FREE PLAN · FOR PLAYERS
Individual Soccer Training Plan for Players (Free 4-Week Plan)
Most soccer training plans online are written for coaches running team sessions. This one is for you, the player, training on your own around team practice and school.
Get the full 12-week plan →Quick answer: An individual soccer training plan is a weekly schedule of what you train on your own, on top of team practice. A sensible starting point is 2–3 solo sessions of 20–45 minutes a week, covering technique, game IQ (decisions), fitness, recovery and a match review, with at least one full rest day. Unscouted’s free 4-week sample plan below shows how to set it out, and how to progress it over 12 weeks.
Key takeaways
- Team practice comes first. Your own plan fills the gaps it leaves, it doesn’t compete with it.
- Put your hardest solo session mid-week, never the day before or after a match.
- Train five things: technique, game IQ, fitness, recovery and match analysis.
- Progress in 4-week blocks, with an easier week and a simple test at the end of each.
- Keep one full rest day a week. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends it.
What is an individual soccer training plan?
An individual soccer training plan is a written schedule of what you practise on your own each week: which days, what you work on, and for how many minutes. It sits alongside your team’s training, filling the gaps a team session can’t, like extra touches, your weak foot, decision making and reviewing your own games.
Search for “soccer training plan” and most results are practice plans for coaches: how to run a 90-minute team session with warm-up, main part and game. That is useful if you coach. If you are a player aged 15–21 without an academy behind you, you need something different: a plan you can do with a ball, a wall and sometimes one friend. If you’re aiming higher, our guide to becoming a professional soccer player shows where a plan like this fits.
How much should you train on your own?
For most players with 2–3 team sessions and a match each week, 2–3 solo sessions of 20–45 minutes is enough. More is not always better: your solo work should leave you fresh for team training and matches, and you need at least one full day off each week.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends one day of rest per week and two to three months off per year from any one sport, and says “off” means staying active in other ways, not sitting still. That is general guidance, not a personal prescription. If you have an injury, pain that doesn’t go away, or a medical condition, talk to a doctor or physio before adding training.
- Hard days: match day, team training days and one solo technique or fitness session.
- Easy days: short technique work, game IQ, match review, light movement.
- Rule of thumb: don’t put two hard days back to back if you can avoid it.
How do you build a weekly soccer training plan?
Start by writing in your fixed days: team practice, match day and school. Then add a hard solo session in the middle of the week, light sessions next to the match, and one full rest day. Here is a typical week for a player with team practice on Tuesday and Thursday and a match on Saturday.
| Day | Focus | Minutes (solo) |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Recovery: easy walk, jog or bike, stretching. Match review of Saturday’s game. | 20–30 |
| Tuesday | Team practice. Plus game IQ: 5 match situations before or after. | 10–15 |
| Wednesday | Main solo session: technique and fitness. | 40–45 |
| Thursday | Team practice. Nothing extra. | 0 |
| Friday | Light: short touches, scanning drill, game IQ for your position. | 15–20 |
| Saturday | Match. | 0 |
| Sunday | Full rest. | 0 |
That is about 1.5–2 hours of solo work a week on top of team training. If your team practises three times, drop Friday’s session or make it 10 minutes of game IQ only.
What does a 4-week individual soccer training plan look like?
This 4-week plan uses the weekly template above. Each week has the same five parts: technique, game IQ, fitness, recovery and match analysis. Weeks 1–3 build up a little each week, and week 4 is lighter with a short test, so you can see where you are.
| Week | Technique (Wed) | Game IQ (Tue, Fri) | Fitness (Wed) | Match analysis (Mon) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wall passing both feet, 4 x 20. First touch away from the wall. | 5 situations per day in your position. Say your answer before checking. | 6 x 20 m sprints, walk back. | Write 3 moments: one good, one bad, one unsure. |
| 2 | Same, plus a shoulder check before every touch. | 5 situations, then explain the cue you used. | 8 x 20 m sprints, walk back. | Same 3 moments. Note what you saw before each one. |
| 3 | Weak foot only for half the reps. Add a turn after the first touch. | 5 new situations plus 15 minutes following a pro in your position. | 8 x 20 m sprints plus 4 x change-of-direction runs. | Find one mistake that keeps coming back. |
| 4 (lighter) | Half the reps. Test: wall passes in 30 seconds, each foot. | Test: 10 situations, write down your score. | 4 x 20 m sprints. No new work. | Compare your 4 reviews. Pick next block’s focus. |
Recovery stays the same every week: Monday easy movement and stretching, Sunday full rest, and sleep. Sleep is the cheapest recovery tool you have.
