Football skills

[d000hg]

I play football once a week with some mates. Nothing serious, but I'm getting annoyed with my lack of basic skills. I never played as a child and am so bad it's embarrassing.
I know practice is key, but I was wondering are there any sites which might have some real basics - the kind of thing you'd teach an 8-year-old, like where to stand when marking someone, what to look at (ball/player) when in goal, how to avoid missing the ball altogether when you try to collect a pass (yes really!)...

Help me

[jmo21]

No, the internet has no information like this.

It's just used for p0rn and email

[RichardCranium]

Is there a local amateur team you could join?

Just up the road from me are playing fields. Every Wednesday evening about 80 boys and men do football practice. It seems to consist of suppleness exercises, ball control, dribbling, shooting accuracy and other purely-football related exercises.

It's an impressive setup they have with 200 footballs out at once and the mini nets and all sorts of equipment.

The people range from about 6 years old to 50s. The skills seem to range from damned good to a bit crap.

I was tempted myself: it appears to be non-competitive.


Edit: Who am I kidding? Tempted? Fat chance. I get exhausted listening to them.

[Clippy]

I play football once a week with some mates. Nothing serious, but I'm getting annoyed with my lack of basic skills. I never played as a child and am so bad it's embarrassing.
I know practice is key, but I was wondering are there any sites which might have some real basics - the kind of thing you'd teach an 8-year-old, like where to stand when marking someone, what to look at (ball/player) when in goal, how to avoid missing the ball altogether when you try to collect a pass (yes really!)...

Help me

Please provide some video footage of your ineptitude on the football pitch in order that we can tailor advice accordingly.

[minestrone]

I play football once a week with some mates. Nothing serious, but I'm getting annoyed with my lack of basic skills. I never played as a child and am so bad it's embarrassing.
I know practice is key, but I was wondering are there any sites which might have some real basics - the kind of thing you'd teach an 8-year-old, like where to stand when marking someone, what to look at (ball/player) when in goal, how to avoid missing the ball altogether when you try to collect a pass (yes really!)...

Help me

You are Stuart Pearce and I claim my 5 penalty kicks.

[chris79]

What are you like in goal? Perhaps you should try that instead.

[RichardCranium]

Or leave your specs at home and be ref!

[d000hg]

What are you like in goal? Perhaps you should try that instead.

Worse, if anything. The idea of trying to get in the way of something coming towards be fast seems counter-intuitive.

Is there a local amateur team you could join?

No time. Right now, I'd just like to know a little bit what I am supposed to try and do, so I can make an effort to improve. Try as I might, when we play it never seems to get better. I'll try to collect a pass and manage to lift my foot over the ball... every time I try and take the ball past someone I invariably kick it straight into their feet, but when trying to tackle I don't even see the ball move before it's through my legs.

I am the archetypal geek who used to spend school football/rugby lessons freezing in the corner of the pitch in stupid shorts, hoping the ball wouldn't come near me. I'm not hopelessly unathletic but I simply didn't play any sport as a child and lack the basic skills... now as an adult I find most sports quite fun and I'm ok generally, but the average standard in the UK is relatively good because everyone played as a kid and has these basic skills of how to kick/receive a ball, etc.

[suityou01]

I used to play all the time as a kid, and was ok at football. I still play, (32) and am fat and useless by my lofty standards. You never lose your first touch though, so sometimes there is the odd fash of the old SY01.

Do you have any kids/nephews? They could teach you the basics? Or ask some of the team you play with to drill you in the basics. They should be willing, and anyone wanting to raise their game should be commended imvho.

Try and relax on the pitch.

[d000hg]

Try and relax on the pitch.

Good point. I view our Sunday kick-about with ambivalence, it's good exercise and I try to get into a positive frame of mind before-hand. I spend the first few minutes optimistically trying to get stuck in, but then it doesn't work and a)people stop passing the ball to me (not in a nasty way, I understandably just become the last resort to pass to) & b) I start to feel embarrassed and stop trying to get the ball since I know I'll stuff it up every time.