But it\u2019s on his own time that Sjur Lothe has worked especially hard, and that has paid off with selections to the youth national team. This is quite an achievement for a young lad who plays for a club whose senior team plays in Norway\u2019s third best soccer\u00a0league.<\/span><\/p>\n “I\u2019m absorbed in my self-training. It has been important in my development as a soccer\u00a0player, especially in terms of technique and ball control. I view the time spent on self-training as \u201cthe small difference\u201d\u2014that is, the one thing that separates me from the rest<\/strong><\/span><\/i>, explains Lothe, who left his childhood club FK Haugar in 2015 to join Vard.<\/span><\/p>\n “In the long run, the number of hours spent on self-training is decisive<\/strong>. In my view, that\u2019s where the differences start to show, but determining how many hours you need to spend on self-training is difficult, as there are many factors in play, such as time spent on organized training, and the length, intensity, and quality of your training.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n <\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/p>\n “How often you need to train depends not only on how well trained you already are, but also on the intensity level of your exercises. I\u2019d say that you should spend about 2.5 hours per day on self-training<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/span><\/i>Earlier, when I was around 11-14 years old, spending lots of time on self-training was my main focus. Back then I would self-train between 18 and 20 hours per week.”<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n “I would rather practice making 100 passes than 20. The specifics of my training would also vary, but I mostly focused on keeping the ball under control and playing around with it. Now my daily life is busier due to school and team practices, and the time I spend on self-training has decreased. I now focus primarily on quality, awareness, and match-like situations when self-training. I\u2019m very preoccupied with that \u201csmall difference\u201d belief. It\u2019s all about executing the 10 additional passes that everyone else neglects<\/strong>.”<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n A lack of dedication and continuity<\/b><\/p>\n The majority of youth players aren\u2019t as diligent as Lothe, though, and that bothers the Vard player.<\/span><\/p>\n “Most of the young players I know often hang out with their friends and spend their time on PlayStation or at parties; they prioritize all that over their development as soccer\u00a0players. That\u2019s something I find unfortunate. What I\u2019ve found to be a key factor in a player\u2019s development is the ability to sacrifice. If you want to become good at something, you must devote time to it.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/i>There are so many players on my team who self-train, but I\u2019ve noticed that no one has thoroughly considered exactly what or how they need to improve. Also, my teammates don\u2019t seem to have any continuity in their training. These things are important.”<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n <\/p><\/blockquote>\n “What oftens keeps us from self-training is time. Self-training is time-consuming. But it really doesn\u2019t have to be. My advice is to choose one or two things that you want to improve, and then work a little on those things every day<\/strong>. Don\u2019t make 100 passes; make 20. Don\u2019t make 100 crosses; make 20. Don\u2019t dribble 15 times; start out with eight. That\u2019s important if you want to step up the quality of your game and develop better control.”<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n “There are also certain exercises that are better than others and easier to squeeze into your daily schedule. This is where the m-station<\/span> enters the picture. Spend about 10 to 30 minutes each day with the m-station<\/span>. Make a habit of it. Improve a little each day. Make that small difference<\/strong><\/span><\/i>” <\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/p>\n![\"sjurlothe6\"](\"https:\/\/old.muninsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/SjurLothe6-1.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"sjurlothe1\"](\"https:\/\/old.muninsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/SjurLothe1.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"sjurlothe3\"](\"https:\/\/old.muninsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/SjurLothe3.png\")
\n<\/span><\/p>\n
\nFortunately, Sjur Lothe has some advice on how one can get started with self-training.<\/span><\/p>\n