Posts Tagged ‘Brits’

Football (or soccer as the ‘non-Brits’ refer to it as) is the most popular sport in the World. Millions of people play, at various levels, every single day. Most  people play for fun, others professionally, however the aim of the game is almost always the same – WIN! During the course of the article I am going to suggest ways to becoming a better footballer (and thus increasing your and your teams chances of winning matches). All the suggestions made will result in improvements in your game, however some will take longer than others to ‘flourish’. Here goes:-

FITNESS:

Watch the top footballers and you will notice that they produce a lot of movement during the 90 minutes, often running 10-15km in the process. To do this requires high levels of cardiovascular fitness. To gain such fitness requires dedication and discipline. Another sport where participants have very high levels of fitness, probably more so than footballers, is boxing (maybe not always the heavyweights!). Therefore, my suggestion to improve your fitness would be train like a boxer! Not in sparring etc, but by rising early (ideally between 5-6am) and putting in a session. This should ideally include a distance run followed by cardiovascular activities such as skipping, star jumps etc. Add to that push-ups, crunchies and sit-ups and your fitness will begin to improve significantly. Ideally I would suggest your session should be no less than 1 hour, at least 4-5 times a week. Training so early will kick-start your metabolism for the day plus psychologically it will give you a sense achievement which should motivate you day ahead.

GOAL!:  Rise at 5.30am, 5 times a week and complete a 4-5Km run followed by 5 x 20 push-ups, 5 x 20 crunchies, 5 x 40 star jumps, 5 x 20 burpees, then hold the PLANK POSITION for as long as possible.

TIP: This will seem difficult at first, but once you are into a routine it becomes easy. Have training clothes next to your bed and focus your mind so that you get out of bed immediately when your alarm goes off. Don’t think about what your about to do, JUST DO IT!

DIET:

You are what you eat / drink. You wouldn’t put the incorrect fuel into your car, so why put it into your body? Your performance will be effected by what you eat / drink – in the short term and in the long term. Therefore, your overall diet should be well balanced with large potions of green vegetables and salad. Avoid junk food which you know to be detrimental to you – I don’t need to list these foods, you know them already, but they just taste too good! Right? ‘Garbabge’ – they taste good at time of consumption, but how do you feel afterwards once your taste buds have returned to state – I’m guessing it’s not great! Improving at anything requires discipline and often sacrifice. Give up the junk food and the benefits which follow will be far in excess of the ‘quick fix’ pleasure these foods provide.

Your water intake should be high – you should never actually feel thirsty as this is an early sign of dehydration. Replace consumption of fizzy drinks, tea and coffee with water. Drink a minimum of 2 litres and maximum of 5 litres (dependant on body size and intensity of exercise(s) performed) each day. Carry water with you at all-times, don’t leave dehydration any invitations into your body!

GOAL!:  Drink 2-5 litres of water everyday , whilst avoiding fizzy drinks, tea and coffee. Eat portion(s) of green vegetables / salad or fruit with every meal. Snack every 2-4 hours on fruit / salad / vegetables or nuts. Eliminate junk food from your diet completely.

TIP: Discipline and dedication are again the key. You don’t become an extraordinary footballer by doing ordinary things!

TEMPERAMENT AND FOCUS:

Temperament and focus before, during and after a match is a key ingredient to making a footballer better. Before a match you should  focus on what the overall aim is. That focus must remain strong and constant throughout. This should not make you fearful or nervous, but ultimately guide you  towards achievement. If you make an error or wastes an opportunity, this should not affect your focus as your goal is still the same. It is unlikely that your overall aim was to score at that particular moment or not to make that error at that exact time. Therefore, concentrate on what you can achieve in the remaining time, there will be plenty of time to review performance after the match has finished.

Finally, once the match has ended focus on winning or losing with dignity. This will not just make you a better footballer, but a better person.

GOAL!:  Before a match spend 15-30 minutes focusing on what you actually want to achieve. Be clear of your outcome. So often people fail because they don’t know exactly what they are wanting to achieve.  

DO THE SIMPLY THINGS WELL AND OFTEN:

Not every footballer can do the things Cristiano Ronaldo, Zindine Zidane or Lionel Messi can do. But, all footballers can learn to do the simply skills often and well. I’m not wanting to banish ‘flare’ and extravagant skill, rather dilute it. Learning to play short passes accurately and directly 100% is an enormous advantage to any player. Great players such as Paul Scholes and Claude Makele are experts at doing the easy things well. This is something all players adopt.

