Soccer TBC

The main accessories for safe goal keeping in soccer games consist of helmet, gloves, elbow and knee pads, mouth, ankle and shin guards. Goalies also have apparels tailored to suit their preference.

Colorful jerseys are available for $20. Goalie shorts range from $13 to $20 depending on the brand and the material used. Padded compression shorts for both men and women are priced at around $30. Knicker pants, Long pants and Full trainer pants can also be obtained within a price range of $30 to $40.

There is tremendous choice with respect to the gloves. Sondico Pro Player made from German Latex and having Elastic with Velcro closure is probably the most reasonably priced at $10. Gloves with super soft palm foam marketed by Adidas, Lanzera Livorno and are a little over $100. For proper maintenance of the gloves, bags and gloves wash solution form an integral part of the gloves accessories.

Shin guards range from $6 to $35. The shin guards along with their accessories consisting of athletic, medical tape are important safety aids.

Footwear for the goalkeeper depends on the firmness of the ground. Nike, Adidas and Kelme Master specialize in customized footwear for hard ground. These provide maximum speed, stability and ball control. Along with these companies, footwear from Puma, Diadora and Umbro X300 cater to games on soft ground.

Goals of various sizes form the most important part of training sessions. These include futsal and indoor goals as well as lightweight and pop-up goals. 6 foot pop-up goals and the portable, adjustable, folding goals are most convenient for a game anywhere.

One of the best methods for keepers to increase the strength in their forearms and fingers is the use of hand grip gels. Originally developed for mountain climbers these are fast becoming popular among aspiring goal keepers. Not only are they great stress-busters, the soft hand grip gels are also terrific finger and hand strengtheners.

There is a wide variety of books and videos available elucidating the various strategies involved in goal keeping. Who wouldn’t want to watch a DVD of ‘202 Great Saves’ for just under $27? The breath taking maneuvers are quite possible to effect in a field game. All it takes is to meticulously follow the drills and exercises specified in the training software designed for beginners and intermediates. The Soccer GoalKeeper – a set of 3 tapes for $71 lists out a series of exercises exclusively for goal keepers to increase their fitness level as well as master the technique of goal keeping!

To learn about gnat bites and gnat repellent, visit the How To Kill Gnats website.

Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo pictures immense soccer success as the best way for him to progress and improve as an all-round team player. Having won the Premiership in just his third season in English soccer, the Portuguese star had already identified some personal targets as the best way to improve his ability as a soccer player.

When Cristiano Ronaldo arrived in the English Premiership he appeared to try and over-perform in situations that weren’t necessary, and often he would lose the ball trying fancy tricks in dangerous situations. The Manchester United players and coaching staff all offered advice to Cristiano, and he soon learned that he should try and play more like a team player.

This season has seen Cristiano Ronaldo really reach his set targets as a soccer star, the Manchester United winger has been the clubs best player by far, helping secure the Premiership title for the first time in 3 years and scoring 17 goals in the process; a superb success for a wide-midfield player. The Portuguese winger has learnt not to try his fancy tricks when the team is defending in their own half, and has shown that he is more of a team player by passing and moving the ball around with far more respect for his team-mates.

The season has not only seen club success for Cristiano Ronaldo; the United winger has also had great personal successes. Cristiano Ronaldo became only the second footballer in English history to receive both the PFA players award and the PFA young players award, two superb footballing awards to receive. Ronaldo has also been rewarded a lucrative new 5 year contract worth around 120,000 a week with Manchester United.

Because of modern technology, children are already exposed to television programs and electronic video games at a very young age. Because of this, most children are spending their whole day sitting with their eyes fixed on the TV screen instead of spending their time playing outdoor games that will give the exercise they need for growth and development. This is one of the reasons why the number of obese children keeps on increasing each year.

Introduce Your Children to Sports

It is advisable for you to involve your kids in sports at an early age. One of the interesting sports that your child can learn even at a young age is soccer. Apart from being a popular sport, soccer can provide a lot of benefits to your children. This will not only help them stay fit and healthy but also boost their self-esteem and self-reliance and learn how to be a part of a team which will help them in their adult life.

The Benefits of Playing Soccer

Soccer will help your children improve their physical and mental coordination since it is a sport that is played by a team. This will also enable your children to communicate with their teammates because in this game, your children will be taught how to play as a team and not as an individual. This sport will also teach your kids how to be competitive which will be very useful when they grow up since adult life has a lot of competition.

Your children will also be physically fit since coaches and trainers always let the children do warm up exercises and drills before each game. And if your child is suffering from weight problems, getting your children involve in this sport will help them to get shape since these exercises will burn a lot of calories out of their bodies. Soccer will also help your children improve their sportsmanship and develop patience in the game since this sport involves a lot of physical contact.

