SOCCER TIP 05 

For today's tip, I want you guys to know that playing soccer is not just about winning, we all play to win because it is the nature of the sport but that is not the reason why we play. We play because we love the game, we enjoy everything about the sport from dribbling, scoring, to conditioning. Play as much as you can and always remember to have fun!!!! 

72

INSPIRING

Neymar da Silva Santos is  a soccer player who  played for Santos but now playing for FC Barcelona. He was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil. He started playing soccer when he was 11. At the age of 14, he travelled to Spain with his father Neymar da Silva Snr. to go on a trial in Real Madrid. Luckily, he passed the trial but the club wasn`t willing to pay enough, so he went back to Brazil and joined a team which paid twice as much as he needed.In 2011, he won the award for the best soccer player in South America and the youngest best player in the world. Neymar is one of the young players that inspire people like me to play soccer. He was determined to be the best at a very young age and with hard work and dedication, he is now what he always wanted to be. 

THE COMPLETE SOCCER PLAYER 

In order to be a good soccer player, one needs to have various components that add up to make one a fantastic competitor. Strength and conditioning in soccer is extremely important due to the nature of the game. At the professional level, conditioning is stressed by the coaches and meds, but in the lower levels, strength and conditioning is neglected. The best soccer players at the lower level is one who has great agility and fantastic conditioning.  

I personally do a lot of research on how to become the most complete soccer player and I have found interesting things that I would like to share with you guys. Strength is an important component of fitness that can benefit athletes in any sport, although it is often viewed as having little importance in soccer. However, strength forms the basis for power and speed. Soccer players also need strength to hold off challenges from opponents. Other benefits of strength training include: injury resistance leaner body composition faster metabolism more energy greater explosiveness improved balance, stability, and agility faster recovery greater bone density. 

According to Josh Hewett, a professional soccer expert, high level soccer players don't need to have the same absolute strength as American football players or rugby players, but a properly designed „off-field‟ strength training program will definitely improve your in performance! Relative strength is more important in soccer than absolute strength. Relative strength is simply your absolute strength in relation to your body weight. Your strength training program should focus on compound, functional exercises (such as lunges, squats, step ups, pushups, dips, chin-ups), and take into account balancing the strength of opposing muscle groups (i.e.- quadriceps vs. hamstrings). Don't waste your time training solely on machines, and avoid useless, non-functional exercises such as leg extensions. The majority of your exercises should be ground-based, using bodyweight or free weights as resistance, and should involve movement of your full body. Train all the major muscle groups, with emphasis on your lower body and core. 

Another significant component of a soccer fitness program is speed and agility training. The speed of play in today's game is quicker than ever. While endurance and strength are very important to improving your performance, faster players have a definite competitive edge. You may have better endurance than the next guy, but if he makes it to the ball first it won't matter that you can run marathons! A simple speed test is a sprint over 30 yards from a standing start. You can try this yourself and have someone else time you. A sprint time under 5.0 seconds is good. Professional players average around 4.0 seconds. Power is the combination of strength and speed. A more powerful player is a more formidable player. To improve your speed and explosiveness you should include power movements in your program, such as jump squats, high pulls, power cleans, and push presses, as well as plyometric drills such as box jumps, alternate push-offs, lateral shuffle, and split lunge jumps.  

Another important aspect of fitness is flexibility. Maintaining a healthy range of motion can be very beneficial, however, few people understand the most effective methods of stretching or when to use them. Many athletes still do passive stretching before their workout or practice, when actually this can diminish performance and increase risk of injury! The safest and most productive way to integrate flexibility training into your routine, is to do a dynamic warm up (walking lunges, bodyweight squats, high knees, butt kicks, arm circles, etc.) before a workout, practice or game, and then spend some time stretching at the end. Also, a better alternative to static passive stretching is static „active‟ stretching (using your own muscular effort to hold the position).  

