Summer is here and it's perfect time to get outdoors and work on your soccer skills.

Playing beach soccer is a great way to help increase your technique, decision making with the ball, creativity, and cardiovascular aspects endurance. Running through the sand demands more resistance from your quads and hamstrings - while playing in the sand your legs will sink in, this requires you to pull your legs out of the sand and push against it in order to move out. This cross-training is a great way for preparing for an upcoming soccer season. Because the field is small and you play with fewer players, the sand makes the games more intense because the ball bounces differently than on a soccer field or in futsal where most of the time the ball is in the air. This means that the players have to be really skillful and fit to do different types of stunts. 

Many professional soccer players who are coming back from an injury and are recovery, play in the sand in order to strengthen up there muscles as quickly as possible. As well as this, beach soccer helps your joints and articulations, which is why it is so helpful to cover faster from an injury. 

Beach Soccer is a quick and intense game. You will likely only have a small window of opportunity which leaves you with a split second to react. Your speed will be continuously tested and as well as your technique. Because of this, players have to practice a lot of different scenarios that could happen in a game. In most soccer games, the ball is primarily in the air, players have to be ready to change direction, jump or even run fast on sand than on a normal field. Sand makes the game harder but also more fun to do skills like rainbows, bicycle kicks, or volleys to score. 

Brian Easler (@easlerbrian) is the founder of Beach Soccer LA and is seen here using the Playa Beach Soccer Ball in Oceanside

Often times in beach soccer you will find yourself in different scenarios. You aren’t just playing on the sand, the water, sun, wind, and un-even surfaces come into play. You will be forced to respond to a different situation one that will help you when you're on the field. Playing beach soccer gives you a lot of field awareness as it is a very tactical sport and comes down to a lot of decision making because the bouncing of the ball can change the direction of the ball. 

 I encourage you in your free time to try beach soccer as it’s a challenging but fun and helpful game that can help your overall performance in soccer. 

Our Playa Beach Soccer Ball is perfect if you are looking to try out beach soccer for the first time or even starting back up during quarantine. It was designed with special padding for a softer barefoot touch, is water-resistant and fairtrade certified. You can find the ball linked below.