Thanks man... there are definitely all types of skill levels and attitudes out there. That shaved head guy that started playing when I left is probably the biggest dick out there. But, I am hurting today... my freaking back went out. Getting old sucks.
So I'm playing in a Saturday league up in Dublin, Ohio with my normal club team. We routinely play in tournaments across the US...so I'm pretty comfortable with these guys. Then last weekend happened lol... We were up 2-1 late in the match, trying to put things away. I started out at central defensive mid, trying to shore up the numerous goals we had been letting in of late. Our resident number 10 comes into the match so we have to reshuffle to accommodate. I take the hit and go back to left back. I catch the opposing winger in possesion, rip him of the ball...play a nice 1-2 with my centreback to spring myself down the flank. I'm not the fastest with the ball at my feet so I pick out a cross field switch to our right winger. I notice the opponents right back ball watching and keeping us onside so I make a sprint to the box. The aforementioned number 10 gets the ball on a square from the winger. He turns toward goal and pulls the opposing teams centerbacks with him...goalie comes and my sprint leaves me wide open with an open net. All I needed was the layoff to put the game away... Number 10 decides to take on all three, and gets by the first defender all the time looking at me wide open for my first goal chance of the young season...eventually gets the ball lifted off of him and cleared out of play. Then raises his hand to me in a weak "sorry" gesture lol With the ball out of play I sub off, ridiculously winded, and pissed off, with no goal to show for it lol. Lesson of the day: mids and forwards...much like guards in basketball...if your big man/defenders make that full field run after reading the other team being flat footed, you better reward them!
Not always Sometimes there's that evil inside some of us that makes us do stupid things, and we are sorry about it in the end. Some dicks won't even be sorry and will even try to pin it on you for some ridiculous reason, so you should be thankful
Nike Soccer has a Training Program with tips from the pro's. Some are cheesy but some are actually pretty good. http://www.nike.com/nikefootball/training/home?locale=en_US
Can someone give me any tips on striking the ball? I play keeper and i have to let my CB take goal kicks for me because i am so awful at it. I can pass just fine, but big windup kicks just aren't my thing. My first instinct is to go back to when i was 3 and toe punt the ball but i know thats not right...
I'm can't exactly get a ton of distance on the ball, but what I do is try to strike just below the middle of the ball with my laces. Often times I lean off a bit to my left to help get under the ball as well. Also, a small thing that helps with shooting is to land on the same foot you kicked the ball with. It helps make sure you follow through instead of "chopping" at the ball. I'm sure some others have a better idea of how to get some distance on the ball. I'm just a weak little winger so I don't exactly have the biggest leg
He was definitely the one I had in mind from the first night when you mentioned that some guys were assholes lol. Pretty much everybody else is pretty cool though.
Got another match in my Saturday league today at 2:00...we're gonna be short some guys and its against a top of the table squad...should be interesting lol
It's gonna be a hot one out there today... better hydrate. The pulled muscle in my leg is going to keep me out for another couple weeks. Which sucks... I really want to get back out there. Timpegoose Did you go last night?
Nope I didn't make it out. I went for a 4 mile run then played some poker instead. I'm not sure which would have been more tiring... the run or soccer for 2 hours lol. I'm definitely regretting the longer run after not running for about 2 weeks though... My legs are sore today! I think the next time I'm going to play soccer is Tuesday... I'll be out of town tomorrow.
Pulled off a draw! They were better than the team we had today, but down 1 in probably the 88th minute our so we pulled level. I had the ball at right back following a goal kick, picked my head up and saw they were playing a ridiculously high line (they were trying to run up the score for goal differential sake). I just booted it so it would land in behind the back line...got a nice roll and my guy got to the ball first, put it away nicely. The other team was PISSED and full of a bunch of immature douchebags.
Update... Now a month in of steady twice a week pick up.... I'm horrible. But I learn something new every week. I found the key is a soft touch. Soft... Haha. Not something I had at first. Also, I'm understanding position and movement better. I freaking love it. Nothing feels as good as a solid tackle or header. Playing keeper is fun too... You gotta be nasty back there.
