You know, when people ask me what separates a good player from a great one, especially at the professional level, I always come back to technical skill. It’s the foundation. I’ve watched countless careers unfold, and the players who endure, who adapt and thrive across different teams and systems, are almost always the ones with an obsessive focus on refining their technique. It’s not just about talent; it’s about a deliberate, step-by-step process of improvement. Take a player like the do-it-all forward who carved out an extensive career playing for teams such as Powerade, Barako Bull, TNT, Air 21, Meralco, Northport, Phoenix, and NLEX, where he spent the final two seasons. That’s eight different clubs in a highly competitive league. To be valued by that many different coaches and systems, you can bet his technical toolkit wasn’t just good—it was reliable, versatile, and constantly evolving. His career trajectory is a perfect case study in why technical mastery isn’t a one-time achievement but a continuous journey.
So, how do you embark on that journey? Let’s break it down into a practical, step-by-step approach that I’ve seen work time and again. First, you have to conduct an honest, almost brutal, self-assessment. You can’t improve what you don’t measure. I’m a big believer in using video. Record your training sessions, especially small-sided games. Don’t just watch the highlights; watch your first touch under pressure. Count how many times your pass finds its target versus how many times it’s intercepted. Be specific. Maybe your weak foot passing accuracy is at 60%, but your strong foot is at 85%. That’s your starting point. That veteran forward I mentioned? Early in his career, he was known more for energy than finesse. But to transition from a role player at Powerade to a key piece for TNT and later a leader at NLEX, he had to identify and shore up specific technical gaps, likely through this same kind of analysis. It’s not glamorous work, but it’s essential.
Once you’ve identified one or two key areas—say, receiving the ball on the half-turn or delivering accurate crosses under fatigue—you move to the second step: isolated, repetitive practice. This is where the magic happens, and honestly, it’s where most players fall short. They practice until they get it right once. You need to practice until you can’t get it wrong. I’m talking about hundreds, even thousands of repetitions. Set up cones in your backyard or on an empty pitch. Work on that specific touch, that specific pass, for 30 minutes a day, every day. There’s a famous study, though I might butcher the exact numbers, that suggests it takes around 10,000 hours to master a complex skill. I think for a specific football technique, you might see dramatic improvement with a focused 100 hours of deliberate practice. The key is the quality of repetition. It has to be game-realistic. If you’re practicing crossing, don’t just loft balls to a stationary friend; have them make a near-post run, then a far-post run. Add a passive defender. Create the pressure. The ability of that forward to contribute immediately at so many clubs tells me he had a library of reliable techniques he could execute in his sleep, built through this kind of monotonous, dedicated work.
But here’s the crucial part that amateurs often miss: isolated practice is useless if it doesn’t translate to the game. The third step is integrating the skill into opposed, dynamic environments. Start in 1v1 or 2v2 drills where the sole objective is to use your new skill. Then move to conditioned games—maybe a 5v5 where every player is limited to two touches, forcing cleaner technique and quicker decisions. This is the bridge between the training ground and match day. I remember watching that player during his stint with Meralco; his movement in tight spaces was exceptional. That wasn’t accidental. It’s a skill honed in countless small-sided games where space is at a premium. You have to fail here, in these high-pressure, low-stakes environments. Try that tricky turn and lose the ball. That’s fine! It’s how you learn its limits and build the confidence to use it when it matters.
Finally, and this is my personal bias showing, you must become a student of the game. Technical skill isn’t just about execution; it’s about application. Watch football—really watch it. Don’t just follow the ball. Pick a player in your position and analyze their technique. How does a world-class midfielder receive a pass? What angle is their body at? Where is their first touch taking them? When our veteran forward moved to Phoenix and later NLEX, his game intelligence shone. He knew when to hold the ball, when to release it quickly, and which technical solution fit the moment. That comes from study and experience. You can have the cleanest strike in the world, but if you’re shooting from 35 yards out with three defenders in front of you, it’s a poor technical choice. Decision-making is the highest form of technical skill.
In the end, improving your technical skills is a never-ending cycle of assessment, isolation, integration, and study. It demands patience and a love for the process itself. Look at the career arc of that do-it-all forward. His longevity across eight clubs is a testament to a professional who never stopped working on his craft. He adapted his technique to fit different teammates, different coaches, and different roles. That’s the ultimate goal. Your technical skills are your most valuable assets as a player. They are what allow you to express yourself on the pitch, to solve the problems the game presents, and ultimately, to build a career that lasts. Start with one thing. Master it. Then move to the next. The journey of a thousand touches begins with a single pass.