Qualities of a Good Soccer Player

A soccer player must full understanding of the defensive and offensive functions of their position on the field of play. The main qualities that good soccer players have are to have good knowledge of the game, skill, and mental and physical ability.

Having good knowledge of the game means that the player haves good vision, awareness and reaction when playing on the field. A soccer player should have good vision because before a player receives the ball, they should look around to know there options so the player knows where to play the ball when they get possession of it. Players with not much soccer experience will think about there options when its at there feet, quite often this is too late and may get the ball stolen from them. It is very important to anticipate the play on the field, they must anticipate when they receive the ball, where there teammates will be to receive the ball. They should have good awareness when playing on the field. At all times they should know where they are on the field, where there teammates are and the opposition. Your body position on the field is important in all aspects of the game for offense and defense. On the field you have to have good reaction to all plays. Experienced players are able to react immediately in any situation of being under pressure or relieving pressure from a teammate. A player on offense knows how and where to run to create passing or shooting opportunities for there self or there teammates. Defensively, the player knows how fast and how far they need to retreat or how quickly they need to challenge there opponent in order to avert danger. When playing soccer you need to have good knowledge of the game by having good vision, reactions to any plays, and awareness.

Good players have many skills as adaptability. being able to do techniques under pressure and inventiveness. All good soccer players need to have good adaptability when playing the game and they have the opportunity to be the play-maker. Whenever they have possession of the ball, they have the ability to affect the nature of the game and they must be able to adapt quickly at any time. Transition is also important when having to quickly change from offense or defense or visa versa. The players must recognize when possession of the ball changes to either defense or offense, and be ready and adapt to the situation. You need skill to be a good soccer player and be able to maintain technical efficiency while under pressure. An experienced player will show composure under pressure from the movement of the ball, the movement of their body with the ball, opposition, fatigue, importance of the game. Inventiveness is also important because there can be many times in a game when a player haves to create passing or shooting opportunities for them self or for other teammates. Players are assets to the team if they have the ability to turn quickly, shoot when off balance, perform there own tricks and evade challenges easily. Skills that you need to be a good soccer player are to have adaptability, being able to do techniques under pressure and inventiveness.

Mental and physical ability is important to have when playing on the field such as being confident, mental toughness and endurance as good fitness. Players shouldn't just have good skill, but also have confidence in themselves to perform there potential. When under pressure they can have lack of confidence, but have good understanding of the game and great skills. Mental toughness is important to have because many things can happen in a game and affect there confidence and concentration. By constantly losing or having a individual breakdown in technique can lead to loss of confidence and concentration. Only mentally tough players can perform good ability. It is very good to have endurance when playing because fitness is an important component of the game. Players shouldn’t only play for the duration of the game, but recover there fitness while working in the game. Each player runs up to 5-7 miles in a 90 minute game on the field. If the soccer player has good endurance, the less chance they will make errors when playing. The kind of running a player does on the track is different then running on the field. Playing soccer requires instant changing of direction and speed that makes the player more athletic. Soccer players need to be confident, have mental toughness, and endurance which is mental and physical ability.

The main qualities that soccer players have are to have good knowledge of the game, skill, and mental and physical ability. If they have all of these qualities then they will become a very good soccer player and fit.

By: Natasha Willson