...Soccer players are athletes, but unlike a 100m runner where there is explosive speed for 10 seconds in a straight line, there are many other abilities that soccer players need to develop.

Here are 5 key soccer related speed abilities that you should develop in your players.

#1 - Speed of thought

Soccer players have a great deal to concentrate on. There senses are constantly being blitzed with information, which they need to quickly decipher. Here are some examples:

- Where opponents are positioned

- Actions of their team mates

- What's infront of them and their peripheral vision

- The conditions of the pitch and the weather

- The noise from team mates, crowd, coaches and opponents

- Their tactical position and the strategy of the team

#2 - Speed of anticipation

Some players have a great reading of the game. I have a friend who although he is now in his late 40's early 50's still plays regularly and competes well with players half his age!

How does he do this... because he's played soccer all his life at professional and international level he has built a huge database in his brain of playing situations, player characteristics, tactical situations etc. and he is able to draw on this which gives him superb speed of anticipation.

Sure for explosiveness and reaction times the younger players would win every time, but as the old saying goes..."the first couple of yards are in the head!".

So here it is important that players develop a knack of interpreting the actions of the opponents and what that means to the games development.

#3 - Speed of reaction

As mentioned in the last bullet, speed of reaction is vital.

Anticipation is one thing, being able to react quickly is another.

Consider the role of the goal keeper, their reaction time to a sudden shot, deflection, switch in angle of attack, flight of the ball must be very acute.

But how does a goal keeper react and what...more

Soccer Team Strategy With 5-5 Positional Set Up

.../p>5, midfielders,

Two outside/wing players who dominate the sides of the field. They also act as attackers creating many scoring opportunities for their teams.

These are hard working players and a usually super-fit. However sometimes after a few runs on the side these two can switch with the two inside players for a rest.

If this is possible, the team can keep their opponents confused and always looking for changing plays and positions.

This type of positonal play can not be defended by a man-on-man team defense. This requires a good zone defense and a constantly communicative team.

The 2 inside players are usually defensive in ...more

Soccer Jerseys - A Fad among Soccer Lovers

...or a jersey of your favorite soccer team or player at the nearby sports apparel store, departmental store or online sports apparel stores. If you are on a lookout for authentic jerseys, you should contact the sports store or the team's store selling the official gear. It is better to buy sports apparel at least two months before the start of the soccer season. That time the stores have fresh stock of sports merchandise and you can pick a good jersey of your favorite soccer team.

...more

A Superbowl Victory

... being a team player for God, you have to recognize the authority of Christ as your leader. You have to learn to humble yourself and serve Him by serving others. You can no longer be in the center spot light. But just as Big Ben gets most of the attention, he could not have done that one important play without the help of Heinz Ward. We need Christ to partner with us also in order to make our winning touchdowns! We can't do this game without the help of our Christian team players. God gives us pastors, preachers, teachers to talk with us and give us the rules to His game. If the football players didn't listen to their coaches, they would not be playing pro footabll. We must learn to respect the authority of those He puts in our lives. Our time of study and meditation takes alot of practice in order to get it just right. It doesn't all happen over night, or even in one lifetime. But the most important thing to remember is to keep doing what you're doing. It takes dilegence, patience, time, practice, and endurance. It's not a question of ever giving up. Yes, it's a hard road, but it's worth it in the end. Just ask any of the Steelers. They kept their eyes on the prize and now can say the acheived it! And I can't help but believe that they give all the credit to the Lord for their victory. God honors this.

"For whatever is born of God is victorious over the world; and this is the victory that conquers the world, even our faith. Who is it that is victorious over the w...more

Yoga Journal S Yoga For Meditation