It’s our first Fast Footwork challenge: toe taps! Toe taps help you develop balance, coordination, a soft touch on the ball, quick feet, leg strength and endurance. All of these are important for soccer players.
You can practice toe taps in small spaces, even indoors!
- Use the bottom of your toes to continuously tap the ball.
- Stay balanced, with your head over the ball.
- Take soft touches. You want to tap the ball, not smack or stomp the ball.
Video demos
We’ve posted video demos below, with a 20-second video for each challenge level. There are 10 challenge levels. Things start easy with level 1, where the ball stays in place. It gets harder as you advance to the higher levels, where you’ll move the ball as you do your toe taps. Check below the video gallery for descriptions of each level.
Descriptions
Start slowly as you try each challenge. When you start to “get it” and are having some success, that’s the time to see if you can go faster. If you are struggling, go slower, stay patient, and believe in yourself.
Is it fun? It depends on how you look at it. If you work at the challenges, you’ll become a better soccer player. And when you become a better soccer player, you’ll score more goals! So the footwork challenges may not be fun right now, but they will bring fun later on.
Our mascot LiCec has some advice:
“These challenges are hard, but if they were easy, anyone could do them! Be patient, believe in yourself, and with practice, you can become a ruler!”
“I won’t be able to help, but my uncle Cecil might be hiding in the trees cheering for you.”
Level 1: in place
- Use the bottom of your toes to softly tap the ball. The ball should stay in place. Stay balanced, with your head over the ball. Start at slow speed, and go faster as you gain confidence.
Level 2: speed
- Use the bottom of your toes to softly tap the ball while keeping it in place. Ask your mom or dad to time you. How many touches can you get in 10 seconds?
- Parent tip: Let your daughter get into a rhythm before you start the clock.
- Goal: 10 touches for beginners, 20 touches for experienced players, and 30 touches for rulers. If you reach a goal, set your next goal 5 touches higher.
Level 3: spinning
- Do toe taps while spinning around to your left and to your right. Your body will move around the ball, but the ball should stay in place.
The most common reasons kids lose control of the ball:
- being too upright or leaning back, instead of staying balanced and keeping your head over the ball
- placing one foot in front of the other, instead of keeping your feet spread apart at angles
- leg muscle fatigue; this is hard work, and it’s OK to take an occasional rest break!
- boredom: mix in a game of Texas Draw, which involves ball control using the bottom of your toes, or go back to level 2 and try to set a new record
Level 4: forward and backward
- Things start to get harder now, because you need to move the ball while keeping it under control. Softly push the ball forward with the bottom of your toes. After 5-10 touches, softly pull the ball back with the bottom of your toes.
Level 5: in place, then forward and backward
- This is a mix of level 1 and level 4. Start with toe taps in place (5-10 touches), and then take 5-10 touches moving forward. Do another 5-10 touches in place, and then take 5-10 touches moving backward.
Level 6: in place, then forward and backward with your right foot
- This is a slight change to level 5. Do 5-10 toe taps while staying in place, switching feet with each touch. Then do 5-10 toe taps while pushing the ball forward, using the bottom of your right foot only. Do another 5-10 touches in place, and then take 5-10 touches pulling the ball backward, using your right foot only.
Level 7: in place, then forward and backward with your left foot
- This is a slight change to level 5. Do 5-10 toe taps while staying in place, switching feet with each touch. Then do 5-10 toe taps while pushing the ball forward, using the bottom of your left foot only. Do another 5-10 touches in place, and then take 5-10 touches pulling the ball backward, using your left foot only.
Level 8: sideways
- Now things get really hard! Do toe taps while moving the ball sideways to your left and sideways to your right. This takes a lot of practice!
Level 9: figure-8 forward
- Do toe taps while moving the ball forward through a figure-8 pattern. We use two cones in the video, but you can use socks, pine cones, yogurt containers, or other markers. This takes a lot of practice!
Level 10: figure-8 backward
- Do toe taps while moving the ball backward through a figure-8 pattern. We use two cones in the video, but you can use socks, pine cones, yogurt containers, or other markers. This takes a lot of practice!