How to Do an Around the World in Soccer: 14 Steps

The Around the World in soccer looks like a tiny magic trick: the ball pops up, your foot circles it like a planet orbiting the sun, and somehow the ball is still under control afterward. From the sideline, it seems impossible. Up close, it is less wizardry and more timing, touch, balance, and a willingness to fail in front of your own shoes a few hundred times.

Good news: you do not need to be a professional freestyler to learn it. The Around the World, often shortened to ATW, is one of the most recognizable freestyle soccer tricks because it teaches several useful skills at once: ball control, coordination, quick foot movement, body balance, and soft juggling technique. It also happens to be a crowd-pleaser. Even your friend who says, “I almost went pro,” will pause mid-sentence.

This guide breaks down how to do an Around the World in soccer in 14 practical steps, with beginner-friendly coaching tips, common mistakes, and a longer experience-based section at the end to help you train smarter instead of simply kicking the ball into the neighbor’s flower bed.

What Is an Around the World in Soccer?

An Around the World is a freestyle soccer move where you flick or juggle the ball upward, move your foot in a full circle around the ball while it is in the air, and then continue juggling or catch the ball under control. The move can be performed with the inside or outside path of the foot, and advanced players can link it into combinations such as Hop the World, Touzani Around the World, crossover moves, and multiple ATWs.

For beginners, the goal is simple: get one clean circle around the ball and regain control. Do not worry about speed, style, or dramatic celebrations yet. First, make the move work. The cool face can come later.

Before You Start: What You Need

A Proper Soccer Ball

Use a regulation-size ball for your age and level. Most older youth and adults use a size 5 ball, while younger players may train with a size 4. The ball should be inflated enough to bounce cleanly but not so hard that every touch feels like kicking a brick with dreams.

A Flat Training Area

Practice on grass, turf, or a smooth indoor surface with enough room around you. Avoid slippery floors, uneven pavement, and crowded spaces. The Around the World requires quick leg movement, so you want a surface that lets you hop and land safely.

Basic Juggling Ability

You do not need to juggle 500 times. However, being able to complete 10 controlled juggles will make the ATW much easier. If you cannot juggle yet, practice small touches with your laces first. Keep the ball between knee and waist height, and focus on clean contact rather than power.

How to Do an Around the World in Soccer: 14 Steps

Step 1: Warm Up Your Ankles, Hips, and Knees

Spend five minutes warming up before you train. Try light jogging, ankle circles, leg swings, gentle hops, and basic juggling. The ATW asks your hip and leg to move quickly around the ball, so warming up helps you move more freely and reduces the chance of tweaking something. Your body is not a video game controller; it appreciates a loading screen.

Step 2: Start With Controlled Juggling

Begin by juggling the ball with your dominant foot. Use the laces area near the base of your toes. Keep your ankle firm, your toes slightly up, and your eyes on the ball. The touch should lift the ball straight upward, not forward, backward, or into another zip code.

Step 3: Keep the Ball Low

The best height for learning the Around the World is around knee to lower-thigh level. If the ball goes too high, your timing becomes awkward. If it stays too low, your foot has no time to complete the circle. Think “quick elevator,” not “rocket launch.”

Step 4: Choose Your ATW Direction

There are two common beginner options. For an outside Around the World, your foot circles from inside your body outward around the ball. For an inside Around the World, your foot circles from outside inward. Many beginners find the outside ATW more natural, but this depends on your body mechanics. Try both slowly and choose the one that feels less like your leg is filing a formal complaint.

Step 5: Plant Your Standing Foot Correctly

Your plant foot should be slightly bent, stable, and close enough to the ball that your working foot can move around it quickly. Keep your weight balanced over the standing leg. Do not lean too far back, because that usually sends the ball away from you and turns your ATW into a chase scene.

Step 6: Pop the Ball Up With a Soft Touch

Use your juggling foot to lift the ball upward. The touch should be soft and controlled. Aim to create little or no spin at first. A spinning ball is harder to read and harder to circle cleanly. Your goal is a neat vertical pop, like the ball is politely waiting for your foot to go around it.

Step 7: Begin the Circle Immediately

This is the moment that makes or breaks the trick. Do not kick the ball up, admire your work, and then begin the circle. The touch and the circle should feel like one connected motion. As soon as your foot lifts the ball, continue moving that same foot around it.

Step 8: Make a Fast, Compact Circle

Your foot does not need to draw a giant hula hoop in the air. Keep the circle tight and quick. The bigger the loop, the more time you need, and the ball is not going to hover patiently while you complete a full art project. A compact circle gives you a better chance of finishing before the ball drops.

