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Games of Knowledge | Sports and Exercise

Games of Knowledge and Games of Sport

Soccer Training Tips: 5 Simple Steps To Coaching Goalkeepers

| July 23, 2010

Soccer training tips

If you’re like me you probably know that soccer training tips for goalkeeper are of immense value since a goalie is the only player on the field who is allowed to touch the ball by both hands and arms.

For this reason, the soccer skills of a goalie give him an advantage over all the other players on the field. But this makes a coach’s job tougher and more complex when training goalkeepers for soccer.

Based on the method of play in soccer, goalkeepers are the first line of offense and last line of defense. They’re always ready to employ their body to stop the ball from entering the goal or to block it. They are ready to dive in any direction to catch hold of the ball.

Goalkeepers training for soccer on various techniques specific to their role and the level of their play can be extremely demanding. You must also keep in mind, his mental state when you are training him/ her on all important skills and techniques.

Soccer Training

The only player in the team who can match the vigor of a goalkeeper is the striker. In reality, many goalkeepers have already been great strikers at some point in their careers. You’ll observe that very often, it’s the goalies and forwards that get into a direct battle on the field, no matter what the level of competition.

When it comes to soccer training tips, staying balanced and knowing the center of gravity of the body is of the essence to the goalkeeper. This will benefit a game setting by enhancing the activity of a goalkeeper and the promptness of other players.

While a majority of goalkeepers are tall with big hands and long arms but even if it is not the case, they simply compensate for the lack of their physical attributes with good vertical and lateral mobility.

It is important for a coach to realize that goalies have a great sense of worth but still need to be motivated on a regular basis. Goalkeepers should perform soccer drills that improve upon their skills specific to their role in the game once they have finished doing regular warm up exercises with the team.

Because goalkeepers have a dominant personality and a sense of control, they are leaders of the team. So they must be supported by the rest of the team to successfully execute their role by being placed in a vocal and demonstrative capacity.

The ball can be handled by the goalie only in the 18 yard box. If there is anyone other than the goalie, who gets to touch the ball, the opponent team wins a free kick. It’s a penalty shoot from “the spot” in case of a goalkeepers’ team member.

So you should now concentrate on using these soccer training tips by encouraging the goalkeeper who leads the team inside the 18 yard box, and needs appreciation of remaining teammates. For more such training tips and coaching skills, subscribe to our youth soccer coaching community and get access to thousands of videos.

Andre Botelho is known online as “The Expert Youth Soccer Coach” and his free ebooks and reports have been downloaded more than 100,000 times. Learn how to skyrocket your players’ skills and make practice sessions fun in record time. Download your free ebook at: Soccer Drills.

 

NBA Betting: Secrets Of A Betting Guru

| July 23, 2010

With four teams remaining on the play board, the championship race for both Eastern Conference and Western Conference is almost drawing to its epic ending, simultaneously putting NBA betting at an all-time high. Yes, it is the National Basketball Association (NBA) post-season right now and we still have a balance of four teams looking for a slot in the NBA finals. Punters have just suffered a severe upset as the Bolton Celtics saw an early departure thanks to the Orlando Magic team- which also tells you how widely open the next few games are going to be.

On the Eastern Conference end, we have the Orlando Magic pitched against the Cleveland Cavaliers. We would be hard pressed to pick a winner because while Orlando Magic seems to have the winning touch with 59-13 regular record, the Cleveland Cavaliers have a record of 66-16 regular season record. Furthermore, the Cleveland Cavaliers happen to have another super weapon, and his name Lebron James.

According to the Best Betting Web Site (bestbetting.com), Cleveland Cavaliers are indeed slated to be the favourites to win the first Game. Incidentally, Game 1 is also played on Cleveland’s home arena. Having said that, the odd difference not in favor of Orlando Magic is a mere 9/2, hence making it a difficult result to call.

Now to give you another clue on how difficult it is to guess the winning team, the series opening odds had the Cleveland Cavaliers originally at a whopping -800 odds whereas the Orlando Magic had +500 odds! Many have commented that it was probably the absence of Kevin Garnett from the Boston Celtics that lead to its early exit . However, the bottom-line is that the Orlando Magic won over the injury-riddled Boston Celtics in not one, but seven games to get to the Eastern Conference finals.

On the other side of the ring, we have the shining Cleveland Cavaliers who so easily disposed of both the Detroit Pistons as well as the Atlanta Hawks. Their trail of blazing glory has also broke records as this is seemingly the best regular season ever for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Now that they have shown that the Cavaliers are a force to be reckon with, it is no wonder that many are placing bets on them to take the grand prize.

The Western Conference on the other hand has a hot showdown on its hands between the commercially successful Los Angeles Lakers and the Denver Nuggets. The Los Angeles Lakers have totalled a 65-17 regular season record whereas the Denver Nuggets have performed with a 54-28 regular season record. While the winner may seem clear, it is always good to note that the absence of Yao Ming has actually caused the Lakers to work extra hard to get to the top.

As the Lakers nurse the loss of one of their key players, the Denver Nuggets on the other hand are lead by a cool team pair made up of Camerlo Anthony and Chunacy Billups. This dreaded duo easily disposed of the New Orleans Hornets and the Dallas Mavericks despite the drama and controversy surrounding the matches. Punters and gamblers alike beware, as the Denver Nuggets look in tip top shape this season and have earned the right to be the very definition of speed and athleticism.

As of this moment, the opening series odds are favouring the Lakers to win the Western Conference over the Denver Nuggets. If you are fascinated in player betting, it is good to know that the player with the most points in either series is predicted to be either Lebron James, Kobe Bryant or Carmelo Anthony. Keep looking, reading and evaluating as the best time to commence NBA betting is in September or October.