Players Juggling Club

The goal of the Juggling Club is to establish a fun and creative way to have Vernon soccer players become more technical. It also will inspire you to use their soccer ball on a more consistent basis with a goal in mind. Juggling in and of itself is not something that can be used to determine a soccer players ability, however it is a useful tool to help players "own" the soccer ball and to develop a better touch on the ball.

Players will be recognized for their hard work on the website and in our newsletter.

Rules:

1. Players may only use their feet. Touches with the feet count toward the total number juggles. The players must return to zero if the ball hits the ground. All other body parts can be used but, they do not count toward the total number of juggles. (Ex. If a player uses their thigh to keep the ball in the air it will not be counted, but the players can continue their count with the next touch with their feet. One foot, two foot, thigh, three foot would count as three.)

2. Honor System. Players do not need an adult to count or be present. The players are responsible for accurately counting the number of touches on the ball. The Director of Coaching will be responsible for any discrepancies or disputes and to verify the players skill level is accurate to what is being reported.

3. The VSC Juggling Club has three levels of achievement which are, 150 touches, 300 touches, and 500 touches. Players will be given a VSC Juggling Club T-shirt with the appropriate level. Players will be photographed in their shirt and have it posted to the website. Players who skip a level will receive the T-shirt of the highest level only. Ex. A player does three hundred juggles will be given the 300 shirt and not the 150 and 300 shirt.

Reporting: The players once reaching a level of achievement will notify the Director of Comp or Director of Rec. They will determine a time and place to hand out the T-Shirt and take a picture of the player wearing the VSC Juggling Club T-Shirt. Pictures will be posted to the VSC website under the appropriate touch level.

Hints

Patterns: It is helpful to establish a pattern with juggling and stick to the pattern. The weaker foot is always one that causes players the most difficulty. The quickest way to become a better juggler and more importantly develop a better touch is to work on the weak foot specifically. A pattern for a right footed player would be two left one right and continue this pattern. This will be more time consuming and results are slower INITIALLY, however in short time the player will have the ability to juggle indefinitely. Dedication and discipline are the keys here and, the dedication will pay off in the long run.

Goal Setting: Set up goals.The goals can be weekly, monthly and yearly. Try to achieve a certain number of juggles by each period of time. The goals become your target. Start slow and with a reasonable goal and your results will start to improve.

What is Soccer Juggling?


	The definition of soccer juggling is the act of keeping the ball off the ground by using any part of the body except the hands and arms. Juggling is normally performed with the foot, knee and head. However, some jugglers can even incorporate the shoulders, chest and back.

	How Does Juggling Help My Child In Soccer?
	Aside from being a fun cardio workout juggling can help a child become more comfortable and confident using all surfaces of their foot on the ball. It helps with control and touch, reinforcing core skills such as dribbling, passing, shooting and is one of the best teaching tools for developing volleying skills (where a ball is struck from the foot while still in the air). Balance and speed on the ball is also refined as children learn to quickly correct themselves to save a ball from the ground. Incorporating the head and chest into juggling is a great way for your child to become more comfortable using their head for passing and shooting and their chest for controlling the ball.

	How to start?
	The best way to start is typically to focus on the feet first. Holding the ball in both hands drop the ball onto the strongest foot and kick it back up to the hands. Repeat this until comfortable and then switch to the weaker foot - once down and then back to the hands. Once your child is comfortable have them try from the hands and then twice to the foot and then back to the hands. See if they can go from hands to strong foot to weak foot and then back up to the hands as an a alternative. Really try to get your child to practice with both feet. And keep building from two. Next time try hands, three foot touches and then hands. Keep building and see how high you can get.

	Okay so I have the basics now what?
	Try to incorporate different surfaces of the feet. Drop the ball to the inside or outside surfaces of the foot. Perhaps mix it up dropping from hands to laces, to outside, to inside and back to laces. See how many different foot surfaces you can use in your juggle. Then progress onto different parts of the body such as using the knees and head. A good way to start incorporating the head is similar to how we started with our feet. Throw the ball above the head, head it using the top of the forehead, and catch it back in your hands. Keep building this so hands to head twice and then back to hands. Keep building this like you did your feet. Do the same for knees. Drop the ball from the hands and knee it back to the hands. Keep building with the knees. Once you get comfortable with feet, knees and head try to incorporate all three into the same juggle. Try ball to head, to knees, to feet and back to head. Mix it up however you like. Make it your own. Try starting the juggle from the ground instead of the hands. Roll the ball back onto the foot and lift. Don't worry, it takes a lot of practice! Just keep going!

Website Manager

VERNON SOCCER CLUB

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