The 5 Best Soccer Training Equipment to Elevate Your Game
The facts are there. Scientists have informed us that practice makes perfect!
But for training to be effective, it needs to feel professional and productive, and I know just the way to do that: soccer training equipment.
Of course, the right soccer cleats and a reliable soccer ball are all we need.
However, the extra equipment can not only 10x our progress, but it can also ensure we evolve the right way, as it tries to mimic game realistic situations.
In this article, we’ll explore the five best soccer training equipment that can help you sharpen your skills, improve your technique, and get better at soccer.
What’s In My Soccer Bag?
What Is The Best Soccer Training
Equipment?
After years of solo training in the fields of Montréal, I realized that equipment needs to be reliable, and needs to simply serve its purpose: Animating the training drills!
What good is a cone if you can barely see it…right?
When we look at the best soccer training equipment, the key features we are looking for are:
Are they affordable?
Are they convenient?
Are they durable?
There is nothing worse than investing hard-earned money in our development, only for these products to let us down and not serve us accordingly.
Remember: These equipment are bought to make us better soccer players.
With that in mind, here are the 5 best soccer training equipment in 2023 for you, dear soccer players.
1. Soccer Rebounder
This item is first on my list as it is one of my favorites because of its utility and convenience.
It replaces teammates and friends, it’s easy to use, and there are so many things you could do with a soccer rebounder.
If you are just starting your soccer journey, you can get significantly better by just training with a rebounder. Your passing accuracy, first-touch control, and reaction time will get better.
A soccer rebounder consists of a net attached to a frame at an angle, designed to rebound the ball back to the player after they kick it into the net.
Here is a great list of soccer rebounders:
Benefits
Improves ball control.
Improve passing accuracy.
Solo Training equipment, meaning you can use it alone.
Versatility: You can adjust the angle to work on different types of touches and drills for volleys, headers, ground passes, and even shooting with precision.
Drills You Can Do
One example of a drill you can do with a rebounder is a finishing drill taken from another article: Best soccer finishing drills.
Start at point A, and pass the ball to the rebounder. The rebounder will pass it back to you, and you have to finish it in the goal in front of you.
You could angle the rebounder so it gives you a pass either on your left or right or even upwards to train your volleys.
The QuickPlay soccer rebounder is the most complete soccer rebounder on the market, and I always suggest this one for new players.
2. Mini-Goals (Or any goals)
I may tell you many things about soccer in this blog, but this is something that I want you to take with you…
Mini goals leveled up my efficiency in training. Why? Because it forces you to become accurate. Whether it’s a pass or a shot, or even practicing your curved strike technique…you need accuracy.
And if you think that even the mini-goal is too big of a target, you can flip its front to have an even smaller surface. Check out some cool soccer nets that have this feature:
These compact goals can be set up in various locations, both indoors and outdoors, allowing you to develop better accuracy.
Benefits
Enhanced Passing/Shooting Accuracy
Small-Sided Games: Mini goals are perfect for small-sided games (3v3, 4v4, 5v5), as big goals are too big and cones don’t have the benefit of a net.
Versatile Training: They cover a wide range of drills for passing accuracy, shooting accuracy, using them as obstacles, and much more.
Drill You Can Do
The drill possibilities are endless with a mini goal. Here is a simple, yet effective mini-goal drill you can do:
You stand facing the mini-goals and your teammate. He passes you the ball, and you have to control the ball in one direction, and then pass it accurately into the mini-goal.
By far, the best mini-soccer net is the dual goal by Pugg. This is because they are durable and can withstand many shots many times.
3. Cones and Hurdles
Cones and hurdles are classic training equipment that every soccer player should have in their training kit.
These effective tools can be used for a wide range of drills and exercises to improve your dribbling, your footwork, passing, and agility.
Cones come in all sizes and are the most versatile training equipment ever created. Every sport uses them. You can use them with the ball, off the ball, running, fitness, and many more.
