Early morning runabout

Got invited to a 7am kick off in Kallang, and it was as warm and stuffy as i remember although it wasn't so bad since it was early morning (so i didn't suffer the rest of the day with an overheated body lol).

Good bunch of people with quite even skill levels, and because we switched around, i got to play with various people. Funny how every group always has someone loud directing play, and that same person usually makes basic errors. I started off in defence, although I did move up from time to time and played some good wall passes with like minded players. I did manage a goal (or two) which came from a loose pass that was bouncing, and i allowed the extra bounce before taking it on the volley into the corner. Nice. Switched sides and i scored a hatrick including a defender's clearance that rebounded off my knee into goal, a left footed shot into an empty goal after a scramble, and my favourite, a gorgeous return ground pass that teed me up to slide it in nicely between the legs of the keeper. Good tiring session overall, and I hope i get invited back to play!

Layoff layabout

After what seemed like the longest break between soccer training sessions (about 2 months), i headed back to a rather wet training pitch in the northern part of the island for a training session with local coach J. It was a little distracting with the paintballers going off next door, but no venue is perfect i guess.

Interesting warm up that was focused more on self rather than the usual rondos, since everyone knew everyone else, we were calling names before passing, as well as checking our shoulder before receiving. Some interesting exercises, including warm up sprints playing tic-tac-toe with the cones, receive and volley, as well as short passing triangles. Some of the exercises were complicated with calling out the colour of the cone and going opposite to that colour called. We also did a square passing exercise that got more complicated with wall passes and diagonal passes.

The match itself was quite even and even though I was one of the weaker links that made a few stray balls and was quite out of puff by the end of the match, i still managed some nice passes including a HG pass and one that i somehow managed to slip a pass (toepoke) in between two defenders onto our striker, although none of them were converted. Some interesting rules that were thrown into the game included: wall pass assisted goal counted as 2, at most 2 touches, goals to be scored only from crosses.

Good session, mainly because i did not cramp (by not sprinting for the last 5 mins lol).

When the going gets tough, the tough get running

Small(er) pitch training today (7 aside pitch) and not sure if the pitch was a factor but the turnout was also smaller with 7 of us training with coach I.

It was no less intense though, in fact, it felt very much more intense thanks to the 2 hour slot! No rondo training, instead we warmed up with some paired drills: control-pass, dribble-run backwards, stepover-side to sides, headers, volleys, thigh controls, just to name a few. Had a really hard mitre ball which made my left foot hurt since we were to volley with the laces.

Action-reaction drill was interesting, although a little dangerous when running shoulder to should for the ball, with variations such as kneeling, lying down, and sitting. Shooting drills were also very interesting, as we had less people, we could take turns doing short intense sessions, example being the 6 balls being lined up on halfway, and one had to do a 1-2 with another player before shooting, alternating between goalposts. The competitive variation was to run opposite goals (3 balls lined up) and keep scoring, whilst seeing who reached back to half way first after completing 3 shots. Was really quite winded and pooped, but we played 4 aside with coach, with the rule that we could only shoot inside the box (no keeper). We then moved on to having a keeper with no shot restrictions.

For a start, my team had coach so we were playing well, with 3 very mobile players and me, constantly passing and moving (well, passing in my case, i stayed on the button), and getting into space for the easy tap-ins. Then coach switched sides with Jeremy, and things got a lot more even, although we managed to keep scoring. I also managed to twist my ankle trying to shadow coach. Ouch. And then proceeded to bugger my ankle more by stopping 2 shots and a cross with it. I did have several instances where the legs just gave way and i could not even make a pass out into the waiting player in space on a breakaway. *facepalm* I did manage a good goal against coach in goal, with a break down the left, i let the ball run across my body before shooting with my outside right foot which left him flatfooted because he was expecting a left footed shot. Overall enjoyable but very tiring!

New timeslot with familiar faces

Actually the second session i attended at this here new timeslot that is earlier in the week, and am adjusting to it although i'm not liking it. Familiar faces at training meant that it's a good training session all round and we seem to be gravitating towards our natural positions, mine being in defence (preferably at right back).

Usual warm up rondos was fun, and at times frenetic, but we managed to good passes and even a few nutmegs. Then it was 3 person drills that were the usuals but for a longer distance between, with variations like the middle player control, pass, run around the gate, receive the return pass, turn and repeat with the other side.

Then it was shooting drill, with a pass to a player and then calling out the side to go to (via a coloured cone). I kept getting on to my left foot due to the left side being called repeatedly, so it was a good chance to shoot with the left rather weakly, finally scored when the player who passed to me called for the right side instead, with the ball going far post and sneaking in by hitting the inside of the side netting.

The match itself was quite even, and the scoreline of 2-2 showed this. We did concede both goals while i was at centreback, so i had to switch to rightback and had a much better time, completing all my take on tackles without letting anyone by, and intercepted 2 crosses. From the clearance of one of the crosses, we started a counter attack which resulted in a great goal by our young 'un who was fast and strong with the ball. Good session although the aches and pains the next day is quite bad thanks to my 3 week layoff, and also manage to bugger up my right knee so i was limping the next day.

