Juggling

Juggling refers to keeping the ball up in the air using any legal body surface:  your feet, your thighs, your chest, your shoulders or your head, or any other body parts except hands and arms. Juggling helps you with ball control, balance and foot-to-eye coordination.

Learning to juggle a soccer ball is hard, and takes patience and determination. Is it worth the time and effort? We think so! We bet that if you watch this video (featuring U. S. Women’s National Team player Tobin Heath), you’ll want to go outside and practice!

Juggling: keys to success

  • Stay balanced.
  • Keep your feet moving to stay close to the ball.
  • Each touch needs to setup the next touch.

Juggling topics:

Juggling for beginners: start with bounce juggling:

Juggling a soccer ball is difficult! Expecting a 6 or 7 year old to have early success with regular juggling may not be reasonable. So we encourage younger, less-experience players to start with bounce juggling.

The goal is to gain a level of success early on. Players who are new to juggling benefit from alternating touches with bounces during the early learning stages. The bounce gives the player more time to regain her balance and get her body and feet into position to take her next juggling touch.

When the player has some success, she’ll be ready to learn about goal-setting, and to develop patience and determination as she tries to set new personal records! Once she gains competence at bounce juggling, she’ll be ready to make the leap to no-bounce juggling.

Bounce juggling — level 1:

  1. Start with the ball in your hands and both feet on the ground. (Don’t worry about using your feet to pick up the ball just yet. You can add that after you become a decent juggler.)
  2. Gently toss the ball up around chest or neck high, out about a step from your body.
  3. Let the ball bounce. While it is bouncing up from the ground, move your body into position to juggle the ball.
  4. Be patient and wait for the ball to start moving down again. Both feet should still be on the ground.
  5. Juggle the ball when it drops to knee height. Use the laces area of your shoe, not your toes. A good beginner’s touch will kick the ball up to chest or head height. (Low touches are great once you get better, but they don’t work for beginners because they don’t give you enough time to get ready for the next touch. High touches above your head usually lead to poor juggling posture and a loss of balance.)
  6. Put your juggling foot back on the ground after each touch. This will help you regain balance.
  7. Repeat steps 3-6. How many reps can you get before you mess up (lose control or let the ball bounce twice in a row)? Try again — can you beat your record?

Bounce juggle scoring:

You earn a point for each consecutive bounce / juggle rep. The score gets cut off if you lose control or the ball bounces twice in a row. When you can get 10 points more often than not, you’re ready to move on to level 2.

Bounce juggling — level 2 (alternating feet):

Follow the same steps as in level 1, but switch feet each turn. The pattern will be bounce / juggle with your right foot / bounce / juggle with your left foot, and so forth. When you can get 10 points more often than not, you’re ready to move on to level 3.

Bounce juggling — level 3 (alternating feet, progressive):

Now things get a lot harder! You still get bounces, but you try to take extra juggling touches between the bounces. Here’s the pattern:

  1. Bounce / juggle once with either foot.
  2. Bounce / juggle twice without any bounces, once with each foot.
  3. Bounce / juggle three times without any bounces, alternating feet.
  4. Repeat the pattern until you wipe out (lose control or let the ball bounce twice in a row).
  5. Try again — can you beat your record?

When you can get 5 consecutive juggles more often than not, congratulations! You’re ready to move on from bounce juggling. Try no-bounce juggling. When you start to “get it,” you can try freestyle or pattern juggling, and you can also work on ball pickups. Good luck with your juggling journey!

No-bounce juggling:

  1. Start with the ball in your hands and both feet on the ground. (Don’t worry about using your feet to pick up the ball just yet. You can add that after you become a decent juggler.)
  2. Gently drop the ball from waist high. (Don’t toss high or throw down!)
  3. Be patient (both feet still on the ground) and wait for the ball to drop to knee height.
  4. Juggle the ball when it is at knee height. Use the laces area of your shoe, not your toes. A good beginner’s touch will kick the ball up to chest or head height. (Low touches are great once you get better, but they don’t work for beginners. High touches above your head usually lead to poor juggling posture and a loss of balance.)
  5. Put your juggling foot back on the ground after each touch. This will help you regain balance.
  6. Follow the flight of the ball and move your feet to stay a step away.
  7. Repeat steps 4-6. How many reps can you get before you mess up (lose control or let the ball bounce)? Try again — can you beat your record?

