Are Private Soccer Lessons Worth It? The Truth

Are private soccer lessons worth it? When it comes to soccer training for improving as a player, there are many different options, from unstructured play through pickup games to team training with a school or club team, to academy teams, or even private soccer training lessons.

The best way to improve as a soccer player is to focus on improving the keys of player development: talent, game IQ, mindset, athleticism, fitness, recovery, discipline, and training in ways that best resemble the unpredictable nature of the beautiful game. This means if you are an aspiring soccer player, you must be in a team environment so that you can train with players of a similar level, gain feedback from coaches, and most importantly, play in competitive matches that give you real match experience.

It is also very important to find other ways to train throughout the week on days off from team training, such as through small-sided leagues, pickup games, or private individual or group training. If you are already in a team environment and want additional training, then private training can be beneficial, but if you are a complete beginner to the game, then it will be better to join a team or leagues to get valuable playing time, and consider private training in the future.

In this blog post, I will discuss the pros and cons of private training, how to find a good trainer, prices, alternatives, and answer the most important question: are private lessons worth your money?

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 receive. By training with one player, 1-on-1, 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 coaches not only focus on improving soccer-specific skills such as tactical understanding, 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, which are all things covered in my training program.

• Football Training – tactical and technical skills
  
• Mindset training
  
• Athletic Training
  • Fascia training
    
  • Breath training
    
  • Cross-training
    
  • Balance and coordination
    
  • Footwork
    
  • Agility
    
  • Speed
    
  • Strength
    
• Injury Prevention
  
• Recovery
  • Mitochondria Function
    
  • Sleep
    
  • Nutrition
    
  • Hydration
    
  • Supplementation
    
  • EMF Exposure
    

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 individualization and 1-on-1 time 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 lack the dynamic and unpredictable nature of a real soccer match. This is why private lessons should not be a priority and should be looked at as just supplemental training.

What should be a priority is getting into 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 match exposure.

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 do it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you find the right coach for private soccer training?

When looking for a private soccer coach, there are some important questions to ask to find the right fit. It is not only important to ask these questions because you will be investing time, money, and energy with this trainer, but you also want to make sure they know what they are doing and that everything is safe.

• What is their history with the sport? (Playing and coaching)
• What results and testimonials do they have to show?
• What type of players do they specialize in working with?
• What does their program provide?
  

What is the price of private training for soccer players?

The average price of a private training session will differ from trainer to trainer and from city to city. Typically, you can find private soccer training for around $40 to $80, with some classes coming in at $30 to even $200.

To determine if the cost is right of working with a trainer you have to ask yourself and answer a couple of questions, like the ones used in the previous section. One thing to note about the pricing is that money is different for everyone.

What makes sense to one person financially may not make sense to another. This is why you need a criterion to figure out if someone is the right person to work with as a private trainer.

A lot of parents are used to trainers charging per hour or per session. I am not a fan of that model because you can’t expect to see results with one, two, even three or four training sessions. Realistically, you need a minimum of three months of working with a trainer to see if their program works or not.

The reason I am a fan of the subscription model, which means players join my program for a minimum one-month commitment, is that it tells me they are committed and dedicated to getting better. If I know from the start that a player and a family are committed, that gives us a much bigger chance of getting results faster.

Also, if I know a family is committed, I am able to share with them guides, videos, and the online training program that I have created about all the other forms of coaching I mentioned in one of the previous sections.

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