What Type Of Soccer Training Equipment Do The Pro's Use? I Want Some!

Soccer training equipment isn't about having the fanciest gear, the brightest shoes or the latest and greatest technology.

Training gear is about getting the necessary equipment that compliments what you need to be successful.

If you're thinking to yourself right now that you're going to go the soccer equipment store and that you're gonna buy yourself a new first touch, long ball and left footed shot.

Well you my friend have missed the boat. Like working on any part of your game hard work, repetition and the hunger to improve rains supreme, some of the equipment listed below may help facilitate that hunger but nothing replaces good old fashioned hard work, right Rocky?

Here you will find what what pro's use and what you can use to simulate the type of equipment that pro's use everyday.

Why Do I Need Professional Level Training Equipment?

Well the easy answer is to feed that passion to train at the highest level, that of a pro. Whether it be cones, running shoes or whatever else having the right soccer training equipment increases your ability to train effectively and efficiently.

You can do so many pro like exercises without all of the fancy equipment and technology. When you get to your first pro tryout using some of their equipment won't be foreign to you and you'll be familiar with the exercises and the equipment used to do the exercises.

What Type Of Equipment Do Top Pro Teams In Europe Have? 

You name it, all the things you've seen and heard of before plus a whole handful of different equipment and machinery you only thought existed in the movies. Depending on the level of team you are trying out for you will see a variation in high end soccer training equipment.

If you're starting out with a second division team or a lesser known first division club you can guarantee you will have the basics. These basics include, cones, balls, bibs, agility poles, speed ladders and a fully operating gym with weights, bars, bands etc. 

No matter the the type of fancy equipment you may or may not have used in the past be sure to keep it simple and not jump into something you aren't familiar with. Ask for a demonstration from the strength coach or a more senior player if you don't know what you're doing with a certain piece of equipment.

What Is Some High End Soccer Equipment That Only Pro Teams Have?

Well you asked for it. Some of these will look like they are from another planet and you probably shouldn't get used to seeing too many of them should you go on your first pro tryout with a 3rd of 2nd division team or a low tier countries 1st division team.

I don't doubt you young Neymar but just don't be surprised when you walk into FK Bavaria and ask for their cryotherapy chamber and they all look at you funny. 

The top pro clubs are constantly bringing in the newest and best technology they can to get an edge on the competition and if you do a little reading below you will see what I mean, a Doctor and a treadmill may all you get in your first tryout, but be patient, your time will come.

Anti-Gravity Treadmill

Cryotherapy Chamber

Footbonaut Soccer Chamber

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

Sleep Pods

Fit Lights

Basic Soccer Training Equipment You Will See At The Professional Level

As you can imagine any professional team will have a huge stock of all the standard basic equipment a team needs to train on a day to day basis on top of the fancy stuff.

Equipment such as cones, balls, agility ladders, rebounders and much more. If you're not familiar with these (you should be) refresh your memory below and make sure you are used to them by the time your tryout comes up. All the basics are covered and are more than enough to compete at a high level.

If you're looking to purchase any soccer training equipment listed below feel free to shop around Soccer.com for everything you need.

Cones

Quick and easy, we've all seen this before just standard cones for soccer exercises, warm up, plyometric, technical work and whatever else is needed on a day to day basis. This is a staple in any soccer training equipment collection.

Speed Ladder

You will see a lot of this prior to training and with individual work. They say speed work should be done when your body is at it's freshest and not fatigued for example after a training session.

If you are working on increasing your foot speed then using these for plyometric workouts is great, just a simple ladder you can adjust to any length you need.

Agility Hurdles

A good addition to any plyometric or jump work you plan on doing. Easy to carry and about a foot off of the ground for single and double leg jumps as well as other speed work.

It is common to see these at a professional teams warm up when working on any type of speed or agility work.

Agility Poles

These are used to weave around if doing change of movement or sprint work in an agility warm up or workout. I've also seen them used as goals, dummy defenders and gates within the practice environment.

Ball Rebounder

Ya just an old fashion wall will work too but this is great to have on the field in between exercises, before and after training and on your own to increase reps.

In a professional setting you will see these for rebounds in goalkeeper workouts as well as technical work for players working on passing, receiving, first touch, checking your shoulder to name a few.