A very important component towards becoming a complete soccer player and a great athlete is nutrition. It is one of the most neglected components in any sport despite the fact that it is the most important component. Let's start with carbohydrates, the most important fuel for contracting muscles. In fact, our body has its very own storeroom supply of this--called glycogen--in the muscles. Once the blood's supply is used up it will turn to this reserve to break down. Carbohydrates are found in bread, rice, pasta and cereals. Whole grain varieties of these are a better choice as they are broken down at a slower rate and will give longer lasting energy. Next is protein, which is found in meat, fish, beans, nuts and lentils. Protein is needed to repair and rebuild muscles that have been damaged during exercise. It's important to note that you don't need to overdo this. Fat is found in meat, butter, dairy, convenience food and oils. Try to choose monounsaturated fats such as olive oil or canola oil and eliminate trans fats. It will protect your heart and maintain healthy cholesterol levels. You want to ensure that the meals you eat give you the most nutritional bang for your buck. A healthy meal should be made up of 2/3 whole grains, fruits and vegetables and 1/3 low fat meat, dairy, beans or other protein-rich foods. Fast foods have very little nutritional value and, in turn, will hinder performance on the field. However they can be part of a healthy sports diet as an occasional treat. It is vital to fuel your body on a regular basis, having three nutritious meals a day with snacks. Make time for meals, as they are just as vital as the training session.  

If you put all of these components together and use everything to your advantage, you will become the soccer player that every coach will want on their team. It is not even close to been easy to becoming the most complete athlete but hard work and dedication will definitely get you there. One thing that will help towards achieving your goal is to focus on the output, not much on the input. I hope that you will become a great player and use these tips to help you. 

1004

http://www.livestrong.com/article/314470-soccer-player-diet-nutrition-tips/

http://www.active.com/soccer/Articles/Soccer-Conditioning-Tips-and-Tricks

 

 

 

  

  

 

 

NEEDS REVISION

SOCCER TIP 04

For todays’ tip, I would like to strictly advice that this from my personal observance and not any proven scientific fact. To be a great soccer player, you first of all need to be a great athlete. Climbing, running, jumping and doing all crazy stuff will make you a better athlete which in turn makes you a way better soccer player. Every professional soccer player in the world is very athletic and they worked to be what they are today. The bottom line is, to whatever legal thing you need to do to make you a better athlete and a better soccer player.

106

NEEDS REVISION

CONDITIONING

Some people compare American football conditioning to that of soccer’s but I believe that they are very different. Some people also think that soccer is just like cross country because you just run around for an hour and a half. Others think that the beautiful game is like track and field because players sprint for a significant time of the game.

                I will like to stress that soccer incorporates football, track and even cross country. Soccer requires a lot of dynamic movements and unlike football, there aren’t any breaks between plays, there is only one 15 minute break which is after 45 minutes of play. Soccer just like cross country incorporates a lot of jogging during the game and a lot of sprints same as n track.

                Soccer requires all forms of conditioning that incorporates different sports which make the beautiful game fun.

144

 NEEDS REVISION

SOCCER AND LIFE AFTER HIGH SCHOOL

Playing in High School and club has significant differences and I believe that comparing life before college with life after college should have common differences due to different attributes that add up the difference. Playing in both High school and club teams, I’ve experienced unique attributes to both which add up to be valid differences. Significant differences like that of expectations and commitment are unique to both programs. Even though there are huge differences between the two, there are a couple similar traits in both. Both have dedicated players who love and or enjoy playing the sport, the only place they differ is the amount of commitment and passion for different players towards the beautiful game.

This post is mostly going to focus on my personal experience in order t send across the message I want you guys to receive. I will like to strictly advice that every player’s experience is unique in their own ways, and yours is probably different from mine or someone you know. I grew up living with people who are very passionate about soccer. I started playing when I was around 3 years old and still playing to this day. Since when I was a kid, the goal was to be a professional soccer player in the future but I had never for once stopped to think about steps necessary to take to be a professional. The one thing I knew was that I am going to be so good that I am going to play for the national team at a very young age. I know you are saying that it is an absolutely ridiculous idea but it was what I grew up with. Even though it was a ridiculous idea, it was still a great goal enough for me to be motivated to be the best I can ever be. The bad thing about this idea was that I thought it would be extremely easy because I am very talented at what I do. Again, keep in my mind that I didn’t have any idea about what it takes to make it to the pros.           

