3 Fundamental Skills For Junior Soccer Goalkeeping Success

                

 

Soccer goalkeepers have a unique position. One which entails highly tuned skills and great athletic ability. One of the fundamental mistakes that soccer clubs make at a grass roots level is not seriously training their young goalkeepers in the fine art of goalkeeping...It is an art form. It is possible that some trainers do not have the specialized skills to train young goalkeepers. Whatever the reason may be, training goalkeepers the fundamental skills they require to succeed at an early age should be a focal point in any team?s success.

Following are some points to remember when training the junior or youth goalkeeper, to help maximize their success in their role as a goalkeeper playing alongside their team mates:

- Footwork: One of the most fundamental skills any young goalkeeper should learn revolves around footwork. Just like Muhammad Ali, goalkeepers should train to be light on their toes and move fluidly around their goal area. Great footwork helps a goalkeeper to attack the ball effectively and defend their goal more efficiently.

- Angles: Understanding how to cut angles is an important skill to learn for any goalkeeper. For example, in one on one situations where a goalkeeper must stop an oncoming attacker, simple movements such as running to meet the attack utilizing momentum and footwork will help close off the attackers ability to strike on goals.

- Communication: Learning how to be vocal in the goal area is a fundamental skill. Understanding how to control your defense is one of the most neglected, and often most important skills a junior goalkeeper lacks. If you do not know how to communicate with your defense, then you are just one goalkeeper in a sea of attackers. Communication is also a vital life skill, something a junior goalkeeper can take away and utilize throughout their whole lives.

The above 3 points are extremely important for the junior or youth goalkeeper to utilize for greater goalkeeping success. Obviously, there is a whole sea of knowledge a goalkeeper will come across in their playing careers. To maximize your young goalkeepers knowledge, take the time to practice these three fundamental skills at home.

John Stevanja runs http://www.keeper-skool.com blog for fitness tips and nutrition information for the competitive goalkeeper. Join the Keeper Skool Newsletter the latest information for the soccer goalkeeper.

Awesome Soccer Moves - How To Learn and Teach

                

 

We both know that it's not easy to teach and learn soccer moves without easy step-by-step instructions and video clips, so the players and kids can easily understand how they are performed... and learn.

I think the easiest way to learn and teach new soccer moves easily, is to watch video clips of a specific soccer move and follow step-by-step instructions at the same time.

Here's an example:

1. ?Step-over 180? turns" (using inside/outside of the foot)

You can see the video clip of me performing this move here:
http://www.soccerdrillstips.com/downloads/freemove1.mpg

Step 1: Begin as though you were going to do in-betweens, with the ball between your feet.

Step 2: Put your weight on your left foot and bring your right foot up over the ball, turning counter clockwise and placing it on the ground to the left of the ball.

Step 3: Next, pivot on the right foot in a clockwise direction so you are facing the ball again and you can move in the other direction.

Sounds easy enough?

You could also fake the step-over and just ouch your right foot down before spinning back around and taking the ball with the outside of the right foot in a new direction.

This step-over is one of the greatest soccer moves for fakes and feints. The key is to make the step-over look like a shot, pass, or lunge.

Another example...

2. "Double Scissors"

Check the video clip here:
http://www.soccerdrillstips.com/downloads/freemove2.mpg

Step 1: Begin by dribbling the ball between your feet.

Step 2 : Place your right foot to the right of the ball and swing your left leg in a counter clockwise direction from the inside of the ball to the outside of the ball.

Step 3 : Repeat in the other direction with the other foot.

Step 4 : This is an inside-to-outside step-over with the left foot. From here you will move the ball back to the right with the outside of the right foot and accelerate in this direction.

You can perform and teach these soccer moves to the front of the ball, front side scissors, or from the back with the step-over mostly behind the ball, back side scissors.

Key Point: The key is to make your opponent believe the step-over is truly a move to the left.

Now go out there and try it and come up with your own variations. Good Luck!

