Life has taught me that nothing just happens! As a soccer fan, I acknowledge that it takes time to become good at it. Ask the best players of the game out there and they will confidently tell you that it doesn’t happen by sudden flight. Rather, it takes a lot to master the skills to be successful in the sport.
So, how long does it take to be good at soccer? Well, the short answer is that it will take a considerable amount of time, at least a year or two, for you to be good at soccer. Now to the long answer. Quite frankly, the actual time it will take to master soccer varies from person to person depending on the personal effort and commitment put in place.
The moment one gains solid interest in the game, you are beginning to climb the ladder of mastery. So now that developing passion is the first step to becoming good at soccer, are there other things you should consider? Of course, there are multiple aspects that determine how long it takes for one to be a skillful soccer player and that’s what you’ll learn below.
Is it hard to learn how to play soccer?
If you’re a beginner in soccer, this is a question that makes a lot of sense. Just like it is in other sports, there are dynamics and rules that you have to learn about for you to be good at soccer. That being said, it doesn’t mean that it’s hard for you to learn how to play soccer. From my experience, as long as you have the passion, nothing can stop you from being the best that you can be.
All you need is to get on the training ground and begin learning the basics. This is where you will begin. Simple tricks like kicking the ball will help you develop more interest in the sport. Despite being a beginner, you can still develop your play to the level of a pro. What you need to put much effort in is investing greatly in training.
Becoming good at soccer also will depend on how fast you can adapt to playing in one position, as there are positions that require more skill than others. I wrote an article about this that you can check out here.
Hours of training it takes to be good at soccer
Nothing worthwhile comes easy. You have to put in a lot of time and work for you to be good at soccer. Being one of the most popular sports in the world, you can be sure that you have to set aside a considerable amount of hours to train. On average, experts and coaches will tell you that you need at least 3 hours of training daily for you to reach the level of skill that will help you to become a sought-after player of this wonderful game. On this point, it’s important to mention that depending on how much time one has, you can have more than 3 hours of training.
The amount of time it takes for one to train depends on their availability and the resources required for training. For example, if you have other tasks you undertake during the day, it might be difficult for you to have 3 hours of training. Again, if you have restrictions on the availability of resources necessary for your training, you may find it difficult to do an average of 3 hours of practice daily. The bottom-line is that regardless of the number of hours you train daily, you have to be consistent to see positive outcomes.
Is it possible to become good in less time?
Whether it’s possible to become good in a lesser amount of time than normal is a valuable point to explore. Usually, it will take time for you to become an expert soccer player. Whenever coaches are receiving players for coaching, they help them understand that they will have to go through a process of learning for them to become great players. Obviously, this doesn’t happen in a flash. It takes time, and that is what beginners need to know.
Perhaps what makes players wonder whether they can take lesser time to be good at developing soccer skills is because it seems quite easy and also the pleasure that comes being referred to as a great soccer player. It’s because of this that they think that they can go through a quick fix and become a soccer legend within a short time. However, this is not the case. You have to go through the process of learning basic soccer skills, tricks, rules, and dynamics for you to reach the level of proficiency.
While there are players who can learn playing soccer within a short time, the majority of them have to take a good amount of time for them to be excellent players on the playground. It’s for this reason that experts encourage players to take time to gain the necessary knowledge they need to become good soccer players.
The Secret to Become Better at Soccer Faster
No matter how many hours you train a day, you’ll probably get nowhere if you don’t know what you are doing. You’ve probably heard the saying it’s not quantity, it’s about quality. Not everyone will have the same time available to train for soccer, but that’s not a problem if you make sure the amount if training you’re having is helping you to become better.
If you are reading this you are probably a beginner, so you almost certainly won’t have a good idea on how to correctly train for soccer. Besides, making a complete training session is hard even for someone that has a long time playing the game.
For this reason, I advice you purchase an online soccer training program. This a helpful tool that will help you become better at soccer in fewer time and will most likely guarantee you will get better in “the beautiful game”. If you don’t know which one to purchase make sure to see my article about The Best Soccer Training Program Online.
How important is patience in becoming a good soccer player?
Just to reiterate on the point above, patience is an essential virtue if you want to grow to become a quality player. Just like it is in everything worth investing in, you have to show sheer patience for you to witness optimal outcomes. If you ask the best players in the world right now, they will tell you that they didn’t become good in a day.
For example, players like Lionel Messi who plays for Barcelona FC in Spain points out that patience is what makes a great player. If you look at his journey as a player, you will attest that patience has contributed greatly in helping him become the renowned player he is.
He joined the club as a youth player and has grown to become the captain. Such dedication and commitment takes years of patience and knowing that success doesn’t come in a moment. On the contrary, it takes a process of learning different things and perfecting what you already know.
This is something that not only players should know, but also fans and parents. Sometimes fans want their favorite players to grow to the level of legendary status faster than normal, not knowing that it takes time for a player to become good at soccer.
What steps can I take to become a skillful player faster?
If you want to become a skillful player, there are steps you will have to take to be there. The first thing you will have to do is to be consistent in your training. As I pointed out earlier, while the amount of time it will take you to train counts a lot towards becoming a great soccer player, you have to be consistent for you to experience quality results. If you pass the test of consistency, you will, surely, be on the highway to success.
Another big step that you have to take to become a skillful player in the amazing sport is being keen to follow what your coach tells you. It will take you a shorter time to become a master in your game if you’re quick to implement what your coach train you to do. You see, it’s one thing to go through training, and it’s another to implement what you learn.
Therefore, since coaches understand the game from a higher level compared to players, they are able to bring out the best in them. For example, Landon Donovan, the current manager of San Diego Loyal, insists that being under a great coach is an ingredient to bringing out the best out of an average player.
Of great importance still, you will develop to be a great soccer player if you’re a team player. Being a team player means that you don’t play alone but bring the collective contribution of the whole squad. The most skillful players are the ones who have learned the importance of being team players. They know that at the end of the day, it’s not about how they are able to display their individual prowess on the pitch, but how they are able to harness the strengths of the whole team. Essentially, if you’re a team player, you will end up learning so much that will help you improve your skills faster.
If you dream of becoming a professional soccer player, make sure to check my article about The Only Way you can Become a Professional Soccer Player.
Does practicing as a group make things easier?
Of course, if you practice as a group, you’ll be able to develop your learning and skills faster. Given that soccer is a sport that involves 22 players on the pitch, you will only be able to learn more about the game if you will do practice with a group as opposed to being alone.
It’s difficult to master the dynamics of playing soccer if you will be training alone. While it’s still okay to train alone, you will be missing out on a lot. Since the idea here is to learn as fast as you can and become good as a player, you can only achieve this objective of you are constantly practicing as a group. Therefore, for you to increase your chances of being an excellent soccer player, you have to consider finding the right environment to boost your prospects.