Archive for January, 2010
Soccer – Tips for Mental Training!
Posted by: | CommentsTips for Mental Soccer TraininTips for Mental Soccer Training
By Joey Bilotta
It’s common knowledge that soccer is just as much a mental game as it is a physical game. Even if players have the best grasp of fundamentals and the best soccer training, it’s worth nothing if they crack under pressure, or if they have mental, emotional and lifestyle issues outside of soccer that mess with their head in-game.
Bouncing back from a poor performance or handling negative emotions is something that comes from having your head on right, not just practicing drills up and down the field. If you want to get ahead of the game, you should spend as much time training your mind as you do your body.
By learning to manage stress, anxiety and other psychological aspects of the game, you can excel faster than your peers who just focus on the mechanics of soccer. Here are a few soccer training tips to help you do just that.
Soccer tip #1: Visualize the ball
Sure, you kick the ball around every day. But do you imagine yourself doing it, or do you just do it? Even when you’re not on the field, use mental imagery to “practice” your soccer training. There are two ways you can do it: external visualization, where you imagine watching a movie of yourself playing soccer, or internal visualization, where you imagine playing as though you are actually doing it. This concept will help familiarize you with your task until you could do it half-asleep, with both hands tied behind your back.
Soccer tip #2: Relax, chill out, and calm down
Everybody gets nervous before something like a game or a performance. Unfortunately, anxiety can also muddle your thinking, which can cause you to make bad judgments on the field. If you’re alert, but relaxed, you can make decisions better and faster when you’re under pressure. Controlling your anxiety will go a long way to making you feel more confident in your game, because you’ll know that it won’t affect your performance. Take some time to relax before each game, and you’ll find yourself a lot less stressed.
Soccer tip #3: Focus on your goals
Having both short-term and long-term goals for your soccer training will motivate you and give you something to strive for. If things don’t seem to be improving and you don’t have any goals, it’s easy to get discouraged and consider quitting. The goals shouldn’t be impossible, but they should definitely challenge you and force you to step up your game. Challenging yourself is the only way to consistently improve.
Soccer tip #4: Concentrate, concentrate, concentrate
Yes, it’s easy to get distracted during a game. However, part of being a good player is overcoming that. Concentration drills can help you to improve your concentration and focus completely on the game. Not every drill works the same for everybody else. Some people are visual learners, some are audial learners. Find a drill or a pre-game ritual that works best for you.
By mastering your mental game, you can reduce your anxiety, overcome negative emotions, bounce back from a bad mistake, and make playing soccer a more enjoyable experience all around. The mental soccer training is just as important as the physical, so don’t neglect it. You may be surprised at how you improve.
Joey Bilotta is the vice president of EduKick, a cultural immersion soccer training program. Every EduKick soccer training program puts an emphasis on sports psychology to help their players get the most out of their camps. For more information on EduKick programs and how a top-notch mental game can help you, visit http://www.EduKick.com today.
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Soccer Team Workout!
Posted by: | CommentsSoccer Workout
By Darren Pitfield
Development of the comprehensive Technical and Fitness Soccer Workout
It is well documented that to establish yourself as a successful high level soccer (football) player requires 1,000,000′s of touches on the ball. As coaches we attempt to force soccer drills and games during training and practice sessions to make up for the lack of touches performed by players elsewhere. As a coach I became frustrated with this problem and tried to look at the big picture. Especially in the US players rely largely on their training sessions only, assuming their coach can give them some magic formula to developing good touch in 2-3 hrs a week. Realistically this is not possible and I looked for ways to produce technically sound players within the time constraints given to me. The concept of a professional personal soccer workout was born.
The solution I came up with was that the players needed to be pushed somehow outside of soccer practice and ‘guided’ into training themselves to make up for the huge deficiency in touches. With the experience of thousands of soccer drills I had seen I put together a series of small personal soccer drills that players could perform at home. This can be adjusted based on the topic you want the player to focus on (Technical, Fitness, etc). Try implementing a soccer workout program for your players and team. It will enable your players to get the touch and technique they need without you have to spend valuable training time working on it. Freeing you to do tactical and more team related training sessions.
I recommend two sources for further reading on soccer workout routines:
http://www.socceragent.net/soccer-workout-routine.html
More advanced coaching information:
http://www.professionalsoccercoaching.com
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Bill Shankly soccer/football quote…
Posted by: | Comments“There are two great teams on Merseyside; Liverpool and Liverpool Reserves.” – Bill Shankly
My team’s overcome its inconsistency!?
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My home town team have been inconsistent for most of the season. Winning most games at home and losing most away. But they now seem to have overcome this inconsistency – they’re now losing both home and away!
Soccer Quote – What’s the difference between interest and committment?
Posted by: | CommentsThere is a difference between interest and commitment..When you are interested in doing something, you do it only when circumstances permit….When you are committed to something you accept no excuses only results ! Author unknown
Soccer Skills – Practice Makes Perfect
Posted by: | CommentsSoccer Skills – Practice Makes Perfect by Revon Sims
Call it soccer, football, footie or any other name it is known by. It’s a popular team sport that’s practiced around the world by toddlers to grown men, men and women alike. In fact, it’s the most popular team sport in the world. It’s a game played informally by the neighborhood kids, an extracurricular sport in schools and professional soccer players rake in just as much income as American football players. Soccer skills can be learned by anyone.
There are a few basic skills needed to play the game, many of which are started at an early age. The most important soccer skill is communication with your teammates. Listening and talking to team mates while on the field keeps you informed as to what is going on around you and where you should be going. Just as important as communication, knowing the rules of the game is key as well. Teams are usually made up of eleven members, but may only have seven people. The only person that is allowed to touch the ball with their hands is the goal keeper.
A great soccer skill to know is passing. When to give up the ball and allow other team mates opportunity to drive and maneuver the ball. Learning how to receive a passed ball is an important skill too. Key to the game is shooting the ball, or kicking the ball to make a goal. There are a few different ways to shoot the ball. You can do an instep drive, a swerve, and a full volley or if you are really good a flying volley. Dribbling is a diversionary soccer tactic meant to confuse your opponent. 
It’s a misdirection move, making them think you are aiming for one direction when you intend to kick in the other. This requires practice, patience and balance. Heading is using your head to move the ball instead of your feet. Like the other skills, it may take some time to learn how to do this properly, but the end result is a great way of gaining control of the ball with it is in the air. If your position is that of the goalie, you will need throwing skills as well as the others already listed. There are many ways you can throw the ball back into play for your teammate depending on the situation.
Developing your soccer skills will take time and plenty of practice. You can expect to practice your basics every day in order to master them. You should practice alone and with your teammates, under the direction of your coach or just with simple messing around. Search the internet to find drills you can use and videos to learn new techniques and tricks to improve your game. In time, you will be shooting goals, passing like a pro and dribbling with ease and confidence. Should be ever have a question about your skills, talk to your coach and he or she can help you with the answer.
Practice, as always, makes perfect. Honing your own soccer skills takes time and dedication, but after all of your effort you will be able to be proud of yourself, and be able to be the best among your peers.
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Funny Soccer/Football quotes!
Posted by: | Comments10 million wouldn’t buy him, and I’d be one of them.
I’ve never wanted to leave. I’m here for the rest of my life, and hopefully after that as well.
If there is no soccer in heaven it should be called hell.
…breathe soccer, eat soccer, live soccer
I’m not crazy, Just PASSIONATE.
…if soccer was a language everyone would speak it duhh!!!!
