All dressed up with its new team clothes; the player juggles a soccer ball. We’ve witnessed players lose control of the ball and fall, and we’ve seen some magical presentations.

Some think that the ability to juggle is essential, but why is juggling important in soccer?

Juggling a soccer ball enhances the player’s ball control, first touch, passing, balance, and coordination. It can even affect its confidence.

To forwards, an oriented ball control inside the penalty area it’s half a goal. For defenders, poor ball control in their own box might be a disaster.   

Juggling a soccer ball is not only very entertaining but also highly beneficial for a footballer. By doing it, our body gets used to the ball, to its weight, to the way it bounces.

It’s a simple exercise that helps to increase body balance, coordination, and timing. While playing the game, juggling won’t be a good help, it can even be interpreted as mockery by the rival, but the effects of juggling will be of enormous help during a soccer match. 

Why is juggling important in soccer?

In soccer, with some counted-with-the-fingers-of-a-hand exception, those who practice a team game have more chances of winning than those who bet all they got into one player. 

A good team game approach demands high-quality passing, good reception of the ball, and a lot of movement without the ball. Still, everything begins with ball control; it needs to be good. 

When a player receives a pass, controlling the ball and sending it in the direction he’s supposed to run with the first touch makes everything easier. The ball is already ahead of him. Juggling helps a lot to master that first touch. 

Strikers’ luck in a team, its chances of scoring, and even the fans’ love depend on that player’s ball control. It is said that a striker should control the ball with its less skillful leg so that after that touch, the ball lays dead in front of its stronger foot, ready to be kicked. 

The prolonged practice of juggling the ball increases that first touch accuracy with both legs; that’s why it is essential.

When kids start playing the game, the ball spends long periods flying over the field. It is the easier thing to do as a young defender, just kicking the ball far from the own goal.

The player that manages to control the ball, put it down with one or two touches has an advantage. 

As juggling is about dominating the ball in the air, without letting it touch the floor, it helps big time neutralize the inertia of a ball that comes flying from far, perhaps from the other half of the field. 

Does juggling make you a better soccer player?

Soccer is a lot about ball control, but not everything about it. Juggling helps you increase your set of skills, no doubt, and it would make you a better soccer player, but of course, it is necessary more than that. 

Perhaps to understand this better, we could go through some examples. We could travel to the past, from the 70s to the early 90s.

Back then, soccer was slower if compared with today’s sport. Not every player would train as hard as they do today. The game was more technical, more about dribbling and passing. The ball was heavier and stiffer.

In that scenario, players depended more on their technical attributes than on their physical conditioning. For playing that style of game, ball control was as necessary as air to breed.

Would juggling make a better player back then? Yes, of course. 

In those years, the public enjoyed a soccer player race almost extinguished in today’s soccer, the classical number 10, also known as “enganche,” trequartista, and many more.

This player would have an exquisite first touch, passing, long and short, shooting, positioning, and game vision. They weren’t powerful nor fast; they depended entirely on their talent. 

Players like Carlos Valderrama from Colombia would jog in the field like they were never in a hurry. And then, with a pass, they would decide the match. Perhaps the last players to play this role in modern soccer might be the Argentinian Riquelme, the Italian Pirlo, the Brazilian Ganso, or the Spanish Iniesta. 

Today’s soccer is more physical; it is faster, the intensity and speed of the game increased over the years. Players can’t (or shouldn’t) jog in the field like deluxe guests.

Everybody must run and sacrifice for the team. And still, juggling helps to be better at this style of soccer too. 

It’s about acting quickly. The faster the ball is controlled, the faster the play keeps its rhythm, and the momentum keeps its flow. As we mentioned before, juggling improves oriented control, vital in today’s super-fast soccer. 

Talented players are usually man-marked. A defender sticks to them like a tick and won’t let them be alone. That’s why it’s common to see players isolated in a corner, low profile, on the opposite side of the ball.

That’s when the defender would leave some space; as long as the ball is far from the talented player, there’s no risk.

In that exact moment, when the team’s best player has some space to breed, the teammates would try to pass the ball to it.

A long ball, perhaps a 60 or 70 meters long pass, would go directly to its chest, and the player would have a few decimal seconds to kill the ball’s effect and dominate it before the defender is there. 

