Full-time football academies and high-level teams that train every day are not very flexible with time, so if you’re not in one, you have the freedom to decide when and where you want to train.

It’s cool to have this freedom, however, if you’re serious about getting better that means that whatever you do in your time requires a certain skill which is not easy to master.

This is not about a fancy trick or move and it has absolutely nothing to do with your physical ability however, this one skill is vital to your success on and off the field. It will either make or break you.

This skill is called discipline and it’s possessed by every good football player and athlete.

Great players need discipline to learn skills. They require discipline to put in the time and preparation to get the best performance. By being disciplined, they understand what it takes to excel and they see the improvement in their performance. Great players understand that without discipline, they will not experience the joy of victory.

Discipline for football begins when you make the commitment to training and improving yourself. That means that when you create a soccer training schedule, no matter if you feel tired, lazy or it’s raining or cold outside, you must make the personal choice that you will just do it.

If you train 20 hours a week, start every Monday by making a promise to yourself. Write on a note that you will promise to complete all training hours and hang the note on the wall. If you don’t complete it, that means you should limit yourself to 10% of your favourite ‘chilling’ activities (FIFA gaming, TV, etc) the next week or… train even more hours the following week!