Innovative football exercises: Train like Gnabry & Musiala with this training concept

June 27, 2024

Reading time: 5 minutes

What you will learn here

Better technique, faster decisions and fewer injuries with neuro-training
Why neuroathletics in football?
Football drill: How does neuro-training work?
Helps the whole team: The power of vision in football
Training exercises: 3 neuro exercises for coaches and footballers
Integration of fitness neuro tools into football training
Conclusion: Become a better player with neuroathletic football exercises

Better technique, faster decisions and fewer injuries with neuro-training

Neuroathletics is revolutionizing soccer training! Increase speed, overview and coordination through soccer exercises that optimize the connection between the brain and movement . But what exactly is behind neuro training and how can it help soccer players improve their game, gain tactical advantages and prevent injuries? Find out how you as a coach can use these techniques to optimally support players or become better as a player yourself! Professionals such as LeBron James, Per Mertesacker and Jürgen Klopp already swear by this method.

Why neuroathletics in football?

Alex and Simon from Soccerkinetics are experts in neurocentric soccer training and told us in an interview that many soccer players get injured or do not reach their personal performance limit . Specifically, soccer players often make suboptimal or too slow decisions on the field.

Injuries occur even without direct contact with the opponent. This is because many players, or more precisely their brains, cannot keep up with the increasing speed of the game.

This is where neuroathletics in football comes in. Through targeted training, footballers can improve the quality, speed and execution of their decisions. In football too , the brain controls every movement and every learning process.

That's why it makes sense for footballers to specifically involve the brain in training in order to achieve faster and more comprehensive tactical, coordination and technical progress. And: The effectiveness of neurocentric football training has been scientifically proven by several studies.

Football drill: How does neuro-training work?

Imagine your brain and muscles working perfectly together – that’s neuroathletics! You can train your nervous system with targeted neuro soccer exercises.

This training of the senses and motor skills – also known as sensorimotor exercises – improves movement quality, coordination and balance. This allows you to play more precise passes under pressure, change direction more quickly or effectively avoid tackles.

In addition, you can improve your body awareness and increase your game intelligence (tactical advantages, situational awareness) through neuro training exercises.

To play at the highest level in football, all sensory systems must work together perfectly. Sensory systems - this is the visual system ( sight ), balance and body perception . They work together to control your movements reliably and stably.

You can only perform precise and fast movements if the three systems work together effectively. Neuro-functional training can help you here. Sounds complicated at first? But it isn't!

Helps the whole team: The power of vision in football

Your visual system – including your eyes, optic nerves and the areas of the brain that process visual information – is essential in football. It affects how you move, perceive the game and how accurately you pass .

With clear visual skills, you can keep an eye on the field at all times , helping you make precise passes and quicker decisions . Your peripheral vision lets you spot opponents and teammates without losing sight of the ball.

Thanks to depth perception, you can better estimate distances and ball speeds. In short, a well-trained visual system makes you a smarter and more responsive player through effective soccer exercises.

But how do you do it? There are effective neuro training exercises and football training equipment for group and individual training that you can easily integrate into a football training plan - for adults and children.

You can even do some neuro athletic exercises at home with a few small aids and without a trainer.

Training exercises: 3 neuro exercises for coaches and footballers

Train your sensory system with unusual football exercises and notice how you become faster, more precise and less prone to injury !

Exercise 1: Ankle circles

For this soccer exercise, stand on one leg and lift the other slightly. Now slowly rotate the raised ankle in circular movements , first ten times clockwise and then ten times anti-clockwise. This improves your motor control and strengthens the ankle.

Exercise 2: Dribbling bounces

Incorporate so-called "touch-ups" into your dribbling exercises by completing small tasks while dribbling. These could be coordination tasks such as throwing a tennis ball from right to left, cognitive tasks such as solving a math problem, or visual challenges such as dribbling with limited vision. For example, use an eye patch for limited vision.

The bouncers improve your ability to control the ball precisely despite distractions and at the same time train your cognitive and visual skills. This makes you more versatile, more responsive and helps you stay in control even in stressful game situations.

Exercise 3: Vision Stick

For this soccer exercise, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and upright, holding a vision stick with your arm outstretched at eye level in front of you. Move the stick back and forth in front of your eyes , focusing on the tip of the stick or a specific letter. Move the sticks slowly and in a controlled manner in different directions (up, down, sideways), and your eyes move with them. Do 10-15 repetitions.

This soccer exercise improves your eye mobility and coordination , increases visual concentration and reaction ability.

Integration of fitness neuro tools into football training

Trigger point massage ball: regeneration

The trigger point massage balls help you to loosen tense muscles through targeted pressure massages. They are perfect for regeneration and pain reduction after intensive football training sessions.

Pinhole glasses: More attention and focus

The glasses with a grid pattern, also called grid glasses , promote depth of field and concentration. They help to improve visual attention and focus in soccer exercises. They help to achieve more precise movements and better spatial perception .

Mouth Tapes: More endurance and performance

Mouth tapes or sleep tapes promote nasal breathing while you sleep. This improves your recovery and increases breathing efficiency , which helps footballers to have more endurance and better performance during football drills and on the field.

Brock String: Orientation & Decision Making

The Brock String improves your eye coordination and depth perception. It helps you train visual concentration and spatial awareness, which benefits footballers in orientation and decision-making on the field.

Neuroathletics football set: Equipped for all exercises

Do you want to improve your soccer skills on all neuro levels and get started on the pitch with new skills? Then the Neuroathletics Soccer Set is perfect for you. The set in a practical mesh bag contains two different trigger point massage balls, an eye patch, the pinhole glasses, mouth tapes, four colored vision sticks, an elastic Brock String Flex and the Soccerkinetics book with many helpful soccer exercises.

Conclusion: Become a better player with neuroathletic football exercises

Regardless of whether you play yourself or are a football coach: with suitable neuro-football exercises you can enrich every training plan and every training session. With regular football exercises you can improve your peripheral vision, promote your visual perception, get a better sense of your body and give coordination training and speed training a new dimension. For better technique, faster decisions, better shots on goal and fewer injuries.

The best thing about it: Neuroathletics not only benefits the individual footballer, but the whole team. Have fun training!