World Cup June 27 Observations...American inferiority complex in soccer
Watched the World Cup for a while on Sunday June 27 2010.
First there was the England vs Germany game.
Rooney had an opportunity to cut to his left, instead he passed into the right corner. This may have looked good statistically and not excited the coach's ire, however burying the ball in the right corner makes things difficult for the team as a whole.
Then one of the England forwards, had the ball about ten yards from the Germany goal line. All that was between him and the goal was one German defender and the goalie. The German rushed at the Englander from the Englander's left. The Englander would have had a tremendous position if he had cut the ball to his left, contradicting the rush of the German. Instead he shot the ball into the body of the German defender who had rushed at him from his left.
I concluded that the English have not been practicing cuts to the left followed by: shot with left foot; or, pass with left foot; or, dribble with left foot; or, shot with right foot; or, pass with right foot; or, dribble with right foot.
As a player I spend almost all my time in the air, meaning the ball is off the ground. Thus I am different from your typical player. For me shooting with the right foot after slanting left is often a reasonable and effective alternative. Not sure to what extent a player who plays with the ball on the ground can shoot with the right after slanting with the left. But I thought I'd list the shoot with right after slanting left alternative anyway.
Next there was the Argentina vs Mexico game.
The Argentinians and the Mexicans impressed me with their skill when it come to trapping aerial passes that have been sent to them and that have traveled approx 50 meters, sometimes more, sometimes less.
I have lived in the U.S. since I was 5 years old, hence I am similar to Americans who were born in the U.S.A. I possess the American characteristic which is an inferiority complex when it comes to soccer. Watching the Argentinians and the Mexicans deftly trap the long aerial passes sent to them made me feel depressed and inferior.
Problem with this is that the feelings of inferiority are often delusional.
One of my high points since I began taking a serious interest in the sport of soccer, was the days during which I would do things like throw the ball at the wall, then intercept the rebound before it bounced, take control of the ball, and then commence an air-dribble in a predetermined direction, all without the ball touching the ground.
Note: air dribble for me, means moving horizontally 5 or more meters while keeping the ball close to the body but off the ground ( for me this has meant avoiding use of the head because such is easy, and avoiding use of the thighs because such is easy and slow).
Let's face it, what I did with the rebound off the wall, is harder than what the Americans impressed me with, which is their one touch passing that I earlier concluded they were too preoccupied with.
(Note: In the World Cup action Sunday there was a notable lack of one touch passing, I had said in my blog-post Saturday that the Americans had hurt themselves by overemphasizing one touch passing).
Today at practice a ball came at me, rebounding off the wall after I had shot it at the wall. I trapped it with ease, bringing it to a complete halt under my right foot (I am left footed), with one touch. It had flown at me at a high rate of speed without bouncing after rebounding off the wall about 15 meters away, after I had shot it at the wall. Then I realized that the sense of inferiority that ensued from watching the Argentinians and Mexicans display skill in trapping long aerial passes, was a delusion.
Earlier a few weeks ago I (May 30 entry soccer log) had had a dream in which these Spanish and Black players were air-dribbling the ball with their thighs at a high rate of speed. They would run at a fast speed, with the ball touching their thighs every two or three paces; they seemed to be angels; the ball never touched the ground; I felt as if I would never be able to do what they did.
Then in real waking life I attempted to do what 'the angels' had done in the dream, in the gym at the Waltham Y. I found I was able to do the same thing that they had done at the same speed. But when I had the dream I felt like they were better than me and that I was unable to do what they had done.
Such is the American inferiority complex in soccer.
As for Perez' tremendous goal that his fellow Catholic TV announcer Ambrosino crowed about as being in the upper 90s in mph speed, given how the Jabulani World Cup 2010 ball is (June 25 entry soccer log) faster than the Replique of the 2006 World Cup, Perez' excellent shot would have been at just around 80 mph with the Replique of 2006 that I have been practicing with up till Friday. Yet Perez and Argentina showed intelligence in that they seem to have realized that the Jabulani travels faster and taken advantage of the fact.