Hurdles, on the other hand, are used to jump, which are great for warmups or adding athleticism to your workout.
Benefits
Dribbling Skills Cones can be used to set up dribbling drills, helping players improve their close ball control and dribbling technique.
Agility and Balance: Hurdles are effective for enhancing players’ agility, balance, and coordination.
Speed Training: Both cones and hurdles can be used to design speed and agility drills.
Up to your imagination. They are so simple that you can create drills with them.
Drill You Can Do
The easiest and best exercise to train your basic soccer skills, whether you are a beginner or an advanced player, is the slalom drill.
Placing cones 2-3 feet apart, you simply dribble around them. You can control your speed, your touches, which part of the foot touches the ball, and many more.
You can even add a goal at the end of the line of cones to improve your finishing after you dribble through the cones.
For hurdles, I personally use them as a warmup tool for jumping and activating my fast-twitch muscles. You could place them similarly to the slalom drill setup, and simply jump above each hurdle.
The best cone bundle for me is the one by Forza. This is because they are solid (you can step on them as much as you want), made with bright colors, and durable. They also don’t cost a lot.
See Other Items In My Bag
4. Goal Target
The goal target is another essential piece of soccer training equipment that aids in shooting accuracy and precision, for attacking-minded players like me.
It’s a target net that can be attached to the goalposts, challenging players to aim for the corners.
It’s great because it removes the need for you to have a goalkeeper in your training sessions. All you need is that soccer ball to hit the designated spot and you have yourself a complete/effective drill.
Benefits
Shooting Precision: Goal targets help players work on their shooting accuracy by providing a specific target area to aim for within the goal.
Set-Piece Training: Goal targets are useful for set-piece training, including free kicks and corner kicks, allowing players to aim for the sweet spots in the goal.
Accountability: Goal targets provide a clear visual indicator of the quality of a player’s shots, making it easier to track progress.
Drill You Can Do
The simplest exercise to do with a soccer net is shooting at the goal to practice your accuracy. You can practice different strikes like the power shot or the curled shot.
My suggestion for the best goal target is the goalshot by SKLZ.
5. Floor Goalkeeper Ball Deflector
Goalkeepers, this is a game-changer.
A goalkeeper ball deflector is a set of balls (or obstacles) that you place in front of the goal and players shoot at it.
The ball deflects the soccer ball and tests the reflexes and athleticism of the goalkeeper.
It is primarily used for training goalkeepers to work on their reactions, reflexes, positioning, and shot-stopping abilities.
Benefits
Shot Stopping: Goalkeeper ball deflectors are valuable tools for improving shot-stopping abilities.
Positioning: They help goalkeepers work on their positioning in response to different types of shots and deflections. This is crucial for being in the right place at the right time during a game.
Reflexes: The unpredictability of the rebounded ball challenges a goalkeeper’s reflexes and quick decision-making.
Set Pieces: Goalkeeper ball deflectors are often used during set-piece training, such as corner kicks and free kicks, to simulate situations where the ball may be deflected off a defender before reaching the goalkeeper.
Drill You Can Do
The best drill you can do with the ball deflector is the same one shown in the video above. One person shoots the ball on the ground toward the goal, and the small balls of the deflector will alter the trajectory of the ball.
The goalkeeper must stop the shots.
This equipment is great because I have seen it used by many goalkeeper coaches. This is a great way to get your keepers familiar with deflected shots and really improve their shot-stopping ability.
My favorite goalkeeper ball-deflector is the Matrix by Forza.
Conclusion
Knowing that there is so much soccer training equipment out there, I hope that no soccer player buys a product that disappoints them. After all, there is no way of telling if the product is good before you test it.
This was my goal with this article: to provide you with valuable reviews so you make informed decisions.
Training equipment is a great way to add structure to your training, but always remember that you need to practice efficiently.
That is with focus, determination, and a will to get better. Efficient training is the way to get better, and the training equipment is the tool that will get you there.
See you on the field!
