Treat yourself As a Professional

If you as an individual want to play at the collegiate or professional level, you need to treat yourself as a professional. This means dieting properly, maintaining in peak physical condition, and staying mentally switched on, both on and off the field. Last night at practice with my club team, we had a returning college student play with us. At the end of the session, we were required to do conditioning as we always do. Chris, the returning college student seemed lethargic and completely out of shape during suicides and ended up walking the last leg of the "sprints." Just as he got to the goal line he leaned over and pukes everywhere. Later in the practice he had admitted that he had been drinking the night previous. What we got out of this is that in order to play competitively you need to take care of your body. Whether that means stretching by yourself after a training session, or icing a minor injury, athletes need to learn to treat their body as a machine. If you put bad oil into a Ferrari it will break down and be useless. However, if you put fresh oil into the same exact car, it will drive like it is meant to be driven, remaining in pristine condition. This also includes diet. One of the most important aspects of diet that athletes tend to forget about is to stay hydrated! Dehydration leads to muscle cramps, fatigue and mental breakdowns. The easiest way to avoid this is to simply carry a water bottle with you throughout the day. If it is in your sight, you are much more likely to start drinking it without even thinking about it. You as an athlete need to take care of your body. If you don't not only do you let yourself down, you also let your team down.

Live for a Pass

Look at any level of fútbol, what must occur for a team to be successful? Passing. No matter how talented an individual may be, if they cannot make a simple pass, they cannot be successful. I would rather have an individual on my team who can make simple passes one hundred percent of the time, rather than an individual who can dribble through several defenders. I have come to this idea because of the nature of the game. As many coaches do, if they have an individual who is very quick and has great dribbling abilities, they will put them up front as a striker.Which tactically makes sense, however, with this set up a simple game plan is presented; kick the ball up to the striker, let him run, get the ball, and score. There is almost no skill required in this style of play. This is what has become the predominant style of play in the United States. The reason I would rather take the player who "lives for a pass" is because this has the a style of play behind it that requires skill and team quality. In my opinion, a team that can hold and maintain control of the ball by simple passes is the better of the two teams, even if the opposition scores with a long ball to a striker who goes one on one with the keeper and scores. Being on competitive team requires you to be able to make simple passes. Live for a pass.

Importance of a Club Team

Choosing a club team to belong to is one of the most important aspects in playing on the collegiate level. The level of play and coach of the club make a huge difference if they are well known. Belonging to certain clubs give a certain impression about their players. For example, if a coach wants a player who is tall, fast, and strong they might look to clubs such as  Empire United. But in the same manner,  if you are a player with these qualities you would look to join this team. Last year, I joined a very well known club the Syracuse Blitz which I found to be almost disappointing. Mostly of the players on the team were "one man shows" and the coach did not seemed to be very organized. Later that year, the team disbanded and I was in search of another local club team, which was a little more serious and uptight. I landed myself on the club team known as the AS Wolves. Ever since I joined, the club has been able to help me out The coach has played internationally as a professional, and knows exactly how to coach success. This was the team I knew I belonged to. He has been preparing me to go to Slippery Rock University to play DII soccer. The easiest way to find good local teams are by simply googling them in your area. Once you find a club you are interested in, do some research on them and talk to current players to see if the club fits you.

Finding Success in Failure

This past weekend my club team, the A.S. Wolves Competed in a premier showcase tournament in Afrims. Overall, looking at the stats, the competition was quite unsuccessful. In our first game, as our coach stated "We played as if we had never seen a soccer ball before" which pretty much summed up the game. No one was communicating with each other which was a cause of major problems. This game ended in a 1-0 Loss. Game number two was a little better, but not much.The mental lapses throughout the weekend caused our losses. Game number two also resulted in a 1-0 Loss. Five minutes into the game our holding midfielder scored off of a scrum in the box, but the goal was called off on the grounds of "off side." Two minutes later the opposing team scored a goal off of an intercepted pass. Game number three was again lost 1-0 due to mental lapses and physical mishaps. Off a free kick from 30 yards out, the opposing team had a player that hit one of our players in the crotch just as the ball was hit, our player turned and the ball struck his hand, a penalty was called, and a goal was scored. The fourth and final game was lost in a mater of 5 seconds. During the progress of play, players attempting to sub in called their subs off, but another defender came off the field. This gave us a man down disadvantage for about 5 seconds, the opposing team won the ball and scored. The final was 2-0. Upon reflecting back on the competition as a whole, the team realized that tactically, we can compete with every single team we play, however we need to improve the mental aspect of the game, which unfortunately is the hardest part to improve upon. We were able to find success in failure because if we improve the smallest things we can always come out on top. Another thing I realized was that many of the coaches watching have a certain arrogance among themselves. As I was standing at midfield waiting to sub in, a coach from behind me grunted " You know you couldn't have picked a better spot to stand in front of me." I just thought it was interesting in the way coaches interact with potential future recruits.