 GOAL!:  Practice short passes, correct positioning, striking off the ball, tackling etc often and for a long period of time. Many players believe because they have mastered a technique they don’t have to practice it any more – when in fact mastery and improvement comes from repeatedly practising an already learned skill. This sort of dedication and commitment ensures that in the crucial moments of a game when performing a skill or technique is vital you will be prepared.

LEARN FROM THE BEST:

Why re-invent the wheel? If you want to become a top footballer, benchmark a top footballer. They may have natural skill, but to get to the level they have achieved is not by chance. If you want to get to the level of a certain player(s) copy what they do on a regular basis (the beauty of benchmarking is you can take the positives and eliminate any negative routines the player may have!). With footballers living their life in the media spotlight and all sorts of data being openly available on the internet, it’s never been easier to benchmark.

GOAL!:  Chose a World Class player(s)  you admire both on and off the pitch. Collect information regarding their diet, training methods and fitness ideas. Study their movement and all-round play in a number of games. Record games which they have played extremely well and analyse their qualities. Possibly contact them directly for advice and hints – if done elegantly, with your reasons for contacting them clearly stated,  they should be more than happy to oblige.

Combine all the above with belief and you will most definitely become a better footballer

Ahh football! A noble sporting institution centred on several prominent British values: healthy competition, camaraderie and drinking copious amounts of alcohol. Young and old, rich and poor, and male and female alike, there’s nothing the British love more than watching 22 handsome young men kicking a ball around a field wearing shorts. Equally, who can resist the thrill of seeing their idol score the winning goal? Technically, all Brits (like Brazilians) are football fans; it’s actually a matter of national pride. However, there are always a few guys who have to take their fandom further, you know the type? They don’t just love watching football on the telly, they have a football bedspread, football posters, they eat, sleep and breathe footy. So, what’s a gift giver to do when that football fan’s birthday or Christmas rolls round? In this exciting article we’ll take a look at that majestic creature ‘the footy fan’ and see what Gifts for Him we can come up with which you may not have considered before. They will need to be affordable, creative and they’ll also need to put a smile on his face. The Football Fan There are many truths about the football fan, I would call him an elusive creature or enigmatic but neither are true. Typically, he sees everything in simple terms. You win or lose a football match, after all, (or draw, but that is rare and leads to penalty shoot outs…) Anyway, he’s uncomplicated, direct, friendly and chatty. Gifts for Him need to be bold, simple and make a statement. He loves pizza, beer (if he’s old enough to drink it) and he can tell you more about football than you would ever want or need to know. That means that there’s a lot of room for you to get something wrong, like buy him a porcelain figurine of a team member from that club he hates. There are two major things wrong with that, firstly, you bought a man a porcelain figurine and secondly, never mind. He will have enjoyed smashing it. Getting Gifts For him Research is key. You need to know who his favourite players are, what his favourite club is and what size shirt he is. Does he play football at the weekends? What shoe size is he if he does? Become interested in football, ask questions and make lists. Soon you’ll have the football fan’s details down on paper and that makes getting gifts for him that much easier. With his shirt size you could get him his favourite player’s shirt and with his shoe size you could get him some new top-of-the-range football boots for those weekend games. These are obvious gifts though? The only thing ever stopping you from getting these sorts of things is that you will neglect to look at tags; you needn’t ask him and make him suspicious. Just look inside a shoe or shirt when he’s not around. After research, the key to getting great Gifts for Him is getting things which will make him laugh. You don’t have to get him something tacky though, you can put a smile on his face and still give him something he will use, rather than leave on a shelf to gather dust. One good example of something he can use and laugh about is a pair of Football cufflinks, there are loads of designs out there from tasteful silver football and boot designs, to more quirky colourful ones. He can wear his football cufflinks with any traditional button down shirt making them great for nights out, formal meetings and weddings. So, whenever he’s all dressed up and ready to go out he’ll think of you and football; the two things he probably loves more than anything else in the world! Another present you might not have considered before could be some stocks and shares. What would he do with those you ask? Well, I don’t know but he’d certainly put the certificate on the wall or frame it if he owned a share in his favourite football team? He can’t manage them but he can own a small portion of Manchester United, Arsenal or any team that he supports and what’s better than saying your team, really and truly is your team? Men who love football really appreciate it when you take some time to learn more about their interests and get them something which is both useful and meaningful. A football mug is fine, but what about engraved footy champagne glasses instead? Thinking outside the box and making the gifts for him funny, luxurious or a romantic experience, depending on who the footy fan in your life is, can make his special day that little bit more special!