Soccer also requires discipline, mental alertness, and endurance. Since your children are part of a team when they play soccer, it will improve their mental alertness since they need to read each others body language in order to execute an effective play. Furthermore, since they are playing with other children, this will improve their social interaction. If they have good social interaction, they will have better chances that they will be able to deal with the complicated adult life when they grow up.

Soccer quickness training is essential for any player to excel in the sport. Speed is an essential attribute for every player on the field. Thus soccer speed training will heighten the skill at which a player can perform on the field. There a variety of quickness training drills that soccer players can make use of while increasing their speed and agility training.

The strikers are among the most benefiting players on the field. They score the majority of all goals scored in soccer. Thus obtaining the maximum speed on the field is very encouraging to strikers. The fact that they need to be capable of being in the best position to receive a pass and then beat their opponent to the goal in order to score adequately portrays the need of soccer quickness training.

Also defenders can benefit from an increase in speed. On the field if you don’t possess a great defense you will not be able to win soccer matches. The indisputable fact that the game is dependant on athletic ability means that speed is essential. The defenders have to be fast enough to keep up with the strikers when they are trying to maneuver past them.

A midfield player needs to have speed in order to be able to traverse the field in their ever changing dimensions as a player. A midfielder is a crucial component to the game. They have both defensive and offensive roles on the field. Thus the speed ability is key for a midfielder because it deceases the amount of time in which the player will spend traveling back & forth among the field to switch from an offensive player to a defensive player.

Finally the goal keeper also needs to be capable of maintain speed on the field. And thus drills to enhance his or her speed are crucial for this position too. All great goal keepers are fast goal keepers. They are fast on their feet and fast in their minds. The ability of a goal keeper to respond quickly to balls passed into space is important. Thus speed is a key component for the position of goal keeper.

If you’re a member of a soccer team or a coach of a soccer team you will need to remember the importance of speed training. Quickness training is a vital portion of the sport and critical for creating a team that will not only provide a great offensive squad but also a great defensive squad.

They are known to have their idiosyncrasies when it comes to the numbers on their soccer shirts to which socks they put on first! Their superstitions verge on the weird to the harmless, from the unbelievable to the cute! Lets take a look at some famous ones who are (in)famous for their strange ones!

The absolute winner has to be Argentinean goalkeeper Sergio Goycochea. Not only is he remembered for his heroic penalty shot saves back in 1990, but also for his superstition that peeing in the centre of the pitch is lucky for the team before shootouts! So, his team mates obliged by building a circle around him, blocking him from view while he did his job! During the 1993 Copa America, Goycochea repeated this ritual prior to penalty shootouts while playing against Brazil and Colombia! And Argentina went on to win the competition!

If the earlier superstition led a team to victory, this next one almost caused a diplomatic disaster! Luis Aragons, Spains ex-coach, disliked the color yellow to such an extent, he once made captain Raul change the yellow jersey hed worn for training! And thats not all! Its said that during his career, his team went to Germany for a competition, and on arrival they were welcomed with a bouquet of yellow flowers, which the coach refused to accept!

Italian Giovanni Trapattoni, who coached the Republic of Ireland, Germany, Austria, Portugal as well as his home team, was often seen sprinkling holy water given to him by his sister, whos a nun! But he made sure to sprinkle it only on his part of the field! Another Italian, Gennaro Gattuso of AC Milan, went to such extremes during the 2006 FIFA World Cup that he wore the same sweater right through the competition! He admits it put him in the foulest of moods since he was sweating buckets, but still couldn’t get himself to take the sweater off! And if thats not enough, this midfielder would read a few pages of Dostoevsky before each game! This too developed into a superstition he found hard to break, just in case…

Leeds United ex-manager Don Revie was superstitious about a particular suit and made it a point to wear it to every game until his team lost while he had it on! English defender Gary Neville admits wearing the same shoes, belt, aftershave all season long! If hes on a winning streak, he refuses to change his boots! Even Chelseas superstar Frank Lampard confesses that he has his share of superstitions such as listening to the same music on the way to the stadium!

Getting back to another former Argentinean coach, Carlos Bilardo, not only did he wear a lucky tie, he also carried a statuette of the Virgin Mary to all games. And he banned his players from consuming chicken since he believed it brought bad luck! Bilardo had a weird habit of linking unrelated things to victories! His teams bus broke down once and they had to take taxis to get to the game on time. They went on to win that game and from that day on, Bilardo made his players arrive for games in taxis! He even made his 22 players file past a bride on her wedding day and shake hands with her one by one during the 1986 World Cup! Why?! Brides bring luck, thats why! The very next day, Maradona, who was equally superstitious about wearing the number 10 soccer uniform, led Argentina to victory against Brazil! Now, can you deny a man his superstition if it resulted in Brazils defeat?!