My First SoccerFit Session (by Elaine Chang, Guest Blogger)

Joggers, socks, shorts, t-shirt et voila. Mr. SoccerFit says that’s all I’ll be needing today. I could have also brought along my brother’s old but trusty size 5 Paul’s Warehouse-soccer ball, but I wasn’t sure it would be good enough as it has recently grown a tiny nose – Mr. SoccerFit later tells me that it would have been fine. I might brave the fight for space on public transport next time and bring my nose-ball.

The green spread of the playing area greets my office-sore eyes. While the sky has been a little weepy, the ground isn’t sodden and Mr. SoccerFit has thoughtfully sent round a confirmation SMS to let everyone know that SoccerFit is still on that afternoon. In any case I’m not going to let a little damp grass get in the way of my introduction to the world of soccer, or fitness, or at least my attempt to get there.

As I approach I spot our trainer bouncing a ball up and down on his knees while talking to a girl with a blond ponytail – who is dressed in much groovier soccer regalia than my own (obviously someone who has played for a club before). I get closer and see that she is pulling her socks up over shin pads. Wow, she looks tough. I’ve only got anklets.

“Hello! Is this SoccerFit?”

“Yes, you’ve come to the right place.” the trainer smiles at me. “This is Mira. ” He stopped juggling for a moment to introduce the pretty girl, decked out in black gear, who looks like she means business, soccer business. He continued, “This will be the first lesson for everyone in this group, so you’ll all be in the same boat here. I’ll be coaching you this afternoon.”

After some preliminary chit-chat about the weather, and exchanging stories of how we heard about SoccerFit (me, through a friend who plays in Coogee; Mira via a friend who’s played in the city) and if we’ve ever played soccer before (me, no, unless you count a couple of PE games at my all-girls high-school where five girls kicked a ball around a field while another 15 class-members feigned moving around in shady patches). More SoccerFit people soon arrived and we got started on warming-up and stretching. We then went straight into the technique drills that take up the first half of the session.

I say technique drills, but they were sweat-inducing jogs up and down the field that required us to reach down to touch the grass, skip sideways in a line, change directions, change directions again then jump up to pretend to head a ball… etc. We dribbled balls around cones with different parts of our feet, passed balls to a partner, attempted to dribble our balls past our partner, and finally tried some group-passing exercises. With all the passing drills, the trainer made us yell the name of the person to whom we were sending the ball; this turned out to be handy preparation for ball-passes in the second half of the class: a noisy game of basic-rules soccer.

The basic-rules for our SoccerFit game included:

- no balls above waist height (a protective measure for beginners like me),

- only two consecutive touches of the ball permitted per player (to prevent ball-hogging, or rather to encourage ball-sharing),

- no scoring from beyond the half-way line (not sure why?), and

- no contact (thank god, that Mira girl was nice but still tough).

Apart from some anxious moments of not being entirely sure in which direction I was supposed to be scoring (we’d just changed direction and I was adrenalin-charged), I managed to score one goal and I was left feeling more delightfully exhausted and sweaty than I’d been for possibly a year! I was a little winded but mostly amazed. This was going to be brilliant exercise.

After our warm-down, we packed up shop, someone kindly handing me a WetOne and a stick of gum, and another person offering a few of us a lift to the train station. What a nice group of people. I would certainly be coming back for more.

To visit the SoccerFit website, please click here

SoccerFit Solo - a real calorie-burner

So you're going to one of our regular SoccerFit group sessions, or benefitting from the dedicated services of our specialist SoccerFit 1-2-1 Personal Trainers, what else can you do? Well, lots really, in fact, try SoccerFit Solo - getting out there on your own, just you and your football, and working hard, on your juggling, your tricks, dribbling, weaving, heading and just having some great fun. Even half an hour of SoccerFit Solo a day work will really zap those calories and help with weight control efforts. And the other amazing thing...it's absolutely free, it doesn't cost a cent.

This I think is one of the great undiscovered benefits of soccer, possibly moreso than any other sport. Because so much emphasis in soccer is on close in control of the ball with the legs (and other body parts), there is an enormous range of moves and body actions that one can apply to maintain ball control. The greater the range of actions, and the expertise with which you can implement them, the better your in-game performance can get (if indeed you wish to play competitively, or even socially). Many ball control actions place a high energy demand on your body and generally, the more complex the movement, the more energy your body must output - this is where some serious calorie burning can kick in.

