Weekly Review 1st – 6th March 2011 [when I was a kid]

Luis Suarez did a really nice dribble today against Manchester United. Commentators were saying Kuyt’s three goals were lucky, being in the right place at the right time. I don’t know if there’s such thing as luck in football, I think you make your own chances whatever you do in life.

The week started off with a little problem with my knee. I estimated I probably did 350 – 400 hits with my left foot in two hours on Monday practicing on my own. I think I extended it too many times and caused it to be sore on the inside of the knee, so although I kept going to trainings, I didn’t practice as much on my own as I wanted. Still, this new training set up is working well and the time flies by when your playing and trying to reach your targets, although I failed all mine 🙁

On Friday I went off to have a medical exam done so I can play in the Hungarian league. One of the team members who is also my coach dedicated his morning to translate everything for me and help me. Unfortunately, in the end the sports doctor couldn’t examine me because I was suppose to have a parent there with me, so I have to go again tomorrow with my Mum or Dad. This means I couldn’t play in the first league match after the season break. I am desperate to play too!!!

There isn’t any new news with trials. Gave a copy of my DVD and CD for my coach to send out. It’s taking a while though… But I guess I’ve learnt in football that things take longer than you expect. Or maybe just in Hungary.

I’ve been talking to this guy called Ned Zelic for the last month, who used to play for the Aussie national team and German team BvB. He also used to play for my old club in my hometown! But this guy is a prick, he said he has contacts in Germany and replies with one line emails and it’s frustrating to try get a proper answer out of him. If I were him and retired, I would want to give back to the game which provided him so much and gave him amazing experiences, why wouldn’t he want someone else to experience what he did. I don’t know.. maybe he’s busy or whatever, but it’s annoying.

Found an old pic of me playing, haha the sleves are nearly to my wrists.

I remember back in the day, I was 11 or 12 and having a vacation with my family in Hawaii. I remember I was checking the local time and asking my Dad what time it would be in Australia. Afternoon, he said. I was like.. damn I’m missing out on my team’s game! I think I was even wanting to go back earlier in the vacation so I could play in the next game! I also remember preparing for games the Friday night before and being really excited. Folding all my uniform and putting it in a special section of my cabinet. Cleaning my boots, packing my bag really neatly. Outside, I would put markers out in the garden and hose it down with water. In the morning, I would warm up on it and I had a stretching guide made up and everything. I really loved that.

There were a few bad times though. I remember being selected in the last 30 players, for tryouts for my state representative side and when I saw all the players as we were driving into the training complex, I got really nervous and fell under pressure. I told my Mum to drive all the way back home, not even stepping foot on the pitch! I think back then I was really shy and all the big players I was scared of and thought were way better than me, but especially the pressure got to me and I see now those pressure situations got to me again last year. But I’m pretty sure that I’m over that now and pressure doesn’t effect me as much as it used too. There was also a time when I was put into division 2 team of U/12 my soccer league! I was soo angry at that coach and technically that meant that there were 100 – 150 so players better than me, just for my age group, in my small city! Of course now, I’m probably better and further than all of them. Enough of the nostalgia.

Training  Results

I’m not going to go in full detail about exactly what I did in my personal sessions. I’ll just write down how many attempts I ended up in trying to do something. Estimations.

350 – 400x lobbed left foot hits into goal from 20 – 25 yards out.
150x Dribbling, cutting inside with right foot and finishing into corners with right foot.
100 -150x left/right foot turn, one touch and shoot into alternating corners from 15 yards middle of goal.
2 x 100 left foot juggles.
80 -100x crossbar hits with right foot from 20 yards.
50x  Start 10 yards back, approach 5 cones at high pace, dribble through, touch left or right and finish from 15 yards. Left and right foot alternate.

I try imitate drills you would do in real training situations. I think in training you would do maybe 10 – 20, or 30x of one paticular exercise. Where I might be doing 100 or even 400! In terms of developing technique, It’s definently more effective.