No-bounce juggle scoring:

Your daughter earns a point for each consecutive juggling touch. The score gets cut off if she loses control or the ball bounces on the ground. There are three popular juggling goals:

  1. Your age:  if you are age 7, this means getting 7 or more consecutive juggles
  2. Double digits:  10 or more consecutive juggles
  3. The “century club:”  100 or more consecutive juggles

This is hard work, so when you reach one of these goals, celebrate the achievement!

Ball pickups:

When you’re a beginner, you can start juggling by dropping the ball from your hands to your feet, or by tossing the ball up from your hands to about chest height. But as you get better, you should try to start with the ball on the ground and use your feet to pick it up (lift it) before you start juggling. Link:  ball pickups

Freestyle juggling:

  1. Use any legal touches to keep the ball up in the air. You can use your feet, thighs, chest, shoulders, head or any body part except your hands or arms.
    • If you’re new to juggling, allow yourself a bounce between touches.
  2. How many juggles can you do in a row?
  3. Can you “juggle your age”?
  4. Can you beat your old record?

You’ll often use the top (laces area) of your foot. When doing so, your toes should be pointed out, not up. This will keep the ball from hitting your toes and spinning toward you. Listen for the good “thud” laces sound, not the bad “dink” toes sound.

Pattern juggling:

“Pattern juggling” means that you follow a specific pattern of touches. This is harder than freestyle juggling, since every touch has to setup a specific next touch.

Alternating feet:

  1. Juggle once with your right foot.
  2. Juggle once with your left foot.
  3. Repeat. How many touches can you get before the ball hits the ground?
    • If you’re new to juggling, allow yourself a bounce between touches.

If this gets too easy, make it doubles or triples, where you juggle 2 or 3 times with your right foot, and then 2 or 3 times with your left foot. How many doubles or triples can you get before the ball hits the ground?

The box:

You’ll make the ball go in a box pattern. This introduces juggling touches using your thigh.

  1. Take one juggling touch with your right (or left) foot.
  2. Take one juggling touch with your right (or left) thigh.
  3. Take one juggling touch with your other thigh.
  4. Take one juggling touch with your other foot.
  5. Catch the ball.

If you get good at this, try going around the box and coming back the other way (steps 1-2-3-4 followed by 4-3-2-1).

Around the world:

This is for players who are old enough to head the ball. The pattern is similar to the box pattern above, but you’ll do a header between the thigh touches. If you get good at this, try going “around the world and back.” If you get really good at this, add shoulder touches between the thigh touches and header.

  1. Take one juggling touch with your right (or left) foot.
  2. Take one juggling touch with your right (or left) thigh.
  3. Take one touch with your head.
  4. Take one juggling touch with your other thigh.
  5. Take one juggling touch with your other foot.
  6. Catch the ball.

Link:  around the world juggling challenge

Foot surfaces:

Juggle once with the inside of your foot, then once with the laces of your foot, then once with the outside of your foot, then catch the ball. It’s much harder than it may seem! It this becomes easy, try repeating the pattern with both feet.

“Surfaces” juggling challenge:

The “surfaces” juggling challenge has many different levels, starting fairly easy and becoming very challenging! Links:

Heights (low / high / low):

Juggle the ball below your head, then above your head, then below your head again and catch it. The key is to cushion the ball with the final touch, not kick it. (In the video above, the pattern is to alternate low and high touches without catching the ball.)

“Heights” juggling challenge:

The “heights” juggling challenge has 12 individual levels and 9 partner levels. It starts out easy, but gets very challenging! Links:

Sombrero (or “180”):

This is called a sombrero since you put the ball over your head like a hat.

  1. A teammate passes the ball to you (or you can play a pass to yourself off a wall).
  2. Go to the ball and flick it up in the air with your 1st touch. Keep your toes down to make your foot act like a ramp, and the ball will pop up 1-2 feet into the air.
  3. Juggle the ball over your head on the next touch. Keep your toes up on this touch, and lean back slightly to redirect the ball over your head.
  4. Turn to receive the ball on the other side and dribble away in the other direction.