Does juggling improve dribbling?

It definitely helps. As we said before, it is not all the only thing a suitable dribbler needs, but it helps. Dribbling is about ball control and timing, both attributes affected by juggling. 

Great players with considerable juggling ability demonstrated to be excellent dribblers. Perhaps the most emblematic case is Ronaldinho Gaúhco.

He was a tremendous juggler, very skillful and creative, and a massive dribbler as well. Neymar is another excellent example, great juggler, better dribbler. 

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is also known for his incredible joggling capacity, and his dribbling credentials are up to date, no doubt. There are a few contradictory cases, of course.

Roberto Carlos, the left defender of Real Madrid for many years, and the Brazilian national team showed immense joggling abilities, and he wasn’t known for his dribbling.  

A player who is not famous for his joggling skills is Lionel Messi. Obviously, he can juggle a soccer ball, but fair is to say, he’s not known for that, and his dribbling skills don’t need further descriptions. 

How long does it take to learn to juggle a soccer ball?

As with many other things, becoming an excellent juggler depends on time, dedication, and most importantly, repetitions.

If trained consistently, every soccer player should see its juggling abilities develop regularly. 

It is essential to understand that even when our joggling numbers don’t increase, every time we are joggling the ball, we grow muscle in our legs and cells in our brain that improve our joggling skills.

It’s required patience and dedication to become a reasonable juggler. 

So, it’s not possible to determine how long someone must practice before achieving joggling skills. Time will vary depending on each person’s previous gifts, determination, consistency, and so forth. What it is possible to confirm, however, is that anyone can learn to juggle a soccer ball.  

How to juggle a soccer ball for beginners step by step

Seeing Ronaldinho Gaúcho juggling the ball makes us ask Anakin’s famous question, is it possible to learn this power? Yes, it is. There are a few steps that beginners can follow to improve their skills.

1. Hands and shoelaces

It’s recommended to start with the ball in your hands, holding it with your arms extended. Then you drop the ball to the instep of your foot (generally where shoelaces are), making sure your ankles are locked.

The ball will bounce up; you catch it with your hands and repeat. It’s essential to kick the ball with both feet, not only your skilled one. This exercise is meant to understand the ball’s bouncing and responsiveness to the hit of your foot.

2. Two in a row

Once you feel you can send the ball up towards your hands at will, you can start trying to hit the ball twice before catching it. You can hit the ball twice with the same leg or try to alternate.

Doing this will increase your understanding of how hard you need to kick the ball to keep it at a certain height.

3. Kick and bounce

When you feel comfortable hitting the ball twice in a row, you can start letting the ball bounce on the floor once before you hit it again.

This exercise stimulates your coordination and timing. It is also good to compare the difference between the ball bouncing on the floor and your feet. 

4. Keep it up

After these previous steps are behind you, and you feel you dominate them, you can start trying to keep the ball in the air as long as possible.

It would be ideal if you can keep the ball bouncing no further than the line of your waist. The goal is to master the strength you apply on every kick.

As your confidence and skills go high, you can start making shorter kicks. First to the line of your thighs, then your knees, then shorter as you can. The shorter the touch, the harder to control the ball. 

5. One footer

When you can hit the ball in short touches, keeping it almost glued to your feet, you can start juggling with one foot only, leaving the other one on the floor.

The idea is to use only one foot to juggle, and the other one stays down. You might have to take mini-jumps with your set foot to keep balance and pursue the ball. 

6. Mix it all but the hands

Finally, when you master these techniques, you should practice mixing every method, except catching the ball with your hands.

Mix it up, let the ball bounce, then hit it twice with the same foot, alternate, raise to your waist, and then keep the touch short just a few centimeters from your foot. Creativity and improvisation are good counselors in soccer.

But juggling needs more than only your feet; it is a whole activity; it involves every part of the body. For instance, the chest is used to rectify a high touch or send the ball to the other foot.

The thighs are very useful, as well. The process of learning thigh juggling is similar to the one with the foot.

To hit the ball properly with your thighs, you need to raise your knee to your waistline, creating a flat surface with your thigh.

If your knee is too low, the ball will bounce forward, away from you. If you raise your knee too much, the ball will go directly to your chest or your face. 