I have played in a lot of different soccer academies and I really enjoyed it. Some of my friends had told me that in order to make it to the pros, I have to work my ass off day and night. I been a regular hard headed little kid didn’t believe them because I thought that it would be very easy to make it to the pros because I was naturally gifted. In the community I lived in, I was without a doubt the best player so I thought that hat will be true for the professional league too. My apparently incorrect assertion of what it takes to be a professional player began to unravel the higher level I got.

At the age of 11 I joined a travel club team called FC Fusion united. Since it is a travel team, we get to travel all around the state of Iowa and outside of the state like Illinois, Wisconsin, Kansas, Colorado, etc. Going into numerous tournaments made me meet a lot of different talented teams with extremely good players over the years I’ve been on the team. I started question myself as been the best player my age in the country when I meet all of the great players from far and wide. When y team made it to the state tournament in the U18 boys division, K meet so many good players that I believed that I will never make it pass high school professional soccer wise. I almost quit playing the sport because I thought I wasn’t good enough compared to other players. Fortunately, my team won the state championship and had the honor to represent Iowa in the region 2 regionals championship. We played really good teams and obviously good players. Playing with good players from different states made me think that my chances were even lower to even making it into a good division 1 college team. After a heartbreaking defeat in the regionals final, I went home saying that I was quitting soccer because I wasn’t close to being good enough.

After a couple days of quitting soccer, I got contacted by a couple coaches who had seen me play at regionals, and they offered me roster spots for my graduating class. This was a major turning point in my life because it made me what I am today. Seeing that a lot of coaches were interested in me made me once again believe that I can make it really far in the beautiful game. This time, I knew that it was not even going to be close to been easy even though I am talented because of the hundreds of thousands of players competing for the same spot. I also took a different step by talking to different coaches who have seen me player, and ask them about the areas I need to work on to increase my chances of getting recruited. I watch hundreds of YouTube videos that talk about what it takes to be a player that every team wants.

You might already know where I am going with this but I am just going to explain in case you do not know.  The moral of this story is simply that, “nothing comes easy.” I grew up believing that everything will come easy because of my natural talent, but I have realized that is not the case.

My advice to all of you guys is to know that nothing comes easy no matter how good you are. Been naturally talented is very beneficial and gives you a bit of an edge over players, but you need to work hard to make your dreams come true and be the best you can ever be.

979

SOCCER TIP 03 

To stand out from other soccer players, you need to dwell on the little things that make a difference. Strengthening your core is one of the most  important aspect of the game. Having a stronger core will help you turn your defender and get behind your defender with quick speed. My advice to you guys is, strengthen your core and your back especially, and work on them at least 3 to 4 times a week. 

80

SOCCER AND MATH 

Most sports require or include a lot of math problems that help you accomplish your ultimate goal. In soccer, you use math in everything you do. You use math in passing, heading, shooting, dribbling, crossing, movement of the ball, and a whole lot more. Timing in soccer is everything, a second too soon, or a second too late makes a huge different in accomplishing your goal whether it is passing, crossing, dribbling or what not. Timing when to pass to ball requires quick math solving within a second. You usually calculate how fast the player is going, how fast the defender will cover the space you are willing to pass to, and most importantly, the weight of the pass, just enough that your player will get to it without the opponent closing him down. My coach always says that the better math student you are, the better soccer player you will be. 

