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

So this evening I got back from London and after watching Chelsea get beat yesterday by Man City at stamford bridge and stupid math homework I just wrote random answers to so I could get it done, i’m not feeling the happiest. But on the good side, going to England and training and playing with competitive youngsters and just getting the experience of playing english football was well worth it. I have come to a conclusion now that after I finish my studies at school, it would be my dream to be..

Living in England/Europe and Playing for a Premier League Academy or Top Level Team

Working Part Time on my Business’

That’s my short-term goal right now and I have about a year and a half to achieve it, time goes fast so i’m working towards the short-term dream from tomorrow, I’m committed!

Reflecting upon the three, two hour trainings with AFC Wimbledon this is what I learnt. What training mostly consisted of were passing drills and one-two touch drills. We never did any fitness sessions, however most of the drills were done at high intensity. The academy team has some good players, however the coaching staff weren’t amazing. I thought Mark the head coach was a good guy, but he didn’t have full discipline over the players, I thought at times he laughed to much with them and could of dealt with heavier consequences to those who were misbehaving in the change rooms or something. The two other coaching staff could of put in more input at times and I don’t know.. I just didn’t think it was professional enough.

Monday:

• Leant they play at a high pace and touch has to be good but it was nothing hard I could handle it easy.
• Other players finishing is better than mine

Tuesday:

• Learnt that so many players are undisciplined (for example players talking when the coach is talking)
• Have to be strong physically.
• Standing tackiling was very poor, got beaten through the legs a million times!
• Haven’t seen a player that really wants it, that gave it their all to be noticed, to win balls, etc.

Friday:

• Finishing was poor, striking with laces needs more power.

The other things I found is that touch is really important, which the pros have said before but now I really now how valuable a good touch is when in high intensity, fast pace situations. Speed also helps alot in my opinion.

The Overall Wrap Up from the Coach

I wasn’t exceptional and he didn’t go wow I really need that player on my team.
I was there with the standard of players, but not in the high standard bracket.
I need to be stronger physically.
Use inside of the foot more.
He said I didn’t look quick on the pitch, but probably because it was a small pitch.
I looked ok technically.
Times where I looked like I got pushed off the ball.
Need to make faster decisions.
Need to kick some playing habits out of my game, he didn’t say what exactly.

So the three most important things i’ve learnt about myself in my time there and that need to be improved in order to make it where I want is:

Be 10/10 in some areas so I am considered an exceptional player

Faster decision making

Strength on and off the ball

The next trial I want to go to is for the open trials at the Bolton International Academy in three or four weeks time, will keep you updated if I decide to go or not.

Otherwise, I will keep working hard to become an world class footballer!

Weeks Reflection england, exceptional, humphries, nick, soccer, trial, wimbledon

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.

Weeks Reflection academy, football, review, soccer, weekly

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.

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!

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

Hallo my name a borat.

No. Anyway today in training we played against some random group of orphans (gypsy kids) from the countryside  who randomly came to play our team. They were shit, but anyway we won a 8 vs 8 game like 3-1. I scored one (it was kinda like rooney’s goal against Tottenham if you saw it), but I lost the ball a couple of times and this really pisses me off as my aim is not to lose a ball at all in a game, yet I lost a few against crappy 13-14 year old kids who are not even a proper team. Fuck. My aim to be pro, when I do crap like this it has a hit on my confidence.

What pisses me off more is that we had a shooting drill where we dribble the ball from about 25m out and we take a shot from about 20m from goal. Now shooting from long range is like my best skill asset, i’ve practiced it for years and I can pull off some good powerful, accurate goals. Now when i’m by myself at the oval and I practice this it makes me pissed even when I score down the middle of the goal because a keeper can easily save it, now you can imagine when I keep missing the goal in this drill, the coach gets pissed and other people score more than me how guttered you can be… maybe it’s the shit hard, field, ditchy , hole we play on and the hard, fully pumped up balls we play with is why my true skill doesn’t show but still.. fuck!

I guess all I can do is use today as motivation to do better.

Analysis of Game Performance angry, drill, football, motivation, pissed, pro, soccer, training

Just lately i’ve realised that I can make it, I just need to believe that I will succeed. I need to dream big to acheive my goal of football pro. I know I will need to work hard in order to reach my dream and when the time comes that I walk out the tunnel to see my eyes open to tens of thousands of people only then will I know that I have reached the dream. But there’s a long way to go before that. I’m not even playing for a rep team or a proper youth academy. I can’t let myself fail, I know I can be better than those around me that have made pro. Practice, motivation and concentration will be my keys to success.

Confidence, Concentration, Goals, Success, Determination 16 year old, concentration, dream, focus, football, pro, soccer, trial, youth