Once you’ve mastered the basic skills of juggling a soccer ball, there is no end to where you stop or how long you carry on juggling. However, juggling non-stop is a lot easier in theory than it is in practice. So, after spending many years juggling a soccer ball, let me show you how to keep going for a long time.
To juggle a soccer ball for a long time, you need to practice juggling every day for at least a month. During this time, you should focus on increasing your stamina and improving your control of the ball. You also need to be comfortable juggling with all parts of your body.
Increasing the length of time you can juggle a soccer ball will make you a better all-around soccer player.
Here are my top tips on how to juggle for a long time.
Tip 1: Check You Are Using the Correct Technique
The first step to increasing the length of time you can juggle a soccer ball is to ensure you are using the correct technique.
So many times, I’ve seen people frustrated that they can’t keep a ball up for longer. But when I look at what they are doing, it quickly becomes apparent that they have a problem on a basic level.
Their technique is wrong.
Thankfully this can be fixed.
Even if you feel you’ve mastered the basics of juggling a ball, I would encourage you to go back one more time and check you are using the best technique.
Doing this can potentially save you hours of frustration.
The beginning of the video below gives you a great example of using the correct technique and why it’s so important.
If you need more advice, check out my Beginners guide to juggling a soccer ball: Step-by-Step.
Once you are confident you are using the correct technique, your journey to being able to juggle for a long time will be much shorter and quicker!
Tip 2: Practice Juggling the Ball Everyday
The next tip is to make sure you practice juggling a soccer ball every day.
Now, I know this type of advice can seem really obvious and unoriginal, but the reality is that doing this is super important!
It can be easy to forget or to skip a day because you want a break, but the discipline of practicing every day will help you reach your goal so much quicker.
If you find this boring, I recommend attempting a different juggling drill each day.
As an example of this, you may want to follow the 7-day plan below.
| Day of the Week | Juggling Drill |
| Sunday | Feet only |
| Monday | Knees/thighs only |
| Tuesday | Head only |
| Wednesday | Feet and knees combined |
| Thursday | Feet and head combined |
| Friday | Focus on juggling tricks |
| Saturday | Any part of the body permitted |
You can repeat this plan as often as you like or adapt it to your own needs.
Even if it’s only for 5 minutes, I would encourage you to make practicing a priority.
Tip 3: Work on Soccer Drills That Improve Your First Touch
Another aspect of learning how to juggle for a long time that many people don’t consider is focusing on soccer drills to improve your first touch of the ball.
First touch in soccer is such an essential aspect of playing well.
Practicing juggling a ball will improve your first touch in the same way that improving your first touch will enhance your ability to juggle a soccer ball. For more reasons why juggling a ball is so important, check out my article – 5 Surprising Benefits of Juggling a Soccer Ball.
My favorite drill for improving first touch is the box drill. It’s simple yet really helps players improve quickly.
You can see it used at the beginning of this video below. And if you want more first touch drill options, check out the others on the video.
I recommend working on a first touch drill at least once a week, but more is better if possible.
Tip 4: Increase Your Level of Physical Fitness
Another vital area that can improve your ability to juggle the ball for a long time is increasing your fitness levels.
I’ve written about this recently in my articles – How to Get in Shape for Soccer and How to Get in Shape for Soccer FAST!
When you are attempting to do anything for a long time, increasing your stamina will be critical.
The longer you juggle a soccer ball, the more tired you will become. Your legs will struggle the most with this.
If you can spend time each week working on your fitness alongside your ball control skills, you will reach your goal of juggling a ball for a long time so much sooner.
This is one of the reasons I created the 30-Day Soccer Fitness Guide.
I created this daily, step-by-step fitness program specifically to help soccer players like you get fit or boost their fitness levels.
The program is formed around a HIIT-based workout program, which is precisely what the professionals use.
In just one month, you could see your fitness levels exponentially increase and significantly increase your impact during a soccer game.
This will also increase your ability to juggle a soccer ball continuously.
No one ever regretted become a fitter soccer player!
Tip 5: Ask Someone to Watch You and Give Feedback
This last tip is a really effective step that many people don’t even consider.
Having a friend or a coach watch you juggling the ball and then providing feedback on what you are doing well and not doing so well can really open your eyes to areas you can improve.
It’s easy to become hyper-focused on one area of development that we are working on and forget about the bigger picture.
Having someone else look over what you are doing allows them to observe your overall performance and potentially notice things you haven’t.
One word of caution here is to make sure you ask someone you trust and who knows what they are talking about.
It may be easier to ask your neighbor their opinion, but if they are not experienced in juggling a ball, they may end up giving you unhelpful advice. You don’t want to risk anything that will set you back.
For more helpful soccer advice check out one of my related articles:
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