Monday Training Session

This training session was dedicated to passing and I believe I did well considering most of my passes arrived at the intended place especially during the long passing exercise. However, this exercise has helped me realise that I need to improve on my confidence regarding short distance passing due to the fact that I don't always know what strength to apply to my passes.

I was able to apply these skills in a short game situation where our team won 4 - 0 in less than 5 minutes illustrating our rapid ability to apply our learned skills to a real situation. However, I think that I should try to improve my long through ball since that seems to be my issue when it comes to long balls. In order for this to happen, I will practice on lobbing the ball when I can so that I get used to the technique that must be applied for this.

Teaching Assistant Week 2

This Sunday, I once again helped at a assistant coach which was funner than last week due to the fact I was a lot more communicative and I look forward to seeing the people there again next week.

The reason for my success regarding people knowing me is due to the fact that I try out new dribbles with the ball in order to help me improve my touch with the ball which was an issue in the previous match our team played. However, I don't hog the ball nor do I keep it for very long. Instead, I pass it very often in order to give other people change with the ball so that they can improve and, more importantly, have fun.

I think that this service activity has helped me become a more caring and ethically aware person due to, not only the context of the activity, but also due to the fact that I consider the fact that this activity would not be fun for others if I was always trying to dribble people and keep the ball. This activity is about helping others improve in a sport they enjoy playing which, I find, is a great concept for me because I love playing football and helping others.

Football Match Friendly 2

We had another friendly match last Thursday which ended up with a draw 3 - 3 and has illustrated to our team that, even though we changed the team around, we can play well together if we try because the previous match portrayed us as individualistic rather than focusing on team play.

We played really well considering we were 3 - 1 down when there were only 15 minutes to be played. I think that I played my role well during this match and contributed well in the overall draw even though I played in an uncomfortable position which I had to place myself in because of the fact someone else wanted to play at left back instead of right back.

However, I still managed to move up with the ball well even though my control is still a bit clumsy which is due to the fact I haven't played on an actual football pitch of any sort for a long while (I normally play in a gym). Nevertheless, my touch was good most of the time even though sometimes I should have put my head up and looked for an easy pass instead of trying to dribble with the ball in defense which is very dangerous.

My passing and combinations with other players was very good because I always communicated well with my team and made my team mates aware of my position. However, I think that I should try to support the midfield and attackers a bit more due to the fact I am situated at the side which I didn't do as much of this match compared to the previous one therefore I shall ensure that I will try to do this in the next football fixture our team has.

Overall, during the next match I will try to run up and support our offensive players more in order to have to work under pressure which will hopefully increase the quality of my touch. I will also try to look up when I am on the ball more often in order to see who is open for a pass and actually pass it if I see an easier option than to run up with the ball.

Football Match Friendly

Yesterday, we had our first friendly home match which ended up with us losing 6 - 1. However, the score doesn't illustrate how well we played having never played as a team before.

In the first half, we were trailing 4 - 0 which illustrates how well we did in the second half. We played well as a team, trying out combinations and moving well with the ball, however, our possession was one of the issues that led to our failure considering we were on the defensive most of the time rather than on the offensive.

I played my role as a left back pretty well considering that I wasn't afraid to run up with the ball and go up to support the attacking midfield which is one of my roles as a left back. However, my touch and control was not at its best because I wasn't concentrated enough and I didn't look up enough. My passes were accurate even though there are several times that I could have released the ball instead of dribble with it.

In the next match, I will try to pass the ball more often and not be afraid to call for the ball back in order to get more opportunities on the ball and develop my skills. I will also try to concentrate more on my dribbling because it is one of my strong points and it is a way of developing my skills. Furthermore, I will go to the gym more often in order to work on my fitness and stamina considering I'm not at my best form right now which is a shame since I used to be a really good runner with high endurance. 

Teaching Assistant - I'm Lovin' it

This Sunday, I went to a football session for the service part of my CAS. This service involved playing football with children and adults with special needs and after doing this today, I will continue doing it every Sunday because it was such a great experience for me. It has helped me become aware of ethical issues and this is something that I have enjoyed doing because I get a feeling of doing something good.

I was able to become a much better communicator since I started talking to new people and build new relationships whilst doing something I enjoy. During this session, I was trying, with success, to be a team player rather than try to dribble everyone since this was the objective of this football session, to have fun. Today really helped me to be more caring, a team player and enjoy playing football instead of, during real matches, feeling stressed about how well I'm going to play.

Next week, I will try to be even more of a communicator on the pitch so that there is a sense of team spirit among my team.Furthermore, I will try to be more encouraging which would help me become more caring and more of a team player which is something that I want to become since it would also help me be more open and thus increase my communication skills.