The personal equipment needed for soccer is pretty basic: all players should have a pair of shinguards and a pair of cleats. Your shinguards should have a good, reliable fit; they should also be sturdy enough to withstand kicks, but flexible enough to move with you. Well-made shinguards can also protect you from injuring your ankles. If your shinguards do slip around, you can buy shinguard protection sleeves, which hold them in place without tape and do not cut off your circulation. With cleats, look for great traction, since you will be frequently playing on wet grass and mud. Since goalies perform some rather unique actions in the game, they may also want to buy gloves and knee pads. Though you may not pet accessories want to wear knee pads during your games, you may want to have them during practice to protect your knees as a goalkeeper. Goaltending gloves help goalies grip the ball. No matter what position you play, a pair of athletic gloves can help keep your hands warm and flexible for throw-ins.
If you are eager to develop your soccer skills, but do not have a lot of
extra cash, there are plenty of materials you can purchase inexpensively to use
while training. One item any soccer player should have, and can afford, is a set
of practice cones. They are very versatile in terms of how they are set up, and
can be used to help improve skills in a variety of ways. Websites online offer
many different suggestions for cone exercises. Another tool you can buy without
spending a lot of money is a weighted training ball. Though these balls should
not be used for goal-shooting or heading, they are great for exercises that
build strength and coordination. Another great product is the mirror belt,
though you will need another teammate to use it. It allows you to do a variety
of exercises which increase strength, speed, reaction time, direction change,
and other skills. The versatility and applicability of these products allow you
to accomplish a lot of training without buying a lot of expensive equipment.
Few sports have a position that demands as much constant energy as that of
the soccer midfielder. The responsibilities of the midfielder involve helping
the defenders in protecting the goal, moving the ball up the field, and
assisting the forwards in setting up plays for shooting. More action happens in
the middle of the soccer field than anywhere else, and this is where midfielders
are stationed. The midfielder will run two or three times the distance of a
defender or forward during an average soccer game. Having endurance as a runner
is perhaps the most important quality a midfielder should possess. Running
should be an every day exercise for all players, but especially for the
midfielders. A common drill for increasing endurance is having the players touch
each line on the soccer field one at a time and running back to the starting
position before they can run and touch the next one. Since running can be rather
mundane, coaches should look for ways to make these endurance exercises
interesting.