Hustling and playing aggressively is very important. If you do not play that way, you are very much likely to lose to a team that is significantly more aggressive.
By aggressive play, I mean hustling. It means the players must not be afraid of making contact and "winning" the "50/50 balls.” "50/50 balls” are the loose balls that either team has an equal chance of winning.
If you are afraid of contact, it will be difficult for you to win these. The expert coach knows that the teams that wins most of the 50/50 balls and will usually win the game.
The coach should ensure that the defenders are tough and are not afraid of contact. If you have a player in the team who is afraid of contact, it is big disadvantage for you. If you play him or her at Fullback or Sweeper, get ready to give up many goals.
It is very critical for the coach to teach his players to not only be brave and unafraid of contact, but also to hustle and be aggressive about going to the ball and to win loose balls. However, it is also true that it is not an easy cake to teach the same.
Some players are naturally timid and many of them even consider rough or aggressive play a bad thing. They think that if they play aggressive, someone might get hurt.
Therefore, the coach needs to be well prepared with all his tools and methodologies when he is going to teach his players how to play soccer in an aggressive way.
By: Andre Botelho
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Aggressive Play Is Very Important On Both Offense And Defense
Thursday, September 11, 2008
How to Improve Your Kicking Power
When I think of kicking, for some reason Bruce Lee always comes to mind. I always wondered what kind of damage he could have done to a football or soccer ball. When most people remember Lee, they remember his speed and quickness. I cannot recollect a time when someone said, "Man, Bruce has a huge squat, and he can double his body weight on the bench press." We all know him as an explosive dude.
Being from a powerlifting background, I can honestly say I know several people that squat over 800lbs and bench well over 600 lbs. These are some mean guys that could rip me in half and really hurt me if they wanted to, but I would rather have them kick me than Bruce any day.
The moral to my ramblings is that kicking is a rapidly performed explosive movement, and to get better at doing it, we need to utilize rapid, explosive movements. I am not going to get into the anatomy and physiology behind the some of these exercises, but I will explain them is as much detail as possible. Let us look at some new ways to train the hips. If feel that it is important that you train the entire hip, not just the flexor mechanism. This ensures that the pelvis and hip joints are securely stabilized during such a dynamic activity.
Warming Up
You should always perform a thorough warm-up prior to any type of exercise. You can use the following dynamic warm-up to prep your bodily systems for strenuous activity.
Jumping Jacks
1. High Knees
2. Butt Kickers
3. Sumo Squat
4. Good Mornings
5. Lunge and Twist
6. Feet to Hands
7. Tin Soldier
8. Scorpion
9. Iron Cross
10. Elbow to Instep
11. 1 Leg RDL
12. Lateral Lunge
13. Walking Ham Stretch
Bilateral Drills
These are hip training with the speed sled exercises.
Attach a rope to the ring on the sled. On the loose end of the rope, tie a loop. Tie loops at both ends of a second piece of rope, which should be minimally 8-feet long. Feed the double looped rope through the loop on the sled rope. The double looped rope should slide back and forth freely through the sled rope. Place one foot in each end of the double looped rope. Keep the weight light.
1. Bear Crawl - stay on all fours and walk forward focusing on snapping the knee through.
2. Forward Walk - walk forward snapping the leg through.
3. High Knee - walk forward using a high knee step. Explosively drive the knees forward.
4. Lateral slide - Laterally slide using a slower step. Try to keep tension on the rope.
Belt Drills
Attach the sled to a lifting or speed harness belt.
1. Forward Straight Leg Walk - Keep the leg locked straight as you walk forward.
2. Forward Low Walk - Stay low as you walk
3. Backward Low Walk - Stay low as you walk and try to fully extend the knee.
4. Lateral X-Over Walk - Stay Low as you crossover in front. Push through with the trail hip.
Unilateral Drills
Attach the sled to one leg.
1. Forward Walk - Snap the loaded leg through
2. Lateral Push Slide - The sled should be attached to the lead leg. Snap the lead leg over.
3. X-Over - The sled should be attached to the trail leg. Cross the trail leg over in front of the lead leg.
4. Lateral Pull Slide - The sled should be attached to the trail leg. Use a wide step.
Backwards Walk - Stay low and drive the leg through.
Being from a powerlifting background, I can honestly say I know several people that squat over 800lbs and bench well over 600 lbs. These are some mean guys that could rip me in half and really hurt me if they wanted to, but I would rather have them kick me than Bruce any day.
