All about Chemistry

Another training session today and it was good to see some familiar faces coaching us again, which also came with familiar training exercises. =)

While we were doing the two teamed monkey in the middle, both teams struggled to string 8 passes beyond 2 defenders and the coach tried to correct certain behavior, yet people still missed the easy pass, putting themselves and their teammates under unnecessary pressure by playing a fancy or difficult pass instead of the easy option. The basics of "control and pass" seemed to have disappeared as this was the first competitive exercise after the interval training and the shooting drills. One such offender took offence at (yet another) poorly weighted pass as i threw up my hands in despair at having to lunge for a 50-50 ball when there was only 1 defender. The amazing remark he made was "you (me) have to run to win the pass" which showed a poor understanding of the exercise and of soccer in general. 7 v 1 and you can't make a good pass?

Afterwards he tried to explain himself saying he had his own team and that all of us lacked chemistry. I, for one, didn't know that one went around playing soccer, much less soccer training, in order to search for chemistry. Luckily, coach was on hand to explain to him that in order for people of different ability to play, we all have to revert to basics and do them well. I could not be bothered to say more because it is evident this guy is so full of himself and wants to show of how crap he actually is. LOL

The match itself was interesting as i started in goal before moving up to central defender (J was on the other side), and then moving up further to attacking midfield. I only managed a clearing run with the ball and other than that, i did nothing of note. Our team had some youngsters who did most or all of the running, as well as the shooting and scoring. I need to get fitter! Lol

Here you go, Chemistry for your viewing pleasure. =)

Circuit training

We have come to both dread and be excited about interval training during our sessions. The coach has many exercises in mind and by picking and choosing, we (or our bodies) are forced to adapt to the various exercises. Thus although it can be tiring, it feels like a good kind of tired, and along the way we improve our skills, stamina, technique and strength. Last night's interval training was the toughest so far, as it was one long circuit comprising hopping station, wide slalom run, shuttle run, then a short jog and sprint, followed by the grounded rope ladder (stepping in and out), round another cone and taking a shot, followed by slalom between the poles, another hopping station and another shot at goal. Some of the outcomes were quite hilarious as the knees buckled and legs gave way at the second ball leading to some wonky shots. The muscles were screaming for a break by the time I hit the first shot and the hops and turns really wore me out. And we were supposed to do 5-6 rounds of this, but i was done after three rounds. LOL

We went straight into the match after this and J was playing striker on the other team, while i was at right back. I had an understanding centreback who encouraged an overlap run, so i did so until i ran out of steam. We did have quite a few good moments and usually outnumbered them in transition, but somehow we could only score a goal (headed from a corner) and we should have put away a few more. The ball was also travelling pretty quickly (more than usual) as it had rained before the sessions. I did have a few good passes, included a dinked ball over the defender to reach my right wing, it was not too high such that the defender could recover, and not too low such that he could intercept, and it landed at the right wing's feet. How's that!

Forgettable training

Had to shift sessions to accommodate work, so it was interesting to play with a different group although there were some familiar faces (and familiar flaws).

Managed to get there on time and make it for the warm up rondo, which was tighter than usual thanks to the smaller square. I did manage a left footed ole when the defender came charging across. =) Interval training was tough and we were panting quite a bit by the time we hit the third of five stations. 

Possession and shooting drills were good, although thanks to the venue not having nets behind the goalposts, i ended up picking quite a few balls after ballooning my shot. I did have two decent shots before that placed well over the keeper. The match itself was a abit of a washout for the first 10 minutes as we let in five goals with no answer. The fact was our team was disjointed and could not string passes past the midfield. I did have a few good runs up the pitch, with one of them being called for offside, and it was nice to see the coach's mantra in action, i.e. if you want the ball, run into space. Which when attacking a high defensive line means you start running before the line to catch the attention of the one on the ball, so that when the pass is sprung you hit the line at speed. Also managed a good one two pass down the right which resulted in a goal (we finally pulled a few goals back in the last 10 minutes). Also had a collision with a midfielder that resulted in my foot smacking his shin pad rather loudly when i tried to clear the ball. Poor chap must have thought something was broken from the sound. I think i would have broken my foot before anything happened to his shin though, good thing for the shin pads. =) Irony was, this was a rare session where i wasn't wearing my shin pads. LOL

I usually don't single out teammates for criticism, but this one clown last night was really quite a piece of work. I noticed that he only plays as a forward, and likes to bark orders at everyone on the pitch, which is fine if you're trying to encourage your teammates, but not when you are criticizing everything they do. The best bit is, he isn't even a decent footballer as he lacks the ability to play in a team, does not have the ball skills to do the needful, lack the awareness and vision to make the pass, and runs at a pace more akin to overweight goalkeepers rather than pacy forwards. Quote of the night came from him though, because he remarked to another player after the match "sometimes good players like us play in losing teams". It is this sheer arrogance and lack of self awareness that really grates my nerves. Funny thing was he once remarked that in secondary school, his teacher said he should not play soccer, and that now he is proving his teacher wrong in training. Sorry dude, your teacher was right, you can't play soccer to save you life. Soccer is more than just about scoring goals and winning games. It is also about teamwork, hard work and having fun, which are three things missing from him.