Playing soccer is a thrilling activity and any player would agree that they enjoy the time spent on the field. However, we all know that training can get a bit rough sometimes. Doing the same exercises every time sometimes becomes stale and boring. That’s where the soccer challenges come in.
You can hone your skills while reducing all those dull repetitive drills. You’ll have fun while still putting in the necessary work to improve your playstyle. So, what are the examples of some interesting soccer challenges for you to try out?
1# The Reverse Goal Challenge
It may sound hard to pull off but don’t get discouraged.
In this challenge, your starting position is behind the goal’s net at a reasonable distance. Kick the ball over the goal with some added backspin. For this exercise to be successful, the ball should bounce back into the net after flying over the goal and hitting the ground.
It’s a real hurdle to achieve this at first, but it’ll be a fun drill for improving your spin skills.
2# One Hundred Points Crossbar Challenge
This soccer challenge is all about precision. The crossbar is worth 10 points and the posts are worth 5 each.
Your goal is to hit them enough times to collect one hundred points. Place the ball at approximately 30 yards (a bit more than 25 meters) away from the goal and you are good to start shooting. You can mix things up and try hitting a moving ball to increase the challenge’s difficulty.
Kicking a stationary ball will help with improving your free kick skills. However, during open play, there won’t be many opportunities when the ball is staying completely still. It’s good to get used to striking a moving ball. Doing this challenge should help you to increase your precision and pin-point shooting and passing. It can be very beneficial in a game where a couple of inches make the difference between scoring and getting stopped.
3# Straight as a Line Challenge
This one is a simple precision challenge. Just place the ball on one of the playing field lines. Try to pass the ball along the line without it straying off. The aim is to kick the ball as far as you can.
This drill is meant to increase your passing accuracy. Once you’re able to cover large distances with this method your in-game passing should be a breeze.
Always take into account that the ball is always moving when you play a real game. Try to give it a small push and then repeat the same challenge.
4# “Is This Basketball?” Challenge
There are no goal nets in this exercise, what’s up with that?
In this challenge, you’ll need a simple trash can that’s larger than the size of a soccer ball. Place it around 50 yards (45 meters) away and try to send the ball inside.
It’s a humongous task but, at the same time, it’s a very fun one. You’ll feel an immense sense of satisfaction once you manage to put one ball inside.
Of course, there are some training benefits from doing this as you’re going to see an increase in your crossing precision. For extra difficulty, you can try to fling the ball inside while running with it.
5# Around the World Challenge
You can keep it simple with this one. Similar to the NBA three-point shooting contest, you go around the goal and keep shooting from different positions.
There are six areas around the box from which you must score. The spots are at an equal distance from each other. Two of these positions should be at an almost impossible angle – from the side of the goal near the outside bounds. You’ll need to use some spin to score from there.
This exercise is meant to improve your free kick skills and increase your shooting accuracy.
6# Soccer Ball Is Too Big for Me Challenge
If you want to increase your ball control and touch, this is the perfect soccer challenge for you.
Take a tennis ball and start juggling it with your legs. It can be very tricky at first, but after some time you’ll get used to it.
It’s small and jumpy. When you master how to control it, dealing with the regular soccer ball should be easier for you as you’ll get used to much larger touch problems while playing with a tennis ball.
You can help yourself by catching the ball with your hands until you feel comfortable enough to just use your legs.
Keep the track of how many times you managed to kick the tennis ball without dropping it. Once you go over one hundred hits, you can consider yourself to be a master juggler.
7# Golf Without The Golf Clubs Challenge
Yet another challenge that’s meant to increase your passing accuracy.
Place the ball in one corner of the field. The aim of this drill to get the ball in the diagonally opposite corner of the pitch. You should do this in as few tries as possible. Doing it in three kicks should be manageable for everyone, so aiming for at least two should be your goal.
This will help you to increase the accuracy of your long-distance ground passes and long balls. Also, try to make the ball as quick as possible without it leaving the field’s bounds.
8# The Long Shot Challenge
This soccer challenge is similar to the previous shooting challenges that were mentioned. The key difference is that we’re dealing with long shots here. It’s also known as “driving” the ball.
Again, place the ball at around 30 yards (25 meters) away from the goal. For the challenge to be successful, you need to shoot the ball as hard as you can and score without it touching the ground, crossbar, or the posts.
This will help you to develop your shooting skills. Hit the crossbar challenge should increase your shooting accuracy, while this exercise makes sure that the ball has enough power behind it to end up in the net. Combining them should help you to acquire a true shooter’s instinct.
Final thought
This was a list of soccer challenges that you can do on your own without relying on the help of a third person.
Hopefully, they will help you improve your soccer skills while having fun at the same time.
If you have some other challenge that is helping you feel free to share it in the comments below.