The moral to my ramblings is that kicking is a rapidly performed explosive movement, and to get better at doing it, we need to utilize rapid, explosive movements. I am not going to get into the anatomy and physiology behind the some of these exercises, but I will explain them is as much detail as possible. Let us look at some new ways to train the hips. If feel that it is important that you train the entire hip, not just the flexor mechanism. This ensures that the pelvis and hip joints are securely stabilized during such a dynamic activity.
Warming Up
You should always perform a thorough warm-up prior to any type of exercise. You can use the following dynamic warm-up to prep your bodily systems for strenuous activity.
Jumping Jacks
1. High Knees
2. Butt Kickers
3. Sumo Squat
4. Good Mornings
5. Lunge and Twist
6. Feet to Hands
7. Tin Soldier
8. Scorpion
9. Iron Cross
10. Elbow to Instep
11. 1 Leg RDL
12. Lateral Lunge
13. Walking Ham Stretch
Bilateral Drills
These are hip training with the speed sled exercises.
Attach a rope to the ring on the sled. On the loose end of the rope, tie a loop. Tie loops at both ends of a second piece of rope, which should be minimally 8-feet long. Feed the double looped rope through the loop on the sled rope. The double looped rope should slide back and forth freely through the sled rope. Place one foot in each end of the double looped rope. Keep the weight light.
1. Bear Crawl - stay on all fours and walk forward focusing on snapping the knee through.
2. Forward Walk - walk forward snapping the leg through.
3. High Knee - walk forward using a high knee step. Explosively drive the knees forward.
4. Lateral slide - Laterally slide using a slower step. Try to keep tension on the rope.
Belt Drills
Attach the sled to a lifting or speed harness belt.
1. Forward Straight Leg Walk - Keep the leg locked straight as you walk forward.
2. Forward Low Walk - Stay low as you walk
3. Backward Low Walk - Stay low as you walk and try to fully extend the knee.
4. Lateral X-Over Walk - Stay Low as you crossover in front. Push through with the trail hip.
Unilateral Drills
Attach the sled to one leg.
1. Forward Walk - Snap the loaded leg through
2. Lateral Push Slide - The sled should be attached to the lead leg. Snap the lead leg over.
3. X-Over - The sled should be attached to the trail leg. Cross the trail leg over in front of the lead leg.
4. Lateral Pull Slide - The sled should be attached to the trail leg. Use a wide step.
Backwards Walk - Stay low and drive the leg through.
By: Tony Reynolds, CSCS
Monday, September 8, 2008
Effective Goal Setting for Sports Performance
Goal setting is an important skill in sport and life that helps to give you purpose and confidence - if done well.
Goal Setting has become such a mainstream activity in business and sport that you might be forgiven for wondering if it is worth covering at all. Indeed, one of most basic premises of theories of motivation is that we, as humans, select goals that will satisfy our psychological or biological needs. Nowhere is this more true than in the achievement-based environment of sport., This article will tell you how to make the right choices or go about the process in the best possible way.
How to set goals
There is a great deal of literature on the market that includes goal setting, and a popular way of expressing the principles of goal setting is SMART (Specific, measurable, adjustable, realistic and time-based). I have seen several versions of SMART, however, so I will set out some principles below and let you find your own way of remembering them.
1. Make goals as specific as possible. “To compete in the Olympics”. Well, as admirable as that is, you need to ask when, in what sport, in what event?
2. Divide long-term goals into short-term goals with deadlines and priorities. “To complete in the Olympics in four years time, in the 100 metres (athletics). This gives more direction. However, what do you need to do in three years time to be on track to achieve your Olympic dream? What about this season? What about this week? By creating ‘stepping stones’ the path to your ultimate goal will become much more clear. It may become apparent that to achieve one goal you may have to trade off against another – so know your priorities.
3. Set measurable goals. “Work hard in training” indicates the right sentiment, but will not provide guidance towards your goal. “Attend every session this month” or “Hold a pulse rate of 170 for this next set” however, might.
4. Make goals challenging but achievable. You have to be able to decide, with all available help, whether your goals are achievable. Even if you have been identified as a talented athlete, the chances of reaching the Olympics may be slim. Slim is fine – remember your goals must be challenging – but goals set too high can demotivate rather than motivate.
5. Evaluate your progress regularly, and be flexible. With your measurable goals, that provide stepping stones to your ultimate goal, you will be able to see how well you are progressing. If, two years before the Olympics, you break you leg, you might still achieve your final goal, but you will have to alter the stepping stones. If you break it six weeks before the games, however, your final goal will have to change. If you achieve your goals before you expected to, set new ones.
