Sports On The Blog

If you’re struggling to become a better soccer player, the help you need could come from an unlikely place: from study and observation. Now, before you start scoffing about how you’ll learn more by doing than by studying, think about it. If you never watch a game on TV, you’ll never see all those drills and soccer techniques you do put into practice. If you never ask a question about certain techniques, you may be learning it the wrong way and you’d have no idea.

If you enjoy doing something, you don’t just do it. You read about it, talk about it, and drive your friends and family crazy with it, all in an effort to get better. Become a better soccer player sooner by becoming a dedicated student of the game. Here’s how to do it.

1) Watch games on television.

One of the best ways to learn something is to watch a professional doing it. Watch the games, but don’t just watch them as a spectator. Watch their soccer techniques critically. Observe the attacking and defending strategies the players use. Look at how the team works together, and at what happens when they’re less than a well-oiled unit.

Watch the great players. They all have something to give you, whether it’s a lesson in how to be a better teammate or how to use those shots you’ve been practicing in a game situation. Take what they are offering and make it your own.

2) Hit the books.

While reading about soccer probably doesn’t sound all that fascinating, that doesn’t mean you should discount it. A quick search of Amazon.com with the keywords “soccer techniques” reveals more than 400 non-fiction books about soccer that include information on skills, techniques, fundamentals, tips, strategies, tactics, you name it.

Do a little research to find out which soccer books would be best for you, and actually read them. There’s a good chance you’ll learn something you didn’t know, and you can start putting it into practice.

3) Discuss it.

It’s not hard to discuss our passions, but you’ve got to find the right people to discuss them with. If you’re having trouble with a certain soccer technique or want to talk about an offensive strategy that you read about, talk to your coaches or fellow players. Talking to somebody who doesn’t love soccer as much as you do means they won’t take any issues as seriously as you, which can make for a lame discussion.

Also, go to the Internet to find like-minded people. The World Wide Web allows niche groups of all sorts to meet and discuss on blogs and forums, and it shouldn’t be too hard to find a community of people that are just as passionate about soccer as you are.

Talk with them about systems of play, soccer tips and techniques, and offensive and defensive strategies as well. You’ll get a broader perspective about what works in which situations, and they may bring up ideas and tactics that you hadn’t previously considered.

4) Apply it.

As you well know, all the study and observation in the world won’t help you become a better player if you don’t actually get out to practice and apply what you’ve learned. Practice techniques daily with the soccer ball in order to develop ball familiarity: where your body gets so used to the ball that it naturally adjusts to the ball being there. This includes juggling for 30 minutes a day, and kicking the ball 500 times a day – 250 times with each foot.

Practice makes perfect, and it will also give you the opportunity to apply the ideas you’ve been learning in a real setting. All the studying in the world won’t help you become a better player if you never set foot on the field.

Studying, observation, discussion and actual practice are all important elements of becoming a better soccer player. By learning more about the game by studying it, watching it and talking to others, you’ll discover new ways of practicing that you may not have considered before. And when you combine those elements, you’ll become a better, more well-rounded player.

Joey Bilotta is the vice president of EduKick, Inc., which offers cultural soccer exchange programs in countries around the world. Register now for their 2008 half-year soccer boarding schools by visiting http://www.Edukick.com.

Here are some simple golf flexibility tests you can do to see if your current flexibility is hurting your golf game or not. And the first golf flexibility test is the sit-and-reach test. This test is basically an assessment of the flexibility of your lower back and hamstrings, but it can also be a good gauge of your general flexibility. To complete this test you need a box and a ruler. And it’s a good idea to have someone help you with this test.

First of all warm up thoroughly and then sit with your feet placed fully extended out in front of you onto the box. Keep your legs straight and reach as far forward as possible with your fingers stretched forward. Do not bounce for this test, just stretch as far as you can and then get someone to measure your distance either past or before the box. The measurements past the box should be recorded as PLUS distances, whereas in front of the box should be recorded as MINUS distances.

SCORING TABLE FOR THE SIT-AND-REACH TEST

Excellent +15cm

Good + 10cm

Fair + 5cm

Average 0cm

Poor less than 0 cm

This second group of flexibility tests will clearly show you how flexible you are for golf. And if you want to play to your potential as a golfer then you should get a score of “zero” for all four tests.

Golf Flexibility Test 1
With your back to a wall, raise both arms to shoulder height along the wall. Now walk forward and see how far from the wall you can stand and still touch it with the fingertips of both hands, with your arms straight. Your arms should be at shoulder height and you should stand well balanced on straight legs. Don’t bend your knees or lean back. Measure the distance between your heels and the wall.

Golf Flexibility Test 2
Sit on a stool placed against the front edge of an open door. Try to keep both your neck and lower back against the edge of the door. Lift your arms up and back over your head. Place your palms flat, one on each side of the door, and try to reach as far back as possible. Measure from the edge of the door to your fingertips.

Golf Flexibility Test 3
Try to make the fingertips of both hands touch behind your back. Do this by putting your left hand behind your back from underneath and try to raise it as high as you can, now place your right hand over your shoulder and bring it down as close as you can to your left hand. Alternate between hands then measure the gap between your “best” and your “worst” side. Combine the results. If your fingers do not touch at all on one side, subtract the shortfall from the result.

Golf Flexibility Test 4
Hold your arms straight out in front of you and see what is the shortest piece of cord you can stretch between your hands while still being able to pass your hands over your head and down your back. Measure the length of the cord.

*Sample Top Golfer Results From These Golf Flexibility Tests*

Golf Flexibility Test No. 1 ==> Top Golfer: 49cm

Golf Flexibility Test No. 2 ==> Top Golfer: 35cm

Golf Flexibility Test No. 3 ==> Top Golfer: +12cm, + 3cm

Golf Flexibility Test No. 4 ==> Top Golfer: 99cm

To get your golf flexibility result, simply subtract all the results. If you get negative results for test 3 then you will need to add them, to get your result. This example is what a “top golfer” result would be: 99cm - 12cm - 3cm - 35cm - 49cm = 0cm

If you get nowhere near zero as your result, then you will have some work cut out for you, but it doesn’t take long to see big improvements in flexibility so don’t be disheartened if you prove to be very stiff. But remember, when doing any flexibility exercises it is most beneficial to do them after you are warmed up.

The Author: Nick Bayley is a professional golfer who has discovered just one golf swing fault that could be stopping YOU from ball striking consistency and success. But luckily for you, now you can take a simple 2 minute golf swing test to see if you have this swing fault or not. So don’t delay! Go here to take The Golf Swing Test now.