How to Get Better at Football: Tips and Game Changing Advice
If you are reading this blog, then that means you are looking for tips on how to get better at soccer, whether that is to improve your performance, recovery, or anything else that impacts performance. I’ve played soccer ever since I can remember and at various levels of the U.S. soccer pyramid.
I also graduated from San Jose State University with a degree in Kinesiology: rehab science, and I am a Certified Personal Trainer and soccer coach. One of my goals with The Art of Football is to share the training knowledge that has helped me become a better player, through smart and consistent training.
With my experience and knowledge, I know that if you continue reading, you will find new training tips that you can start implementing today to improve your performance, whether you are a youth, amateur, or professional player. But before I begin explaining how to get better at football, I want to talk about the “red pill” concept.
The Red Pill vs the Blue Pill
The “red pill” concept is a metaphorical term from the movie The Matrix. In the film, the protagonist, Neo, is offered a choice between blue and red. The blue pill represents staying in the simulated reality, a comfortable illusion, while the red pill represents facing the harsh realities and truth of the real world.
We live in a world where players have access to so much information about various topics related to health and training that it is often hard to know what information works and what doesn’t. Many players are stuck in a “blue pill,” meaning they have a false perception of elite performance and proper health because of all the information out there.
My goal with this blog is to give you the “red pill” you need to improve at football. Long story short, the “red pill” is to play the game and its variations a lot, play other sports, and prioritize improving every aspect of performance and recovery by working with nature.
Too many players focus on the wrong things, and they waste valuable time when, in reality, working with nature is the best and most logical way to improve health and performance on and off the field.
Learn Through Experience
In soccer, and in anything in life, the absolute best way to improve at something is to do that thing a lot and consistently to gain experience because experience is by far the best teacher.
As a footballer, you want to train in a way that best resembles a real match and puts you in realistic scenarios. This is best done by consistently playing the game and its variations as well as by learning through experience, whether that is through team training, pick-up games, small-sided games, futsal, beach soccer, soccer tennis, soccer ping pong, or any other variation of the game.
If you are serious about getting better, especially if you are a youth player, you should be in a team environment because that is absolutely the best way to improve. You will be competing consistently against other players, you can learn from your teammates, and you can receive feedback from coaches.
If you want to get better, but you’re not a serious player who wants to train with a team then it is very important to be playing pickup and small-sided leagues and using that as your main form of training.
If you are looking for a team. your goal should be to join the best team in your area, become the best or one of the best in that team, and aim to play for a better team every season. This way, you expose yourself to higher quality players and coaches, which will help you become better faster.
Find your Talent
Every single player has a different talent that is unique to them based on their playing style and physical and mental attributes. Some players are naturally gifted dribblers, others have a keen eye for passing, and some are amazing goal scorers.
Your job is to experiment, reflect, and observe what you do best on the field—and then double down on it. To find your talent, play as much as possible in different roles, different systems, and against different levels of competition.
Ask your coaches and teammates for feedback. Record your games and training sessions to see what you’re doing well. Once you start to notice patterns in your game—where you’re consistently effective or impactful—you can begin building your game around that core strength.
Although you need a strong base in all skills of the game, it is very important to discover what makes you stand out, sharpen it like a weapon, and let it become your trademark on the field.
Develop a Strong Mindset
The next thing that you need to develop besides talent is a strong mindset. To succeed in soccer, your mentality needs to be as sharp as your skills. A strong mindset helps you stay focused, motivated, and resilient—especially during tough times.
Start by setting clear goals, both short-term (like improving your weak foot) and long-term (like making a top-level team). Track your progress simply—whether it’s through a journal, a notes app, or a whiteboard. Staying consistent and aware of your growth keeps you locked in.
More importantly, train your mind like you train your body. The players who stay mentally strong are the ones who rise, even when things get hard.
- Meditate
- Visualize success
- Practice positive self-talk
- Focus on effort, not just outcomes
Train Smarter, Not Harder
On the Field
Apart from team training and playing other variations of the game, players should also do extra work individually when it’s appropriate and makes sense. For example, you should never sacrifice individual training for team training; however, if there is a week when you don’t train as much with your team, then an extra individual training session can be beneficial.