Wednesday main session (40–45 minutes)
| Minutes | Block | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| 0–8 | Warm-up | Jog, leg swings, skips, a few gradual runs up to near full speed. |
| 8–18 | Ball mastery | Toe taps, sole rolls, inside-outside touches. 30 seconds on, 15 off. |
| 18–30 | Wall work | Pass, check your shoulder, control, pass. Both feet. See the week’s row above. |
| 30–40 | Fitness | Sprints from the table, full walk-back recovery so every rep is fast. |
| 40–45 | Cool-down | Easy jog or walk, light stretching, write 2 lines in your log. |
The shoulder check in the wall work is a scanning habit. Our guide on how to scan in soccer has five more drills you can rotate in.
Game IQ sessions (10–20 minutes)
Work through match situations: look at the picture, decide what you would do and why, then check the answer. Do it before reading the options. Our free soccer IQ test has 8 situations to start with, and our page on decision-making training shows how to work through them. (In most of the world the game is called football, so you will see both words.)
Match analysis (20 minutes)
The day after a match, write down three moments: one good decision, one bad one, and one you aren’t sure about. For each, note what you saw and what you missed. If you have video, check it. Our guide to analysing a match as a player goes deeper.
Want the full 12 weeks, ready to follow?
The Basics Kit includes a full 12-week plan, weekly worksheets and 10 guides on analysing a player, a game, a team and yourself, plus the mental side. $47, one payment.
How do you progress a soccer training plan over 12 weeks?
Split 12 weeks into three 4-week blocks. Each block keeps the same weekly shape but makes the work a little harder or more game-like, and ends with an easier week and the same simple tests. Change one or two things per block, not everything at once, so you can tell what is working.
| Weeks | Block | What changes | End-of-block check |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–4 | Habit | Learn the routine. Clean technique, scan before every touch, review every match. | Wall-pass count, situation score, sprint time. |
| 5–8 | Pressure | Fewer touches (two-touch, then one-touch), more weak foot, shorter time to decide in game IQ work. | Same tests. Compare with week 4. |
| 9–12 | Game | Position-specific work, more realistic drills with a friend, focus on the mistake your reviews keep showing. | Same tests, plus compare your match reviews from weeks 1 and 12. |
Add load slowly. A simple rule: don’t raise more than one thing at a time (reps, speed or difficulty) from one week to the next. If you feel run-down, sore for days, or your sleep gets worse, go back a step and take an extra easy day.
How should your plan change in preseason, in-season and off-season?
Keep the same weekly shape all year, but change the balance. Preseason builds fitness, in-season protects freshness for matches, and the off-season is for rest first, then fixing the weakness your match reviews keep showing. Most players get this backwards and train hardest during the season.
| Period | Main goal | Solo sessions per week | What to change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Off-season (first 2–4 weeks) | Rest and recover | 0–1, light | Stay active with other sports. No hard soccer work. |
| Off-season (rest of it) | Fix one big weakness | 3 | More technique and weak-foot work, game IQ every week, steady fitness base |
| Preseason (4–6 weeks) | Get match-fit | 2–3 | More sprints and change of direction, build slowly so you don’t get injured in week 1 |
| In-season | Stay fresh, keep improving | 2–3 short | The weekly template on this page: one main session mid-week, light work near matches |
| Before a tryout | Peak for one day | 2–3 | Follow our 8-week tryout prep, ease off in the last week |
For the tryout version, see the 8-week plan in our guide to pro soccer tryouts.
How should your training plan change by position?
Keep the same structure, but swap the technique and game IQ content for the moments your position faces most. Fitness changes a little too: wide players and midfielders need more repeated sprints, center backs more strength in duels and heading.
| Position | Technique focus | Game IQ focus |
|---|---|---|
| Striker | First-time finishing, holding the ball up | When to run in behind or come short |
| Winger | 1 v 1 moves at speed, crossing on the run | Go down the line, cut in or play inside |
| Number 10 | Receiving on the half-turn, the final pass | Turn, set or play through |
| Central midfielder | Two-touch passing under pressure, switching play | Scanning before receiving, playing forward |
| Center back | Long passing, heading, first touch from the keeper | Step up or drop, covering |
What strength and fitness work should be in a soccer workout plan?
Add two short strength sessions a week to your plan, 15 to 20 minutes each, on days that aren’t the day before a match. Start with bodyweight exercises done well, and only add weights with supervision from a coach or trainer. Speed work should be short, fast sprints with full rest, not long runs.
- Lower body: squats, split squats and lunges, glute bridges, calf raises.
- Core and balance: planks, side planks, single-leg balance with a ball.
- Speed: short sprints and change-of-direction runs with a full walk back between reps.
