Out of Africa - My First SoccerFit Session (by Anand Sundaresan, Guest Blogger)

Having grown up initially in Zambia in southern Africa my football skills were formed from street football
involving kicking a ball (made from plastic bags and rubber bands) and
learning dribbling skills from the kids in my neighbourhood. Footballs
were hard to come by and coaches in schools or otherwise were non existent.
I've somehow managed to play some level of recreational competitive football
(of very dubious quality) based on these street honed skills. So
when I heard of SoccerFit which was an opportunity to learn soccer skills
that I had never formally learned before and stay fit at the same time,
I was excited.

The first session required a bit of motivation in dragging my lazy ass out of bed earlier on a Saturday
morning for a 9 AM start and also meant going easy on the drinks on Friday
evening. However once I had dragged myself to the field in Randwick, I found
a very well organised session which reminded me of the training sessions
you see on T.V. when they are interviewing players. Even better was the
enthusiasm of the participants. We had a diverse group (moms, men with
kids, singles and DINKs) who all enjoyed football and the group environment. Once
I'd managed to shake off that weekend morning daze and worked out the sequence
of some of the drills, it was a great session. The pace was just right
and we gradually got warmed up and nimble before we did the more extensive
drills. Our trainer was incredibly encouraging even when we were probably
screwing up the drills completely. The two touch no contact
game at the end was great fun and you are forced to learn ball skills in
passing and moving into space as otherwise you lose the ball. You also
have to learn to communicate really well with your team mates and be there
to support them always.

At the end of it , the most exciting
part of it was I feel like I'm learning a new skill, even though I have
been playing this game for years. I have formed the conclusion that if you have not played before, or for a long time, SoccerFit makes football refreshing
and fun.

Visit the SoccerFit website : www.soccerfit.com.au

DISCLAIMER NOTICE : All data and information provided on this site is for informational
purposes only. SoccerFit (the organisation) makes no representations as to
accuracy, completeness, currentness, suitability, or validity of any
information on this site and will not be liable for any errors,
omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or
damages arising from its display or use. All information is provided on
an as-is basis.

Stretching is a big help at SoccerFit (by Cate Cahill Guest Blogger)

Soccer involves a lot of powerful and unique movements. Whether jumping for a header, changing direction or sudden sprints, the body is constantly moving in a way that is potentially damaging to muscles if the body has not been properly conditioned. This is why we take the time to warm up for SoccerFit.

An important part of the warm up is stretching. This is when we loosen stiff muscles and try to expose them to movement. Recent studies have favoured dynamic stretching over static stretching as an effective preventative to injury for sports that involve powerful movements.

Dynamic stretching involves movement whereas static stretching is standing still, typically, and leaning into stretches. For soccer some of the best dynamic stretches involve skipping (for calf muscles), ankle rotations, gentle changes of direction while jogging, swinging or kicking the legs from small arcs and gradually increasing, swinging legs sideways, walking lunges (hamstrings, hip flexors), running with high knees, running with butt kicks, and not to forget the rest of the body - arm circles, body rotations, neck circles ad so on.

Static stretches still have a place especially for relaxing the muscles. They should always be done when the body is warmed up. They are useful for the end of training or after a game. Some people prefer a mix of static and dynamic stretches before exercise. If it works for you...!

The beauty of Dynamic Stretching is that it can be incorporated into the warm up phase, keeping constant movement of the body, without having to stop completely to stretch. Dynamic Stretching is the most effective "wake up" for muscles before more intensive exercise and soccer games.

(Picture SoccerFit Randwick - Ankle Circles)

Women in a league of their own

Football Federation Australia (FFA) and Westfield this week announced a landmark agreement in support of the fastest growing team sport for women in the country – women’s football.

The Westfield Group’s support involves women’s football ranging from the Westfield Championship for Girls, the establishment of a new national women’s league known as the Westfield W-League, and the national women’s team to be known as the Westfield Matildas.

Westfield has also extended its partnership in respect of the Qantas Socceroos and the Hyundai A-League.

“We are delighted to announce this new and historic agreement for women’s football,” said FFA CEO Ben Buckley.

“Women’s football is a big growth sport which is enjoyed by many girls and women and watched by many mums and grandmothers each weekend, and it’s terrific to have the support of Westfield in our efforts to grow and develop the sport even further.”

Buckley said that women’s football has enjoyed an average annual growth rate of 6.3% over the past five years, especially on the back of the performance of the Matildas in the Women’s World Cup in 2007.

“The Westfield Matildas are one of the highest achieving sporting teams in Australia, having made four Women’s World Cup tournaments and several Olympic Games, and football offers a unrivalled career path for talented elite women athletes,” Buckley said.

Read the rest of this article at Football Australia’s website

(photo by Koichi Kamoshida © Getty Images)

Passing to a Player on the Run (by Cate Cahill Guest Blogger)

If you are passing to an open player who is moving into an open space, it is crucial to play the ball in front of her. If you play it toward where her feet are at the moment you strike the ball, by the time the ball gets to her a second or two later it will be behind her.

So play the ball ahead of the player on the move. The faster she is moving, the further ahead she will need the ball to be. Always try to play a ball so that the player receiving it will not have to break or adjust her stride pattern to receive the pass.