Category: Football

In the early 90s, when Manchester United were becoming the dominant team in English football, our teams didn’t exactly excel in Europe and attendances and money in the game weren’t the greatest.

Now the English league is the strongest in the world and English teams have participated in each of the last 4 European Cup Finals, and no English team lost to a foreign team in the 2007/2008 tournament. But our national team is not even ranked in the top 10.

Back then, clubs were only allowed 3 foreign players in their side at any one time, nowadays, only a third of premiership players are English. Foreign imports have been a huge factor in the recent success of the English game, but are we prepared to accept the poor form of the national team in return for a strong domestic league?

The national side recently slipped out of the top 10 in the world rankings, and its no surprise why, what with a lack of big match experience, and reluctance to play meaningful friendlies, it seems the English team is beginning to suffer from bad habits started over a decade ago.

There can be no doubting that the first team is fantastic, consisting of big match experienced star players, but who are the leading lights of the future, and are they getting the necessary experience at club level?

Probably not. With only a third of premiership players now hailing from England, only the top few players are now able to make careers in the Premier League. Players that might have developed into potential internationals 10 years ago are now being offloaded to championship sides if theyre lucky, or rotting in their clubs reserves if not.

Even the best of English talent is not guaranteed a start these days. England internationals like Crouch, Shaun-Wright Philips and Bridge have all had time on the sidelines recently.

But as the current set-up fails to impress, and the future looks bleak as players prefer not to play in tournaments for their country for fear of risking burn-out for the season ahead, we, the fans, only have ourselves to blame. Most of us would prefer our club side won a trophy over England lifting a cup, and as you cant have both, we need to start thinking seriously about which we want.

Until we change things, England will continue on a downward spiral, and managers will continue to get it in the neck, despite their best efforts.

Block Tackle

As well as the sliding tackle there is the block tackle. For both you need expert timing, to reduce the risk of making a foul and also sustaining/causing injury.

The correct time to make the tackle is when your opponent shows you the ball. This means that they are not protecting the ball from you, allowing you to get your legs in and win the ball.

The simplest technique is to move one foot forward, bending it at the knee, then with your second foot, move in and take the ball. To improve your chances of winning the ball put your full weight into the move and reduce injury risks by only using the inside of the foot.

When making the tackle it is important to go into it fully committed. As if you are not then you may come off weaker and possibly sustain injury.

Sliding Tackle

The slide tackle is an aggressive tackle used to capture the ball at ground level. Because it takes place at ground level it is dangerous, and if done incorrectly or hesitantly can result in an injury to yourself and/or the opposing player.

The tackle is made by sliding your body and feet forward simultaneously, timing things perfectly to connect with the ball first hence dispossessing the player. You must keep your feet low or risk a foul/injury and ensure that you approach from an angle.

One drawback with the tackle is that it leaves you on the ground, so if mistimed it can result in the opposing player being able to run onwards unhindered.

One of the most popular sports worldwide is association football, more commonly know as just football or soccer. For instance, the Football World Cup has been the most sought-after international football competition by the sports fans throughout the world. Considering many peoples enthusiasm in football, Louis Vuitton released two precious charms, the Louis Vuitton Soccer Ball Charm and Football Boot Charm to attract more customers.

Blending sports and elegance, this Louis Vuitton signed soccer ball charm combines black lacquer, white gold and diamonds. With 750 thousandths (18 kt) white gold, the hexagon patches of the ball are set in one hundred and twenty six diamonds and black Vernis. Besides the LV initial is engraved on patch and Louis Vuitton signed white gold clasp. Moreover, matching the soccer ball charm, the football boot charm complements the sports collection. Combining with 750 thousandths (18kt) white gold and eighty six diamonds on the boot and calk, this charm brings us incredible luxury. And it features LV signature in white gold on black lacquer and Louis Vuitton on white gold clasp.

They are priced at $11,900 and $9,500 respectively. These charms can be attached to a bracelet or worn as a pendant. Coming with a Monogram jewelry box, it is also perfect as a gift.