155

COLLEGE SOCCER SHOWCASES 

What is a college soccer showcase? College soccer showcases are events hosted by soccer committees who invite college coaches at all levels to watch young soccer players play for the possibility of getting recruited by a college soccer coach. College showcases are hosted in numerous locations, multiple times a year, and in all sorts of weather conditions. These showcases are usually very competitive and are always composed of players at different skill levels. In most common or most popular showcase like the Nike soccer showcase, are usually filled with the best of the best players out there and the top coaches in the nation. College soccer showcases usually aren't free and the average per club is about $250 depending on the one you go to. One needs to be in a club team in other to participate in a college soccer showcase and increase your chances of getting recruited. If you aren't enrolled in a club, there are some methods you could use to perform in a showcase. One could enroll in a club as a guest player and most elite clubs require some form of tryout to see where one fits on the team. Showcases are great because it helps you evaluate yourself compared to other players in your graduating year, and your chances of getting recruited. It is also good for the coaches because, it helps them weed out the players with high potentials from other players who need to improve on their technical, mental, skill, and physical aspects. I would like to focus this article on how one could excel in a showcase, and stand out from the thousands of players who participate in these fantastic events. There are many components that add up to make you look good in the eyes of college coaches and I hope that the components I am about to share with you guys will be helpful in speeding up your recruiting process 

I will likely to strictly advice that these tips are strictly from my experience and knowledge I have gained from elite coaches and other recruited players. One of the most important components that college scouts look for is leadership. Leadership is one of the most important aspect in the game of soccer and the players with the greatest leadership attributes stand out to college scouts. You could show and train  your leadership potentials in numerous ways. One method you could use is communication. Using this method is efficient because communicating with your teammates both on and off the ball shows that you are not only going to improve your personal skill set, but also your teammates' who will learn from your leadership roles.  

College coaches also look at the player's punctuality. Coming to the game about an hour and a half early, getting everything setup and especially coordinate the warm up is really important because it tells the coaches that you are consistent and could be counted on. Appearance and behavior is also another form of punctuality they look at because the player's relationship with the coach and teammates, is significant to the team's overall performance. Behavior towards the referee is extremely important because, when a player gives a referee the respect that he or she deserves, the coaches see it as that the player can be easily coached. Appearance, looking professional and having all required equipment for the game is also important because it shows that you are a well respected lady or a gentleman who has fantastic professional traits that cannot be altered. 

Passion is a very important aspect of getting recruited because of all the commitments one needs to have towards the beautiful game of soccer. Playing with a smile on your face and going at the ball hard, communicating and motivating your teammates tells the coach that you love the game and everything about it. Been passionate means that been positive no matter what, especially if your team is losing, keeping your head as well as your co players in the game, shows that you love the game much more than just the results. This attribute is valuable to the coaches because, it shows them that you can keep the team moving whether in a winning situation, or a heartbreaking losing situation. You could also show how passionate you are about soccer by playing fair and been a good competitor. This attribute also ties in with leadership and college teams want players who will be leaders both in and outside of team. The reason why passion is so valuable to college coaches is because, passion is an attribute that you can't teach. Coaches sort out players that have unteachable attributes from those who don't, and these little aspects can totally change your chances of developing your professional soccer career. 

Determination is a fantastic trait to have because it says a lot about you as person and as player. Coaches want players who are teachable, now what does that mean? Well, it means that coaches want players who are willing to learn, listen to instructions, and determined to learn new things from the coach, the assistant coach, the whole soccer staff, and co players. Determination doesn't differ much from passion especially when we are talking soccer. You almost show determination in the field the same way you show passion. Just like passion, you can show how determined you are on the field especially when trailing by a goal, and motivating your other teammates to keep working alongside you to equalize and tie if not win the game. 

There are a lot more attributes that you can have, which can increase your chances of been recruited and the ones I listed above are just a part of the puzzle. My tips to you guys is, play as much as you can. Play anywhere, in the streets, in the grocery store, just simply get as much playing in as possible. I promise you my friends, you will definitely see a dramatic improvement in your ball control, and all around ball movement. My final advice is that, talk to your coach about the recruiting process, and try to go to as much ID camps and showcases possible. I hope that these few tips will help speed up your recruiting chances. 

1046