Practise From Home

JANUARY 2021

PRACTISE FROM HOME INSIDE THIS ISSUE WITH LOCKDOWNS AND A LACK OF GAME TIME LOOMING, WE TAKE A LOOK INTO HOW YOU CAN PRACTISE AT HOME, USING THIS TIME WITH LESS FOOTBALL AS AN ADVANTAGE IN YOUR TRAINING.

THE PLAYER DEVELOPMENT MAGAZINE

CONTENTS

PAGE 3 - WELCOME PAGE 4 - TRAINING AT HOME PAGE 11 - BALL MASTERY PROGRAMME PAGE 15 - FOLLOW US ON PAGE 16 - BALL MASTERY FOR JANUARY

WELCOME

It's the New Year and I had hoped, as with many others, that we would be having some better news, but with a new national UK lockdown, unfortunately it's not.

So because of that, we're taking a look at how you as a player can practise at home, using this time to help continue your development and improve your game.

Hopefully the magazine for this month will also provide some interesting thoughts and opinions for coaches who are looking to help their young players stay active and continue their training while schools are shut and football cancelled.

All is not lost though, we can still practise the game we love and keep involved with it, but it will just be different for a while.

I hope you all can keep safe and free from Covid-19 and enjoy the extra time that we may have at home.

Elliott Everson Owner, OpportunityElite

29 |Â Steam

WELCOME

TRAINING AT HOME With Lockdown looming and a lack of competitive football, training at home can step in, and help to fill the void.

Unfortunately, this odd time of lockdowns and restrictions is something that we're all getting used to.

Everyday life has been changed once again and there are many players out there

who will desperately miss their football.

But all is not lost though, there are still chances for us to practise, get touches on the ball, and enjoy working toward improving our games.

WHAT DO ALL THESE PLAYERS HAVE IN COMMON?

DEVELOPING

Although the vast majority of us would prefer to be out on the pitch, playing a match, or training against team-mates, we unfortunately can't at the moment.

But all is not lost and, in my opinion, there is actually a silver lining to this situation for young players.

It would be much better to be out there training and playing with and against other players, but now we have the chance to do something that can at times be overlooked.

Something that all the top players have in common...

PRACTISE ON YOUR OWN...

It can be difficult in everyday life. School or work commitments come first, team training may be happening and just the day to day can make it difficult to set out the time to practise and work on that left foot, something that you've been thinking about doing for ages.

But now, which is what I think is the sliver lining, we will potentially have more time to go out into the garden, or the park, to practise and improve our game.

This is what all the top players in the world have in common. The desire to work at their game, practising on their own.

These top players have a huge amount of natural talent, but one of my favourite quotes...

'Hard work beats talent, when talent doesn't work hard.'

Sums this up perfectly. The players who get further in the game, in the vast majority of cases, have all spent more time practising their game, spending time with the football, working on their game, enjoying the challenge of getting better.

I've read articles about Cristiano Ronaldo and his desire to improve.

He would be first in at training, and last out, starting in the gym to get stronger, and staying on the training pitches to perfect his dribbling and shooting techniques.

Even to this day, at an age where you feel he may be slowing down in his career, he is improving.

It's something that the very best realise they must do, and that is practise on their own.

Think of to this way: you have two players, both exactly the same in terms of physical, technical and psychological ability at the age of 10. One decides to practise on their own each day of the week, in addition to their club commitments, for half an hour, while the other just trains with their team, deciding not to practise on their own.

Cristiano Ronaldo would regularly stay behind after training to work on his game.

Which player would be better when they are 18?

Most likely the player who spent an hour practising by themselves, honing their game. That player is taking more touches on the ball, understanding how to manipulate it, control it, learning through their mistakes.

If you want to get better, and go further in the game, then practising on your own is crucial.

Right now we have more time than ever to do this, so the silver lining is just that.

Focus on developing your game, spend some time working on improving those areas that you have wanted to for some time. When this lockdown is over, and football returns, you will be a much better player for it.

It takes hard work, motivation on cold and windy days, but it will be all worth it in the long run. These top players still do it to this day, so it must be worthwhile!

You get out what you put in.

OUR AT HOME TRAINING PROGRAMME, DEVELOPING BOTH FOOTED PLAYERS, BALL MASTERY AND TECHNICAL SKILLS.

FIRST TWO SESSIONS FREE 50% DISCOUNT FOR THE DURATION OF THE UK LOCKDOWN. £4.99 ORIGINALLY, £9.99

I remember being a 14/15 year old player looking online for advice, training drills and skills that I could search for and use to practise my game. This was a good few years ago now, and there is a huge amount of content to use out there.

The more touches we can get on the ball, the better.

And there is actually a huge amount that we can do while at home.

We don't need a vast amount of space. Ball mastery practices and techniques can be done in very small areas, sometimes even inside.

But always make sure that you are safe and seek a parent’s or guardian’s advice before doing that!

Dribbling activities can be done with a few cones, or even none at all, just some quick changes of direction while keeping the ball under control.

We can also work on passing and first touch. During this time a ball and a wall can be the young player’s best friend. Passing the ball against the wall with both feet can really improve your technique and first touch.

There are so many things that we can do and we mustn't always think that we need to be on a football pitch, or in a large space, to do it.

It's not most important to have loads of equipment. We can do a lot with the ball.

For coaches who may be doing zoom sessions and group online training, it can be difficult, but ball mastery practices and techniques are great.

Anything that increases the player’s touches on the ball while giving them a good, fun, challenge is great!

Parents can help their children too, going in the garden and doing some dribbling activities, or playing 1v1 games with their kids. The main aspect is to help the kids have fun, keeping them motivated to get outside and play.

If there are players out there who really want to get better then this time will definitely help. Pay attention to what the best players do in their games and see if you can practise those skills and techniques.

Now is the time where you will really be able to see a difference if you take more touches on the ball and continue to enjoy developing your game.

It's not a great time, but there is the silver lining that any player can still get better at this moment in time.

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31 BALL MASTERY TECHNIQUES FOR JANUARY

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