In football (soccer), being too dependent on a stronger foot can be a major weakness, especially in situations that would require you to use your weaker foot. Whether it’s a shooting chance or a last-gasp clearance. If you need to improve your weaker foot quickly, you may want to practice these soccer drills every day (or at least once every 2 days) over the period of several weeks. By then, your weaker foot should be able to cope with most high-intensity soccer drills like shooting, passing, dribbling etc.
The video below will help you train and improve your weaker foot in soccer in just 1 day!
These soccer drills aim to improve on your touches, control, and balances.
Drill #1: Warming-Up
Start with a short 2-minute jog. Continue with simple leg and lower body stretches, concentrating on your ankles, calves, knees, and hips to maximize performance and prevent any injuries during practice.
Drill #2: Juggling with your weaker foot
Find an open space, throw the ball at waist height and let it bounce. Then kick it up using the laces of your foot. Repeat this for roughly 5 minutes and then increase it to 10 minutes and so on. To start, let the ball bounce, it’s easier and gives you more confidence. As you progress, try not letting the ball bounce on the ground.
Drill #3: Weaker Foot – ball control
Touch the soccer ball lightly with the outstep/outside sole of your weaker foot and then quickly change to your instep / inside sole of your weaker foot and vice versa. This is similar to doing a flip flap or elastico but at a slower pace. Practice for as long as you can, building rhythm along with speed with the ball.
SKLZ Free Solo Soccer Trainer: Improve your ball control with better technique. More touches as you improve passing and dribbling. An adjustable cord that stretches up to 18 ft. means no more chasing the ball. Giving you more time and more repetitions working on your weaker foot. Fits sizes 3, 4, and 5.
Drill #4: Trapping the ball with your weaker foot
The simplest way you can do this is by throwing the soccer ball upwards and trap it by letting the ball fall on your toe part of the foot. The first few times you do this might cause the ball to simply bounce off your weaker foot, try to trap the ball using a softer first touch. In other words, try not to ‘stiffen’ your feet/legs too much when the ball is about to make contact with it.
As you progress, you can improve this drill by throwing the ball against a wall and trapping / controlling it with your weaker foot as it bounces back towards you. After each successful trap, throw the ball with increased intensity and attempt to control it with a single first touch with your weaker foot as it bounces back towards you.
Drill #5: Passing with your weaker foot
Find a wall, maybe in your room or even outside. Pass the ball against the wall by using the inside sole of your weaker foot and outside sole of the same weaker foot depending on your preference. To make it interesting, build a rhythm in your passing by increasing its speed which greatly improves ball trapping and passing skills relatively quickly. As you progress, try to pass and trap the ball in a single fluid motion, making no more than 2 touches at the most for each time you pass it to the wall. Throughout this drill, try to aim your pass towards a specific target area on the wall in order to improve the accuracy of your pass. If the wall is far away from you, attempt a lobbed/chipped pass with your weaker foot.
Drill #6: Shooting
Perhaps the hardest part when it comes to improving your weaker foot, proper shooting could make a difference, especially in a match where a goal could mean winning or losing. Generating power and accuracy when shooting with your weaker foot can be quite a challenge. We recommend that you complete drills #1 to #5 before attempting this drill in order to be sure that your weaker foot is ready for a higher intensity drill.
For this drill, find an open space and make sure there aren’t any breakable objects or people near your target. Designate a target such as a goal post, cone or even a mark on the wall. Aim to hit the target with your shot. Attempt to do a lace shot as powerful as possible, but try to also keep it as accurate as possible, aiming for your designated target.
Improve your weaker foot
Apply these six soccer drills in any order (except for drill #6) at any time you like. Keep practicing consistently and you’ll benefit from the results and improve your weaker foot, possibly eliminate the idea of a weaker foot!
Want more ways to train your weaker foot? View Soccer Training: Weaker Foot Drills
