How to Grow Your Foot in Soccer: Master the Skills You Need!

Honestly, I get asked this question all the time—whether by new players, parents, or even experienced players looking to step up their game: How do I grow my foot in soccer? Now, if you’ve been wondering about this too, you're definitely in the right place. Growing your foot in soccer doesn’t just mean getting bigger feet (though that would be nice, right?). It’s all about improving your foot skills—your ball control, your ability to pass, shoot, and maneuver around opponents with confidence.

Let’s break it down and get into the nuts and bolts of it.

What Does It Really Mean to “Grow Your Foot” in Soccer?

When people talk about growing their foot in soccer, they’re often referring to improving their technical abilities. We’re talking about mastering the fundamental skills that help you control the ball, make accurate passes, take powerful shots, and perform tricks that leave defenders in the dust.

I remember when I was starting out in soccer, I thought it was all about running faster or getting stronger. But after a few years of grinding away, I realized it was the smaller, more specific skills that really made the difference. Like, the way you strike the ball, how you control it when it’s coming at you from crazy angles, or even how well you can juggle it on your feet. That’s the growing your foot part.

1. Start with Ball Control

First things first: control. Honestly, if you can’t control the ball, nothing else really matters. It doesn’t matter how fast you run or how powerful your shot is if you can't even stop the ball from bouncing away after you’ve received a pass.

Drills I swear by:

• Juggling: Start simple. Juggle the ball with your feet, knees, and head. It sounds basic, but trust me, it helps you feel more comfortable with the ball at your feet.
• Passing against a wall: Stand a few feet away from a wall and pass the ball to yourself. Work on controlling the ball as it comes back and practicing both feet.
• Close control dribbling: Set up cones and dribble the ball through them. It’s frustrating at first, but it teaches you to keep the ball close to your feet, which is super important in tight spaces.

The key is repetition. The more you do these drills, the more natural it will feel when the ball is at your feet in a real match.

2. Improve Your First Touch

Ah, the first touch—one of the most important things in soccer, yet the most underrated. A bad first touch can ruin your whole play, and if you’re not careful, it can give the ball right to the opposition. I’ll never forget the first time I managed a perfect first touch. It was like magic, and I felt invincible. That’s how powerful it can be!

Here’s how you improve it:

• Use different parts of your foot: Inside, outside, and even your sole. It’s not just about “kicking” the ball, it’s about receiving it in a way that sets you up for your next move.
• Get comfortable with both feet: I know, I know. Practicing with your non-dominant foot isn’t fun at first, but trust me, you’ll thank me later. It opens up so many more options when you're under pressure.

Try receiving the ball from different angles and speeds to simulate match conditions. It’s one of those things where you think you're good, but once you test yourself under pressure, you’ll realize there’s always room for improvement.

3. Master Passing and Receiving

Alright, let’s talk about passing. You can have the most amazing foot skills in the world, but if you can’t pass the ball to your teammate at the right time, you’re pretty much useless on the field. I’ve been there—trying to make a pass that’s just a little too hard or way off-target. It’s frustrating, especially when your teammates are in a great position.

So, how do you get better at passing?

• Accuracy and timing: Practice making passes at various distances. Start with short passes and work your way up to long passes. Focus on getting the ball to your teammate's feet (or to space if they’re running).
• Use your weak foot: Yeah, you heard me. If you can pass well with both feet, you’re gonna open up a whole new level of play. You won’t always have time to adjust and use your strong foot.
• Pass under pressure: Try to do passing drills with a defender applying pressure. It’ll simulate a real match situation and teach you to think and react quickly.

Honestly, once I got my passing under control, it felt like I could finally contribute to the team in a meaningful way. It's about being a team player and setting up plays—not just trying to look cool with fancy dribbling.

4. Work on Your Shooting

Now, let’s get into the fun part—shooting. Everyone loves to score goals, right? But getting a powerful and accurate shot is not as easy as it looks. If you’re just slamming the ball as hard as you can, chances are, it’s going to go over the bar, wide, or straight to the keeper.

So, how do you improve?

• Accuracy first: Focus on placing the ball, not just kicking it hard. Practice shooting at different targets in the goal, like the bottom corners or the top corners.
• Use both feet: Being able to shoot with both feet makes you much more dangerous. If you can shoot with both feet, you can take advantage of more angles in a game.
• Practice with a goalkeeper: If you have a friend who’s willing to be a goalkeeper, it’s one of the best ways to improve your shooting under pressure.

I can’t stress enough how important it is to practice shooting consistently. It's not just about blasting the ball, it’s about placement.

5. Get Comfortable with Different Types of Ball Contact

Okay, here’s where things get a little technical, but trust me—it matters. The way you strike the ball affects everything from how it travels to how it spins. You need to know when to use the inside of your foot, the laces, or the outside of your foot.

• Inside of the foot: Most basic passes and controlled shots.
• Laces: For powerful shots.
• Outside of the foot: For tricky passes or bending shots.

The more comfortable you get with striking the ball in different ways, the more unpredictable and versatile your game will become.

Conclusion

So, to answer the big question: How do you grow your foot in soccer? It’s all about technique, consistency, and a little bit of obsession. Work on your ball control, first touch, passing, shooting, and mastering different foot contacts. You’ll be amazed at how much improvement you can see in a short amount of time, especially when you focus on these basic skills.

I remember feeling frustrated when I first started, but after hours of practice and working on my technique, I saw real results. It’s not easy, but trust me, it’s worth it. And hey, if you’ve got a teammate like I had in high school—who was always there to help me with my weak foot drills—use that support. Soccer’s a team sport, after all.

What’s one skill you’ve been trying to improve? Let me know—I’d love to help out!

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How Tall Should a 12 Year Old Be? We can only speak to national average heights here in North America, whereby, a 12 year old girl would be between 137 cm to 162 cm tall (4-1/2 to 5-1/3 feet). A 12 year old boy should be between 137 cm to 160 cm tall (4-1/2 to 5-1/4 feet).

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Average Height to Weight for Teenage Boys - 13 to 20 Years

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Staying physically active is even more essential from childhood to grow and improve overall health. But taking it up even in adulthood can help you add a few inches to your height. Strength-building exercises, yoga, jumping rope, and biking all can help to increase your flexibility and grow a few inches taller.

Is 5.7 a good height for a 15 year old boy?

Generally speaking, the average height for 15 year olds girls is 62.9 inches (or 159.7 cm). On the other hand, teen boys at the age of 15 have a much higher average height, which is 67.0 inches (or 170.1 cm).

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Most girls stop growing taller by age 14 or 15. However, after their early teenage growth spurt, boys continue gaining height at a gradual pace until around 18. Note that some kids will stop growing earlier and others may keep growing a year or two more.

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Even with a healthy diet, most people's height won't increase after age 18 to 20. The graph below shows the rate of growth from birth to age 20. As you can see, the growth lines fall to zero between ages 18 and 20 ( 7 , 8 ). The reason why your height stops increasing is your bones, specifically your growth plates.