1. Thighs to hand – Start hitting the ball with your thighs and then catching it.

2. Two touches. Just as you did with your feet, start giving two touches with each thigh, and then alternate. You can then begin doing three and four touches in a row.

3. Mix it all up, again. Once you feel comfortable juggling the ball with your thighs at will, you can mix everything but the hand-catching. Mix the kicks with your feet at any height with thigh juggling.

And then, the final boss, head juggling. Juggling’s primary goal is to learn how to control the ball with any part of your body, except for the hands, of course.

In the adrenaline of the game, a pass can come at any speed and into any part of your body, and you must control the pass and keep the flow going. 

For head juggling, it’s vital to remind a few primary principles.

1. Use your forehead – You must hit the ball with your forehead, the flattest part of your head.
2. Eyes on the ball – It’s essential to keep the eyes open and to look at the ball all the time.
3. You hit it; it doesn’t hit you – It might sound silly, but it’s crucial to make sure we hit the bull up, and not that it bounces in our head.  
4. Forehead looking to the sky – If we incline our head forward, the ball will follow that direction. The same happens if we bend it backward. 
5. Mix it all, for the last time – Now, you are ready to mix all that you’ve been practicing and try to keep the ball in the air the longest you can. It’s an excellent time to set personal records and try to break them every day. 

Advanced jugglers might try shoulder juggling, shin juggling, back heel juggling, and seated juggling. All of it comes with practice and creativity. 

What is the soccer juggling world record, and who has it?

There are some exciting juggling world records registered by Guinness. Let’s see. 

1. Nikolai Kutsenko holds the record for keeping a regular soccer ball in the air using his feet, legs, and head. His time is 24 hours, 30 minutes non-stop. I’ll let that sink in.
2. Kennet Yoga from Kenia holds the record for sitting juggling, 4 hours, 43 minutes, 43 seconds.
3. Juggling while walking, making stops. The Brazilian Ricardo Silva Neves walked 448 miles (790 kilometers) in twelve days.
4. Juggling while walking non-stop. The British Dan Magness walked while juggling a regular soccer ball for 30 miles (48 kilometers). 
5. Most touches in 1 minute. The American Tasha-Nicole Terani held the record with 292 hits in 1 minute in 2003.
6. Most touches in 30 seconds. Tim Crowe managed to hit the ball in the air 147 times. The American set the record in 2005.
7. Most touches in 1 minute. Only headings. Erick Hernandes holds the record with 314 head touches in 1 minute. 
8. The Maradona seven soccer tricks. The challenge, named after the soccer legend, consists of seven touches with the ball in order. One with each foot, then one with each thigh, then each should, and finally the head. The latest record for the quickest 10 Maradona seven soccer tricks was set by the thirteen-year-old boy British Tommy Boyd. His record was 29.78 seconds. The previous record was 35.47 seconds. 

Does juggling a soccer ball burn calories?

Yes, it does. It’s been estimated that juggling a soccer ball for at least 30 minutes can burn up to 129 calories. Of course, the more intense the juggling exercise, the more significant the number of calories burnt. 

Using several parts of our bodies and not only our feet will increase that number. 

Overall, juggling a ball is an excellent exercise to improve our conditioning, balance, reflexes, ball control, technique, confidence, familiarity with the ball, and much more.

It is also fun to do, and the best part of it, in the long run, it will turn you into a better soccer player.

The abilities that you can gain from juggling a soccer ball can translate onto the field. From having enough skill to be able to bring a ball down from the air or from a goal kick, to having the right coordination to be able to handle a bouncing ball as well as your overall touch of the soccer ball.

However simply because you can juggle a soccer ball does not mean that you will be a good player, just solely based on that.

It is because you might not have the correct work rate or ability to read the game or even have the athleticism necessary to play, but juggling can certainly help you in your overall game.

Here are 10 ways that juggling helps you in soccer

1. Your first touch

This is perhaps is one of if not the most important skills that any soccer player at any level can have. As you can imagine having a great first touch in soccer is critical in most moments of a game.

From being able to turn defenders and get into space or only using that one touch to send a teammate through on goal, it is especially important.