- Endurance: small-sided games and interval runs rather than long, slow jogs.
If you’re growing fast or something keeps hurting, ask a physio before adding more. And remember the rest day: the American Academy of Pediatrics guidance above still applies.
How do you fit a training plan around team practice and school?
Treat team practice and matches as fixed, then fit short solo sessions around them. Keep your hardest solo session at least two days from a match, use 10–15 minute game IQ sessions on busy days, and cut back to the minimum in exam weeks instead of dropping everything.
| Your week | Solo sessions | Suggested days |
|---|---|---|
| Team practice 2x + match | 3 (one 45-min, two short) | Mon recovery and review, Wed main, Fri light |
| Team practice 3x + match | 2 (one 30–40 min, one short) | Mon recovery and review, one mid-week light session |
| Team practice 1x + match | 3–4 | Add a second technique session, keep one rest day |
| No team right now | 4 | Two technique and fitness, two game IQ and analysis, plus pickup games |
| Exam weeks | 2 short | 15 minutes game IQ, 15 minutes touches. Keep the habit alive. |
- Mornings work: 15 minutes of touches before school is easier to keep than 45 minutes late at night.
- Game IQ needs no pitch: situations and match review fit into a bus ride or a study break.
- Talk to your coach: if your team already does heavy fitness, skip yours that week.
How do you track progress in your training plan?
Keep a simple log of what you did each session, and repeat the same few tests every four weeks under the same conditions. Progress in soccer is slow and uneven, so write things down: your memory will either overrate or underrate how far you have come.
| What to track | How | When |
|---|---|---|
| Sessions done | Tick the day in your log, with minutes | Every session |
| Wall passes in 30 seconds | Same wall, same distance, each foot | Weeks 4, 8, 12 |
| 20 m sprint | A friend times you on a phone, same surface, best of 3 | Weeks 4, 8, 12 |
| Situation score | 10 match situations, write the score | Weeks 4, 8, 12 |
| Match reviews | 3 moments per match, look for repeats | After every match |
| How you feel | Energy and soreness, 1–5 | Every session |
Hand timing on a phone isn’t precise, so only compare your own times under the same conditions. The most useful tracker is usually the match review: when the same mistake stops showing up, that is real progress.
Honest note: a plan won’t make you a pro, and no plan works the same for everyone. What it does is make your extra work consistent and pointed at your real weaknesses. Adjust it when your reviews tell you to.
FAQ
How do I make my own soccer training plan?
Write in your team practices, matches and school first. Add one main solo session mid-week, short sessions next to match day, a recovery and review day after the match, and one full rest day. Then decide what each session trains: technique, game IQ, fitness, recovery or match analysis.
What should an individual soccer training plan include?
Technique (touches, passing, weak foot), game IQ (decisions and scanning), fitness (short sprints and change of direction), recovery (rest, sleep, light movement) and analysis of your own matches. Most solo plans only cover technique, which leaves the rest to chance.
How many days a week should a soccer player train alone?
For most players with 2–3 team sessions, 2–3 short solo sessions is enough. Keep at least one full rest day; the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends one day of rest per week for young athletes.
Can I train soccer every day?
Daily short touches or game IQ work are fine for many players, but hard training every day isn’t a good idea. Keep one full rest day a week and listen to soreness and tiredness.
What should I do the day before a game?
Keep it light: 15–20 minutes of easy touches, a scanning drill and a few situations for your position. Save sprints and hard sessions for mid-week.
Is there a free soccer training plan for players?
Yes, the 4-week sample plan on this page is free. Unscouted’s Basics Kit includes a full 12-week plan with worksheets if you want the next eight weeks laid out.
Is there a printable soccer training plan?
Yes. The 4-week plan on this page has a print button that prints a clean copy of the page without menus. Stick it on your wall and tick off each session, then repeat the same tests at the end of week 4.
How long should an individual soccer training session be?
20 to 45 minutes is enough for most players training on their own, on top of team practice. Keep one main session of 40 to 45 minutes mid-week and make the rest short: game IQ work can be 10 to 15 minutes.
What should a soccer training plan include?
Five parts: technique, game IQ (decisions and scanning), fitness, recovery and a review of your own matches. Add short strength work twice a week and keep at least one full rest day.
How should a soccer training plan change in the off-season?
Start with two to four weeks of rest and other sports, then use the rest of the off-season to fix your biggest weakness with three solo sessions a week. Build fitness in preseason, and keep in-season work short so you stay fresh for matches.
Follow a 12-week plan built for players training alone
The Basics Kit gives you the full 12-week plan, weekly worksheets and 10 guides on analysing players, games and yourself. One payment of $47, no subscription.