A small experiment I often run at our SoccerFit sessions demonstrates this principle in a very simple way. Firstly we run with speed over a short distance (30 metres or so) turn and run back to the original starting point. We then effectively repeat the exercise, but this time dribbling a ball and maintaining close control over it. Although this is at a slower pace than the first activity, when it is completed I ask the participants which felt more challenging. The majority typically say that the latter activity using the ball was significantly more intensive.

I am not suggesting that all fitness activities need to be intensive - generally a balanced mix of light and heavier activities make for a great workout - but if time is short, and you want to achieve a raised level of intensity, a 20 or 30 minute SoccerFit Solo session is a great option.

Not to mention that well-executed control skills are the most beautiful facet of the game. We all gasp in admiration when Portugal's Christian Ronaldo dodges effortlessly past a handful of big-name professional defenders and slides the ball with pin-point accuracy past an equally world-famous goalkeeper. Though very few people can ever expect to approximate the skills of Christian Ronaldo, at a more basic level, we can all work on our skills as a way to enrich our love and appreciation of the game.

There is an endless amount of things to try during SoccerFit Solo, and if you are ever short of inspiration, please feel free to ask our SoccerFit trainers for a new drill or a new juggling style to try.

Please observe suitable health and safety precautions when undertaking any form of exercise or physical acitivity. Click here to access the SoccerFit Health Safety and Risk Awareness Guidelines.

To visit the SoccerFit website, please click here

Things to consider when buying a football...

1. Beginners should consider a size 5 ball (the biggest standard sizing) as these may be easier to control. Experienced players may wish to consider a size 3 or 4 or even a mini-ball as these, being more challenging to control, can stimulate skill development. Futsal (a popular indoor version of socccer) balls are heavy and do not bounce very well - these are best purchased only if you wish to focus on the indoor game.
   
2. Although it's a personal preference, and quite subtle, if the skin of the ball is 'grippy' rather than 'shiny', it can be a little bit easier to control. This may not be immediately obvious, but if you juggle (or kick to hand) the ball a few times, you may notice the difference.
   
3. The colour or design of the ball probably makes no difference to it's flight characteristics or how it feels, but at the same time, to 'enhance the karma in your personal universe', pick a colour or design that you like. Though colour seems irrelevant, many experienced players voice the opinion that they don't feel comfortable playing matches with anything other than a white ball.
   
4. Official FIFA regulations say that a ball should be pumped to between 9 and 11 pounds of pressure per square inch. This can feel heavy to play with (especially if you've got small feet), and can sometimes hurt your toe if you miskick, so for training purposes, consider letting some air out. This may have the added benefit that the softer ball 'sits' better on the foot/boot when juggling or dribbling. Heading overpumped balls is not only uncomfortable, it's downright dangerous.
   
5. For practice purposes, a training ball, not a match ball, may be advised. Training balls are significantly cheaper and may be easier to use.
6. Consider the conditions you'll be using the ball in. If you intend doing plenty of wall work (i.e. practising striking the ball against a concrete wall using a wide variety of techniques) then the ball is going to suffer much wear and tear. Some balls suffer this better than others. There is no rule of thumb here but good advice may be to experiment with less expensive balls.
7. Buy a pump as well. A highly recommended model that is currently sold in high street shops allows you to store the valve in the head of the pump when you're not using it. This can be handy if you are in the habit of forgetting where you last left your valve (regrettably this can happen an awful lot).
8. World Cup Replica balls are typically great looking and very attractively packaged, but they may not possess any of the desirable properties of their high-tech counterparts.
   

Please feel free to put forward any additional suggestions you would like as a blog comment, or email info@soccerfit.com.au

Regards,

Liam O'Duibhir, Director, SoccerFit

To visit the SoccerFit website, please click here

Matildas' Joy, Foster's Angst

Well Done Matildas (Australian Womens' World Cup Team '07)

Australian soccer storms on to the global stage yet again. What an excellent high-quality game of football that was between Norway and Australia's Matildas yesterday.

Norway looked so solid in the first half after a well-worked goal gave them the lead just five minutes into the game. Australia battled but didn't look to have the 'something extra' that would get them on the score-sheet.

But that all changed in the second half. There had been much pre-match talk of the 'impact players' that the manager had at his disposal on the bench - Lisa De Vanna and Sarah Walsh. Their inclusion in the second half transformed the Australians from likely valiant losers to real contenders, but the agonising wait for an equaliser took until 9 minutes from full-time. A superb mid-range effort from Lisa De Vanna left the keeper with no chance after dazzling the Norwegian defence with her blistering pace and neat footwork. It was no mean achievement as the Norwegians had up to that point defended in numbers and closed down space very efficiently within the 18-yard area.

