Learn To Play Sports

Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to watch the FA Cup final between Manchester United and Chelsea. It was a fierce game in which Chelsea eventually proved victorious. And even though I am a huge United fan, I enjoyed the game immensely. Why? The talent level was so high. The players on these two massive clubs are so good at what they do that anyone who watches them can’t help but be impressed.

It got me to thinking, how can a player become so good? I have been playing soccer for over 20 years, but I am no where near their skill level. So, what is the difference. Well, the following are a few things that professional players possess and I lack. Below, you will see a short list of skill sets that make players great and how to develop those particular skill sets.

1. Ball Handling: Upon watching professionals, it seems as if the ball is literally glued to their feet. Where they go, the ball goes too. This skill set is developed by becoming comfortable with the ball at your feet. To do this, a player must get as many touches as possible each day. When I played in high school, our coach made us get 1,000 touches on the ball before practice would even begin. You can do this by doing the following:

- Juggling. This can be done alone or with a group, but keep the ball in the air. Don’t let it touch the ground, ever. But, unlike traditional juggling, to get a better feel for the ball, juggle while moving. Find a grassy nook and juggle the ball from one end to the other. Also, instead of using your strong foot (almost everyone prefers one foot to the other), try to keep the ball in the air using your weaker foot.

- Roll Overs: Whether you are going side to side, backwards or forwards, roll overs will help your control. Find a field of some sort and practice rolling the ball with each foot. However, instead of just rolling the ball and watching it, use each step you take to roll the ball again. Essentially, you should be running and rolling the ball with the sole of your foot at the same time.

2. Passing. Whether it is a cross-field pass or a 5-yard pass, professionals are right on the money. They pass the ball to a specific spot as opposed to a general area. To mimic the accuracy of professionals, there are one or two main drills you can do to increase your skill level.

- Keep Away. Playing keep away can help you in just about every way imaginable. But if you want to develop precision passing, play keep away with small goals of 1-2 feet wide at either end of the field. If you play keep away with a regular sized goal or no goal at all, the play tends to take place on the outskirts of the playing field. But by setting up small goals, each team is forced to pass the ball within the confines of a small area in order to get close enough to the goal to score.

3. Field Awareness. In order to play at a high level, you must know exactly where your teammates are. Many times, when a player looses possession, he or she has taken too long to pass the ball to another player. But, if players know where their teammates are before they need to pass the ball, possession will be retained on a more consistent basis. The best way to become more aware of the field and players around you is as follows.

- One- or Two-touch passing drills. It doesn’t really matter what type of drills you do in this case. However, the way you perform the drill is extremely important. The rule is you cannot take more than one or two touches on the ball before passing it. This seems a little hasty, but if you do not have many touches to use, then you are forced to pick your head up and take a look around you. By doing this, you will develop the habit of looking around you before receiving the ball so you know where you are going to pass beforehand.

There are many reasons why professionals are professionals. But, the aforementioned skills are necessary for anyone to play soccer at a competitive level. Performing these drills will help you become a better and more influential player.  

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How does one go about playing volleyball? Well, first thing’s first. You need a net and a ball. The net is usually 8 feet high for male teams and 7 feet for female teams. In addition, a special type of ball is used called a volleyball. Then, depending on what style of volleyball you want to play, indoor or outdoor, you need 6 players or 2 players per side respectively. If you are playing outdoor, basically any open area will work, whether on the beach or at a park. However, if you are playing indoor, it is usually best to find an indoor gym of some sort where there is space to install a volleyball net.

Now the rules. You can play to any score you want or indicate, but standard volleyball rules say that each game is up to 30 points. The way you score points is as follows:

One team starts out serving. The ball can be served overhand or underhand, depending on the preference of the server. According to new volleyball rules, the ball can touch the net on the serve as long as the ball goes over. Once the ball is served, the other team has up to three touches on the ball in order to get it over the net, onto to the opponent’s side. Then, the serving team will do the same. A point is won when the ball touches the ground within the designated boundaries. Whoever wins the point serves the next ball. If the serving team wins the point, the player who served the initial ball continues to serve until the other team wins a point. At that time, the other team serves. However, when a team wins the opportunity to serve, that team must rotate, ensuring that every player serves in turn.

In addition to the outlined rules given above, there are other rules to volleyball. The main one is that no player at any time can hold or lift the ball in any way, shape or form. Players must touch or hit the ball, not hold it. Violation of this rule will result in a point for the other team.

