Are Private Soccer Lessons Worth It? The Truth

When it comes to soccer training, there are many different options, from unstructured play to pickup games to team training with a school or club team, to academy teams, or even private soccer training lessons. To see faster results as a player, it is important that your overall training improves the pillars of player development: talent, game IQ, mindset, athleticism, fitness, recovery, and discipline.

To get the most out of these training options, players should prioritize team trainings and getting minutes in real games, while supplementing with private, solo, or partner training sessions during the week, or even better, small-sided leagues. This approach makes sure you’re developing your skills in realistic environments while still targeting specific areas for improvement outside of team play.

If you are already in a team environment and want additional training, private training can be beneficial, but if you are a complete beginner to the game, it’s better to join a team or leagues to get valuable playing time, and consider private training in the future. If you’re a beginner and want to start with private training, then it would be smart to find another team or league to play in as soon as possible.

In this blog post, I will discuss the pros and cons of private training, how to find a good trainer, prices, alternatives, and more. If you’re interested in taking your training to the next level with a structured program, you can reach out to me or learn more here.

Table of Contents

Pros of Private Soccer Coaching

Private soccer training is usually a 1-on-1 session between a player and a soccer coach that lasts anywhere from 45-90 minutes. Many private trainers also offer small group training, which usually consists of 2-4 players.

Here are the main pros of signing up for private soccer training lessons.

Individualized attention:

One of the main benefits of private soccer lessons is the individualized attention players get. By training one player at a time, coaches can personalize the training sessions to address specific weaknesses and strengths of that individual.

Private sessions also allow for more 1-on-1 time with a coach, especially more than the players get during their team training, which is usually a team of around 20+ players with one to three coaches in total. Making the coach-to-player ratio something around one coach for every eleven players.

Faster Development:

Private training sessions can allow players to see faster progress, since they will be getting valuable 1-on-1 time with a coach. When you are with a coach, not only are you doing the training session, but you are also able to ask them anything and learn from their experiences as a player or coach.

Learning from your own experiences is one of the best ways to learn anything, but learning from the experiences of others, such as your coaches, can help you save valuable time in your journey, which can lead to faster development.

Flexible Scheduling:

Private soccer training can also be more flexible and convenient for soccer parents, usually much more than club team practices, making it a great way to get extra training in. With private training, you can often choose times that fit your family’s busy schedule, allowing players to balance school, other activities, and soccer without feeling overwhelmed.

Unlike fixed team practice schedules, private sessions can be arranged on weekdays, weekends, or even during school holidays to maximize convenience for both the player and the coach.

Receive other forms of training:

Some private trainers not only focus on improving soccer-specific skills such as ball control, first touch, passing, dribbling, shooting, defending, decision-making, composure, awareness, and creativity, but they can also provide coaching and knowledge about other aspects of the game related to performance to speed-up results.

For example, with my private soccer training program, I educate my players on how most players think that “training” is only the work you put inside the field, but the truth is that everything you do on and off the field, from the minute you wake up until the minute you go back to sleep, impacts your performance one way or another. This includes the following topics:

Football Training – tactical and technical skills
Mindset training
Athletic Training
Injury Prevention
Recovery

Cons of Private Soccer Coaching

Although there are a lot of benefits to private soccer training, as a private soccer coach myself, there are also some negatives that parents and players must be aware of.

Cost

Private soccer lessons can be more expensive than other training options, such as team training or group sessions, because of the flexibility and individualization a player gets with a coach, which will not happen during most team environments with a coach-to-player ratio of around 1-to-11.

Social Interaction:

Private training can’t fully replicate the social elements of soccer, such as being part of a team, interacting with coaches, building camaraderie, and experiencing the collective highs and lows, all of which are essential for player development.

Intensity and Competition:

Compared to individual training, team training often provides a higher intensity level and competition among players, since there are more players to compete with, which can raise the level and vary the type of drills being done.

Limited Game Simulations:

Private soccer lessons can help sharpen the individual skills of players and help prepare them for team training and games, but they can lack the unpredictable nature of a real soccer match. This is why private lessons should not be a priority and should be seen as supplemental training.

What should be a priority is playing with the best team in your area, training with that team consistently every week, and on days off, finding other ways to get touches on the soccer ball, such as by playing different variations of the game. Team play and pickup games offer a more realistic simulation of match scenarios, but finding high-quality pickup games may be tough in some areas, depending on your age and skill level, which is where private training comes in.

Are Private Lessons with a Soccer Coach Right for You?

So now that you have a better understanding of the pros and cons, the real question becomes whether private soccer training aligns with your goals, current environment, and budget. If you’re already training consistently with a team, competing regularly, and looking for personalized coaching to accelerate specific areas of your game, then private lessons can be a valuable supplement to help you progress faster.

However, if you’re just starting out or not yet part of a regular team environment, your priority should be gaining real match experience, developing chemistry with teammates, and learning the tactical and competitive aspects of the game before investing in 1-on-1 coaching. Ultimately, private training is most effective when it complements, not replaces, team play, unstructured games, and consistent game time.

With that being said, if you’re a beginner, you’re already playing with a team, or you’re an experienced player looking to sharpen specific skills, private soccer training can be a great option, especially when you have clear goals, the financial ability to invest, and a coach who aligns with your needs and development path.

Final Thoughts

To summarize, the decision to invest in private soccer training depends on an individual’s needs and circumstances, as well as taking into consideration the pros and cons of the private training. Make sure you do some research about the trainer you want to work with, and remember that money is different for everyone, so if a trainer’s program makes sense to you, you’ve spoken to them, and it looks like a good fit, then go ahead and try it out.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you find the right private soccer coach, and how much should you expect to pay?

When choosing a private soccer coach, it’s important to ask the right questions since you’ll be investing time, money, and energy into their program. Look into their playing and coaching background, the results and testimonials they can provide, the type of players they specialize in, and what their program actually includes to make sure it aligns with your goals and is both effective and safe.

Pricing for private soccer training varies depending on the coach and location, but sessions typically range from $40 to $80, with some as low as $30 or as high as $200. More important than the price, though, is whether the program fits your needs and delivers value, since real results usually require consistent training over time rather than just a few random training sessions.

What are the alternatives to private soccer training for faster improvement?

Get in a team environment- school, club, academy, or college soccer team
- Train 2-3 times a week and consistently
- Play games on the weekend
- Get Feedback from coaches and ask them questions
Small group training
- Train with or without a coach and 1-2 other people
Unstructured Play
- Pickup games
- Small-sided games
- Futsal
- Beach soccer
- Any other variation of the game
Individual soccer training
- Barefoot soccer training
  - A lot of the best players in the world developed their skills by playing barefoot
- Wall training
  - Find a wall that you can use as a rebounder, which acts as a training partner that never gets tired
- Maximal intent training
  - Practice basic skills of the game such as passing, dribbling, shooting, and juggling at game speed and with maximum effort and focus

What gear and equipment are needed to improve my soccer skills?

The best thing about soccer is that you don’t need a lot of equipment and accessories to start playing and improving. All you really need is a soccer ball, but the more serious you want to play, the more gear you will need, such as soccer cleats, shin guards, grip socks, shorts, and shirts, and soccer equipment, such as cones, rebounders, ball pumps, soccer bags, etc.