Boots are Key.

If you look at any professional level of play, look at the players boots.How often do you see a team that all have the same ones? Very rarely, if ever. Being a fútboler myself, I know how important the right fitting boot can affect you game dramatically. I unlike many players, have very small and wide feet, which limits my selection to start with. I have found over the years that the synthetic boots are not for me, my feet are too wide and the cleats rip or tear very quickly. When Messi got behind the Adidas F50's, I thought that I would give them a try, because they are so light, it was like playing in bare feet. At first I absolutely loved them, but as the single season went on, I ended up destroying THREE sets of these cleats. So for those of you with wide feet, I would not recommend the F50's. In the process of looking for a new set of boots, I now ALWAYS look to K-Leather. It is more durable than any synthetic material I have used and has great ability to conform to your foot.You want a boot that is suited for you, you want it to become part of you, part of your identity. This is when you should find the cleat that looks appealing on top of preforming well. Many players are identified by their cleats, for Example Messi and the Adidas F50's. My favorite cleats I have ever owned were a pair of clearance Lotto boots which I honestly loved dearly. I remember the game when I blew out both cleats in one game. When they second cleat blew out, I swore profusely at the kid who made them enter into early retirement. Boots are apart of the game, they make all the difference.

Training in the Off Season

One of the worst mistakes an athlete can make, is to take extended periods of time off from their sport. Fútbol is a sport in which skills cannot be picked up rapidly, unlike body building. If you stop working out for a couple months, then start up again, you will see improved results within as early as a week, because it takes only strength, not skill. However, in sports such as Fútbol, if one stops playing then attempts to play again, that persons touch on the ball will not come back rapidly, it will take at least a month to retain the skills they had since they last played. I am located in Central New York, so during the winter, I hear quite often that players can't play because there's snow, and no place to play. I love training in the snow personally because the ball is much harder to handle, and the ground is extremely difficult to dribble on, however if you go from snow to an indoor turf facility, your touch will be dramatically better. Today in Homer New York, was fairly sunny so our turf field was melted off partially which allowed for a great spot to practice on during my lunch period. For those of you looking to preform simple drills in the snow, try kicking the ball straight into the air about 30 Feet, then trap it as it comes down without letting the ball go all over. Doing this in the snow makes it more difficult becuase the ground is very slippery and hard. The footing and body position need to be concentrated on during this because it is the most important part of trapping the ball. After becoming proficient, begin flicking the ball into the air, and volleying the ball as it descends to the ground. Playing in abstract conditions allows a player to gain an edge over his opponent  and sets him apart from the average player, to the above average all-star player.

Preparing for College...

For every sports team in a High School, there are a few players who have aspirations to go on to play in the next level. In sports such as football, coaches are looking for the biggest, fastest, and strongest players they can find, put them all on one team, and expect to win. Unfortunately, this mentality has not been solely secluded into football; it is now dominant in fútbol within the borders of the United States. I personally am in the process of joining the next level of competition, but am facing the sad truth. I’m not 6'6", I can’t bench 240lbs and I can’t run a 40 yard dash in under 4.3 seconds. The college coaches of today are looking for these types of players’ because the only look for athleticism, not skill. These coaches plan on winning their games through bullying their competition. I am 5'7", obviously not the stature coaches are looking for. So what do players such as me and others like me do? We think. We use our minds to outthink our opponents; we use our skills and outplay them. You can’t make someone think, however you can make someone get on a line and run to get faster. So for those of you who are like me out there, aspiring to play in college: show off your skills, think, and live for a pass, not the goal...