The Problem with Individual Training (And Why Young Players Lose Interest)
I always wanted to be a footballer, but I struggled with training outside of club sessions.
Like a lot of kids, I loved matchdays and team training. But when it came to individual work at home, things felt very different. Training alone was repetitive, uninspiring, and often felt like ticking a box rather than actually improving. A ball, a wall, a bit of space, that was about it.
And over time, that lack of enjoyment makes it harder to stay consistent.
That experience is at the heart of why Volta Sports exists today.
The hidden problem parents don’t always see
From the outside, it looks simple.
Your child loves football. They train once or twice a week. They play matches at the weekend.
So why do so many young players stall in their development?
Because real improvement happens between sessions, and that’s exactly where most systems fall down.
At home, individual training often becomes:
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Boring
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Repetitive
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Disconnected from how football is actually played
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Something kids are told to do, rather than wanting to do
Parents end up encouraging effort, but motivation fades quickly. Not because the child lacks ambition - but because the tools and environment don’t inspire them.
The “just practice more” myth
Football development isn’t just about volume. It’s about quality, engagement, and repetition done properly.
Telling a child to “go outside and practice” without structure or stimulus often leads to:
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Low-intensity sessions
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Bad habits forming
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Frustration
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Or worse - losing love for the game
The irony is that many kids want to improve. They just don’t have access to training tools that feel exciting, game-like, and rewarding.
Elite academies solve this with:
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Specialist equipment
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Designed environments
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Stimulating drills
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Clear feedback loops
Most young players don’t have access to that, especially at home.
Why most training equipment misses the mark
When I started looking at football training products years later, very little had changed.
Most equipment is:
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Functional but lifeless
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Designed for drills, not creativity
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Focused on repetition, not enjoyment
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Made to “do a job”, not inspire a player
It’s no surprise kids lose interest.
Football, especially at young ages, should be playful, expressive, and challenging. If training doesn’t reflect that, consistency drops and so does development.
What parents actually want
From speaking to parents, a few things come up again and again:
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“I want my child to enjoy training, not see it as a chore.”
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“I want them to improve, but without burning out.”
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“I want something they’ll actually use, not another piece of kit that gathers dust.”
That’s the gap.
Not more drills.
Not more pressure.
Better engagement.
Reframing home training
The best individual training tools do three things:
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Make training feel like play
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Encourage creativity and problem solving
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Create natural repetition without boredom
When those elements are present, kids train longer, more often, and with higher intent, without being pushed.
That’s how development compounds.
Why we built The Cube
The Cube was designed to be a training partner, not just a piece of equipment.
Something that:
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Reacts to the player
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Encourages different touches, angles and decisions
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Works in the garden, driveway or park
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Feels closer to a game than a drill
Most importantly, something kids want to use.
Because when training becomes enjoyable, consistency takes care of itself.
The long-term impact
Parents often focus on short-term outcomes:
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Better performance on Sunday
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Confidence in matches
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Technical improvement
But the bigger win is long-term:
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A child who enjoys training
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Builds confidence through repetition
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Develops independently
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And stays connected to the game
That’s what keeps players progressing year after year.
Final thought for parents
If your child loves football but struggles to train on their own, the issue probably isn’t effort or attitude.
It’s the environment.
Give them tools that make training engaging, rewarding, and fun, and you’ll be surprised how much they do without being asked.
That’s the problem we set out to solve with Volta Sports.
And that’s why we built The Cube.
Train different.