Why is Balance & Coordination Important?

Anytime Soccer Training has thousands of training sessions that are designed to either directly or indirectly improve balance and coordination.  But why do we invest so much time in this area?

It’s because balance and coordination are essential to perform almost every activity in soccer.

Every movement in soccer requires constant and quick changes between your feet. 

So whether it’s, dribbling, passing, defending, changing direction, or finishing; the better your balance and coordination the better you will be able to perform.

Below we share a few simple drills that you can do at home to improve balance, coordination, fitness, and ball control.

Injury Prevention

Also, a study published by Pediatrics, found that from 1990 through 2014, the number of soccer-related injuries treated in hospital emergency departments in the U.S. each year increased by 78 percent, and the yearly rate of injuries increased by 111 percent among youth 7-17 years of age.

Not only does balance and coordination training improve reaction times, but it also strengthens stabilizing muscles, tendons, and ligaments which leads to injury prevention.

A tendon serves to move the bone or structure. A ligament is a fibrous connective tissue that attaches bone to bone and usually serves to hold structures together and keep them stable. Read More

Defining Balance & Coordination?

In the context of sports, balance is the ability to stay upright or stay in control of body movement, and coordination is the ability to move two or more body parts under control, smoothly and efficiently. Balance and coordination can be divided into two major categories.

Static vs Dynamic Balance

According to an article published by Shriya Maharaj a Certified Exercise Physiologist,

Static balance is our ability to hold our body in a specific position and posture while dynamic balance is our ability to maintain balance while moving.

In Anytime Soccer Training, our main focus is on improving dynamic balance and coordination while controlling the ball and executing soccer-specific skills.

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Improve Dribbling with this One Drill

The program has thousands of sessions that improve balance and coordination; below are just a few examples.

Thigh Juggling Drill

This is the first juggling drill in Anytime Soccer Training aerial control series. The series has over 500 various aerial control sessions.

Notice that the coach is staying light on his toes and slowly moving his feet.

Beginners tend to struggle combining rhythmic movements with soccer skills.  Parents and coaches should remind the players to keep moving while performing every drill.

Five Star Cross Pattern Dribbling Drill

Set the five cones in a cross pattern.  Start at one cone and dribble weave through each cone.  Dribble for 30 seconds for each interval.

Once you learn the pattern, you should focus on moving quickly while not allowing the ball to touch any cones.

Pro tip: Change the distances between the cones to add variety. Make the distances longer to increase speed and endurance. Make the distances closer to work on close control dribbling and soft touches.

Toe Taps – Stationary

Toe taps are a staple of any beginner ball mastery session. It combines cardio, balance, and coordination within a single drill.  Also, it’s easy for young players to understand which leads to hundreds of touches in a short period of time.

Encourage your players to perform this drill while only barely moving the ball.

Rebounder Passing & Hopping Drill

All you need is a ball and a wall!  Anytime Soccer Training has hundreds of rebounder passing drills.

This video is an example of a passing drill that focuses mainly on improving balance and coordination.

In addition to improving first touch, incorporating dynamic movements such as hopping strengthens the same stabilizing muscles used in injury prevention exercises.

Single-Leg V-Pull with Sole Rolls

This intermediate to advanced ball mastery drill is a great way to improve coordination, balance, and ball control using all parts of the foot.

All you need is a few cones and a tiny bit of space.  However, performing this move may be difficult for beginners.

Therefore, I recommend starting at the beginning of Anytime Soccer Training’s 1,000 Touch Ball Mastery Series.  It has hundreds of similar ball mastery drills that are 100% follow-along and go step-by-step.

Anytime Soccer Training has thousands of training sessions that improve balance, coordination, and ball control.

There is no more guesswork.  Join today for free and take your dribbling to the next level.