Distance:

  1. Start at “home” base (a cone, a tree, or one side of the driveway)
  2. Juggle while walking or jogging to another base (another cone or tree, or the other side of the driveway).
  3. Count a point anytime the ball bounces on the ground. The less points the better. With practice, you’ll lower your score. With lots of practice, you may even get it down to zero, which is a perfect score.

Advanced variation:  Can you juggle from “home” to the next base, then turn and come back home while still juggling?

Speed:

How many total juggling touches (any legal surface) can you make in 30-60 seconds? Can you beat your previous record?

Partner juggling:

Juggle between partners. The ball will be coming out of the air at a different angle than when you juggle by yourself, so this adds a new challenge.

Foot-thigh-volley:

A pair of players face each other about 5 yards apart.

  1. Player 1 starts with a foot juggle (getting the ball about head height), then controls the ball with her thigh and volleys it with her foot to player 2.
  2. Player 2 catches the ball and repeats the pattern.
  3. When this starts to get easy, require each player to receive the ball out of the air using her foot, thigh, chest or head, instead of catching the ball with her hands.

Low-tricycle (advanced):

A pair of players start about 5 yards apart, both facing the same direction. Player 1 faces one way, player 2 is behind her facing player 1’s back.

  1. Player 1 starts with a foot juggle, getting the ball about chest height, then volleys it over her head behind her to player 2.
    1. This is a little bit like a bicycle kick, which is why we call it the tricycle.
    2. The key is to bring your toes up for this touch, and lean back slightly to redirect the ball over your head.
  2. Player 2 catches the ball and repeats the pattern.

Wall juggling:

Wall juggling is a fun (and challenging) variation of regular juggling. It’s partner juggling, but with a wall instead of a person.

Basic wall juggling:

  1. Stand 3-4 steps away from the wall, holding the ball about chest height.
  2. Drop the ball and let it bounce.
  3. Use your laces or inside of the foot to pass the ball off the wall so it comes back as an air ball.
    1. The key is to be patient and strike the ball after it drops to a height between your waist and knees.
  4. Repeat the “bounce, then pass” cycle.
    1. Start by using whichever foot is easiest, then try alternating feet (right, left, right, left, etc.), then try “second best foot only.”
    2. If you get really good at this, see if you can wall juggle with no bounces!

Pattern:  wall-foot-thigh-volley:

  1. Stand 3-4 steps away from the wall.
  2. Play the ball off the wall (about waist height).
  3. Take one juggling touch with your foot, trying to play the ball about chest height about 12 inches in front, setting up your thigh.
  4. Settle the ball with your thigh, so the ball goes out about one step in front of you, setting up your foot. (You don’t want to get much height on this touch.)
  5. Use your foot to “volley” the ball back into the wall, then repeat the foot-thigh-volley sequence.
  6. Key:  Remember that every touch needs to setup the next touch.

“Booty” juggling:

This is a goofy (and challenging) variation of regular juggling. This helps you learn to strike the ball with your laces while keeping your ankle locked with your toes down.

  1. Sit on your booty.
  2. How many juggling touches can you get in a row — feet only — without lifting your booty off the ground or letting the ball touch the ground?
    • The key is to keep your toes pointed out — not up — and strike the ball with the top of your foot (laces). If you do it right, the ball will go straight up in the air (with no spin), so you can take another touch while still sitting. (This is hard, but with practice, you’ll get it. Once you get it, you’ll find that you shoot harder during games.)
  3. Want a bigger challenge? Alternate feet, or try foot-head-foot.

Booty pop-up juggling (featuring booty pop-up wizard C-Hugh):

  1. Sit on your booty.
  2. Take a juggling touch.
  3. While the ball is in the air, hop up and try to catch it before it hits the ground. You’ve got to be on your feet with no other body parts touching the ground. This is harder than it sounds, because your juggling touch needs to go straight up and fairly high to give you enough time to scramble to your feet.

Partner booty juggling:

  1. Sit next to a partner, with both players facing the same direction.
  2. The player on the left juggles once with her right foot, then uses her left foot to pass it to her partner.
  3. The partner then juggles once with her left foot and passes it back with her right foot.
  4. After 10 turns, switch places so each partner works both feet.