Three Ways Your Child Can Improve in Soccer Outside of Team Training
As a parent, it's important to remember that your child's development doesn't begin and end at practice. Just as students often separate themselves through the work they put in outside the classroom, young soccer players distinguish themselves through what they do away from the training ground.
The players who make the greatest strides are those who become students of the game—watching soccer, learning about it, training on their own, and developing a genuine passion for the sport. While team practices and games are critical, they often only account for a few hours each week. What a player does during the other 160+ hours can make a significant difference in their development.
The good news is that helping your child improve doesn't require expensive equipment, private lessons, or countless hours of additional training. Here are three simple but highly effective ways your child can continue to grow as a player outside of team training.
1. Watch Soccer Live or on Television
One of the easiest ways for young players to improve is simply by watching the game.
Whether it's attending a local match, watching a professional game on television, or following highlights online, exposure to high-level soccer helps players develop a deeper understanding of the sport. Young players naturally begin to study movement, positioning, decision-making, and teamwork without even realizing it.
Watching soccer also helps children identify role models they can look up to and emulate. Whether it's Christian Pulisic, Trinity Rodman, Lionel Messi, or another favorite player, role models can inspire children to work harder and dream bigger.
Most importantly, watching the game helps develop soccer intelligence. Players begin to recognize patterns, understand spacing, anticipate plays, and make better decisions when they are on the field themselves. Many coaches would argue that soccer intelligence is just as important—if not more important—than physical and technical ability. A player who understands the game can often outperform a more athletic player who does not.
As a parent, you don't need to analyze every match with your child. Simply exposing them to the game and encouraging conversations about what they see can go a long way.
2. Train at Home
There is no substitute for touches on the ball.
The best players in the world are comfortable with the ball because they have spent thousands of hours interacting with it. Team practices alone rarely provide enough repetitions for players to maximize their technical development. That's why individual training at home is so valuable.
Fortunately, home training doesn't need to be complicated. Passing against a wall, using a rebound board, juggling, dribbling through cones, or simply spending time moving with the ball can all dramatically improve a player's confidence and technical ability.
Juggling, in particular, is one of the best exercises for developing touch, coordination, balance, and concentration. Likewise, repetitive passing exercises help players become more comfortable receiving and playing the ball with both feet.
Technology has also made at-home training more engaging than ever. Training platforms and products such as SogilityGO can guide players through structured exercises, provide objective feedback, and help keep them motivated. By creating a fun and engaging training environment at home, players are more likely to build consistent habits that lead to long-term improvement.
Even 15 to 20 minutes of focused training a few times each week can make a noticeable difference over time.
3. Play in Informal Settings
Some of the greatest soccer players in the world developed their creativity and confidence through informal play.
While organized training is important, there is something special about playing without coaches, standings, or pressure. Informal soccer encourages players to experiment, solve problems on their own, and develop creativity that often cannot be taught in a structured environment.
Whether it's a game in the backyard, at a local park, on a school playground, or in a neighborhood cul-de-sac, these unstructured environments provide valuable learning opportunities. Small-sided games such as 1v1, 2v2, 3v3, and 5v5 are especially beneficial because players get significantly more touches on the ball and are constantly involved in the action.
These formats also help players improve their ability to control the ball in tight spaces, make quick decisions, and develop confidence when facing defenders. In many cases, players will touch the ball more in a 20-minute 3v3 game than they would during an entire 11v11 match.
Futsal, street soccer, and pickup games offer many of the same benefits and have played a major role in the development of countless professional players around the world.
Development Happens Beyond Practice
While coaches and teams play an important role in a player's journey, some of the most meaningful development happens outside of organized training sessions.
By encouraging your child to watch soccer, spend time training at home, and play in informal environments, you can help them develop not only their technical abilities, but also their understanding of the game and passion for it.
At the end of the day, the players who improve the most are often the ones who simply spend the most time around the game. The more soccer becomes part of a child's daily life, the greater the opportunity for growth, confidence, and long-term success.