@2010 David Virgil Hobbs
First there was the England vs Germany game.
Rooney had an opportunity to cut to his left, instead he passed into the right corner. This may have looked good statistically and not excited the coach's ire, however burying the ball in the right corner makes things difficult for the team as a whole.
Then one of the England forwards, had the ball about ten yards from the Germany goal line. All that was between him and the goal was one German defender and the goalie. The German rushed at the Englander from the Englander's left. The Englander would have had a tremendous position if he had cut the ball to his left, contradicting the rush of the German. Instead he shot the ball into the body of the German defender who had rushed at him from his left.
I concluded that the English have not been practicing cuts to the left followed by: shot with left foot; or, pass with left foot; or, dribble with left foot; or, shot with right foot; or, pass with right foot; or, dribble with right foot.
As a player I spend almost all my time in the air, meaning the ball is off the ground. Thus I am different from your typical player. For me shooting with the right foot after slanting left is often a reasonable and effective alternative. Not sure to what extent a player who plays with the ball on the ground can shoot with the right after slanting with the left. But I thought I'd list the shoot with right after slanting left alternative anyway.
Next there was the Argentina vs Mexico game.
The Argentinians and the Mexicans impressed me with their skill when it come to trapping aerial passes that have been sent to them and that have traveled approx 50 meters, sometimes more, sometimes less.
I have lived in the U.S. since I was 5 years old, hence I am similar to Americans who were born in the U.S.A. I possess the American characteristic which is an inferiority complex when it comes to soccer. Watching the Argentinians and the Mexicans deftly trap the long aerial passes sent to them made me feel depressed and inferior.
Problem with this is that the feelings of inferiority are often delusional.
One of my high points since I began taking a serious interest in the sport of soccer, was the days during which I would do things like throw the ball at the wall, then intercept the rebound before it bounced, take control of the ball, and then commence an air-dribble in a predetermined direction, all without the ball touching the ground.
Note: air dribble for me, means moving horizontally 5 or more meters while keeping the ball close to the body but off the ground ( for me this has meant avoiding use of the head because such is easy, and avoiding use of the thighs because such is easy and slow).
Let's face it, what I did with the rebound off the wall, is harder than what the Americans impressed me with, which is their one touch passing that I earlier concluded they were too preoccupied with.
(Note: In the World Cup action Sunday there was a notable lack of one touch passing, I had said in my blog-post Saturday that the Americans had hurt themselves by overemphasizing one touch passing).
Today at practice a ball came at me, rebounding off the wall after I had shot it at the wall. I trapped it with ease, bringing it to a complete halt under my right foot (I am left footed), with one touch. It had flown at me at a high rate of speed without bouncing after rebounding off the wall about 15 meters away, after I had shot it at the wall. Then I realized that the sense of inferiority that ensued from watching the Argentinians and Mexicans display skill in trapping long aerial passes, was a delusion.
Earlier a few weeks ago I (May 30 entry soccer log) had had a dream in which these Spanish and Black players were air-dribbling the ball with their thighs at a high rate of speed. They would run at a fast speed, with the ball touching their thighs every two or three paces; they seemed to be angels; the ball never touched the ground; I felt as if I would never be able to do what they did.
Then in real waking life I attempted to do what 'the angels' had done in the dream, in the gym at the Waltham Y. I found I was able to do the same thing that they had done at the same speed. But when I had the dream I felt like they were better than me and that I was unable to do what they had done.
Such is the American inferiority complex in soccer.
As for Perez' tremendous goal that his fellow Catholic TV announcer Ambrosino crowed about as being in the upper 90s in mph speed, given how the Jabulani World Cup 2010 ball is (June 25 entry soccer log) faster than the Replique of the 2006 World Cup, Perez' excellent shot would have been at just around 80 mph with the Replique of 2006 that I have been practicing with up till Friday. Yet Perez and Argentina showed intelligence in that they seem to have realized that the Jabulani travels faster and taken advantage of the fact.
@2010 David Virgil Hobbs
posted by David Virgil at 1:33 AM
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