When doing an individual training session, knowing how to train is essential. You want to be training in a way that best replicates the unpredictability of an actual match, allowing you to get into a flow state, such as by using our top-rated soccer drills. These are some of our other tips to use when training individually:
- Learn to have fun during your training – training should not be something you have to do; it should be something you want to do
- Spend time training barefoot and work up to playing barefoot on concrete without pain or discomfort.
- Train with a wall or soccer rebounder
- Train at game speed with maximum effort.
- Include a proper warm-up and include fascia training exercises.
- Focus on simple drills that focus on the basics of the game, but perform with high focus and mindfulness.
- Cross-training, which means playing other sports, can also indirectly help you become a better soccer player because it can make you more athletic and coordinated and familiarize you with movement patterns that don’t occur in soccer.
Off the field
Most soccer players think that training only occurs when they are physically on the soccer field with the ball. However, that is not a good mindset, and you should always be “training” every aspect of life that impacts health and performance from the minute you wake up to the minute you go to sleep.
To get the most out of your valuable time, you have to train smarter, not necessarily harder, although working hard is already a given and something that all players should be doing. Training smarter means taking care of all other aspects of your life that impact your health and performance, including:
Improve your Athleticism and Breathing Mechanics
The best way to develop athleticism as a soccer player is to play the game often, spend time barefoot, play many sports, improve your breathing mechanics, and train in a way that optimizes your fascia system.
As a soccer player, you want to focus on training the quality of your fascia, which is the connective tissue that covers your entire body and stores the elastic energy required for running, kicking, and every other skill you perform on the soccer field. Your goal as a soccer player should be to become a more fascia-driven athlete, which all top athletes already are consciously or subconsciously.
Along with improving your athleticism comes improving your breathing mechanics because your movement and breath are directly linked together. Learning how to breathe efficiently—especially through your nose and diaphragm—can help you move more fluidly, stay calm under pressure, recover faster, and perform at a higher level for longer periods.
Master the Basics
Soccer is a simple game that should be played in a simple manner, even at the highest level, but playing simple is not as easy as it sounds. Playing simple, along with speed, efficiency, and consistency, is one of the hardest things in soccer, but it can make all the difference.
To understand the basics of the game means to understand the following:
- The rules of the game
- The common soccer terms
- The different positions, formations, and tactics
- Basic soccer skills including
- Technical Skills
- Ball control
- Being able to escape tight spaces
- Passing skills short-range passing, long-range passing, curving the ball
- Be able to pass and control the ball properly with both feet (dominant and non-dominant foot)
- Dribbling Skills
- Shooting Skills
- Stamina and Endurance
- Awareness
- Decision making
- Composure
- Creativity
- Speed of play
- Game IQ
Analyze Soccer Games and Learn More About the Game
One of the fastest ways to level up your game is by analyzing soccer games—both professional matches and your own team’s games. Watching elite players closely can teach you a lot because they’ve already mastered the skills, movements, and decision-making you’re working toward.
On the other hand, analyzing your own games, by using a soccer camera to record them, helps you identify your strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement that you might not notice in the moment. When you take the time to break down film—whether it’s positioning, decision-making, movement off the ball, or communication—you give yourself a huge advantage by turning experience into growth.
Besides analyzing games, these are some other ways that you can learn from professional soccer players.
- Read books about your favorite teams and players.
- Listen to soccer podcasts and interviews.
- Watch soccer documentaries, movies, TV shows, and even some anime, such as Ao Ashi.
Summary
In this blog, I covered everything you need to know about how to get better at soccer fast. If you are a serious player and you want to improve your soccer skills, then your main form of training should be playing the game or variations of the game as much as possible. Ideally, you should attend team practice at least 2-3 times a week.
Playing the game as much as possible will allow you to learn through experience and from coaches and will help you improve all of the essential soccer skills needed for the game. We also shared many tips on how to optimize your time off the field to make sure you are training every aspect of your life that affects your athleticism, performance, recovery, and overall health.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you Improve your football skills alone?
Yes, you can, but not to the extent you would if you played outside against real opponents. Nothing that happens on a football pitch, futsal court, or indoors can be replicated with a drill. If you must train alone, use a wall, train barefoot, and use the max intent principle.
How can I begin improving my soccer skills right now?
To begin improving your soccer skills right now, check out our post on the best soccer training drills. If you are looking to accelerate your progress, contact us or sign an interest form for our private training program.