Some of the best soccer players in the world have a great first touch. This allows them to get away from defenders in a split second or if a long diagonal ball is played to them, then their first touch can bring the ball down with ease right at their feet.

When a player has a good first touch it is instantly noticeable when they get the ball played to them.  It can give them the space to get their head up straight away and look for a pass.

However, when a player’s first touch is not as good, and the ball gets away from them then that allows other midfielders or defenders to have a chance of winning the ball back.

The higher you progress through the levels, juniors, seniors, professionally, the more having a great first touch is crucial. Now you will not be juggling down the field on game day but juggling a soccer ball has many benefits.

The skill of the first touch is something that is seen regularly throughout a soccer match, when a ball is played at an angle or if the ball is crossed and bounces just in front of the intended player.

By continuing to practice juggling, it will ultimately help your first touch and in turn, you are going to have control of the ball a lot better when it comes to you.

This could be from different heights during a match and all up, there are many different situations you are going to find yourself in throughout a game.

Basically, trying and get as many touches of the soccer ball as you can is perhaps one of the absolute best things that you can do when you are trying to improve yourself as a soccer player.

Juggling is really the only way to constantly get touches quickly to improve your skills.

See the link below for some of the best first touches in soccer.

2. Being able to receive the ball either in the air or on the bounce

As most of us know, when you are playing a game of soccer, the ball is not always going to be passed to you in the best possible way.

This could be from several factors, the pressure applied to the player passing, if the receiving player has enough space away from the defender, and so on.

Because of this, balls can be passed to you in many ways. Juggling can help with your ability to be able to receive any ball whether that be through the air or if it is bounced to you.

Nowadays, everyone loves fast, flowing football and the control and speed of the play is one of the most talked-about points. By juggling, you can improve your ability to receive the ball in basically every way.

The faster that you can gain control of the ball when it is passed to you, then the quicker you can do something positive with it.

For example, if your team is on the counterattack and a long diagonal ball is played to you, by juggling you will have a greater chance of controlling the ball without losing speed or momentum.

You could then take the ball down and continue with the attack as the team’s forward impetus will not be hindered because of your ability, you were able to keep the play going. 

Also, not everyone is going to be able to play a game of soccer on a field that is like carpet (like many professional teams) and there is bound to be uneven ground and even holes.

So, if you are playing on a field like this, then there is a high chance that some balls played to you will be on the bounce.

Many professional soccer players grew up playing on bad fields and they all agree that this is what has made them have the greater skill, along with juggling the ball as well.

By constantly practicing and juggling you can greatly improve your ability to take difficult balls under control a lot easier as there is very rarely a thing called a perfect pass unless you play professionally in the MLS.

Below is a video of players receiving long balls and balls that bounce in front of them.

3. Passing a bouncing ball

This is really a blend of the two points that I have just made. This is the ability to essentially have only “one-touch” when playing a bouncing ball than in turn shoot at a goal or pass it to a teammate in a way in which the player receiving the ball can then do something productive with the ball.

This is crucial when playing at a higher level. Midfield players like Kevin De Bruyne, Leo Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Mesut Ozil all have a great ability to no matter how the ball is played to them, they can make something positive happen.

Now whether this is simply because they are ridiculously talented or because they constantly juggle a soccer ball or even both, it is this ability that sets them apart from other players.

You can become incredibly valuable to your team if you can continually develop ball-playing skills as your teammates will trust you to make any pass they give you look good.

Because when you are juggling you are constantly trying to get the ball under control and when you cannot, the ball will bounce around until you can get it up and under control again.

It is this that can greatly help in your ability to control even the hardest passes that come your way when they are bouncing on the ground, thanks to juggling.

We have seen many professional soccer players keep flowing attacking moves alive by being able to play a bouncing ball to a teammate. Also, when you look at defenders, they need this ability too.

It is because when an opposition player crosses the ball, sometimes it will be in the air, other times it will be slid along the ground and other times, the ball will come bouncing into the box.

So, defenders that can play the bouncing ball effectively deal with those balls that are coming in at weird and difficult angles because they are bouncing their way into the box are a valued commodity. 

4. Hitting a soccer ball on the volley

Because when you are juggling, you are essentially volleying the ball to yourself, and this can in turn help you when it comes to volleying shots at goal.