Step 9: Add a Small Hop With Your Plant Foot

A small hop from your standing leg can give your working foot extra height and time. This is especially helpful when you are first learning. The hop should be light, not dramatic. You are not trying to audition for a superhero landing; you are simply creating space for your foot to clear the ball.

Step 10: Keep Your Upper Body Relaxed

Many beginners tense their shoulders, hold their breath, and look like they are defusing a tiny round bomb. Relax. Keep your arms slightly out for balance, bend your knees, and stay loose. A relaxed body moves faster than a stiff one.

Step 11: Watch the Ball, Not Your Foot

Your foot knows where it is. The ball is the unpredictable roommate in this situation. Keep your eyes on the ball so you can adjust after the circle. Looking down too hard at your foot often causes your posture to collapse, which makes the touch messy.

Step 12: Regain Control After the Circle

Once your foot completes the loop, bring it back under the ball and try to cushion the next touch. At first, you may simply let the ball drop and trap it. That is fine. Then work toward continuing the juggle. A clean recovery is what separates a real ATW from a lucky leg tornado.

Step 13: Practice From a Foot Stall

If juggling into the ATW feels too difficult, try starting from a foot stall. Balance the ball on top of your foot, gently flick it upward, and circle around it. The stall start gives you more control over the beginning of the move. Once you can do it from a stall, return to juggling starts.

Step 14: Train Both Feet and Track Your Progress

Once your dominant-foot ATW improves, practice with your weaker foot. It may feel strange at first, but training both sides improves coordination and makes you a better all-around player. Keep a simple progress goal, such as “five clean attempts per session” or “one successful ATW followed by one juggle.” Progress in freestyle soccer is built one tiny victory at a time.

Common Around the World Mistakes and How to Fix Them

The Ball Flies Forward

If the ball keeps flying away, your foot is probably angled too far forward or your contact is too powerful. Lock your ankle, use a softer touch, and try to lift the ball straight up from the laces.

Your Foot Hits the Ball During the Circle

This usually means your circle is too tight at the wrong moment or your timing is late. Start the circle immediately after the touch and keep the ball lower. You can also practice the circle motion without the ball to build muscle memory.

You Cannot Finish the Circle in Time

Make the circle smaller, add a light hop, and avoid kicking the ball too high. A slow, giant circle is one of the most common beginner problems. Fast and compact beats big and dramatic.

You Lose Balance

Bend your plant knee, keep your arms out, and avoid leaning backward. Balance improves quickly when you practice short sets instead of exhausting yourself with endless attempts.

Helpful Drills for Learning the Around the World

Drill 1: Circle Without the Ball

Stand on one foot and practice the ATW leg motion in the air. Make ten quick circles with each foot. This trains the path before you add the chaos of a bouncing ball.

Drill 2: Drop, Touch, Catch

Hold the ball in your hands, drop it to your foot, touch it upward, and catch it. This teaches clean lift and height control. When you can do this smoothly, add the circular motion before catching.

Drill 3: Stall, Flick, Circle

Start with the ball balanced on your foot. Flick it gently upward, circle around it, and let it drop. Once the circle becomes consistent, try to trap or juggle after the move.

Drill 4: One Juggle Into ATW

Take one controlled juggle, perform the ATW, and stop. Do not worry about continuing. This isolates the skill and helps you focus on timing.

Drill 5: ATW Plus One Touch

After completing the ATW, try to add one extra juggle. This teaches recovery. Over time, build to two touches, three touches, and eventually full freestyle combinations.

Inside Around the World vs. Outside Around the World

The outside ATW usually feels more natural for beginners because the leg swings away from the body. The inside ATW can feel tighter because your foot crosses inward. Both are valuable. The outside version is great for learning rhythm, while the inside version builds sharper hip control and prepares you for more advanced freestyle soccer tricks.

Do not argue with yourself for three weeks about which one is “correct.” Pick the version that feels easiest, learn it well, then come back and train the other direction. Soccer skills are not jealous; they like variety.

How Long Does It Take to Learn an Around the World?

Some players land their first Around the World in a day. Others need several weeks. Your progress depends on juggling ability, coordination, training consistency, and how focused your practice is. Ten minutes of smart practice every day usually beats one exhausting weekend session where you try the move 900 times and begin questioning gravity.

A realistic beginner goal is to practice for 10 to 20 minutes per session, three to five days per week. Stop before you get sloppy. Freestyle soccer rewards repetition, but only when the repetitions are intentional.