All good things....

It was a rainy day that greeted us when we arrived early at the pitch and this was soon joined by thunder and lightning, which was reflective of our mood since this was the last training session under this training academy.

Thankfully the rain abated at training time and it was time to kick ball! After warm up rondos, we did a slow jog around the field before splitting into two teams for a match, and because of the numbers, we had the coaches in our teams as well (2 each!). Our coaches combined really well to start and finish some beautiful attack moves, while I was at left back primarily because no one wanted to play there, and for good reason too as their right wing was a young fast paced sullen chap who once scored 4 goals in a training match. He was fast and really outpaced me when a through pass came through, but thanks to the slick pitch most of these went sailing over the touchline before he could get there. Between my excellent midfield chipping in to shackle him and me, we managed to contain him somewhat, although he did manage to score one off a rebounded long drive that I couldn't stop him without giving away a penalty. Most of the time, it was easier just to cut off the pass to him rather than shadowing him outright, intelligent marking for the win! Even managed to one touch an incoming pass that left him for dead and eventually he began to tire (thank goodness) and less runs were made. One particular tackle early on saw him running towards me at full tilt but i managed to time it such that when he pushed the ball, i stepped in and dug in for the tackle meaning he had to step aside to avoid me (but didn't really manage to) and i even came away with the ball.

The final score was 4-3 to us, but i think the winner at the end of the night was soccer. =)

Training to be nothing.....

A bit of delay on posting this because emotions were still running high after the training session, and I wanted to have a quiet think but found it getting nowhere so i might as well just write about it.

Quite a big group for training and was a mixture of the old and new, the good and the bad, the young and the old (i think one guy is past 50! Much admiration!). After the usual warm ups, we did two teams on opposite sides of the penalty box, numbered off and when called, fought for the ball (3 passes) before scoring in either of the goals. It was quite easy because we started with 2-v-2 and we had a coach as a neutral, so we just had to fight for the ball, then play the open pass, and if we changed position after passing, invariably ends up in an easy shot. Didn't like how one guy was leaning into me to body check in a tackle and ended up fending him off with an arm. lol

Worse was yet to come, as we split up into 4 teams and somehow we ended up with young ball hoggers and clueless first timers, which made for an interesting 7, because it meant we were playing with 4 effective players. After all the training and lessons, the same stupid decisions were being made, i.e. to run with the ball when there is an open pass and a defender or two on you, or to pass when there is no pass because you've painted yourself into a corner with your running and are surrounded by 3 players. Even when i tried to help by playing a 1-2, the return pass did no eventuate, even after 3 attempts and i gave up. Football is a team game based on passing, and a champion team will always beat a team of champions. Aforementioned whippersnapper had the cheek to say we lost because we did not press hard enough, which i disagreed violently because our defence was working around the clock on overtime, and being passed around to the death, and are accused of not pressing! Frustrated to the core. J also had a lousy time thanks to some bad challenges his way.

When the fam's away.....

A weekend free to myself, so i end up going for Sunday soccer with a couple of friends. =) Started off well enough, and i was mindful of not pushing myself too hard after the mid-week training session. I still found space to receive the ball after a pass and go, so squared the ball for a hattrick of tap-ins. =) Also managed to bag a couple of goals, including one of a left-footed shot which rebounded off the post back to me to slot in lol. More importantly, i had chances to demonstrate close control and managed to retain possession most of the time, including once chance where it was a semi-breakaway but i ran into two defenders with no option to pass and turned a couple of times before sending the ball back. That is what possession soccer is all about for me, retaining the ball, denying the opponent the chance, patient passing play to open up the space, runs onto passes to make a better chance or to score.

Training was tiring as the first drill was a fitness sprint drill with four teams chasing each other in one direction around the center circle. My goal was to tag just one person then i'd take a knee, but it took so long and so much effort to catch up with the next guy that i was pooped and winded for the next two exercises, which were a possession drill and a pass, cross, and shoot drill. I did manage a nice trap that left the defender wrong footed before slotting home with the left foot. The match was more even as we had the bulk of the possession and passing, but lost 1-0, thanks to poor finishing up front. J didn't have a good day in the office as striker and he really needed to hit the line at speed rather than receiving the ball while static. I managed to pick out J with a few passes, but he always ended up being crowded out in the box which made it difficult to do anything. Overall i still think we did well to retain and use the ball, as we were effectively playing 4-5-1 which meant we dominated the midfield. Defensively, i did not have to do much aside from the odd clearance, and we even managed to pass our way out of trouble and start an attack.  I did pick up a knock on my left ankle and thus am hobbling abit today.

Improving fitness

Having had a layoff of 3 weeks thanks to a dodgy knee after a bad challenge, it was back to training for me and found it really hard going. It really did not help that coach I decided to improve our fitness level with the circuit from hell (with no ball work at all).