Now depending on what position you play on the field will determine if you will ever have a chance at a volley, however, there are always going to be chances throughout a game when there is the opportunity to volley the soccer ball.

Being able to hit a soccer ball on the volley and to be able to do it correctly is a hard skill to get a handle on. However, by practicing juggling the soccer ball, you will slowly over time develop a better understanding of how to volley to the ball.

This is because soccer players that regularly juggle at training or at home have essentially exercised the muscles in their legs to be able to adjust the touch of their foot to be able to control the ball at various speeds and angles. 

By doing this they give themselves a good chance at having good timing from the ball to their foot and that makes the probability of hitting a volley correctly, significantly higher.

Because the art of being able to hit a ball on the volley is rare, even among professional players, by juggling the soccer ball as often as you can then you give yourself the best chance at being able to volley the ball when it comes away during a match.

Now because it requires nearly perfect timing, from the ball to your foot, it is extremely hard to get right consistently, so practice is paramount.

By juggling, you are training your brain, body, and feet to be able to constantly kick a ball that is being volleyed repeatedly. Thus you are learning about how and where you should be putting your foot in terms of being able to volley correctly.

When the technique is done right it looks incredible 33 Monstrous Volley Goals ● What A Strike! – YouTube

5. Agility and balance 

Aside from improving your first touch, this is probably the next best thing that will improve.  The benefit of juggling is that it can improve both your balance and agility.

As most of us know, to be successful in soccer, you will need the ability to keep your body in control and to be able to adjust and change direction quickly.

Especially when playing professionally you will need to be able to pull off certain moves flawlessly but also without sacrificing your speed or falling while you do it.

When you juggle a soccer ball on a regular basis, you should consider changing quickly from your left foot to your right as this can help you when trying to perform a skill without losing your speed.

Additionally juggling is going to greatly improve your foot and eye coordination so the movements that you make will be more synchronized.

That is why when you look at the absolute best players in the world, their agility and balance when on the ball is nearly unmatched by anyone else.

They can simply be too agile for their opponents and go by them with ease because they have incredible balance while they do it.

Balance is also crucial for other positions on a soccer field as well. Basically, every player on the pitch will need to have good balance, agility, or both. Strikers need to have good balance so if you are a striker then juggling can help you immensely.

Because when you are shooting at a goal, your body needs to be balanced when making a connection with the ball and because the ball gets to come in many ways.

Strikers need to be able to have superb body control to be able to get themselves into a balanced position to have the best chance of making good contact with the ball with their foot.

The same goes for heading too. So if you are a striker, defender, or midfielder and you are required to head the ball regularly, then having good body control is crucial to making good contact.

Especially if you are defending. You do not want the ball going into your own net because of your body position or because you are not agile enough to move your body to get it into the correct position to head the ball.

Players that have good balance and agility are usually playing in attacking positions or in the middle of the pitch because, in those advanced positions, great body control and agility is a necessity in either scoring or creating goals.

So juggling the soccer ball will help improve your balance and agility and will make certain things that you do on a soccer field easier.

In the video below you can see how Leo Messi uses his incredible balance and agility to hold up the ball, win free-kicks, and help create chances for his team. The body balance and The Agility Of Lionel Messi ● Crazy Body Adjustement – YouTube

6. Strengthens both sides of your body

By juggling with both of your feet, not just your dominant side but your weaker side too, it will only have a positive impact on your ability to play soccer.

This is because it gives you the ability to play the ball with both feet so you do not have to receive the ball on your preferred foot, it can be either.

If you do in fact have a weaker foot you do not regularly use on the field, then that will make it easier for the opposition to simply sit on your dominant side and force you to use your opposite foot.

However, if you can use both feet just as effectively then the opposition does not know which way you are going to go because you can use either foot to make a positive contribution.

It will also help your team as well because you can play multiple positions on the field too.  

For example what makes Cristiano Ronaldo so special and effective is that he can play centrally or either on the left side or the right side, this is because he is so strong on both sides of his body and that is what makes him so difficult to defend. 

Whereas a player who only has one dominant side can be easily shut down. All the opposition must do is simply make sure that the player cannot use his preferred foot.

