bouncing at its place. 
3. Make sure that the ball remains at a low height, say below the waistline.
4. Let the ball bounce and tap the ground before you kick it once again.
5. Repeat the above steps 20-25 times with your dominant foot. Then do the same with your non-dominant foot.
6. After getting a grip on juggling a ball at a lower height, try to add motion to it. For that, take few steps forward while juggling the ball. Then take few steps backward and repeat the same.
7. Repeat the same technique in step 6 with your non-dominant foot.

Steps to Juggle a Ball Between The Alternating Feet

Now, you have learned the two basic juggling techniques. It’s time to go beyond basics. In this drill, you have to juggle the ball between your feet. To do this,

1. Grab your soccer ball and tap it on the ground to get a bounce.
2. Now, kick the ball at a low height (below your waistline) with your dominant foot.
3. Let the ball tap on the ground before you kick it once again.
4. Once the ball taps on the ground, kick it again, but this time with your non-dominant foot.
5. Repeat this cycle 20-25 times. Once you get the grip over the technique, double the speed and repeat the steps once again.

If you want to juggle as a pro player, follow out the second half steps, which is juggling: intermediate to advance.

• Juggling: Intermediate to Advanced

Steps to Juggle a Ball Two Times With The Same Foot

1. Take your balls in your hand bounce them on the ground once again.
2. Then after that, keep knocking the ball upwards and keep it bouncing at its place. 
3. Make sure that the ball remains at a low height, say below the waistline.
4. Let the ball bounce and tap the ground after juggling or knocking the ball upwards twice.
5. Repeat the above steps 20-25 times with your dominant foot. Then do the same with your non-dominant foot.
6. After getting a grip on juggling a ball at a lower height, try to add motion to it. For that, take few steps forward while juggling the ball. Then take few steps backward and repeat the same.
7. Repeat the same technique in step 6 with your non-dominant foot.

Step to Juggle a Ball Between The Alternating Feet Twice

1. Grab your soccer ball and tap it on the ground to get a bounce.

2. Now, kick the ball at a low height (below your waistline) with your dominant foot.

3. Kick the ball twice before it touches the ground and bounces off.

4. After two kicks, let the ball tap and bounce on the ground.

5. Once the ball taps on the ground, kick it again, but this time with your non-dominant foot.
6. Repeat this cycle 20-25 times. Once you get the grip over the technique, double the speed and repeat the steps once again.

Steps to Juggle Using ‘Around The World’ Technique

Here a player rolls a ball through their leg and balances it right back on his foot. This may feel very hard to learn. If so, you can master this technique by following these few steps like any other pro player. To begin with,

1. Take your soccer ball and tap it on the ground to get a bounce.
2. Before the ball touches the ground, try to make a complete revolution around the ball. Make sure you don’t contact the ball while making a revolution.
3. Once your revolution gets neat, it’s time to juggle it.
4. To juggle the ball, it is crucial to keep the toes of your dominant foot facing upward. When the inclination is towards the above rather than facing downward, the ball slips less, and it gets easier to bounce the ball.
5. Don’t forget to lock your foot at its place before you juggle it.
6. Kick the ball upwards and roll your leg once.
7. Repeat the same steps with your non-dominant leg.

Here is a detailed video that neatly demonstrates how you can roll the ball by your leg and master the around the world technique in just three steps.

Conclusion

Juggling a ball is more of an art. You can combine various things like chest busting, head rolling, and whatnot to juggle your ball. The more you will discover, the more fun it will be.

So don’t just stick to the basic juggling techniques. Try out new combinations one at a time and juggle your soccer ball like an expert.