Now, strategy. Instead of simply hitting the ball three times and getting it over the net, there is a basic strategy to this game. When receiving the serve, the first player to touch the ball should “bump” or “pass” the ball to another teammate. This pass should go in the vacinity of the net, but on the passer’s own side. This pass should be directed at the “setter” on the team. The “setter” will then set the ball upwards using both hands, either straight up or to one side of the court above the net. Then, an on-rushing teammate jumps in the air to meet the “set” ball and hits a “spike”, attempting to make it land on the other team’s side of the court. Whichever team can perform this type of passing and hitting game with the most precision and power will eventually win the game.

However, for those of you who are just starting out, focus on the basics of hitting the ball three times to get it over the net. Then, once you get a feel for the basics, try to implement the “bump, set, spike” strategy. 

Volleyball is a sport which everyone can play at various levels. Once you know the fundamental rules and techniques, you are all set to have a fun time.  

What is soccer? Here in America, for years and years, we have grown up playing baseball, basketball, football and hockey. However, around the world, soccer is head and shoulders above any other sport in terms of popularity. So, again, what is soccer? Well, having played for the past 20 years, I understand what all the hype is about. But, for the most part, Americans don’t. For that reason, the following is an introduction to the beautiful world of soccer.

Objectives 

Soccer, or football, as it is known around the world is relatively simple game to understand. However, it can be very difficult to play. The reason for this is the simple fact that participants must use their feet instead of their hands. Soccer is played with 11 players on each team and the game consists of two halves lasting 40 or 45 minutes (professionals play for 90 minutes altogether). The general positioning is as follows: 1 goalie, 4 defenders, 3 of 4 midfielders, and 2 or 3 forwards. 22 players may seem like a lot but soccer is played on a field larger than football field; up to 50 yards in width and 120 yards in length. The underlying objective of the game is to score more goals than your opponent. This is done by striking the ball past the aforementioned goalie into the goal. However, this seemingly menial task is much harder than it looks. One would think that kicking a ball into an 12 yard by 8 foot frame defended by a single player would be easy, but it is not. The main responsibility of scoring falls on the shoulder of the forwards. But, as they attempt to score, the defenders on the other team continually attempt to take the ball away from them. With so many players vying for possession of the ball, one may wonder if it is possible to score at all, seeing as how the players are expected to play with their feet; except of the goalie who can use his or her hands within 18 yards of the goal. So, how does one succeed at scoring? Essentially, the team that has the ball must play keep away from the other team while systematically moving their way up the field towards the opposing team’s goal. The brunt of the possession is held by the players known as midfielders. Why are they called midfielders? Because they play in the middle of the field. So, as the defenders defend the goal and the forwards try to score, the midfielders are the link between the two ends of the field. They receive the ball from the defenders who have taken it from their opponents and pass it to the forwards attempting to score.

Rules and Regulations

Attire: Soccer is played in shorts, knee-length socks and either short-sleeved or long-sleeved shirts.

Accessories: Each player must wear pads known as shin guards under neath his or her socks. Also, for official games, cleats, metal or molded, must be worn by each player.

Fouls: To best understand what is a foul and what isn’t, think of soccer as somewhere in between football and basketball. In american football, the defending player plays as physical as possible, whereas in basketball the slightest of touches is a foul. In soccer, you cannot totally pulverize the opponent, but some contact is acceptable. Whenever a foul is called, though, the penalized team must stand at least 10 yards away from the spot of the foul as the other team takes a “free” kick. If the foul is committed 18 yards or closer to the defending team’s goal, then a ”penalty” kick is given, in which any player on the team has a one-on-one shot against the goalie, 12 yards from the goal.

Out-of-bounds: If the ball goes out of bounds on either of the two long sides of the field, the team who did not kick it out gets a “thrown in”. Beside when the goalie defends the goal, this is the only part of the game when a player can use his or her hands. However, if the ball goes out of bounds over the short sides of the field behind the goal, the result will either be a “goal kick” or a “corner kick”. If the attacking team kicks the ball out, the defending team is awarded a goal kick, taken within 6 yards of the goal. If the defending kicks the ball out, the attacking team is awarded a corner kick, taken at one corner of the field or the other, depending on which side of the goal the ball goes out.

Offsides: To protect against “cherry picking”, soccer has an offsides rule. No attacking player can be behind the last defender and receive a pass from a teammate. When the pass is given, the attacking player must be at least even or in front of the last defender of the opposing side.

Well, that is a rudimentary description of the game. Obviously there is much more strategy involved than simply playing keep away and kicking the ball into the goal, but for now you are ready to play. So get to it!!         

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