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ZenFooty Blog Getting Your Daily TouchesPublished on Sun 11/22/2009 | 6 total comments Hey Folks, Yes ZenMaster is back with another blog!! Sorry for the dark period. The season got the best of me!! So how many touches are you getting on the ball each day now that the season is over? Are you juggling, working on your turns, shooting, practicing your sole rolls, or working on step-overs? I hope all of the above.....and more. How about one-footed tic-tocs, slap-cuts, cross-overs, and back 90s? Are you practicing these moves? I really think you should be! If I could estimate how many touches on the ball each player should get each day, it would be about 5,000 touches. As Americans, we like to count stuff (like money, cars, fantasy football points, and so on). So there you have it. You should be touching the ball 5,000 times every day. What touches should they be? Pick a skill area and go from there. You can select from: Passing, receiving, dribbling, shooting, heading, and goalkeeping. If you choose passing for example, simply find a wall or the side of a school building and start by using all surfaces of the foot to strike a ball to a specific spot on the wall. Then move farther away to test your accuracy from longer distances. You can move closer and play at higher speeds to test your reactions. Move left and right to practice passing and receiving on the run. Before you know it, you will have touched the ball hundreds of times. Switch feet, do some behind the leg, alternate feet, use the outside of one foot and the inside of the other, juggle off the wall playing one and two-touch juggling without letting the ball hit the ground when it comes off the wall. Do this on the run to build aerial passing and receiving skills. There are hundreds of variations. Above all, pick a few goals for yourself this winter, set your mind on improving in these areas, and put the time in to working on your skills. Remember, your body is getting bigger and stronger and your skills must keep pace so that your overall game gets better. Also remember that you are racing against time and the other opponent. How much better can you get before the next try-out? Will you be ready to play at the next level when the call comes? If you have any questions about skill building activities, just put them out here on the blog and I will give you some things you can do!! Are you going to make the commitment? What say you? « comments » Calling All Parents - Get Your Kid Practicing Published on Sat 10/03/2009 | 6 total comments I'm tellin' ya right now folks, whatever we are doing its not enough!! I have surveyed at least 20 kids this past week at training and asked them if they are practicing on their own in between training sessions. The answer is a tentative...."Yes, a little." When I ask them if they are really telling me the truth, they say...."Not Really." If you are looking to develop real skill, players need to practice relentlessly; 10,000 hours through their youth development years. And we MUST understand that practice is DIFFERENT than training. Training is where you learn how to play the game, practice is done away from the training pitch and it is where you PERFECT YOUR GAME. There are little cues that tell me whether players are practicing on their own or with a friend in between training sessions. The cues include: Is their ball showing more wear, are their shoes showing more wear, are they excited about showing me a new move they made up, do they know the skills from the last few lessons perfectly, do they have soccer stories to tell me from practicing with others, and so on. We can NOT expect the miracle to happen on the training pitch....it needs to happen on the practice pitch when nobody else is looking. I can remember training alone for 4 and 5 hours at a time in the rain, driving a wet soccer ball against the wall from 10 yards away trying to spell my name on the wall with the wet circular impressions the ball would make. The lonely practice pitch is where champions are built!! What say you? « comments » Indoor Training - Does it help? Published on Mon 09/28/2009 | 6 total comments Well, what is YOUR favorite method of indoor training? After all, we are in the middle of the Fall season and the Winter leagues are already selling out. Are you the type that needs to play games or are you the type that builds your skills? Do you need both? ZenMaster says that the winter months are about building technical skills and keeping your game from going stale. So what is the recipe for good skills development? How about a combination of indoor technical skills training in the racquetball courts, one-v-one and two-v-two in tight spaces, and Futsal? How about a little strength and speed work on the side to increase your playing radius? This is the kind of program that will build your technique as well as your quickness, strength, and confidence on the ball. I have seen many players go from good to "very good" through this type of regimen. It offers variety, fun, and a view into how some of the Brazilian players build their skills. After all, players like Robinho, Kaka, and Ronaldinho are not half bad. What say you? What do you do in the Winter to build your skills? « comments » Have we forgotten to compete? Published on Tue 09/22/2009 | 25 total comments With all of the focus on developing technical skills, I wonder if our players are forgetting that soccer is still a competitive game and players must also bring their hearts. All the skill in the world will not guarentee a positive outcome for the faint of heart. Players today must be fierce competitors for the full match. I am witnessing very skillful players shying away from tackles in the attacking and defensive penalty box. Even the very best of professional players go fearlessly into tackles and put thier body on the line for their club. I believe players tend to get hurt when the DONT put their efforts into the physical side of the game. A complete player has technical, tactical, physical and mental capabilities. Not just one of the four and not just for part of the game. Giving up is a sign of weakness. In fact, giving up at the higher levels will cause your team to be punished. It seems to me that we are lacking the good old competition factor in training to further develop the "Killer Instinct" in our players. If I take a look at the greatest competitors of all time (such as Pele, Michael Jordan, Emmitt Smith, or the Williams Sisters), these players are vicious and all have the Killer Instinct even with their gifted skills. Here is what I suggest, 5v5 inside the center circle and whoever wins the most tackles wins the activity. Then, 3v3 inside the penalty box and whoever scores the most or gets the most clearances is the winner!! Let's get our uniforms dirty and build some grit into our games!! What say you? Are we developing soft players? « comments » ZenFooty Breakfast Club - It Rocks! Published on Tue 06/16/2009 | 10 total comments Hey All!! We have launched the ZenFooty Breakfast Club for the third year running!! On our initial day we had a record start of 33 people come out for the event. Breakfast club is about footspeed and fitness. We train from 8:00AM to 9:00AM. Then we break out into pick-up games and play for another hour. After that, we play world cup soccer from 10:00 to 11:00 or so. It is a fun-filled morning and we do it EVERY weekday. In my opinion, this is the REAL thing about soccer; kids playing with no restrictions and trying out their stuff!! I enjoy watching the tricks, the skills, the friendships and the leadership as they emerge. Our goal this year is to get 100 players out every morning training, playing, laughing, and enjoying all the game has to offer. Breakfast club is for all ages so come on out and bring your running shoes, energy drink, and your soccer shoes (and shin guards). We are at Ty Warner Park in Westmont Illinois!! So, I ask you, is there really enough free play, funtime, and fitness in today's soccer world. ZenMaster says we need more of this. What say you? And for you players that have been coming out, do you like it? I want to hear what you think? « comments » |
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