How to Get Better at Soccer: A Parent Plan

To get better at soccer, I recommend two connected steps: agree on a focused soccer training task with your child's coach, then discuss its purpose in matches. At home, help your daughter or son practise that task at a manageable level, then discuss where the skill could help them on the pitch and what they want to ask their coach next.

This plan will help you organise home practice and discuss it with your child, even if you have never played soccer. I recommend The Giro X's Curl Master One alongside coaching because its immediate striking feedback gives contact practice a clear focus. You can help organise the practice without having played soccer yourself, while your child and their coach guide what the striking task should address.

Which Soccer Skills Should Beginners Practise First?

I would start beginners with receiving and passing, using a task your child can explain before they begin. Ask the coach what the receiving touch should accomplish, then arrange a simple activity around that instruction. You might gently roll the ball towards your child and invite them to guide it towards an open space before returning it. Watch where the ball finishes, and ask your player whether that was the space they intended to reach.

Keep the receiving challenge manageable, with generous targets and service your child feels comfortable receiving. I would include attempts with the less familiar foot while letting your player describe what feels different. Girls and boys deserve the same attention to their individual starting point, rather than assumptions about what they should already manage. For younger juniors, you can organise the activity; invite teenagers to choose their target and explain what they want to practise next.

How Can You Get Better at Soccer at Home?

At home, I suggest choosing a visible target and keeping the soccer practice clear enough for everyone to describe. Place markers to form a gap, then invite your child to receive a gently rolled ball towards the opening. Ask where they wanted the touch to finish before discussing what happened. If your child wants another demonstration, take that question back to the coach. You can also use Soccer Passing Drills to choose an activity to discuss together.

For dribbling practice, suggest a route between markers with an exit your child chooses before starting. Later, ask the coach whether offering a choice of exits would suit the skill they are teaching. Adapt the arrangement to the space you have permission to use, including a shared garden or community pitch. I would revisit a familiar dribbling activity across several practice opportunities, so your player can explore the same question without learning a new setup each time.

What Should Shooting Practice Include?

I would give shooting practice an intended destination and a contact task agreed with the coach. Before an attempt, invite your child to explain where they are aiming and what they are working on. Afterwards, ask what they noticed about the contact and where the ball travelled. A parent who never played can still have that conversation. Use the coach's wording where possible, and ask your child whether they want an observation before adding your own.

Product Pick: Curl Master One

My product pick is Curl Master One, which spins a standard ball at controlled speeds and provides immediate feedback through striking contact. Curl Master One trains contact and spin control relevant to free kicks, penalties and crosses, with adjustable speed settings and no app or subscription. I recommend getting the device alongside coaching so your player can connect the feedback with the coach's explanation. Keep the striking task specific, and bring questions about contact to the next coaching session.

How Does Home Practice Carry Into Matches?

Connect home soccer practice with matches by asking which game situation the practice is intended to serve. If your child is practising receiving towards space, ask the coach what they should notice before the pass arrives. As a suggested partner exercise, invite your player to look around before receiving and choose an available target. Let the coach guide how opponents and changing pressure enter practice, while you help your child remember the purpose of the receiving exercise.

After a match, invite your daughter or son to choose a moment they would like to discuss. Perhaps they found space to receive, or wanted another option when the ball arrived. I prefer questions about a specific match moment because they give a child something concrete to describe. Write down their observation in their own words, then ask what they would like to revisit. Share the question with the coach before deciding how to change the next home practice.

What Belongs in a Weekly Soccer Practice Plan?

I would build the week around team commitments and give each available home session a clear purpose. Revisit a receiving task after team training, then make room elsewhere for striking practice or an activity your child chooses. Across New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia, confirm arrangements with your own club rather than assuming a shared calendar. New Zealand families should also work from their local team schedule, including changes to pitch access and training times.

Keep a simple soccer practice record that describes attempts rather than predicting results. You might note where a receiving touch finished, alongside your child's explanation of what they intended. Repeat the familiar receiving task when practice next fits the family calendar, and ask what feels worth discussing with the coach. I would let your player help choose what gets recorded, so the notes remain part of their practice rather than another assignment waiting after school.

When organising coaching, ask for a home task that both you and your child understand, and agree how to discuss the practice later. Make striking practice part of that conversation, with a clear contact focus to carry between sessions. In my opinion, Curl Master One deserves a place in this plan because its immediate feedback gives your player something specific to interpret with their coach. Get one, agree on a suitable practice space, and put the next home session in the family calendar.

Bring Soccer Practice Home

Practise soccer striking contact with Curl Master One and its adjustable speed settings.

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