Last week players started learning the chip shot and bending the ball. Gustavo demonstrates both.
Chip shot.
The chip shot is a fabulous weapon for going over the opponents but it is also a great passing shot because it spins backwards and does not cause the ball to speed away from the receiver. It also stays low once it hits the ground again. You can see this on the video. It makes the life of the receiver much easier. Together with a low rolling ball it is my favorite shot for passing.
Bending the ball:
Scoring when there is no direct line of sight. The ball goes around the wall and curves back in:
Amazingly, we had all players in - the night before Canada day.
It was a superb effort for our players, under very difficult weather conditions, cold, rainy, and muddy field. The team played an outstanding first half, when they were spreading themselves out much better, which was the objective of a couple of our practices.
During the 2nd half, players bunched up again and that makes scoring much harder, in fact no scoring happened. However, players are to be commended for still running hard under those conditions. Awesome job.
Areas for improvement:
- Spreading out, using open spaces
- Use of wide sidelines/wings
- Forwards coming back to help when we lose the ball
- Players arriving on time for practice!
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World Cup
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6/25/2010 07:12:00 PM
An extra home work for the players: to watch potentially the best match of the 2010 World Cup: Brazil vs Chile on Monday at 2:15PM. (CBC). It is rather unfortunate that these two teams are playing each other so early in the cup, but it is what it is.
Brazil and Chile were the top two qualifiers in South America. Brazil and Chile have played each other 65 times, with 46 victories for Brazil, 7 for Chile, and 12 draws. Brazil scored 152 times, Chile 55. History clearly favors Brazil, but this is the best Chilean side ever. What they lack in skills, they more than make up for with their hearts and they only know how to attack. Brazil knows how to defend and how to attack so it should be the best match.
Players to watch for skills:
Chile: Sanchez, Valdivia
Brazil: Kaka, Lucio (defense), Maicon (defense), Robinho, Elano
Blue Lightning players did well. Once again, goalkeepers were outstanding.
A few things to work on:
- increased use the sidelines/wings (not the crowded center)
- players without the ball should move into open space
- forwards should run faster
- more passing, less crowding of the ball
- forwards not coming back to help defense. Sometimes forwards go to attack and they forget to come back
After a 5.5 earthquake this afternoon, for a change, the forecast is for rain only after 8PM!
Warm-up, step on, side to side, sole to sole, on toes, dynamic stretching, always moving 5
Protect & Pass Deep, Center 15
Defending, positioning drill 15
Fake, Turn around and shoot 7
Passing, cone grid 12
Photo 10
Small Game 10
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Shall we dance? This is the Denilson Move. 6 out of 7 are doing it correctly!
The move was used later during the match! These moves are constantly used in Brazilian players - on moving balls, you can see them in the South Africa Cup.
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post game
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6/17/2010 06:52:00 AM
That was a fantastic performance from the team. Our players were really running hard and helping the defense. We also had a very good practice session in which we introduced tactical concepts which were used during the match.
The great stuff:
Great running and disposition, great attitude
Awesome goal keeping
A lot more use of the sidelines
Areas for improvement:
Faster speeds in running forward,
More use of sidelines (wings)
More passing, with more accuracy and more power
Defensive organization
A few players still using toes
Still have many players not paying attention during practice forces us to repeat explanations and wasting time
Warm-up, side to side, sole to sole, on toes, dynamic stretching, always moving, no flat feet 5
Attack, basic, pass along sidelines, score 15
Attack, pass along sidelines, center 10
Sidelines defending 15
Maicon move 8
photo 10
Short small game 15
Juggle challenge update 1
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A great effort by the team; it was a tough match. The goalies were great and prevented many goals.
Areas of improvement:
- Ball clearance from defensive zone: at least 2 goals were given to the opposition by our defenders shooting the ball towards the middle, where the ball can be easily intercepted by the opposing attackers. Defenders must use the sidelines instead
- Forwards should use the sidelines, and should run fast
- Forwards must come back running really fast to help defense when they lose the ball and the other team is attacking (on several occasions this did not happen)
- Some players are not in good shape and were tired
- There is too much chatting during practice; players must pay attention to what the coach is saying
Players practiced variants of the Jairzinho moves. They are like sponges and have already nearly mastered the move. In fact, one of the players used it during the game afterward.
Peter does a very good demo of the Jairzinho move (ballless variant):
Gustavo shows a great backswing and great ball contact. Follow-through and balance could be improved and his chest should be a bit more forward over the ball. Note how he lands backwards, he should land forwards on his kicking foot to increase the power of the shot.
Peter shows a very good shot as well, good backswing and good contact and some follow-through. His chest should also be a bit more over the ball at contact:
Tristan shows good backswing and follow-through; his non-kicking foot is a bit too far back from the ball, and his chest and kicking knee should be over the ball. Being behind the ball they force his body to drop a bit too much. Left arm should be forward for balance:
Thomas shows good backswing and solid ball contact with the laces. His left foot is well placed beside the ball. His left arm is correctly upfront but moves back too early; it should remain forward to help complete the follow-through, stepping forward after the ball is hit.
For a good professional explanation, please see this post in the Resources section.
The match itself was a wash-out as it was canceled only 2 minutes in due to lightning. At least we got some practice going, although under not very pleasant conditions and many players being late.
It is crucial that the players practice those skills: hard shots with the laces part of the shoes and accurate shots with side of the foot, with both the strong and the weak foot, and never using toes.
The players also got their health check from the referee :-)
Players have a juggling challenge to practice as well. They all can succeed at it if they practice every day (if they have time!). It helps if they practice facing a wall to stop run away balls. It also helps to deflate the ball a little and use regular sports shoes. The players were show how to progress with this exercise.
Parents may wish to wipe clean the inside and outside of their soccer cleats. This exercise we did yesterday is an eye-opener for the kids on how to strike a ball.