We started as usual with Rondo, before moving to the warm ups of opposite lines passing and moving to each other. Then it was time for circuit which consisted of 9 stations in a large arc and started with the ladder, then slalom run, then hopping sideways over a long obstacle, going round 3 cones, bunny hops, then a series of slow jog-run-sprint, then directional change slaloms, push ups (5), and lastly crunches (5). That series of runs really killed me which made me walk by the time i hit the slaloms, but had to force myself to jog slowly, and we did a total of 5 circuits.

Some crossing and shooting drills followed, which was interesting for me, considering how wobbly my legs were by this point. The match was a 7-a-side due to the numbers, and we had a good team of ballplayers and were able to win the first match 3-0. Was playing at RB, but found myself in plenty of space thanks to the width of the pitch, and constantly made the runs up to cross the ball. Pounced on a loose pass across their defence after their failed throw in with good press by our guys, and my first touch pushed the ball away from the defender and into space, before i passed the ball into goal. =) J managed to score a rocket from a tight angle, which was amazing to behold. Our second match was tougher as our opponents were a well-drilled bunch who played often together and we lost 2-1 but did ourselves credit in the way we played and it might have been a different result if our shots had gone in as we had plenty of opportunities. I just tried not to lose the ball as they were good at pressing, so i had to go out wider to split their defence and always tried to draw out the defender before making a short pass, and thanks to good midfield, i usually got the return pass after i made my run. =) Made a cross for J over the last defender but it was just a touch too high which was a pity because he was unmarked and in space at the far post.

All in all, i'm just happy i survived without cramping much, although my abs did do so while i was lacing up my boots (wth right?).

Wet and not wild

Training was nearly cancelled due to lightning but the weather cleared up in time for us to play, although it still rained (not drizzle!) during the last ten minutes of our match before stopping to let us warm down lol.

Warm up drills were a little different with a lot of dribbling and passing with the ball, and we played a possession drill with 3 teams in 3 sectors, the middle team contributing 3 against the 7 for possession, 5 passes and switch to the team on the far side. Coach K's trap and control is just superb.

Match was a wet affair and it was easy for me defence because our midfield was pressing effectively and winning the ball, so the opposition was reduced to sending long balls (down the wing and diagonally) which invariably bounced out due to the slick pitch. I did have a few intrepid right wingers try to make a foray down my flank, but my motto was "not today amigo", and they were eventually forced to make the pass, sometimes a little wonky thanks to a double team (my centreback was energetic!). We did win courtesy of 2 good goals and these were the result of a successful press and turnover rather than a good build up. After all these sessions, some people still don't understand football: to show good movement to enable a pass, to cherish possession, use the ball intelligently, rinse and repeat, so our movements tended to break down after the 3rd pass, which is not bad since the opposition only managed 2 on average.

Warm down was tiring because coach K decided we needed more planks (3 sets!) and push ups (also 3 sets!). Bushed!

Further updates on my new boots, i'm getting used to them and notice that the stud pattern and weight of the shoe somehow makes it easier to cover the ground that i need to.

New boots old body

In celebration of my coming of eldershield age, my buddies banded together and got me a top of the range soccer boot, the Adidas Pure Chaos.

We had a training session last week when i first used it, but nothing really interesting happened (and i was too lazy to write about it), aside from the teething problems of trying to shoot with a new pair of boots.

This week was better, although the sole of my feet (especially the outer edges) still hurt. I guess taking the time to warm up before, passing the ball and taking some shots did help (although the latter was all bad lol).

After warm up rondos, we had circuit training and that was tiring as heck with 6 stations and 40 seconds each station with 20 seconds rest. The shin didn't feel too good when landing, i guess i put on weight. I did have a good goal during the practice drills next, as i managed to play a one-on-one with the coach, who sent the ball to another who then crossed for me to cushion with an instep and volley on the go. It was nice.

The match itself was more chaotic as our team was quite disjointed, and we had new guys who didn't communicate, didn't run and didn't defend. Even when we had the ball, options were not always made available, so i ended up dribbling quite often, even managing a nutmeg of their defender but the final pass was poor. All in all quite enjoyable, although i really have to get fitter.

Incoming calls, outgoing .....

It can be interesting taking a call while you are taking a crap, and today a telemarketing lady called me to see if i would be interested in filling in a quick questionnaire, and since i wasn't going anywhere, i agreed, forgetting that the background sounds of water flowing must have made her think i was near some tranquil waterfall, although admittedly it can be rather calming in the toilet (leading to many a strange and wonderful thought have occurred while pooping but i digress).

My other problem with talking in the toilet were the other users of the toilet, in that they might think i was trying to communicate with them (small talk before requesting them to pass the toilet paper?), so i'm half whispering while speaking rather tersely.....well, more tersely than usual, which given my tendency to talk less, pretty much means monosyllabic answers.

The call ended and i completed my business, and it was good. =)