There's a point in every soccer player's career where they feel like they're ready for more. Or maybe you’ve been watching the higher level players and figured you want to play at that level too. It's natural to want to take your game to the next level, but actually making that jump demands incredibly purposeful efforts and strategic planning. The successful players do certain things that will accelerate their progress over time. 

Assess of Where You Are

Before you can make change, you need to know exactly where you stand right now. But, this takes honest self-evaluation. You have to know where your strengths are and where you struggle again and again.

Getting feedback from coaches is a good thing. An honest assessment is not always comfortable, but you need it to grow. Meaningful change starts with knowing yourself. Players who overestimate their talents often make the wrong development selections.

Train With Purpose

Random practice will merely give you random results. Your training needs to be concentrated and intentional to get stronger. Come to every practice with something specific you wish to improve on. Take your personal training time to work on the weaknesses you found in your self-assessment.  What matters is quality, not quantity. Two hours of unfocused activity yield less improvement than thirty minutes of focused practice on certain skills. You can see measurable development in the focused areas, which means your training is working.

Improve your Physical Fitness

Skills are important, but a player’s physical condition might make the difference between being able to use those skills over the course of a game or not. If you fade in the second half, no matter your technical skills, you'll struggle to compete at higher levels. Include particular fitness work into the training. Include strength training appropriate for your age. Be sure to be flexible and mobile so you don't get injured. Eat well for performance and recuperation. 

Enhance Your Soccer IQ

Soccer intelligence is often the difference between good and great players. The great ones perceive the game distinctively. They hope to see patterns and make smarter decisions when it matters. This is a soccer IQ that can be learned via study, and by conscious effort.

Watch high quality soccer with a purpose and attention. Observe the location of the professional players as they await the ball. See how they keep scanning the field. Notice their off-ball movement. Try to see what they are doing that you are not. Reading the game is a skill that can be learned and it will significantly enhance your performance on the field.

Develop Mental Toughness

The mental side of soccer is more crucial at a high level. The pressure mounts. The stakes rise. The competition gets tougher. Even if players have the physical tools it can be tough if they can’t handle the mental aspect. You have to build technical and physical skills as well as mental toughness.

Practice under pressure. Take penalties when you’re tired. Repercussions. Drills. Compete. Imagine yourself playing well in a game. Learn to play when you are nervous or when you question yourself. Create habits that help you concentrate when distractions are trying to pull you away. Mental talents may be trained and often decide which players perform well under duress.

Be Patient and Persevering

Real growth takes longer than players aspire for. Usually it takes months or years of intensive work, not weeks, to leap to a new level. Players who expect immediate results may become disillusioned and give up before they actually make progress. Understanding that major progress takes time helps sustain motivation during slow stretches.

Trust the process, even if you don’t see instant results. Train with a purpose, and push yourself and keep working on your weaknesses. The benefits come in small doses. And then one day you’ll find that the talent that felt difficult beforehand now feels natural. And that impossible standard suddenly seems almost attainable. To go to the next level, you have to put in the work over time.