Why Footballers Need to Be Training on Their Own:

Why Footballers Need to Be Training on Their Own:

I often get the question, “Ric, how do you cook like that, where did you learn how?”

And my answer is simple…

“No one taught me. I just started because I wanted to learn. My cooking was terrible when I first started. I used to burn everything, and most things would taste bland and boring. But, I kept practicing and doing more of it. The more I cooked, the better I got.”

It’s the same exact thing when you want to get better at anything; a lot of repetition is required.

Repetition (noun): the recurrence of an action or an event.

Master Your Craft:

If you want to become a top footballer, you need to spend time on your own (outside of team training) working on your technique.

You need to develop the “master your craft” mentality; meaning you are willing to do whatever it takes to improve (at every single different technique the game requires), no matter how tedious and boring it may get.

I’m sure you’ve heard about the “10,000 Hour Rule” made famous by Malcolm Gladwell in his book “The Outliers.”

The 10,000 Hour Rule: This principle states that in order to become world class in any field, you need 10,000 hours of deliberate practice.

For quick reference, that’s about 3 hours per day over a period of 9 years.

Whether I believe in that rule or not is for another topic that I will not be covering in this article. But, the main reason I included it here is because I like the idea that you need to put in an absurd amount of time to become a master at anything you do.

Now, that does not mean go out and train for 3 hours per day over the next 9 years…

Here is where I get a little “iffy” about the rule…

Deliberate Training:

I would rather you train 60 to 75 minutes per day with full intent and full focus, than have you train 3 hours per day while just going through the motions.

Your focus (and I believe that you will agree with me), starts to diminish after about one hour of training. If it doesn’t, you probably aren’t training as intensely and deliberately as you could be. 

Quality Over Quantity any day of the week!

I highlighted deliberate for a reason. Deliberate means you go out to the training pitch with the full intention to be 100% focused and concentrated on every single detail, putting full effort into every single rep and set.

Before we go any deeper on why you need to train on your own as a footballer, you need to find your why. I can’t do that, your parents can’t do that, your friends can’t do that. You need to do that!

Before, I start implementing the RicFit 1 on 1 Method with any of my clients, the first thing we do is establish their why;

Why are they coming to me?

What is their ultimate goal for them to get out of my coaching?

People come to be for results and that’s what I get them, but if they don’t know their why, the process will be much harder.

Finding Your Why:

What is the reason you want to Improve?

If you don’t know the answer, it will be hard for you to take your game to the next level, because, after a couple of hard training sessions or times that you are not feeling your best, you may want to give up..

It is not easy to go out and train on your own multiple times per week..

Many times, you will be without a training partner.

Many times, it will be very cold.

Many times, it will be raining.

However:

In order to reach your full potential, you need to be consistent.

You need to show up multiple days per week, no matter how you feel (whether or not you have the desire to. You should Not, however, do so if you have sharp pain, or are run down.

Those difficult days are the times when you need to dig deep and remember why you are going out to improve in the first place.

That is the reason I want you to write down your why (of why you want to get better and improve your game).

Whenever you don’t want to go out and train, go back to that reason.

That reason should be strong enough so that (no matter how you feel, or how poor the weather may be), you will go out and train!

The Power of Why:

It’s sort of like writing these articles…

I never liked writing articles, but the more and more I do it, the more and more I like it, and (from my eyes and ears), the better they get. You may disagree, but it’s okay 

The reason why I have committed to sit down every single Wednesday and write an article (no matter how I’m feeling) is because it helps you.

That reason is much greater than any reason why I shouldn’t write, or the excuse of “I don’t feel like it.”

Of course, if you follow my writings, you’re likely aware that I’m not big on excuses. If I say I’m going to do something, I’m going to do it.

Ok, let’s get back on topic…

When you find your why, you will put in endless hours on the training pitch, at the wall, or on a tennis court (no matter what else is happening in your life). If you are consistent, and you put in quality hours, you will get better!

Individual Training Will Make You Better in Games:

The reason you train individually is (quite obviously) for you to play better in games.

Games are different than team training and individual training. They are packed with far more pressure. The higher you climb up the football ladder, the more pressure, and the less time and space, you will have with the ball at your feet. 

That is why you need to be training on your own as a footballer.

In order for you to be prepared and ready for those match situations, you need to train the skills that you use most often, in isolation (on your own).

Let’s take passing, as an example. If you want to become a better passer of the ball, you need to spend time practicing how you position your feet, how you position your body and where you want to hit the ball.

When I was about 11 years old, my right foot (stronger foot) was always much better than my left foot (weaker foot).

One coach told me if I want to get to the next level in the game, I had to make my left foot as good as my right foot.

That day, I committed to go to the wall, multiple days per week, and work on my left foot.

Now, my so called “weak” foot is as good, or better, than my “strong” foot, especially in certain techniques.

It wasn’t magic.

I spent so much time working on the wall, by myself, sometimes in very bad weather, and sometimes when I didn’t want too. But I had committed to making my left foot better, and that was my why.

Not Enough Reps in Team Training:

During team training, you will not get enough repetitions to make you better on the ball. Team training will make you better from a tactical and physical standpoint, but it won’t really make you a master of the ball. Team training is a time for the team’s coach to forge:

1) A system for the team;

2) A culture within your team;

and

3) A way that you want to play as a team.

The main goal of team training is not to make you a better individual, but rather how to blend the individuals together to work well as a unit (a team).

If your goal is to reach your potential as a player, you need to be doing the extra repetitions on your own!

Individual Training Blends With Team Training

The blending of your individual training into your team training is the key, and that should be your goal! Whatever you are working on by yourself should blend into your team training.

 If you have been working on your weak foot on the ball, you should try to use your weak foot as much as possible in team training.

Individual to Team Training is the first essential transition.

Team training is where the skills you worked on by yourself will become ingrained in your body and mind.

Once you are able to consistently blend your individual training into your team training, you will be able to carry this over to the game, where pressure is highest.

Transition to the Game:

  The transition to the game is the most important step because that’s where “the money is made” (for some of you, this may be true, and, in the future, I hope for the majority of you).

During 90 minutes of match play, you may touch the ball for only 2-3 minutes, which means that you will have limited opportunities to change the game. It also means, however, that those opportunities you will have must be executed perfectly.

You may have the opportunity 1-2 times per game to slip your teammate in on goal for a goal scoring opportunity.

Where the Work Pays Off:

 Maybe you receive the ball on your weak foot, and you are being closed down by an opponent. But you see your teammate making a great run at goal.

Here is the opportunity for you to deliver that perfect pass that you’ve been working on.

That could win the games or your team!

If you have been working on your weak foot for multiple hours on your own, with quality, you are much more likely to deliver a well-weighted, crisp pass that your teammate will be able to finish for your team.

Your individual training will make you far more confident and comfortable on the ball.

The more you do it on your own, the more likely you are to use it in a match.

The Relentless Work Ethic:

Training on your own will not only make you a better player,  but it will develop a work ethic that will help you do anything that you want to do.

When you are willing to do more than your competition, you will generally outperform your competition.

Take Ownership:

 It is of utmost importance to take responsibility and full ownership of your development as a soccer player,  and to fully commit to becoming a master of the ball.

If you need some ideas for individual training and what to do, take a look at this video and the rest of the videos on my YouTube Page: