Practice makes...
Yesterday was the first time in all the years I've played football that I think I can say to myself I did something "magical", something only players with advanced techniques could hope to do.
Yes, I've scored a couple of goals from the half-way line ala David Beckham during the 11-a-side days, and as far as I can remember, I've scored a solo "past 3 players and shoot" goal once on a 5-a-side pitch, but none of those can compare to what I did yesterday, even though it wasn't a goal because that effort hit the post, much to my dismay.
But I couldn't discount it. Granted, a 5-a-side pitch is rather small compared to your regular footie field, and I reckon I was only about 15 yards at most from the opposition goal, with my back to that goal. My keeper threw me an excellent ball, and I stopped it from hitting the floor with a single touch from the laces of my right foot. Then, before it falls to the ground, I swivelled around and hit the volley with the same part of the right foot and smashed the ball against the keeper's right hand post.
It was such a disappointment it wasn't a goal. I knew right away that I couldn't have hit it any better. The keeper, who was also a good friend of mine, applauded the effort for a good several seconds. I should've known. If I were watching somebody else do this, I would have thought it was a great, great effort too. Prior to that, it had never occured to me that I could come up with something like this. Those two touches were to me, magnifique.
I just felt it was timely to reconvince myself that I wasn't as crap as what those people at the small tourney on Saturday think. If they don't wanna pass the ball, there's nothing I can do. On Sundays when I play with my friends, we pass a lot more, and a lot more goals are scored. I scored a few yesterday too, but that was the one I most wanted.
I would say if I hadn't had my keepy-uppy exercises I wouldn't have managed those two nice touches. Sometimes all you do is practise and practise, and when you're out there, you just let your body play. No thinking, it's all very Zen-ish. It's what people call being "in the zone". But I still can't say it's "practice makes perfect"...because it wasn't a goal.
Yes, I've scored a couple of goals from the half-way line ala David Beckham during the 11-a-side days, and as far as I can remember, I've scored a solo "past 3 players and shoot" goal once on a 5-a-side pitch, but none of those can compare to what I did yesterday, even though it wasn't a goal because that effort hit the post, much to my dismay.
But I couldn't discount it. Granted, a 5-a-side pitch is rather small compared to your regular footie field, and I reckon I was only about 15 yards at most from the opposition goal, with my back to that goal. My keeper threw me an excellent ball, and I stopped it from hitting the floor with a single touch from the laces of my right foot. Then, before it falls to the ground, I swivelled around and hit the volley with the same part of the right foot and smashed the ball against the keeper's right hand post.
It was such a disappointment it wasn't a goal. I knew right away that I couldn't have hit it any better. The keeper, who was also a good friend of mine, applauded the effort for a good several seconds. I should've known. If I were watching somebody else do this, I would have thought it was a great, great effort too. Prior to that, it had never occured to me that I could come up with something like this. Those two touches were to me, magnifique.
I just felt it was timely to reconvince myself that I wasn't as crap as what those people at the small tourney on Saturday think. If they don't wanna pass the ball, there's nothing I can do. On Sundays when I play with my friends, we pass a lot more, and a lot more goals are scored. I scored a few yesterday too, but that was the one I most wanted.
I would say if I hadn't had my keepy-uppy exercises I wouldn't have managed those two nice touches. Sometimes all you do is practise and practise, and when you're out there, you just let your body play. No thinking, it's all very Zen-ish. It's what people call being "in the zone". But I still can't say it's "practice makes perfect"...because it wasn't a goal.
posted by Keith at 7:55 AM
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