Andre Botelho is a recognized authority on the subject of soccer moves and drills. His web site, http://www.soccerdrillstips.com provides a wealth of informative articles and resources on how to improve soccer skills and make training more fun and interesting

Soccer Kicks Back

                

 

Soccer has to be one of the original sports games every played by people. I can just imagine cave dwellers kicking around the old soccer ball. Or maybe it was a soccer rock? A soccer coconut perhaps? It's got to be one of the simplest form of sports play imaginable. I mean, really, I kick the ball this way and you try to kick the ball that way. Whether the ball (coconut?) goes more this way or more that way determines the winner. While it may be easy for me to imagine soccer being kicked around by a bunch of caveman sports enthusiasts, the earliest official record of soccer by played was in China about 3000 years ago. Wow, that's like 750 World Cups, if anyone was keeping track.

Ultimate Soccer Header

Soccer is also kind of bizarre, in that it's one of the few sports I can think of where you use your head for more than just strategizing. You actually can use your head to make contact with the ball. Imagine trying that in football (American) or hockey for that matter. Nothing link deflecting a slap shot with the forehead for a game winning goal. Stitches don't hurt that much. Those soccer guys are kinda funny that way. But the ultimate head shot in soccer was a little more bizarre. Gruesome actually. Apparently in more medieval times, the head of a defeated Dannish prince was used as the ball by early day soccer hooligans in the east of England. Yuck. Think I'd be shopping for some new soccer shoes after that match. It's a wonder soccer ever caught on with the Danes after a defeat like that one.

Soccer Wars

As with many games these days, soccer had it's origins on the battlefield. Rival towns would play soccer against each other, with little or no rules, and massive sized teams. Violent, bloody games, with hundreds of people kicking, punching, tripping in an attempt to win the soccer match. Sounds kind of like today, except today, that sounds like a more apt description of the fans instead of the players. You think it's tough being a soccer referee today, imagine a few hundred years ago. At least today, they keep the fans and referees separated. As time went on, and the local authorities realized that banning soccer wasn't going to work, more civilized soccer fans brought rules and order to the game of soccer. Not everyone agreed, and there were some splinter groups that went off and formed derivatives of the game. Rugby was one.

Soccer As Civilized Play

So today we have the modern game of soccer that we even allow our children to play. A far reach from the early beginnings of the sport. Perhaps an analogy can be drawn between soccer and many new forms of expression. In the beginning, things can be a bloody mess, but a few thousand years of civility and anything can be reduced to child's play.

For more on soccer visit http://www.soccerplaylive.com or read other soccer articles at http://foolishmumbles.com/category/soccer/

Soccer Is About More Than Just Playing The Game: It's About Using The Right Equipment

                

 

Before a soccer player is even allowed to step out onto the soccer field, the referee does his standard check of each player to insure that he or she is wearing all of the necessary soccer gear. Shin Guards, socks, cleats, uniforms tucked in, no jewelry, and so forth. Along with the necessary gear among each of the players, the teams also need a soccer ball, a net, goalkeeper equipment, soccer bags, practice jerseys, flags, cones, etc.

One of the most important parts of purchasing any type of sporting gear is to make sure that the equipment fits the player correctly, in order for it to protect the way that it is intended. For example, soccer shin guards should cover the shins up to just below the knee, with the soccer socks covering the entire shin guard.

There are many different brands that carry soccer gear, so a little research and background knowledge of each company will aid in the selection of the best soccer gear for each individual player. Many of the most well known sporting and shoe companies make their own soccer gear. Nike?, Adidas?, Puma?, Umbro?, Lotto?, and Franklin? are just a few of the leading manufacturers in soccer gear. One of the first thoughts in many consumers' heads when it comes to buying anything is where they can get the best deal. That is okay, but it's important to remember that quality should outlast low cost, and quality made soccer gear will keep the players safe, and playing their best.

When searching for a deal on soccer gear, comparing products to one another will give the consumer a better idea of what it is that they are paying for. Looking at the materials used to make the equipment, how it fits, durability, if the gear will withstand washing, and whether or not the soccer player could actually play soccer with ease while using that particular gear, are all important factors to pay attention to.

Beginners, and those who are not as familiar with the game of soccer, may not realize that there really is much to the game than a ball and a net. Other forms of soccer gear such as shin guards, cleats, uniforms, practice equipment, and so forth are just as important to the game of soccer as simply having the required ten players on each team, a ball and a net.

Dana Bradley writes about coupon codes, Sport Coupon Codes and Football Coupons.

FIFA WORLD CUP GERMANY 2006... Catch your soccer fever in investing now!

                

 

Place your bet not on the ball but outside the field...