Can the Around the World Help Your Real Soccer Game?

Yes, but not because you will perform it during every match. In a real game, an Around the World is rarely the practical choice when a defender is charging at you like they forgot breakfast. However, the training behind the trick can improve your first touch, body coordination, balance, confidence, and comfort with the ball in the air.

Players who juggle and practice freestyle often develop softer feet and better awareness of ball movement. That can carry over into receiving passes, controlling bouncing balls, adjusting to awkward touches, and staying calm when the ball does something weird. And in soccer, the ball does weird things constantly. It has a personality.

Safety Tips for Practicing Soccer Freestyle Tricks

Practice in a clear area, wear proper shoes, and avoid slippery surfaces. Start slowly, especially if your hips or ankles feel tight. If you feel sharp pain, stop and rest. Freestyle tricks should challenge you, not turn your training session into a medical mystery episode.

Younger players should focus on control and coordination rather than forcing advanced variations too soon. Build the basics first: juggling, balance, soft touches, and clean foot movement. The flashier tricks become much easier when the foundation is strong.

Experience-Based Training Advice: What Learning the Around the World Really Feels Like

Learning the Around the World is a funny experience because the first stage often feels completely hopeless. You see a tutorial, think, “That looks simple enough,” step outside with a ball, and within two minutes the ball is rolling away while your leg performs something that looks like confused karate. This is normal. In fact, it is practically part of the tradition.

The biggest lesson is that the ATW is not really about swinging your leg around the ball. It is about the touch before the swing. When the first touch is too strong, the ball rises too high or drifts away. When the first touch is too weak, your foot has no time to complete the circle. When the touch has too much spin, the ball becomes harder to predict. Most beginners blame their leg speed, but the real culprit is often the pop-up touch.

A helpful training experience is to spend an entire session not trying to complete the trick. Instead, practice only the first touch. Drop the ball, pop it up, and catch it. Repeat until the ball rises straight and consistently. It may feel boring, but it is the secret sauce. Once your pop-up becomes reliable, the circle suddenly feels less impossible.

Another useful experience is learning to accept ugly attempts. Your first successful Around the World may not look smooth. The ball may wobble. Your arms may flap like you are trying to communicate with birds. You may complete the circle and then lose the ball instantly. Count it anyway. Early success builds confidence, and confidence matters because hesitation ruins the move. If you pause after the touch, the ball drops before your foot completes the loop.

Many players also improve faster when they practice in short rounds. Try five minutes of juggling, five minutes of ATW attempts, two minutes of rest, then another five minutes of focused attempts. This keeps your legs fresh and your mind alert. When you get tired, your circle becomes slower, your plant foot gets lazy, and your touch gets heavy. That is when bad habits sneak in wearing tiny soccer cleats.

One of the best personal benchmarks is the “ATW plus one” goal. Do not measure success only by landing the trick. Measure whether you can complete the circle and add one controlled touch afterward. That single extra touch proves that you did not merely survive the move; you controlled it. Once you can do ATW plus one, aim for ATW plus three. Then try it from juggling. Then try your weaker foot. This progression keeps training fun and prevents you from getting stuck at one level.

It also helps to film yourself. You do not need a fancy camera. A phone leaned against a backpack works. Watching the video will reveal things you cannot feel in the moment: maybe your ball is too high, your circle starts late, your plant leg is too straight, or your foot path is enormous. Video is honest. Sometimes too honest. But it is one of the fastest ways to improve.

Finally, remember that freestyle soccer is supposed to be enjoyable. The Around the World is a skill, not a final exam. Celebrate small wins: a cleaner touch, a faster circle, better balance, fewer runaway balls, or your first successful weak-foot attempt. Every freestyler started with awkward repetitions. The difference between “I cannot do this” and “watch this” is usually a few focused practice sessions and a good sense of humor.

Conclusion

The Around the World in soccer is one of the best freestyle tricks for building confidence, coordination, and ball control. It looks flashy, but the formula is simple: control the touch, start the circle immediately, keep the movement compact, use a small hop when needed, and recover the ball after the move. Practice patiently, train both feet, and do not panic when the ball escapes. That ball is not rejecting you; it is just giving you cardio.

Whether you want to impress friends, improve your juggling, or begin learning freestyle soccer combinations, the ATW is a perfect starting point. Keep your sessions short, focused, and fun. With enough repetition, the move that once felt impossible will become part of your regular soccer skill set.

Note: This article is written as original, web-ready content based on real soccer coaching principles, freestyle training methods, and practical ball-control experience.