6. Consider writing down your goals, and share them. We tend to commit to goals that are written down, and shared goals (either as part of the process or after they have been set) are more effective still. If you keep a training or competition log (there’s a tip!) this might be the ideal place to keep your goals written down. However, this is very much down to individual preference.
Process, Performance or Outcome Goals?
While outcome goals, which relate to your performance versus others; or performance goals, which are your whole performance independent of others; can be very useful, it is important to ask yourself “How will I achieve that?”. The resulting answers will provide you with Process Goals. For example, to run in the Olympics you must achieve a qualifying time. What do you need to do to achieve that time?
Process goals can consist of:
• Technical goals – such as length of stride• Tactical goals – the race or game plan• Physical goals – these are easier to set if you have scientific testing available, but could include your diet or fluid intake, say• Psychological goals – such as maintaining concentration for the whole race
Another way of looking at your goals might be to list your current practices (e.g. physical or technical drills) and other habits (e.g. diet) and add ‘so that….’ to the end of each one.
For example: “I train with weights 3 times each week…so that…… I can increase my strength by 10% this season ”
If every ‘so that’ on your list can be followed by a goal or ‘stepping stone’, your everyday behaviours are in tune with your goals. If not, your behaviours could be unhelpful or unnecessary, or there may be other goals that you left unexplored.
Goal Setting has become such a mainstream activity in business and sport that you might be forgiven for wondering if it is worth covering at all. Indeed, one of most basic premises of theories of motivation is that we, as humans, select goals that will satisfy our psychological or biological needs. Nowhere is this more true than in the achievement-based environment of sport., This article will tell you how to make the right choices or go about the process in the best possible way.
How to set goals
There is a great deal of literature on the market that includes goal setting, and a popular way of expressing the principles of goal setting is SMART (Specific, measurable, adjustable, realistic and time-based). I have seen several versions of SMART, however, so I will set out some principles below and let you find your own way of remembering them.
1. Make goals as specific as possible. “To compete in the Olympics”. Well, as admirable as that is, you need to ask when, in what sport, in what event?
2. Divide long-term goals into short-term goals with deadlines and priorities. “To complete in the Olympics in four years time, in the 100 metres (athletics). This gives more direction. However, what do you need to do in three years time to be on track to achieve your Olympic dream? What about this season? What about this week? By creating ‘stepping stones’ the path to your ultimate goal will become much more clear. It may become apparent that to achieve one goal you may have to trade off against another – so know your priorities.
3. Set measurable goals. “Work hard in training” indicates the right sentiment, but will not provide guidance towards your goal. “Attend every session this month” or “Hold a pulse rate of 170 for this next set” however, might.
4. Make goals challenging but achievable. You have to be able to decide, with all available help, whether your goals are achievable. Even if you have been identified as a talented athlete, the chances of reaching the Olympics may be slim. Slim is fine – remember your goals must be challenging – but goals set too high can demotivate rather than motivate.
5. Evaluate your progress regularly, and be flexible. With your measurable goals, that provide stepping stones to your ultimate goal, you will be able to see how well you are progressing. If, two years before the Olympics, you break you leg, you might still achieve your final goal, but you will have to alter the stepping stones. If you break it six weeks before the games, however, your final goal will have to change. If you achieve your goals before you expected to, set new ones.
6. Consider writing down your goals, and share them. We tend to commit to goals that are written down, and shared goals (either as part of the process or after they have been set) are more effective still. If you keep a training or competition log (there’s a tip!) this might be the ideal place to keep your goals written down. However, this is very much down to individual preference.
Process, Performance or Outcome Goals?
While outcome goals, which relate to your performance versus others; or performance goals, which are your whole performance independent of others; can be very useful, it is important to ask yourself “How will I achieve that?”. The resulting answers will provide you with Process Goals. For example, to run in the Olympics you must achieve a qualifying time. What do you need to do to achieve that time?
Process goals can consist of:
• Technical goals – such as length of stride• Tactical goals – the race or game plan• Physical goals – these are easier to set if you have scientific testing available, but could include your diet or fluid intake, say• Psychological goals – such as maintaining concentration for the whole race
Another way of looking at your goals might be to list your current practices (e.g. physical or technical drills) and other habits (e.g. diet) and add ‘so that….’ to the end of each one.
For example: “I train with weights 3 times each week…so that…… I can increase my strength by 10% this season ”
If every ‘so that’ on your list can be followed by a goal or ‘stepping stone’, your everyday behaviours are in tune with your goals. If not, your behaviours could be unhelpful or unnecessary, or there may be other goals that you left unexplored.
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