Soccer or football is the world's most popular ball game. The 2006 FIFA World Cup is just than less than 2 months away. The World Cup is the world's most popular soccer tournament where the best 32 teams around the world will play each other to win the soccer's most prestige prize, the World Cup!

Traditionally, during major tournaments and games, the main focus is on the tournament itself and World Cup is one of these games. Most people are either concern on which teams have won, lost or draw and the score between the teams. During the World Cup, soccer gambling and betting enjoyed huge followings in globally. Most people will place bets on the game and teams that played. There are also other effects it has on the world. Soccer fans and enthusiasts who are in different time zone will stay overnight to catch a game and some even neglected their jobs. World Cup is also a period where increase in gambling activities and decrease in productivity in most countries.

But the pros far outweigh the cons. Hosting countries will enjoy the prestige of holding the event and also enjoy increased in revenue from hosting the event. The hosting country of World Cup will always enjoyed a short period of economic growth due to increase in number of tourist visiting the country and the revenue from tourism. From statistics, for the period within 3 before and after the event, the hosting country will enjoy a short-term economic growth and has a positive impact on the equity markets. The market condition will be good and hence conducive for investment. The equity markets and consumer staples will outperform the broad markets and the normal period.

Germany's 2005 GDP is US$2.452 trillion up from US$2.362 trillion in 2004. It's average GDP growth is 0.5% in a period of 5 years. On 2 occasions that Germany hosted the World Cup and European Championship in 1974 and 1988, domestic stocks outperform the broad markets in the same periods from April to August. Thus, Germany will be a good place to invest as most of the stocks will perform well from now till August.

Companies who sponsor or directly linked to the event will also enjoy a short-term growth during this time. There are 15 Official Partners of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. They are Adidas, Anheuser-Busch, Avaya, Coca-Cola, Continental, Deutsche Telekom, Emirates, Fujifilm, Gillette, Hyundai, MasterCard, McDonald's, Philips, Toshiba and Yahoo!. All these partners not only gained in publicity from sponsoring the events but also enjoy a short period of growth in their stocks. Expect the stocks of these companies to outperform the broad market in these few month periods.

So, it is good to place your bet on the stocks of these companies as they might increase in value during these period. Adidas, Coca-Cola and Fujifilm will be my top 3 picks of stock to outperforms the market in these periods.

Here is my reasoning:

Adidas is the world's 2nd famous sports brand after Nike. More media coverage means more sales for Adidas. The sporting goods sales should rise as the matchs progress. Adidas has enjoy a period of steady growth in its net income from EUR $208 in 2001 to EUR $383. With all the fundamentals in place, Adidas will not doubt perform well in these periods.

Coca-Cola is always present at most major sporting events and World Cup is one of them. More media coverage, means more sales of its soft drink. Furthermore, Coca-Cola always outperforms consistently during major sport evening such as World Cup. The operating income for 2005 is US$6085 Million up from US$5689 Million in 2004. Currently, Coca-Cola is value at above US$40 per lot. It is expected that the stock will enjoy substantial rise in value during these periods.

Fujifilm is in imaging business. It is undergo restructuring in business structure since last year. Though is photo film and related products have declined, its digital solution is quickly gaining popularity. As soccer has huge following around the world, the World Cup with its worldwide media attention is beneficial for digital imaging technology. The reported operating income for FY2006 is 70.6 Billion Yen and it is expected to increase to 80 Billion Yen in FY2007. I foresee the stock will have some gain in value.

But, in soccer there's this saying. "The ball is round. Anything can happen!" Please exercise your investment with caution.

Jason Chew is an aspiring Investor and Entrepreneur. http://www.investyourwaytosuccess.com

Success Lessons From Soccer - How To Win or Lose In The Game Of Life

                

 

Soccer matches are all about scoring goals and being winners. As a result, soccer can hold up a mirror to life since many humans also want to achieve goals and to be winners in the game of life. There is much to be learned about life in general from soccer players, managers and commentators.