Others to impress were Garriock and McCallum - two skillful players with a tremendous work rate and play-making instincts. The team as a whole have a ring of confidence that suggests they will not be intimidated by some of the bigger names in the tournament. One more point from the group and they are through to the knockout stages. Here's hoping...

Ouch!!! Foster dishes it to Arnold

With all the euphoria surrounding the Matildas, spare a thought for ex-Socceroos boss Graham Arnold, who yesterday copped a savage appraisal of his abilities as an international coach from SBS pundit Craig Foster (Sydney Morning Herald Sun 16th Sept - http://www.smh.com.au/news/football/arnold-not-worthy-of-the-socceroos/2007/09/15/1189277042479.html ). Despite the poor performance of the Socceroos in the recent Asian Cup, the general consensus appeared to be that Arnold had contended well with all of the peculiar difficulties associated with being the Aussie manager keeping the seat warm for whatever big gun from Europe would eventually swoop in to save the day (as Guus Hiddink did last year).

Not so, according to Foster. Amongst his many ills, Foster appears to suggest that Arnold was generally out of his depth, was off-side with the players and didn't have the technical or tactical nous to react to unfamiliar situations.

Fair enough, Foster is wholly entitled to that view, but, I find it a curious thing to see such a high-profile soccer spokesperson going so publicly on record to dismiss Arnold's managerial credentials. One can admire Foster telling it like he sees it, but what is his objective with such vehement criticism, especially now that Arnold is officially no longer in the job?

Are we on the cusp of yet another ding-dong SBS/Socceroo coach spat a la Andrew Orsatti and Frank Farina?

It certainly makes for lively reading? Australian soccer is in an interesting and dynamic place right now!

To visit the SoccerFit website, please click here

Community Aligned Non-Elite Sport

Hello and welcome to the SoccerFit Blog,

I hope this blog provides an interesting narrative on all things related to SoccerFit. I will definitely try to stay ‘on message’ but please bear with me if I go off on a tangent every so often.

The programme continues to expand into new locations and this is particularly pleasing to myself and others involved in SoccerFit.

Fitness Skill And Teamplay

Our aim from day one has been to give as many people as possible the opportunity to experience the fitness, skill and teamplay aspects of soccer. In emphasizing fitness, skill and teamplay, SoccerFit distinguishes itself from competitive soccer. We leave it to local, regional and national representative soccer bodies to facilitate those seeking a competitive outlet.

However, regular players of the game (socially or competitively) can and do derive enormous benefits from SoccerFit - it's a great way to maintain fitness, stay mentally sharp, and work on some key elements of game performance.

It's also worth noting that many SoccerFit participants do make the transition from SoccerFit to suitable levels of competitive soccer, so clearly, as well as being a great fitness workout, the programme complements very well the popular competitive leagues running throughout Australia.

Introducing CANES - Community Aligned Non-Elite Sport (CANES)

SoccerFit does not have a minimum fitness or skill requirement in order to participate. Everyone and anyone can join in. It is a non-elite sports and fitness format that is accessible to the whole community. We call this concept Community Aligned Non-Elite Sports, or CANES for short.

When people think of ‘elite’ sports, they generally have televised professional sports in mind. The athletes that participate at these levels are a rare breed – think Juninho, Adam Goodes, Jonathon Thurston, Lauren Jackson – we love to watch and admire these high performers. At best, I expect only 0.01% of the entire human population can realistically aspire to ever perform at this level.

But what about those competing at state, regional or even the lower divisions of local club competitions that don’t typically make it on to our television screens? What percentage of the population can hope to participate at these levels? Again it’s a relatively small number, probably less than 1% of the total population.

Where does this leave the other 99% of the population in regard to participation in sports-oriented activities? Of course not everyone in this group is interested in sports, or even in getting fit, but in line with the CANES approach, it is primarily to this large non-elite group that programmes like SoccerFit try to appeal. It seems almost bizarre to say it, but this group is a forgotten majority. Sport by it’s very nature is elitist (that’s why we love it), but its positive benefits, in particular fitness, skill and teamplay, should be available to all.

The CANES approach to increasing participation in sport and encouraging a more active lifestyle, with the benefits that this can have in tackling health issues such as the much-talked about obesity epidemic, is worthy of consideration at government level.

I welcome your comments.

Regards,

Liam O'Duibhir, Director, SoccerFit

To visit the SoccerFit website, please click here