How to Play Soccer Like the Greats

As the world's most widely played sports, when you learn how to play soccer you're joining a global community who love the game.

As with any sport, great technique comes from hard work, both on and off the pitch. Following is an outline of the best ways to study the game and put what you learn into practice.

Soccer Fitness

Getting fit is the foundation of developing your soccer game.

Speed, strength and, above all, stamina are the key to maintaining your performance for ninety minutes. Modern day soccer players take advice from all areas of the fitness world to improve their physique.

Many players do high intensity interval training to build strength, and stamina that will serve them well on the pitch. It's also important to warm up and warm down correctly in order to prevent an injury.

Getting into the gym and lifting weights can be beneficial, particularly by improving strength in your legs. Professional players will also spend time in the swimming pool for low-impact strength work.

Soccer Drills

Another feature of the modern game is the advanced soccer drills that have been brought onto the training pitch.

Coaches are becoming more scientific about the way they simulate every situation in a match and devise ways for players to practice more effectively. Spending time at a soccer academy or enrolling in a course can help your game develop leaps and bounds.

Books, DVDs and watching clips online can help you unlock the secrets of professional training facilities and bring them into your own backyard.

Not everyone has the space or equipment they need to replicate complicated exercises but the beauty of soccer is that you can adapt to your environment.

Developing in other ways off the field can be the key to a varied and interesting routine. Things you might like to consider include:

• Balance
• Flexibility
• Footwork
• Coordination
• Maintaining a calm demeanor under pressure

How to play soccer the smart way

Soccer is played in the mind as much as any other sport, so you can make some valuable headway from the comfort of your own living room.

Studying the game from a tactical perspective will give you an edge on match day as you try to break down a stubborn defence or track the movement of a wily striker.

Pay attention to live games, better still record them and watch them again with the ability to pause the game. Look at the formation of the players during particular passages of play. Try to see how players in certain positions behave. Look at slow-motion replays for examples of perfect technique in high pressure situations.

Many professional players have their performance analyzed after the game. If you can take footage of yourself you'll be surprised how much you notice about your game on playback.

Slowing the tape down and assessing how you could have improved your decision-making, played that killer pass or defended an attack better is a valuable team-building exercise.

Again, the Internet and other professional reference sources can be excellent sources to help you infiltrate the mind of the best players and managers.

If you're interested in learning how to play soccer the right way, check out Soccer Training Central at http://soccertrainingcentral.com/