Individual Soccer Training: “3 powerful tactics that motivated me to train x2 / day for the last 6 weeks”
If you want to overcome laziness, are tired of neglecting your potential, know you can and should be more productive with your days, and want to improve your individual soccer training…
If you know you should practice more often but constantly find yourself making excuses, procrastinating, and wasting time…
This post is for you.
If you read this entire article (LIKE and SHARE) you will be more likely to:
1) increase the quality of your individual soccer training
2) increase the consistency of your individual soccer training
In this article you will also learn how to:
- improve more in the next 7 days than you did in the last 30
- learn 3 methods to easily increase self-motivation
- set the foundation for long-term soccer (football) success
- perform better in your next game
- and become addicted to individual training so it becomes something you “want to do” instead of something you “have to do”
MY INDIVIDUAL SOCCER TRAINING STRUGGLE
Personally…
I’ve struggled with laziness and procrastination in the past.
It’s not something that’s easy to admit when you’re supposed to be a motivational soccer (football) YouTuber.
However…
It’s important for you to see, that I am just like you.
I know how it feels: You want to become better, perform well, and succeed at your upcoming opportunities. Yet, for some reason you find yourself sitting on the couch, watching TV, and messing around on your phone.
You feel disgusted about wasting your time but for some reason you rationalize to yourself that it’s okay to take 1 more day off and get started “tomorrow”.
But guess what…
Tomorrow never comes.
It’s all about what you do TODAY.
After a few helpful changes (that I’ll share with you in this article)…
I wake up at 5:00am every morning with excitement because I know that I’m moving closer to my goals. I train multiple times each day, continuously improve, and have no desire to take a “break” from training, playing, or moving forward.
Just like I’ve overcome these career crushing bad habits, you can do the same.
In fact, you must do the same (please, make the commitment right now) if you want to become a top level player and achieve your desired goals.
Trust me.
Once you do what I’m about to share with you…
It will feel amazing and you’ll never want to go back to your old ways.
Why YOU Need Individual Soccer Training
I don’t have to tell you that in order to become a better player and perform well on game day, you have to practice. You already know this.
Team practices are extremely important and you need to gain as much real-match experience as possible.
However…
There is no replacement for the amount of personal growth you get out of individual soccer training sessions. You can use 100% of the practice time to focus on yourself.
The big problem is:
It requires self-motivation and discipline to practice on your own. When there is no coach or expectation from someone else, we often let ourselves down.
Before I give you 3 ideas on how to increase your commitment to training, I want you to understand a very important concept that might change everything for you (without using the 3 tactics):
If you don’t want to practice,
you don’t deserve to perform.
And you definitely don’t deserve to win.
*You can purchase this motivational poster here: Soccer Training Motivation
Success is not given on game day.
Trophies are not awarded after the big match.
These rewards are earned in practice.
In your individual soccer training sessions, when no one else is watching.
So if you truly want to win…
You should want to practice.
Otherwise, you’re just lying to yourself (you don’t really want to win that bad).
If you lose a game, have a bad performance, or fail at an opportunity and you know you didn’t practice as much as you should have. You don’t even deserve to be upset. You haven’t earned the right to be upset.
What did you expect was going to happen when you sat on the couch day after day, while your opportunity came closer and closer?
The better (more consistent and higher quality) your individual soccer training, the more you increase your chances of winning, performing well, and achieving your goals.
With that in mind, here is some more:
SOCCER TRAINING MOTIVATION
Here are 3 powerful tactics that motivated me to train x2 / day for the last 6 weeks:
Individual Soccer Training Tips #1 | Progressive Soccer
1) GET MOTIVATED
What is your reason?
I always talk about the importance of goal setting. Especially, short-term goals (within 1 month – even better 1 week). When you have an important opportunity on the calendar, you will be more motivated to train because you know you have a deadline to get into the best form possible.
If you don’t have clear set goals, you will have no real reason to train.
Think about the future and what opportunities there within the next 3 months. Do you have a game on the weekend? tournament? tryout? practice with a new team? opportunity to play against an old coach? or impress a new one?