Yeah man, you gotta play pissed off. You can't charge out pussy footin'. Gotta own your box. I love it. You get beat up pretty bad though. Last game i went knee to knee with a guy and that shit hurt. Luckily it was just a temporary pain for me. He had to get carried off the field...
This is so encouraging to hear for the sport, people are just going out and kicking around. I would agree with hedache though, go kick a ball against a wall over and over, I used to do this on hard surfaces and not grass. The ball bounces a lot more which means more you need to be more careful of your control. Touch is so important and if you can kick it off the wall and to yourself and have it come at you in the air, settle, volley. then it will shoot at you again, this time settle and focus on hitting the ball square. I wish played pick up at PSU all the time, its pretty easy to kick around, but getting the ball for in the midfield and being able to dissect those overlaps and through balls is one of those things that even I'm still developing. I've been playing on and off (mostly on recently) since I was 6. I've played all kinds of sports (baseball mainly, basketball, track (pole vault)) but soccer is definitely to me the most fun. I'm not afraid to go kick a ball around myself even haha! And if you're looking for some literature (and some media), I used this site when I was running into form problems while playing in college: http://www.soccer-training-info.com/soccer_tips.asp My friends all want me to play the mid field/wing when I play footy with them now. There's nothing like bending in balls for bikes and headers. Soccer is fun, there is so many different things/ways to accomplish the game (curving balls, driven crosses..etc)! Perhaps it's why I find FIFA so entertaining! Keep up the hard work, you'll be in form soon my friend!
After 8 weeks of pickup... League Starts Tonight. Men's 30s League. I can't imagine this will go well, I'm just hoping to not hurt the team.
A few years back when I joined my first over 30 league, I was like finally I don't have to chase damn college kids. But the competition is surprisingly high. These guys don't run like 30 year olds, plus a lot of skill on top of that. When it's a league it's a whole different story. The number of assholes multiply as never seen before. Now that I'm 38, I just can't wait for being eligible for over 40 I hope you don't get a lot of assholes that keep complaining about any thing they can think of (while they don't do much theirselves). Good luck.
I actually had a great experience last night... we lost 5-1, but to be playing in a league after picking this up a couple months ago is exciting. Thankfully, I was added to a team that has been together for years and all really good guys. I made sure everyone knew what they were getting... NO touch, but can run and likes to mix it up on D. The league is outdoor 7v7. We ran a 3-1-2 or something like that. Played most of the game at LB. Played up top some, but its basically like Featherstone at WR. Hope somebody gets that reference.... But the guys were great in giving me direction and explaining some defensive theory. I was worried about getting paired with a bunch of hyper competitive assholes. I was able to poke a few balls away and be a nuisance to some of the attackers. Man, I love playing... so glad i stepped outside my comfort zone and started.
Are you going to be out at the open field tonight? I'm thinking about heading out there again.. Haven't been in a while..
Sick man. That's good stuff--it really is all about playing and getting touches on the ball whenever you can you get a chance.. That, and trying to make yourself relax out there. Most bad touches are just a result of rushing and not trusting your control. I think I saw you say earlier that you are a big gym guy. I am too--what I try to do when I dont have a game is lift for 45 min or so and then just hit these fields near my house. I'll bring a ball and just do some sprinting and some dribbling around in small areas. Being in shape makes such a huge difference. Tired touch = bad touch!
My feet are tore up... I think I may give it a break until Friday. Sundays have been a bit shaky out there. The Mens 40s leagues are that night, so that more mature presence is not there. Just a bunch of punk ass punks haha. But, I will be there Friday for sure...
I totally agree... I just need to relax when on the ball. I don't trust myself, and probably shouldn't hah. I have been doing a lot of legs the last couple of months. Squats, Calves, Leg Presses. But, I did notice that being in shape helped a lot by the end of the game.... some of these dude barely moved. It's like, how the hell are we going to score when everyone stands at midfield?
Yep, and it was definitely a much different crowd then normal. It never occured to me that most of the times I had gone was during Ramadan, but I definitely noticed yesterday lol. Somebody pointed out that Ramadan was over, and I would say that nearly 75% of the people there were of Arab descent. A lot of very good players out there yesterday, but I didn't recognize more than 2 or 3 guys out there lol.