Cleats

This goes without say but I'll say it anyways, having a proper pair of cleats is important to train specifically to what you will be wearing in a match as well avoiding injury and keeping your confidence up looking and feeling good.

Stick to somewhat name brands if you can like Nike, Adidas, Puma, Diadora, Lotto.

Ball

Good old trusty. As long as you have a ball you can do almost anything in this game. Make sure you have a quality ball that will last and can keep up with your training load. Spend a little bit more to not have to worry about it in a couple weeks time.

Obviously at the pro level you have an unlimited supply and access to balls of the highest quality, whatever is the latest ball out from your sponsor you have a truck load of them ready.

Nike Run Club App On Your Phone

This one is not so obvious but such a useful tool for all your conditioning needs and best of all it's free.

Ignore the watch for now just having the Nike Run Club App downloaded on your phone will help you train like a pro tracking your heart rate, kilometres run and much more all in the palm of your hand.

You will see more sophisticated technology then this with any top pro team but this is a great substitute if you're not quite there yet.

Heart Rate Monitor

A simple strap that goes across your chest under your shirt can track your heart rate over a period of intense exercise and tell your coaches how hard you are capable of working and how hard you are actually working.

Yes this is standard with any soccer training equipment package in every professional team setting.

All teams will have these on hand and they are comfortable and sit right under arm pits and is easy to program and carry.

GPS Tracker Vest

You must have seen these on TV somewhere, in case you haven't a GPS vest is a pretty incredible piece of technology that has become pretty standard in almost all pro clubs around the world.

Basically if you wear it for a training session or a game it can track the amount of sprints, jumps, recovery runs, how much distance you covered and where on the pitch you covered this distance etc.

This can be extremely helpful in understanding how hard you work and which parts of the pitch and parts of the game you exert the most and least amount of energy.

Can You Use This Collection Of Soccer Training Equipment Whenever You Want At The Pro Level?

Almost always yes. Obviously during practice you use the equipment depending on what sort of session you have but they are also available if you want to put more work in on your own.

Access to the gym will certainly be available to all first team players as well so if you need to get a lift in or use a specific machine at any time you can usually just let yourself in.

On and off day or before or after practice a few times a week you can grab a bag of balls and some cones and put some extra work in. Whether it's serving balls in the box or using the ladders to increase your speed the specific soccer training equipment is always available so no excuses for not having what you need.

Top 5 Things To Remember About Soccer Training Equipment At The Pro Level

1. Ask If You're Not Sure

• If you are not familiar with a piece of equipment no matter how big or small be sure to ask for a demo.

• Nothing worse than hurting yourself because you didn't ask how to use something.

2. Take It Slow Until You Know

• When using that new piece of equipment take it slow until you're comfortable with it.

• Just because you saw somebody making it look easy take it slow until you get the hang of it.

3. Take Advantage

• Be sure to take advantage of all the different resources and equipment that is available to you.

• Don't wait for an injury or age to creep up on you before taking care of your body with some the equipment available to you.

4. Try New Things

• If you've never tried cryotherapy for example give it a shot to see how your body reacts to it and you never know you may stumble upon something valuable that will help you in your training or recovery routine.

5. Know Your Limits

• It's great to be motivated to try all the new soccer training equipment but don't overwork your body and push it past its normal limits.

Top 5 Things To Avoid About Soccer Training Equipment At The Pro Level

1. Using Equipment You're Not Comfortable With

• Don't want to pull or strain something on the first day because you wanted to use a piece of equipment you've never used before.

• Stick to what you know and ask for help with the soccer training equipment you're not sure with.

2. Trying To Manipulate Your Scores

• This one is specific to the GPS vest and other tracking devices. They usually take a baseline of the amount of sprints, speed, area covered etc.

• Don't dog a training session or a game just to be able to beat it and show improvement the following week.

• This will make you look bad in more ways than one and doesn't serve the true purpose of the technology.

3. Using Too Many Pieces Of Equipment At Once

• This isn't a one man band audition, use each piece of equipment for their own individual use, don't try and be a show off now.

4. Fatiguing Yourself

• Use the equipment within your limits and know when your body is saying it needs rest and which equipment will best aid in the workload for the day.

5. Thinking You Can Figure Out Everything Alone

• Lean on a senior player or a coach to show you the ropes of unfamiliar equipment, it is okay not to know and learn how new equipment works when you're first at a tryout or with a new team.