Make a list of your short-term goals and keep them visible: on your phone home screen, computer background, on the fridge, bedroom wall, bathroom mirror, etc.
This will keep you motivated and more likely to train.
Individual Soccer Training Tips #2 | Progressive Soccer
2) REMEMBER YOUR PAST EXPERIENCES
We either run from pain or towards pleasure. You’ve probably experienced both in your past. You want to use those experiences to your advantage.
For example:
Last week, I played my first match after a few months off (because I was traveling / coaching across Canada). I scored 2 goals, we won the game 2-0, and everyone was thankful to have me back. They told me how sharp I looked (because I had been training using these methods). They thanked me for coming back to the team and helping them win. It felt amazing.
I’m not telling you that to brag.
I’m telling you that to explain the “experience”.
I will always remember that feeling and I can use that experience, when I need motivation to train. I want to feel those emotions again, therefore I must continue with my training. I cannot become complacent otherwise I may miss the opportunity to feel that way again.
You can also use negative past experiences to your advantage.
Think about a time you underperformed, made a horrible mistake, were criticized by your coach, benched, ridiculed, or made fun of. Or a time when you felt out of shape, slow, stupid, not good enough, and behind the pace of the game. Think about a time when you know you were not at your best and could have done better (if only you had prepared and practiced more on your own).
How did that feel?
Do you want to feel that again?
Because, guess what…
If you continue with your lazy training habits, procrastination, and excuses – you will.
Unless, you use that past experience as motivation to increase the quantity, quality, frequency, and consistency of your individual soccer training.
Individual Soccer Training Tips #3 | Progressive Soccer
3) RIDE THE MOMENTUM
Momentum is a powerful thing and it can either work for you or against you. The lazier you are, the less you train, the more days you take off – the harder it becomes to change your ways and get back to positive productive days.
On the contrary…
The more productive you are, more often you train, and more days (in a row) you consistently train – these easier it becomes for you to keep going.
You won’t have to motivate yourself as much, your actions will become habits, and you will want to keep going because you feel so good.
If you’re in a good place, your training and playing well, don’t let yourself stop. This is the most important time to keep going. If you get complacent (think you’re “good enough”) and stop doing what got you to success in the first place, you risk losing everything you worked for.
Use the positive momentum and keep pushing forward.
If you’re in a bad place, realize that you just have to take it one day at a time. One training session at a time. One decision at a time. And eventually, you will start to build that positive momentum which will get you back to where you need to be.
Use these 3 tactics to increase your training consistency, self-motivation, and success:
- Get motivated.
- Remember past experiences.
- Ride the momentum.
and put them into positive action with these three:
ACTION STEPS
- set a list of short-term goals
– under 3 months all the way down to this week
– and make them visible (put on phone, wall, etc) - create a individual soccer training plan for yourself
– what are you going to do over the next 7 days?
– it’s good to have motivation but what is your action? - ride the momentum
– I challenge you to stick with your plan for the next 7 days
– talk is cheap: let’s see what you can do
Focus on these next 7 days (realistically just focus on executing tomorrow – 1 day at a time). Once you do that and experience how good being consistent with your training feels (you may be motivated to go for 365).
*individual soccer training consistency does not mean going 100% all out every single day. You need to learn to listen to your body and work around your playing schedule. Some days will be harder than others but consistency is about finding someway to move forward everyday (no going backwards).
Please LIKE and SHARE this article on social media so we can inspire more players to improve faster and achieve more.
WHAT ELSE CAN I DO?
If you want to play at a higher level or become a professional soccer player. Don’t let other people who gave up on their dreams, talk you out of going after yours.
Whether you make it or not…
You will never regret trying.
This is the best program I have for improving your skills as fast as possible in a small space at home, with only 12 minutes per day.
The Five Star Footwork Formula
Dylan Tooby
Progressive Soccer
Thank you for reading this article: Individual Soccer training | 3 powerful tactics that motivated me to train x2 / day for the last 6 weeks
If you found it valuable, please LIKE and SHARE on social media. Comment below if you have any questions or advice to help others stay motivated with their individual soccer training.
