Soccer Ball Juggling Winner 

 

That’s Ball Control! Smart Soccer training director Neil Smart was recently a joint winner in an impromptu soccer ball juggling (keepie up) contest conducted in conjunction with the soccer convention held in Philadelphia. Neil managed close to 2,000 juggles (using both feet and his head) in about a 20 minute period and was still going strong when the competition was officially ended. When interviewed by philly.com after the event Neil was asked what enables him to keep the ball in the air for so long and his answer was simple: “Practice, practice and more practice” To go a step further Neil emphasized the importance of players training to improve in their own time. All a player needs is a ball (for juggling and control skills) or a ball and a wall (for passing). Repetitive practice of skills is a sure way to improve technical ability. Coaches need to encourage independent training among their players. Youth soccer players need to practice daily and also practice away from the pressure of a formalized coaching environment.  That way when they do attend their teams scheduled practices they are sharper and more effective in both drills and the game environment.   Neil’s photo appeared in the January 15 edition of the Philadelphia Daily News as shown below.   Smart Soccer Director Neil Smart on his way to winning the soccer ball juggling contest held at the PA Convention Center on January 14. (Photo from Philadelphia Daily News January 15, 2010) More photos of the soccer ball juggling event are shown at this link: Soccer Ball Juggling Competition http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/soccer/NSCAA_Juggling_Soccer_Balls.html

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