When you listen to commentators on soccer matches, the key words they use again and again when teams are winning are words about character and attitude like belief, excitement, confidence, effort and so on. Soccer skills and strategies are important but mean little without the right attitude. Team managers urge their players to show focus, determination and maximum effort. They tell them they should expect to win and not to show too much respect for their opponents no matter how famous they are. I love listening to the comments of the great soccer managers. They have all been to hell and back. They are praised and popular when their teams win. They are criticised and even sacked when their teams fail to win. They know the heights of elation and the depths of despair. They have to find ways to deal with both and to keep motivating their teams to win. Gordon Strachan took over as manager of Celtic, one of the top two clubs in Scotland, in 2005. It was not long before he experienced "the worst night of my life" Bratislava beat Celtic 5-0 in the Champions league, the top European competition. His watch stopped after the match and he still wears it to remind himself that it was the worst night of his life. Celtic, the pride of Scotland, had been humiliated by a less famous team. Other failures seemed small to him by comparison. We can all learn to deal with difficult situations by reminding ourselves of worst situations in our past or by imagining how much worse our lives could be than they actually are. None of us knows for sure what will happen to us tomorrow. We could be seriously ill or even dead. Gordon has faced this possibility already. He told the media that on his gravestone he would like these words carved: "This is better than that night in Bratislava." He uses the humour of exaggeration to deal with the criticisms of the media when things go wrong. A reporter commented when his team lost a match in Scotland: "Bang, there goes your unbeaten run. Can you take it? " "No," said Strachan. "I'm just going to crumble like a wreck. I'll go home, become an alcoholic and maybe jump off a bridge. Hmmm?.

I think I can take it, yeah." He knows the importance of positive thinking if you wish to achieve success. One reporter foolishly asked: "There's no negative vibes or negative feelings here?" Strachan replied: "Apart from yourself, we're all quite positive round here. I'm going to whack you over the head with a big stick; down negative man, down." Strachan often speaks with disarming honesty and schoolboy cheek. He is ready to admit that he and his players are not always at their best. He is ready to face reality. Facing up to reality is a key characteristic of the successful. When he managed a team in England, a reporter asked him: "So, Gordon, in what areas do you think Middlesbrough were better than you today?" Strachan replied: "What areas? Mainly that big green one out there...." Strachan has had his defeats but recently he has led his latest team, Celtic, to undisputed victory in the Scottish Premier League. He is widely accepted as a great manager. Another great manager now works in the English Premier League. He is Jose Mourihno, the manager of Chelsea. He came to England in June 2004 and soon showed his confidence in himself and his players. He wants only to be judged by the results. A good manager wins. A bad one loses: "I'm not a defender of old or new football managers. I believe in good ones and bad ones; those that achieve success and those that don't. Please don't call me arrogant, but I'm European champion and I think I'm a special one" He soon proved himself to be a 'special one' in England as well as in Portugal, his native country. As the name 'the special one' suggests he believes in himself in a big way. A key factor in his success in England is his self-belief and a rich Russian backer who allows him to buy the best players in Europe. You can safely bet money that Chelsea will win almost all their matches. The odds are not great but you could put ?100 on Chelsea to win and make an easy ?26 from your bet. Of course, this does not always work out. No team is perfect! Mourinho is passionate about soccer but retains his sense of perspective and humour. Recently he was asked in London if he was concerned about losing the championship to his main rivals, Manchester United. His reply was typical of him: "No, I'm more concerned about bird 'flu."

The assembled press started laughing. "Seriously; it's that swan in Scotland that concerns me. It's not that far from here!" (The swan was the first creature with bird 'flu in the UK in 2006) Over the last few weeks, his team, Chelsea, have been criticised for having players sent off for breaking the rules. When Jose was asked about his success away from home against West Brom, he commented ironically: "Maybe we won because we played with ten men. That is our best tactic at the moment." However, he realises that the main reason Chelsea win so often is as follows:

"We have top players and, sorry if I'm arrogant, we have a top manager." Public confidence is so rare in the UK that it is often mistaken for arrogance. Jose does not believe in having favourites; he believes in the power of the team rather than the individual: "I don't want special relations with one of them (his players). I hate to speak about individuals. Players don't win you trophies, teams win trophies, squads win trophies." Another great manager is Harry Redknapp of Portsmouth. He commented about his players in a match with Burnley which ended in a 2-2 draw: "When the crowd was on their backs no one wanted to try anything in case they got booed. They were defensive and wanted to avoid mistakes." Harry understands human psychology. If we are too worried about appearing foolish or making mistakes we will fail to make things happen and we will not make full use of our abilities. We go into our shells and play safe. I remember feeling like this when I played cricket at school. I tried to avoid being anywhere near the ball in case I dropped a catch. It was many years before I realised that I was quite good at catching! A commentator remarked: "Harry knows how to get his teams going and how to restore their confidence. Now they expect to win at Fratton Park (the Portsmouth ground). They firmly believe they will win." Recently they have won three games in a row and are on their way to escaping relegation to a lower division. Another manager, Stuart Pierce, of Manchester City also knows the importance of confidence: "We need to go out and really believe we can play a bit." What key success lessons can we learn from the above? Skill is important but attitude is even more important. We should expect to win and not show too much respect for the obstacles in our path whether they are human or otherwise and whether they are real or imaginary. We need to believe in our own ability and expect to win even if this makes us seem arrogant. We should handle failures by reminding ourselves that things could be much worse. Retaining our sense of humour also helps. Teamwork is a key factor in many types of achievement. We should not be worried about making mistakes whether we are playing soccer or cricket or the game of life. We need to face up to reality and be willing to be judged by the results we achieve as well as the effort we put in. On the whole, I think, that the effort we expend is more important. We cannot always control the results but we can control the effort we put in. The same manager can lose with one team and win with another. He is still the same person and he still made the same efforts. I'll leave you with a final quote from Gordon Strachan who has been both a winning and a losing manager: A reporter asked: "Gordon, can we have a quick word?" "Velocity", replied Gordon as he walked off. About the author John Watson is an award winning teacher and fifth degree black belt martial arts instructor. He has recently written several books about achieving your goals and dreams. One of these can be found here http://www.motivationtoday.com/36_laws.php

John Watson is an award winning teacher and 5th degree martial arts instructor. One of his motivational ebooks can be found at http://www.motivationtoday.com/36_laws.php

Betting soccer and basketball predictions - 5 winner picks

                

 

Betting Highlights on tricky bets of the day and the valuebets on Tuesday, 28 of February.

soccer picks

Pick: Port Vale v Scunthorpe looks home win in League One England. If you are uptodate with the latest injuries, yellow cards and redcards, players forms, the lower leagues soccer is your football gambling, especially if Live soccer betting available.

Also looks super soccerbet: Greeece to win v Belarus, played in Cyprus. Bet soccer livebetting.

Tennis betting, but be careful with the first rounds, best bet to avoid...

European Basketball betting: Playoff Quarterfinals start with the first matches in Sweden with Akropol v ?resundskraft, Plannja v 08 Stockholm, Solna v Norrk?ping. Also quarterfinal in ULEB Cup, the home teams are clear favorites, except perhaps Crvena Zvezda, matchup playing at home with Dynamo Moscow. gamebookers team, Aris is underdog away! In Australia, the Grand Final third match in National Basketball League, NBL. This is best-of-five serie, but hardly imagine that 3 matches will decide! Sydney Kings v Melbourne Tigers (beginning: 09.45CET), seems home win, but Tigers leads 2-0.

However, the ball is round, good luck with your soccer picks. Bet with confidence, bet with gamebookers ecobika do the same. soccer predictions

soccer predictions basketball tips: soccer predictionsSweden Basketball Playoff series

Betting Highlights from Soccer to Basketball and Football 12 of January

                

 

Betting Highlights of the day, tricky bets of the day and the valuebets on Thursday, 12 of January. Soccer tips (football predictions): in France Ligue1, Toulouse v PSG and perhaps PSG is good enough to walk away with 3 points, if you want relatively low risk, play it with gamebookers' asian handicap 0:0, which means refund if draw. The UNDER 2,5 has the theoretical chance of 78% (!). In Spain Copa del Rey rematch, Real v Bilbao, ecobika suggestion: Real can not afford a boring game, after the first match won and qualification seems secured, so going OVER! In Italy, Coppa, Cittadella v Lazio (if you like thrillers...) and Inter v Parma. Inter seems secure after the 1-0 win at Parma, therefore an entertaining game is expected, if you like interesting and risky bet: Parma to keep cleen sheet @4.75. Euroleague Basketball continues! Hunting for bankers: Panathinaikos, Zalgiris (be careful, can afford to lose), and Maccabi - according to ecobika. Pau v ?lker perhaps the most difficult basketball forecast of the day.

The ball, however is always round, good luck with your picks.

ecobika asian handicap 0:0