A better question might be, where does the love of sport-any sport- come from?

Does it begin at training or during a match? Does it come from the glitz and glam of television or attending packed stadiums?

I’d answer a definite NO to all of the above.

The love of soccer starts (wait for it) in the backyard or better known as the field of dreams with YOU, mum and dad. Where anything is possible and where the biggest dreams are dreamt.

The beauty of the backyard is this, with time, everybody joins in. Eventually friends join in, neighbours join and if you have a dog, the dog joins in.

Good Times.

A quick story if I may.

2 boys aged 4 and 6, if you asked them, 4-1/2 and 6-1/2. Interest in soccer on a scale of 1 to 10, 4

Interest in Wii, Star Wars leggo to be exact, 9.

Tough battle.

Enter the backyard.

Enter some fun, small sided games and soccer all of a sudden becomes fun and interesting.

When work allows and the boys aren’t in their pajamas already, the backyard comes alive.

David versus Goliath, okay, 2 little boys versus me.

We play on synthetic grass that remains a lush green colour all year around. Gives even Wembely a run for its money. The boys protect a small goal while I try and defend a goal the length of the backyard. Makes for some interesting score lines with the current edge going to the boys.

Fun, laughter and quality time spent together has evolved in the boys attending Soccer clinics and Football (AFL) clinics every Saturday morning, back to back. That’s right, 9.30am Football followed by an hour of Soccer 10.30am. This is coming from two young boys who spent their time playing Wii on the weekends and had very little interest in sports.

For those with little ones, start in the backyard and let the love for the game evolve. Make it fun, make it easy to begin with and let them develop with a smile.

Fast forward a year and now the boys look forward to the Saturday clinics. Not only that, on most nights, they eagerly wait by the door for my return from work pulling at my trousers.

“Let’s play soccer!”

“Let’s play football!”

What really excites me is when they trash talk and work together as a team. All of a sudden, Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader can hear laughter and carry on from the backyard and wonder what happened to those little boys that were glued to the television.

Conclusion

The backyard is where your children will fall in love with soccer. Make it fun; make it progressively harder and the skies the limit.

After several failed attempts to get the boys to attend clinics, they are now snapping at my heels to play and proudly wear their Collingwood jumper followed by the mighty Liverpool jersey.

“May the winds of destiny blow you to the stars.”

Most parents live on the stuff and cannot start the day without it.

Great for that instant burst of energy and the endurance needed to chase after the little ones.

So what’s the secret to coffee?

Well, unless you’ve been living on the moon, coffee’s key ingredient is Caffeine. Caffeine is known to enhance endurance and is guilty of keeping most adults up in the middle of the night.

There is also growing evidence that coffee can also improve soccer performance.

A group of scientists from New Zealand have studied the effects of caffeine on soccer players.

The mad men wearing the white coats set out to investigate the effects of caffeine in a performance test that stimulated the various demands of soccer.

The Project

22 professional (now we’re interested) male soccer players were used for the experiment.

11 players ingested caffeine (6mg per kg of body mass) and the other 11 ingested a placebo (dextrose) 60 minutes before performing the various tests.

After a week of testing, the players then changed their meds. Caffeinated players received the placebo and vice versa. * The players were not aware of the substance they were ingesting*

The Tests

Each test consisted of 7 circuits in each of two 40-minute halves with a 10-minute rest in the middle to simulate match conditions.

Measurements that were taken included

• 2 Straight-line sprints
• 3 agility sprints
• Power generation in 2 consecutive drives
• Accuracy for passing balls rapidly.

As a former science student myself, there is nothing more exiting than significant results.

The results for all drills (except for second drive power) were so positive that even the scientists raised an eyebrow.

The Results

(while picturing nerds in white coats punching the air and giving group hugs) were

• Sprint Speeds increased over all the 5 sprints ranging from 1% for 20m sprinting speed to 2.9% for tackle sprint speed.
• First drive power- 5% improvement
• Second Drive power -1.2% (negative) reduction
• Passing accuracy- wait for it, 9.6% improvement.

Looking over the findings the scientists could be heard giggling over the 10% finding like they just discovered a new dinosaur.

From the horses mouth,

“The largest and possibly most exiting new finding with caffeine was a 10% improvement in the ability to pass balls accurately while pressured to pass the ball rapidly”

WARNING!

Just a friendly warning before we all overdose on caffeine. The mechanisms behind caffeine’s apparent ergogenic effects are still not understood. However, the Kiwi’s believe it works on the central nervous system to reduce fatigue and permit a higher level of motor drive and motor skills throughout matches.

The above information was found in a medical science journal and does not construe medical advice or even soccer advice. Medical advice can only be given by a doctor, which I’m not, so this information is only intended for entertainment purposes.

Although, 10% increase is a huge result, don’t you think?

“May the winds of destiny blow you to the stars.”

Could it be genetics?

Technical ability?

Speed?

Strength?

What about attitude and the ability to accept situations and make them work in your favour? My friend Jared Montz has a slogan “Believe in it!” which I endorse whole heartedly.

The slogan is so simple, innocent, but so true. My spin on the slogan is “You only achieve what you believe.”

Think about it.

Losers (probably not politically correct but I’ll stick with the terminology) always look for someone to blame when they lose. They blame their coach, parents and the referee. They might even extend the abuse to the pitch or the weather and look out if you happen to be a teammate.

Winners on the other hand play with their sleeves rolled up and play above their problems.

Soccer is not something that gets served to us, good or bad. It’s how we deal with the issues and problems that arise from the game that separates the good, bad and the ugly.

If I asked you what the most important area or space is on a soccer field what would you answer?

Without a shadow of a doubt it’s the six inches between your ears. Six inches might be a little conservative for those that have a big head like me. In most cases, winning or losing is determined by the players who can remain focused.

Great players never let their opponent disgruntle them or put them off their game. Great players aren’t intimidated by the 1000’s of opposing fans thirsting for their blood. Great players are mentally tough and mentally conditioned to remain focused against all odds and flying bottles.

It’s very easy to lash out when the ball refuses to listen to you. It’s even easier to lose your cool when you can’t shake off those pesky opponents that seem to introduce you to their studs every second of the game.

When the pressures on both physically and mentally it’s very easy to get frustrated and dwell on your mistakes. The level of frustrations seems to follow a linear pattern that produces more mistakes. How many times have you seen a frustrated player get dispossessed only to lash out with a savage, late tackle from behind? After the initial outrage and the dreaded yellow card they never can remember how they got an early shower. Something nasty about their ancestors or their mother usually does the trick.

If your opponent gets inside your head, who wins?

Once you’re boiling with a rush of blood to the head, tackles, mistakes, fouls, referee decisions resemble World War 1 and 2. Once this happens, you’re history. Enjoy the early shower.

Final thoughts.

Play hard!

But always play fair.

We can’t always control the hooligans, supporters, zombie like parents and your opponents, but we can control ourselves and what circulates in that space between our ears. Remember, Champions are made, never born. Ability can get you to the top but it takes character and mental toughness to stay there.

Easier said than done. Fatigue and frustrations makes cowards of us all. To lose to your opponent because you ran out of gas is unforgiveable. To lose to your opponent because he made reference to your mother or ancestors is criminal.

Great players criticize themselves, not their teammates, coaches, opponents or the referee. Think about that next time you’re scrubbing your back while your team plays out the rest of the game with 10 men. Emphasis on the word “men”, not little boy who lost his cool.

“May the winds of destiny blow you to the stars.”

Your self doubt allows you to commit to unrealistic, overambitious training regimes without the required time or resources. Heck it even knows you can’t sustain the levels of commitment you are forecasting.

After a couple of days and a few more hurdles we inevitably hit the wall. Crash and burn would ring true in this instance.

Let’s deflate our ambitions for just one second. Evolution didn’t magically occur over night, did it?

So what’s the hurry?

If you’re searching for that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow or that elusive manager waving a million dollar contract you better rethink your journey. If you’re chasing that big pay out or the sponsorship dollars, try and organize a bank robbery instead.

Exchange training and commitment for blueprints, security rosters and floor plans and your chances for instant gratification and the big pay out will increase ten fold.

Think about it!

“May the winds of destiny blow you to the stars.”

When is the best time to start playing soccer?

When is it time to start getting serious about the game?

Hmmm.

The best time to start is when your parents can afford it.

The best time to start is when you’ve finished your homework.

The best time to start is when you’re a little bit older.

The best time to start is when you’re a little taller, stronger and wiser.

The best time to start is when you grab the latest Nikes.

The best time to start is when your coach tells you to.

The best time to start is when you lose some weight.

The best time to start is when you practice some more.

The best time to start is when your grades improve.

The best time to start is when you start behaving.

The best time to start is when you listen to your parents.

The best time to start is when you select the appropriate club.

The best time to start is when the weather clears up.

The best time to start is when the greenhouse effect subsides.

As you continue to R-E-A-D this, you’ve probably got the message. The best time to start was a year ago, 5 years ago and possibly 10 years ago.

The second BEST TIME to start is RIGHT NOW!

“May the winds of destiny blow you to the stars.”