I was lucky enough to be sent the Football Flick urban skills trainer from Football Flick themselves, I had been looking at this trainer for quick a while as I try get some football training done and regain the basic skills I seem to have lost since been out injured. The trainer itself is to improve core skills such as control passing and touch. It is made up a front ramp, to improve passing technique, your touch and overall skills such as volleys etc. Then you have the rear ramp to use to develop control and your first touch, this is essentially a rebounder. Finally you have the target net, this is for your target practice.
The Build
The trainer came in a pretty decent size box, in fact my little arms couldn't fit around it so Liam or my dad had to carry it around for me. Once the box is opened everything is compactly packed and to be honest I was a little surprised with how little pieces they were for this. Sometimes when you open a box you can get overwhelmed with the amount of items in front of you but with this you don't get it at all. It took us a while to build the trainer at first but we realised that we had in fact put some of the bolts in wrong (yes I did say we, I had Liam assisting me as I am useless but honestly I think I could easily do this myself). I think after actually building it that it would be suitable for anyone over the age of 11 to build as it isn't complicated at all. Which is perfect as I would say this is around the target age for this item, given anything between 10 year old & way up to adults.
Transportation
We built this trainer in the back garden so we had an even surface to build it on, when in reality we could have just build it in the side garden, but the good thing was it was super easy to carry round to the other garden (can easily do one handed). The only issue was getting it through the gap in between the bush and garage to get it in there. The trainer even comes with a handy carry bag so if I opt to take this to a field or pitch to do some training it is going to be super easy to do so. The trainer itself isn't heavy either which means it is even better to transport.
Front Ramp
I love this front ramp, you have the bold logo in the front with arrows to show possible directions the ball can go in. This ramp is perfect for players wanting to improve their technique when receiving the ball from different heights, angles and speeds which will benefit the players overall game. This ramp is definitely going to be one I use to work on my finishing skills along with my touch from balls coming in at different heights and speeds, I am hoping it really benefits my reaction times too as you just don't know at times where it could land.
Target Net
The perfect target practice without a net and perfect for those looking for more precise target practice as it is a bit of a smaller space. It fits perfectly in between both ramps with Velcro holding it place but the Velcro is really strong as it can hold the weight of the ball as it falls into it. I especially love this part as it can help with things such as pinpoint passes, which can come in handy for game situations as you can learn to put the ball into a small space. There is plenty you can do with this as in training you can have players challenging each other to see who can put the ball into it the most times or from the furthest distance. I actually think this could be my favourite part of the trainer and can see me and Liam having plenty of challenges with this. Who would be interested in seeing some of these?
Rear Ramp
This for me is brilliant as it perfect for training on your own, it is basically like having someone to pass to. This is a great side to practice your first touch and overall control, the ball can bounce back to you at any speed or any height so you have to be on your feet constantly. As I say though this is definitely brilliant if you are training on your own or if you just fancy a quick session to keep on top of your touch. I think now the weather is getting a lot better I could end up bringing this out plenty of times after work or whilst Liam is at work on Saturday's just so that I can keep on top of my touch and be constantly making improvements. This is attached to the framework at the top by 2 small bolts then you just tie the Velcro around the bottom and you are good to go.
Take Down
I can't really comment on the take down as I leave this to Liam, I am usually far too tired or rushing off to do something else. But to be fair it really doesn't take him long at all, just unscrew the bolts, undo the Velcro, pop it all in the bag and you are good to go. It couldn't get much easier.
This trainer is currently £94.99 and not only can it be bought direct but you can also get it from the likes of Argos for the same price. The price tag did scare me at first but after really giving it a try I can see why, it is built brilliantly and you can do so much with it. Plus it can help players out so much and grow as the player does, it is always going to be handy. The fact it can help with so many aspects to me that is where you get the value, touch, passing, shooting and overall control. Not only can you train with this but as I say you can have fun with it, me and Liam ended up playing a little game with the target seeing who could get it in with certain amounts of touches. You can also use the ramps to help do things such as shooting challenges and crossbar challenges so the options are endless.
Overall I would say if you are a parent looking to help your child progress or a football yourself wanting to improve definitely take a look at Football Flick and specifically this Urban Skills trainer as it can be a huge help.
Football Flick have some new products being released today and I can't wait to see what they are as I will definitely be trying more of their products in the future, take a look at their website to see the full range of products they offer and what you could pick up yourself. Keep an eye out on this blog to see more of their products being reviewed as they are worth every penny. Plus I have more training product reviews coming very soon. Be sure to checkout my Instagram Northerngirlfootball where I will be posting videos of my training with this and other equipment, who knows I may even do some YouTube challenge videos with it.
See you soon
Lucy
*The item in this review was gifted to me however, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
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