Putting is the one shot in golf in which you score. One putt and you can walk away with a birdie; three putt, and you have a bogey. In playing with golfers of all skill levels, I have noticed that putting is what sets apart the “very good" golfers from the “okay" golfers. It’s not that the “very good" golfers are that much better at driving the ball. In the cases I have seen; they are the golfers that consistently sink putts.
In order to improve your putting techniques, it is important to develop a consistent putting routine, and a consistent, solid stroke. Before heading out to play your round, make sure to spend some time on the putting green. I suggest beginning close to the ball, and then moving your way back, if you are making the close putts.
Also, on the practice green, begin with putts that are situated on a flat lie. Once you are comfortable with those, you can move on and practice putts that will break.
During practice, treat each putt as if it were taking place during a real round. Don’t rush; use this practice time to train yourself in developing consistency in your practice routine. Make sure your stroke is smooth and natural.
In varying the distance of your putts, it is best to change the length of your backstroke. For very long putts, I was once told to widen my stance, which has since helped the consistency of my long putts. In widening the stance, it makes it feel more natural to bring the club back farther on the backstroke.
Once you develop a consistent short game, you will notice your scores begin to drop. After daily repetition of your putting routine, sinking putts will start to become second nature.
David Beckham said that he spent (and probably still spends) several hours per week beyond training, practicing his brilliant free kicks. Juninho Pernambucano, one of today's best long range snipers practices shots after hours, from various ranges. And don't think that Ronaldinho or Cristiano Ronaldo's superb dribbling skills were all obtained during team practice, they're also the result of long hours spent with the ball outside of the normal program.
So if you're striving to better yourself and become a quality soccer player, it's mandatory that you practice using soccer drills, either individually, pairing up with a teammate, or with a group of friends or teammates. I've prepared 3 fun soccer practice drills for each of these setups, hopefully you'll find them useful in your training plan.
1. Soccer Drill for Individual Practice ? Juggling
Juggling the ball may not have any accurate use in a match, because you'll rarely (if ever) find yourself the space, time and need to juggle a ball more than twice during a game. However, soccer juggling affects a lot of other base soccer skills and it's also one of the easiest and fun soccer practice drills to try out individually.
Soccer juggling affects your ball control ability, since by constantly keeping the ball in the air, you get to naturally understand how hard or soft the ball needs to be hit in order to control it. In-game, this affects your ability to stop and receive balls, as well as your dribbling skills, which often rely on how well you judge the strength and timing of your touch.
Other skills that soccer juggling has a positive effect on include balance, concentration and the ability to control the ball with both feet. Of all soccer drills for individual practice, juggling has the most benefic effects, so it's well worth saving up a few minutes every day to juggle, either after practice, or even in your back yard.
2. Soccer Practice Drills for Pairs ? One on One Dribbling
One on one dribbles work especially well when practiced in a pair. During a match, there will be countless occasions where you'll need to take on an opponent one by one and the only way to practice this is with the help of a friend or a teammate.
It's best if your training pair plays on a complementary position, as in someone that you would usually have to dribble against in a match. If you're an attacker or offensive midfielder, you'll want to practice one on ones with a defender, or defensive midfielder. Same concept goes the other way around.
It could also be a good idea to switch sides every now and then. After you play the attacker and try to get the ball past your pair, switch positions so that you're the defender and he has the ball. This allows you to develop your attacking and defensive skills as you practice.
Also, in order to make this soccer practice drills more fun, you could keep a score. Whenever the attacker passes the ball past the defender, he gets a point. If the defender takes the ball away or stops the attack, he gets a point. Whoever reaches 10 points wins and you get to switch sides and start over.
3. Soccer Practice Drills for Groups ? One Touch Passing
If you can find 3 or more teammates to get this soccer practice drill going, it will soon work out wonders to your passing, ball control and agility skills during matches. Here's how it works (I'll assume you have 5 more teammates to work with):
Split yourselves into 2 groups of 3, aligned face to face at a distance of a few yards. Group A starts, with the first player in the line passing the ball to the first player in Group B. After delivering the pass, the first player in Group A moves to the back of the line. The player in Group B receives the ball and one-touches it back to what should now be the second player in Group A and then moves to the back of his own line.
Do this as fast as possible and as accurate as possible, without needing more than one touch. You can play with different distances between the groups and once you get accustomed to the system, you can try passing the ball in mid-air, without allowing it to touch the ball and without the need for a stop. This is harder, as the passes need to be more accurate in order for the soccer practice drill to work.
Both Savannah Durbin & Niv Orlian are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Savannah Durbin has sinced written about articles on various topics from Golf Guide, Education and Golf Guide. Savannah Durbin is an avid golfer and aspiring computer engineer. To improve your putting even more check out putting practice equipment, and view more golf tips, at. Savannah Durbin's top article generates over 5400 views. to your Favourites.
Niv Orlian has sinced written about articles on various topics from Argentina Travel, Recreation and Sports and Install Flooring. Niv Orlian is the author and the owner of a website that provides information on various topics related to soccer.. Niv Orlian's top article generates over 49500 views. to your Favourites.