He who Controls the PACE Controls the GAME

Even at the gym, i wear my team tee proudly!

Had another ho hum session at the gym today. Mostly upper body since I almost died last week from the intensive lower body workout.

But this post isn’t about what ho hum things I did at the gym. It is about what I learnt from Coach Ivan at last week’s training. Yes. Coach Ivan returns! I love him. He’s always giving nuggets of advice to us ignoramuses on how to play the beautiful game, something that I find as valuable as the actual training itself, in terms of improving us as players. 

Why 4 Short 1 Long?

The name 4 Short 1 Long actually refers to an advice given to me when i attended training recently. The coach explained that after every 4 short passes, you should look to do a long pass to spread the play, especially since the opponents have already started to crowd around attempting to regain possession during the 4 short passes, thus giving other players more space and time on the ball.

It also prevents you from getting yourself into a sticky situation where you pick the easiest short pass all the time, unknowingly playing yourself into a corner and having to turnover possession. 4S1L keeps you on your toes, always looking to switch the play, whilst still keeping possession with short and quick passes.

I like this advice.

What advice has your coach given to you that resonated with you so much it stuck in your head all these years?