What’s your footballing ‘gift’?
Having a gift for football can get you going in the sport as a youngster, but you need more than that to make it to the top of your game.
Pro players have to be ‘rounded’ and become great at everything to get to and stay in the top flight.
They have to develop fitness, awareness, technical skills, consistent attitude, and work on other (sometimes more natural) aptitudes – like bravery, determination, creativity.
One real joy of watching your team is discovering a new player and what they naturally bring to the team, then over time seeing them develop their game further.
A Natural Gift
Most successful players have at least one strength naturally – a football ‘gift’. It might appear to be natural, like being a fast runner, or having ‘quick feet’ or a good sense of balance. But most times this is something they’ve found they have an aptitude for and as a result have then worked hard at.
Looking back at my own footballing abilities, I wasn’t great at dribbling. Probably because as a girl in the 1970s I never grew up around other footballers enough to practice. But I could put in a good cross, after many hours of running down the wing on my own and putting in balls for imaginary team-mates! And I learnt how to make the most of a nifty Cruyff turn.
Sometimes this was enough to compensate for my inability to dribble, sometimes it wasn’t! I learnt how my best game was to put in a good through pass, or do a give and go, and I had fitness and speed to make this effective.
Use your brain as well as your feet
Remember that there’s more to being a good footballer than just being the one who is strong ‘on the ball’. Where you stand or run to help other players out, or keep defenders occupied, can be just as important. Understanding positional play and what different formations do, can give you great advantages.
So as a young player, make sure you know what you’re good at, but also what you need to work at.
Don’t be afraid to ask people if you’re not sure, and listen to your coaches – but don’t ever think you can’t improve.
Photo credit: https://www.pexels.com/@ashleyrae/
How can your #MountFooty help?
Why not print out your motivational quotes or your list of goals, slot them in the top picture frame, and keep referring to them, to keep focussed and improve your game.
