Advanced defending for the more accomplished defenders

At football training sometime last month with RMFTA, we did a simple segment, where a single attacker goes one-on-one against a single defender and tries to beat him to score.

I was pitted against my brother, a 120kg behemoth, who is a rock as a centreback, but as an attacker, not someone that'll make me quake in my boots. So here I am, facing up to my bro, tilting my body to show him to my left so I can move in for the steal when he goes for the shot with his masterfoot.

Instead, he did the unexpected and cut the ball to his left, ghosting past me like I wasn't there. If he took an extra touch or two after getting past me, I might have been able to recover and put in a tackle. But he took the right option for an early shot with his first touch after getting past me, smashing an unstoppable left footer into the net that would have made any striker proud. 

Damn that was a rude wake up call!

Probably overconfidence on my part. And some impressive footwork on his part. (There! I said it! You happy now?) But I also realized there's something fundamentally wrong with my defending in one-on-ones situations. 

Came across a Nike Academy training video that really shed some light. Not just on individual defensive skills, but the collective defensive covering and movement as well. Have a look at the video and you'll understand where I'm coming from.

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. 

Eating beats Exercising anytime!

Its Monday again... Gym day!

For some reason I'm not as lethargic as i usually am on a Monday. Maybe its the magazine assignment I'm doing. It's my first magazine article and it is a personal profile of an up and rising star. So I'm probable running on adrenaline.

Or maybe it is because my colleague was helping me to buy Subway for lunch as i slog away in the gym over lunchtime...

I hate gyms

I'm not a gym rat.

I have never felt the compulsion to bring myself to a gym. The gym is so... Impersonal. It's a lonely activity. Just Me. And the cold metal weights. Occasionally, in the midst of my tedious and monotonous workout, I'll get the welcomed (not!) whiff of someone's Eau de BodyOdour that jolts me out of my daze.

Had a nice workout in my Reeboks, who are now sitting prettily under my desk.

All for the Love of the Game!

Why do we do the things we do?

Why do we, after a Saturday of high fever, incessant coughing and scratchy throats, insist that we are fit enough for a Sunday football game?