This is why some players lose the ball so often because they do not have confidence in their weaker side they will then try their best to shift or make the defender go a certain way so that they can then get onto their dominant side.

However, doing this usually takes time and that allows fellow defenders to come and help cover the player. If the soccer player can use both sides of his body, then defenders are not going to know which way they are going to go and which foot they are going to use.

This is especially noticeable in strikers. Because defenders are always going to be second-guessing which way they will go, they are unsure about how to defend them because the striker can shoot with both feet.

What this can do is make that little extra bit of space for the striker to get his shot off. 

But if the forward only has one dominant foot then essentially half of the defender’s job is done already because straight away they are going to know which way they will be going but also which foot the striker will shoot with.

So that is why juggling with both feet can be so important to a soccer player, because it is going to make them far less predictable to the opposition and that is the last thing defenders what to see, is a player that is equally as dangerous with either foot.

See the link below of players who are exceptional with both sides of their bodies. Top 10 Double Footed Football Players 2020 – YouTube

7. Understanding where and how to use certain touches in games

When juggling the soccer ball, over time you are going to develop little abilities that you can do with the ball. This could be where to hit the ball to get it to go a certain way or how to make touches of the ball fall your way often.

For some, this is a real skill. Players can have a ridiculous amount of control over the ball. One such player that comes to mind is the great Ronaldinho.

Now Brazilians have a way to make the ball talk however Ronaldinho was something different. To be able to send players the wrong way with the ball still attached to his foot was a sight to behold.

Now obviously that level of skill is going to be out of reach for some of us, however, the benefits are there to see when you are juggling.

By moving a certain way with the ball you are going to get the defender to react and by using certain little touches and flicks that you develop while juggling, you can create goal-scoring chances for your teammates or ever make yourself that little pocket of space to get your pass away.

Because juggling requires skill, many players use this skill in games because they practice them over and over as they are always juggling the ball and get used to the ball always being on their foot.

They get confident in their ability to translate their understanding of when and where to use certain touches in games and that can be a game-changer. 

From fancy flicks to incredible chest control, juggling can drastically improve a player’s offensive arsenal during games.

It can create separation or create a goal-scoring chance simply by knowing when to use that certain flick or movement of their body. By doing this they can turn games on their head in a matter of minutes.

Here are some examples of players using their skill during matches and how effective it can be Best 50 Fake Skills & Tricks In Football – YouTube

8. It gives you confidence

Perhaps the most crucial thing for a soccer player to have. Confidence enables players to display their full ability on matchday. By juggling consistently you are going to increase your overall confidence in what you can do with a ball. 

This is because you develop a connection with the ball, you understand how it moves when kicked a certain way or when you use your foot on a certain area of it.

Confidence is perhaps the best thing at the disposal of a soccer player as it gives them the belief that they are going to be able to do certain things on the pitch.

A player that is low on confidence is easy to spot out on the soccer field. Depending on what position they play it is glaringly obvious.

With forwards their touch will be off and not as good, they might not constantly make those forward runs into space or they might miss a guilt-edged chance at goal, all because they are not confident in their ability to be able to do it effectively.

On the other hand, a player who is full of confidence is simply a joy to watch. They make life hard for the opposition as they feel that no matter what the other team does, it will not stop them.

By juggling a soccer ball you are going to increase your confidence with the ball at your feet and that can only be a good thing for you because a confident player is a dangerous player.

It is the key to many things when it comes to soccer as it can sometimes be the difference between winning and losing a match.

Your confidence will grow with each touch of the ball you have and as they say, practice makes perfect.

9. Improve the strength in your leg

When playing a game of soccer, players are always on one leg because they are trying to put their bodies in good positions as well as trying to balance themselves too.

Juggling a soccer ball is going to significantly enhance your single-leg strength as well as your balance while improving the strength of your knees and ankles too.

10. Improves your timing

This is because when juggling, you are consistently trying to time your kicks correctly so the ball will continue to be in an area where it is easy for you to kick it again.

Timing is important in soccer and juggling a soccer ball can greatly improve your timing whether that be shooting the ball or passing.

How do you get better at juggling?

There are a number of ways that you can get better at juggling.

Head over to Juggling Soccer Ball: Learn How To and Tips & Tricks and read on how to improve your juggling skills with our article