How to Increase Your Soccer Juggling Score in 30 Days
Take the 30 Day Juggling Challenge! Whether you're a beginner or already hitting 40+ juggles, this guide breaks down how to improve your aerial ball control, foot-eye coordination, and weak foot — just 10 minutes a day.
How to Increase Your Soccer Juggling Score in 30 Days
There are two types of soccer players in this world: those who love juggling, and those who don't know that they love juggling yet!
Sometimes players question why we even work on juggling in our training sessions when they're "never going to do that" in a game. This is a great question, and I love that these players are trying to connect the dots between training and the game by questioning the why behind what we do!
The best answer that I have for them is that, while we know that we can never achieve perfection, one thing that we do know for sure is that practice makes habit. Juggling is an awesome example of how coaches take one moment or skill that we use during a game and find a way to create repetition. Juggling is an efficient way for players to improve aerial ball control, foot-eye coordination, and to improve using your non-dominant foot. Not to mention the swagger points that go along with knowing the coolest juggling trick on your team!
In all seriousness, though, at the youth level, the best jugglers on the team are usually also the most technical players in the game. As a coach, when I see a young player who is a proficient juggler, I immediately know that this player enjoys the ball and that they are practicing at home.
These are just a few of the reasons why I believe that juggling is a critical part of player development! This is why I put together a 30 Day Juggling Challenge that any player, regardless of skill level or experience, can complete!
The Rules of the 30 Day Juggling Challenge
If you are going to complete this challenge, there are two rules you must follow:
Rule #1 - You must practice juggling for at least 10 minutes per day, every day for 30 days in order to successfully complete this challenge!
Rule #2 - You must get as many touches as possible in those 10 minutes! This means no phone/texting breaks, no walking after your ball or deciding to shoot on goal for a few minutes. Just 10 minutes of intentional, uninterrupted juggling.
To keep things interesting, here are some suggestions for players of any skill level to spice up their 10-minute juggling sessions!
For the Newbies...
Start by challenging yourself with different 1 Bounce → 1 Touch, or 1 Bounce → 2 Touch variations! Be sure to always practice using both feet — I promise that today is the easiest it will ever be to start learning to use your non-dominant foot! The longer you put it off, the more of a challenge it will be to break the bad habits that only using your favorite foot will create!
For those who are on day 1 of learning to juggle, you can start with the ball in your hands and work on a Bounce → Touch → Catch pattern. Keep track of your longest streak — how many times in a row you can complete Bounce → Touch → Catch without dropping it. Aim to have a new longest streak each week!
For an added challenge, vary up the height of your touches and see how many you can do in a row for each height! Keeping the ball below knee height while you juggle presents a different technical challenge than trying to have every touch go above head-height! The most important thing here is that we are being intentional about the weight of our touches!
For the Rockstars...
Improving your non-dominant foot is a great way to increase your juggling score! The quality of your touch when using your weak foot can make or break a juggling streak!
Start and end each 10 minute session with 1 minute of juggling (or some variation of 1 Bounce → 1 Touch) using only your non-dominant foot! Count how many touches you can get in 1 minute, or keep track of your longest streak!
At this stage of juggling, you should also avoid using your hands at any point! Get out of the habit of snatching a poor touch out of the air with your hands, or starting your juggle with your hands. If you are still working on being able to get the ball up in the air with your feet, it is helpful to juggle near a wall. This way, you can play the ball off of the wall to help you get some air under it when you need to!
For the Icons...
If you are already a player who can comfortably get 40+ juggles with your feet, it's time to find a new way to challenge your first touch!
One of my favorite juggling progressions is Low → Low → High juggling! For this, you want to try to keep the "low" touches below waist height, and the "high" touches above your head. This challenge will take your first touch and aerial ball control to a new level!
Another way to elevate your juggling is to vary up which surfaces of your foot you use! Some examples for you to try are:
- Inside Foot touch ("hackysack")
- Outside Foot touch ("chicken wing")
- Heel Juggle
Pro Tip: Keep Juggling Fun by Learning New Tricks!
No matter what your skill level is, there is always a new trick that you can try to master! If you are a Newbie, you can work on learning easy ways to flick the ball up into the air from the ground using your feet. This will allow you to start juggling without using your hands — which is an absolute must if you are going to be a Rockstar one day!
If you are already a Rockstar, two of my favorite tricks to start working on are the Around the World and the Pancake!
Lastly, we all know you don't become an Icon without having a few tricks in your bag, but if you're looking for new ways to be creative try to master different types of stalls! A stall is basically "catching" or "freezing" the ball on a part of your body while you're juggling. Some common ones are:
Start improving your juggling today! Invite your friends to do this 30 Day Juggling Challenge with you, and compete to see who can add more juggles to their score by the end of the 30 days!
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is juggling important for soccer players?
Juggling improves aerial ball control, foot-eye coordination, and comfort using your non-dominant foot. It builds the kind of technical foundation that translates directly into better first touches and ball mastery during games.
How long should I practice juggling each day?
Just 10 minutes of focused, intentional juggling per day is enough to see significant improvement over 30 days. The key is consistency and avoiding distractions during your practice time.
What if I can't juggle at all yet?
Start with the Bounce → Touch → Catch pattern using your hands. Everyone starts somewhere! Focus on tracking your longest streak each week, and you'll be surprised how quickly you improve.
How many juggles should a youth soccer player be able to do?
There's no magic number — what matters is consistent improvement. Players who can comfortably juggle 40+ times with their feet are generally considered strong technical players, but the journey to get there is where the real development happens.
Ready to take your ball mastery to the next level? Check out our training programs at On the Ball Training where we focus on technical development, including juggling, every session!