Chasing the Dream of Football Pro – The Diary of a Teen trying to make it

So following on from today’s other post,
I had a rocky week this week. Only trained on Tuesday and Wednesday as I got a slight strain on my knee from doing some stretching exercises on Wednesday night. Going through the days here were the key points..

Wednesday:
Passing against bench exercise with more pace.
Need to have quicker legs in trampoline sprinting exercise.
Following and man marking has to be better for defending.
Awareness and one touch passing was good.

Saturday’s Game:
The Big Thing That Needs Improvement:
- Taking players on one-on-one, especially with left foot. [I was playing on the right and left wings and was far too slow with taking the ball up, passing and taking players on].
- Shooting was appalling. 2 shots on target, 3 shots way off target.
- Crossing with left foot needs way more improvement.
- Getting back for Tackles, and especially slide tackles were great.

Now, I also have noticed how much training really does relate to games. Everything, the way I pass the ball, how fast I take the ball up the field, how fast for me it takes to get back to defend. I somehow thought that when you’re in a game situation it’s different but really it’s exactly the same. My coach was saying this before, but I didn’t really understand it until now.

I also find that the things you learn while watching games really does make a difference to how you play, from the way you position your body to where you pass, yeah all I have to say is that watching lots of premier league games has made me smarter in football

Two weeks before England, I have to buckle down right now and prepare properly because if i’m not at my best at 100% before going, than how will I really know how I measure up to these english players.

Stay tuned for more.

Nicky Weeks Reflection game, intelligence, review, slide, tackles, weekly

This is my Ultimate Footballers Experience:

These quotes are by champions and remind to keep on track of my goal:

Nicky Confidence, Concentration, Goals, Success, Determination goal, motivation, success

Just watched Hull City v Chelsea, 1-1 disappointing if we want to win the title.

So the biggest problem in training for me today was keeping the ball under close control. Javier Mascherano talks about how he keeps the ball under close control, another good video from nikefootball.

• Keep on your toes.
• Be aware of the players around you before receiving.
• Take the ball away from the closest player, away from danger.

Nicky Uncategorized 1-1, chelsea, control, hull city, mascherano, nikefootball

Hmm.. what to say about this week.
Going through the days I found

Tuesday:

• More determination to do better in long fitness exercise in training

Wednesday:

• Long passing accuracy can be improved
• Left foot finishing needs improvement
• Short touches with the ball again needs more improvement

Thursday:

• Running at high pace needs to have more smaller touches for more control

Looking at what i’ve wrote the last few weeks, working on having smaller touches looks like the biggest concern. So next week i’ll focus on keeping smaller touches! I wish I could work on this stuff at the oval near my house, but it’s snowed down like crazy the last few days.

So I Couldn’t train on Saturday or today because I slightly sprained my toe, hopefully it gets better by tomorrow.

It’s probably because i’ve kicked my mini ball all around the house alot this past week before school and after trainings. What Will Smith said about “working when the other dude is sleeping” has made me think and realise that to go where I want to go I gotta “work on my football skills while the other dudes are sleeping” .

Fresh new week from Monday, I got a game on Saturday to top it off. Lovin it.

Nicky Weeks Reflection academy, football, review, soccer, weekly

This was actually taken back in November but it’s only now i’ve edited it and stuff. Anyway it shows some OK bits when I was kicking the ball with my Dad on a Sunday arvo for about half an hour. Dad’s a useless keeper. Also has some ‘inspirational photos’ and such. Anyway here you go:

Nicky Confidence, Concentration, Goals, Success, Determination academy, footballcv, humphries, new, nick, video, wimbledon

So last night after watching Will Smith’s video on wisdom, I became really motivated. I have this red, mini football I got from my club’s Christmas party.  I set a unreasonable target for myself that I would get 100 juggles with this mini ball by the end of the night. I could barley do 10 or 15 kick ups to start, my record was probably about 20, but I never stopped believing that I wouldn’t get 100 and eventually I got closer and closer until around two hours later YES! I got over 100 juggles.

So basically what seemed like an impossible task to start wasn’t actually impossible at all, it was just a state of mind.

I have also just come back home from a pretty hard fitness training, I hate them so much but I have realised that in order for me to become one of the best players that ever lived I need to have tough mental challenges for myself and so things like that is good for me and now I am enjoying it, that while i’m going through physical exhaustion that the exhaustion is just a state of mind, by body telling me that I can’t keep going. But in truth I can and like Will Smith says “I’m not afraid to die on the treadmill” ha ha

Nicky Confidence, Concentration, Goals, Success, Determination fitness, football, humphries, nick, state of mind, training

Will Smith is a man of his success. I think his philosophy that he outlines in this video is 101% true of all top successful people. Just watch this video, it may change your life.