If you’re a football coach or just goofing off with friends, most people like to impress their peers with their athletic prowess. Even more than showing off your skills, sportsmen like to demonstrate neat football tricks they have picked up over the years. Believe it or not, most tricks have nothing at all to do with the sport itself. Throwing an extra long pass is cool and evading 10 linebackers is impressive, but most tricks have more to do with style and skill than anything else. Some people like to showcase a cool new touchdown dance they created, while some can run down the field in a split second. Learning an impressive trick should play up on you assets while avoiding your shortcomings.

Finding good football tricks may be learned, taught and self created. Looking at other players during practice is a good start, but you can often learn some things from reviewing footage. If you can, look at highlight clips that you’re featured in and take notes of what you see that you’re good at. This will likely be essential for learning what you may do well so that you might improve even more.

One way to show off some of your football tricks is to challenge a fellow player. There is not any point in picking on a teammate that you know lacks in whatever you are trying to demonstrate. Instead, focus on the most well known and highly skilled opponent. Hopefully you have been practicing this move for awhile. Even over skill, it is best to have the self-confidence to set forth in accomplishing your task. A bit trash talking never hurt anybody, but it will be a huge blow to your ego if you’re left within the dust. As long as you make sure that you have practiced well, your performance ought to be impressive enough even if you lose.

The touchdown dance has long been one of the most widely known football tricks. While it’s more style and personal flair than it’s a skill, some moves have been long etched into the mind of many a fan. If you are completely stuck regarding where to start, watch a video. Look at anything that has to do with popular culture and draw from what you see. Making a fashionable dance into a touchdown celebration is not only a cool trick, but a great way to boost the moral of your players and connect with the crowd. Avoid anything overly sexual or crass as that’s more rude than it’s a trick.

Using football tricks actually can improve your overall performance as a player. Even if you’re an occasional player, you could possibly use a few tips to stay fresh between games. Focusing on improving on one trick will certainly strengthen your endurance and shows dedication. Lastly, make sure the trick is more for your. Impressing your friends is great, but it is a momentary and fleeting moment. If you intend on performing it more than once, you’ll be expected to be better and better each time. Focus on impressing yourself and everything else will fall into place.

The greatest weapon in youth football is speed. The greatest fear is your opponents speed. Speed dominates offense, defense and special teams in youth football. You do not have to be a good coach, if you have great speed.

How your speed matches up versus their speed will dictate how you design your defensive game plan. You have to devise a scheme to contain, or at the minimum harness, the quickest player in the opposing team.

I have become a big believer in no surprises as a coach. I believe using intense scouting, with complete reports so you have an idea of what you will be facing. A complete scouting report is your most valuable tool.

As a coach preparing the game plan for the upcoming opponent, the first inquiry a defensive coordinator must ask himself is who is the fastest player on the other team? This will guide you on how wide out to align your defensive ends and corner backs (if you use them for run containment). There goal is to get their speed back outside your containment defender so he can run free down the sidelines.

Your primary defensive strategy must be not to allow this to happen. You must convey to your players that they need to contain the speed running back. By using team defense, you will have your containment players force their fast running back towards the middle of field and back to where you other defenders are. You can minimize the speed advantage by forcing him to run to the middle of your defense. It sound easy, but trust me it isn’t. It is not impossible and with the right preparation you should be able to harness the speed back.

When designing your defensive scheme, line up your defensive ends and corner backs at a minimum of 4-5 yards closer to the sidelines than you would in your base set. This will make it hard to run around the ends and get to the outside freely. This helps the ends see the play as it develops. When a running back sees a defender, his instinct is to run the other way, even if it is back in traffic.

The opposing offensive coordinator rapidly gets frustrated and has to make over his game plan live while the game is in progress. This is a very difficult position to be in, even if you have worked on a backed plan during the week.

I have witnessed quite a few opposing coaches enter half time, yelling at his speed back, blaming the kid when he, as the coach, has no idea what is happening.

In conclusion the best way to negate speed is to make your opposition run to the middle. The other reward is you are making the speed back go where you have more defenders to help make the tackle.