Two favourite quotes I found:
“You might have more talent than me, you might be smarter than me but if we get on the treadmill together i’m gonna die! It’s that simple.”

“I hate being scared of something.. the only fear you have of fear, is fear itself”.

I was kind of scared going into the next two weeks of fitness in training. Now I know there is nothing to fear and that i’m willing to go all out and die to be noticed as the hardest working footballer there is.

Nicky Confidence, Concentration, Goals, Success, Determination fear, football, scared, smith, soccer, success, successful, will

Another week passes, finished this years first game a couple of hours ago and now i’m catching up on some last minute homework.

Starting off with the game which is the freshest in my mind at the moment, I think I played good. We won 8-0 against a pretty average team. I first assisted a goal from taking a corner kick and then scored a one on one, I had just one other shot on goal. My goal came from the determination to score as I made a run through the middle of defence and received a through ball which paid off when I nutmegged the keeper. What I did well was making runs with the ball, tackling and touch was good.

If we look at my main focuses for improvement:

1. ONE ON ONE FINISHING
2. PLAYING PACE
3. DECISION MAKING
4. FIRST TOUCH

I think all of these things were done ok – good in the game which this game I guess shows i’ve done a little improvement in those areas.

On the negative side, there wasn’t too much. Positioning could of been a a little quicker in some cases, I think I should of made more runs and received passes through the middle of the pitch, too one sided. I also didn’t feel as though I was really, really important like if I was Rooney when he scored those 4 goals. I want to mean much more to my coach and in my football so I think I just got to take my game to the next level as if I were just untouchable on and off the ball.

But going back earlier in the week here is what I reflected on in trainings, the fitness side of things is postponed until this coming week:

Tuesday:

• Improving my playing intelligence of the game
• Knowing when to run, sprint and pass
• My confidence really lacked in drills and didn’t think things through.
• Balance and co-ordination needs improvement
• Finishing needs improvement.

Thursday:

• CONFIDENCE, It wasn’t there!

Saturday:

• Two touch passing could have some more perfection

So as you can see, the confidence side of things wasn’t so great. When I stuff up in training or get shouted at by my coach I tend to put my head down. I am learning that these things will only make me stronger so it’s not worth putting my head down for anything, it shows that I lack confidence in myself to others and that’s something I can’t do.

Anyway that’s all for this week, it’s a month to go now before I go off to AFC Wimbledon and see how I go with my one week trial there, can’t wait!

Nicky Weeks Reflection confidence, football, good, soccer, stuff, training, up, wimbledon

Like I said before 2010 is the year!

I think the first week has gotten off to a good start. We’ve started our two months of mostly fitness trainings this week. Although I thought I was going to struggle in training because I didn’t really follow my coaches training plan over my one month break, the running session we had really wasn’t so bad and I was keeping up with the best;  so it was kind of surprising but I probably keep my fitness because i’m young. I reflected after each session I had with my club, these are the things I learnt and need to improve on:

Wednesday:

• Although i’ve heard this before I heard it again and that is to use your body to shield the defender from a pass, don’t be scared if you get kicked because it’s and foul anyway + it will make you a stronger player.
• Need to work on having smaller touches for better control, especially smaller touches with left foot as it feels a bit uncoordinated.

Thursday:

• Improve on first touch a little
• One on one finishing still a big problem
• One on one with an opponent.

Saturday:

• Look up first then pass
• On the positive: One touch passing has definently improved, mostly from passing ball against wall.

I think I am being really self critical, but I also need to properly identify my strengths so i’ll do a little reflection on that too next week.

Also, I worked a little on my free kick technique using the side of my foot to strike the ball. I got it off Drogba’s free kick 3-0 goal against Arsenal last year. I’ve worked on my style heaps and heaps over the years, but I think this way is definently working for me and the ball seems to go where I want it too when I strike the ball. I have to post a video of myself doing it, but here is that Drogba goal.

Anyway, there’s four trainings and a game to cap it off next week so can’t wait for that.

Nicky Weeks Reflection first, fitness, football, passing, touch, training, work

My ultimate goal is to be in a starting 11 spot for Chelsea FC.

I want to be legendary not only for my performances on the pitch but off the pitch too.

I want to be admired by millions of people as someone who was nothing to something with companies worth hundreds of millions of dollars as well as living the life as a footballer. I will go down in history as a player that lived with everything, an object of success in football. I can help hundreds of millions of people, football can be the platform to do so.

I want to be a leader, a motivator on the pitch, a player un-fearful of any opponent. I will not treat a player like a God, I will analyse them and study how they are successful and then become better then they are.

I can be all of these things.

Nicky Confidence, Concentration, Goals, Success, Determination admired, can, do, humphries, i, it, legend, nick, success, vision