The Best Goals FIFA 2009 Version

Despite failing to maintain the status of the world's best player, Cristiano Ronaldo can still come home with head held high because he scored the best version of FIFA 2009. While Martha back to the best of womankind. Apart from giving the award for best player as well as male and female teams selected in 2009, FIFA also gave a high appreciation of the goals that occur in a year back. After the previous dikerucutkan to 10 goals, Ronaldo broke the action FC Porto goalkeeper is considered as the best. CR9, or CR7, when it was still Manchester United's defending had to pay a visit to Porto in the 16th round Second leg of the Champions League. After playing 2-2 at Old Trafford, 'Red Devils' need to win to be able to move into the semifinals. The game has been running for six minutes when Ronaldo dribbles from midfield and kick off distant thunder from outside the penalty box. The ball that led to the upper right corner of the goal keeper failed driven host. Won 1-0, Manchester United qualified for the semis with a 3-2 advantage. Goal is defeated several other ciamik goals made throughout the world. One of them is a somersault kick goal Emmanuel Adebayor to Villarreal in the Champions League quarterfinals, also volley without seeing Fernando Torres on goal in Blackburn Rovers English League. In contrast to the status of the world's best players are selected by the captain and coach, award the best goals, or officially known as the trophy Frenc Puskás, determined based on voting conducted the official FIFA site visitors. If Messi managed to become the best player in 2009, the Martha meraihn the same success after he was selected as the best female footballer in 2009. Amazingly again, this is the fourth successive time for Brazilian football player received the recognition. Another award was given FIFA Fair Play Award which falls on the late Sir Bobby Robson. English football legend was close to 79 years of age from cancer had attacked her on July 31, 2009 then.

How to - Football Goalkeeping

I recently read an old Indian saying regarding soccer goalkeeping that goes like this: "all goalkeepers have an extra crazy gene". Well, ok, it's not Indian and it's not even a saying, but in most cases it's true. In order to be a goalkeeper, you must be at least slightly crazy, in the good sense of the word. Not anyone can jump up and deflect a ball from under the bar to land on his kidneys and not anyone would have the guts to dive straight down in the feet of an attacker to grab the ball away from him and save a goal. Call it bravery or nuttiness, the soccer goalkeeper exposes himself to some of the biggest risks, both physically and mentally during a match. But we're not here to discuss whether each soccer goalkeeper needs therapy or not, so let’s get to the point. The soccer goalkeeper is the only truly "specialized" player on the field. A defender can act as a striker and vice versa and although their trained skills probably won't fit best for these new roles, they would still be able to hold themselves up. However, put the same striker or defender in the goalkeeper's place and you get one goofy goal guardian. This specialization comes with some great advantages but also some great responsibilities. Being the only player in the squad who can touch the ball with his hands, in the penalty box and not get charged with handball is pretty much a great advantage. However, being almost entirely responsible for defending the entire goal, a soccer keeper is often under a ton of pressure. One simple mistake from him could mean an entirely new direction of the match result. So now that we agreed that a soccer goalkeeper's life is miserable and tough, let's take a look at what their main three roles are: Soccer Goalkeeping >> Defending the Goal - Obviously, this is the goalkeeper's main role. Deflecting shots, saving loose balls, gathering crosses will be all handled by the goalkeeper, but they'll also need to defend the goal in set pieces. Goalkeepers coordinate the position of the wall at a free kick and sometimes they position defenders at corners. Soccer Goalkeeping >> Initiating Offensive Plays - Once a goalkeeper saves a ball, he should immediately look for a counter-attack opportunity. If you look closely at a soccer match, you'll see a goalkeeper that has just made a save quickly stand up and rush out at the edge of the penalty box, looking for a striker to play as fast as possible. If there's no striker available, a soccer goalkeeper will usually make sure his defensive line reached its position (usually somewhere around 30 yards from their own goal) then he will initiate the positional attack, by passing the ball to a free defender (usually sideways). In very rare situations, the goalkeeper has an additional offensive job...creating offensive superiority in last minute set pieces. Just like in hockey, where the goalkeeper is replaced with a field player in the last few seconds to create superiority, a goalkeeper might sometimes run up to the enemy penalty box in a late match set piece. Creating numeric superiority might be an advantage in itself, even if the goalkeeper himself doesn't score. Obviously, this is a great risk since the opposing team might get the ball and immediately initiate a counter attack and score in an empty goal. Soccer Goalkeeping >> Coordinating the Defense - Since a goalkeeper has his back at the goal and has the widest view of all players on the pitch, he is usually responsible with coordinating the entire defensive line (at least that's what a good goalkeeper does). For example, he can spot gaps in the defense that other players cannot or he could assign man marking if the opposing players change areas a lot. He might also be in charge of coordinating the defense's offside trap, by lining up players in front of him or telling them to push forward so the opposing strikers are left offside (however, staying in a straight line is the defender's job since the goalkeeper can't see whether or not the players in front of him are aligned correctly). That's pretty much all a goalkeeper has to do in a match. Sounds hard? Well it is. Of course, a one-sided match where your team will be constantly in the offensive third trying to score might not put too much pressure on the goalkeeper, but in an even-sided match he may very well decide the end result (either way). So in order to handle all these factors, he will have to train the following important soccer goalkeeping skills:

Soccer Goalkeeping Skills

Soccer Goalkeeping >> Agility – A slow goalkeeper is nothing more than a third post and you can't make much of a use of that. Instead, a goalkeeper will want to be as agile as possible, in order to be able to move quickly from one end of the goal to the other, to deflect a shot or save a loose ball. Soccer Goalkeeping >> Jumping – Good jumping is a must for any soccer goalkeeper. Not only will a good jumping skill help you out with saving high shots, but it's also important when saving or boxing out crosses. Soccer Goalkeeping >> Balance – Since goalmouth situations chance with lightning fast speeds, a goalkeeper must have good balance and positioning in order to be able to perform last second saves. Shots that get deflections half way will also require good balance to be saved. Soccer Goalkeeping >> Strength – Unlike field players, who usually focus their gym training on their lower body, a goalkeeper must get a complete workout. You'll need leg strength to help you jump higher, arm strength to help you stop shots and throw the ball further and upper body strength to allow you to take fall damage without getting hurt. Good overall strength is also important in direct duels, especially in the 6-yard box where you're basically allowed to run or through anyone without getting whistled.

Soccer Goalkeeping >> Positioning – A goalkeeper's position in the goal is more important than you might think. Since 7 yards is a wide area to cover, positioning right can make defending the goal easier. A good soccer goalkeeper will protect the low post if the opponent has the ball in an angle and he will always be ready for a dive or a cross. Usually, the textbook positioning is slightly forward of the goal line, with the knees bent for maximum balance. This way, you're ready to go either way after the ball, since your legs are already half-way through "charging up" the jump.Your upper body should be straight, not leaned forward and your shoulder and arms slightly weighted forward. You should never let your weight center be too high up, even when repositioning yourself in the goal, according to the ball's position. Always keep your butt down and your knees bent, even while moving sideways on the goal line (the same move a basketball or handball defender would make to move sideways). I've seen a lot of websites focusing on saying that a goalkeeper's reflexes can be trained. While that is true to some extent, a reflex is by definition an instinctual movement so you can only work so much to improve it. Reflexes for goalkeepers are pretty much the same way speed relates to field players: you either have speed or you don't – you can work on improving your speed by perfecting your body mechanics, increasing the strength in specific muscles and so forth, but ultimately, if you're born slow, there's little you can do to improve yourself and you'll never become a speeding bullet.

But getting back to goalkeepers and reflexes: there are a lot of great goalkeepers out there that are not "reflex keepers". One example that comes to mind would be Dutch keeper Van der Saar. He doesn't necessarily have extraordinary reflexes like other keepers do, but his jumping, strength, constitution and consistency all make him a great player.

Soccer Goalkeeping - Save Stances

There are several types of saves a goalkeeper can perform, but knowing when to use which is entirely situational. You have your basic standing saves, kneeling saves, medium and high saves, forward vaults, tweener saves and diving saves. Let's see when and how you should use each: Soccer Goalkeeping >> Standing Saves – This is not a recommended save when the ball comes rolling at a high speed, especially if you're playing on a wet pitch. Basically, what you'll be doing will be bending down forward from the waist, collecting the rolling ball and bringing it up to your chest. Simply allow the ball to roll up on your wrists, with your legs straight and back arched and your feet close together (so that if the ball accidentally rolls past your hands, it doesn't go through your legs). Then clutch the ball against your chest, protecting it and straighten up your back. Soccer Goalkeeping >> Kneeling Saves – The kneeling save is slightly similar to the standing save in what regards a goalkeeper's arm work, however besides bending forward from your waist, you will have to take a knee and keep the other one almost perpendicular to the one on the ground. This position of the legs reduces all chances that the ball might slip between your legs and into the goal. The kneeling save can be performed against balls that come at you at higher speeds in comparison to the standing save. Soccer Goalkeeping >> Medium and High Saves – If the ball is coming towards your chest or head area, keep your shoulders square on the oncoming ball and bend your arms forward, keeping them slightly tensed. Use the elbow flexion to dampen the ball's incoming force rather than your shoulders. Your shoulders will be used as a last resort if the ball is too powerful to handle. The reason you shouldn't take your shoulders back and dampen the ball's force using them is that you might not be able to fully stop the ball and it might hit your chest, bouncing off. Now, unlike other types of saves, medium and high saves will require a bit more practice in the mechanics and less on positioning. When you get to a point where you can catch the ball and safely bring it to your chest in a full stop, you've mastered this type of save. One last thing, on powerful shots from close range, it will be extremely difficult to secure the ball, even if you use your fingers, elbows and shoulders as a force dampener. It might be better to punch the ball upwards or sideways in this case, or you might risk giving the other team a rebound opportunity. Soccer Goalkeeping >> Forward Vaults – The forward vault is an extension of the kneeling save. Use the same mechanics as in the kneeling save, but instead of standing up directly with the ball secured to your chest, vault forward to the ground and extend your arms beneath yourself with the palms upwards, trapping the ball between your fingers, wrists and forearms. Then, after the ball's force is dampened, pull your arms back and trap the ball between your arms and chest. Best used on slippery pitches, where stopping the ball is trickier and securing it tightly becomes even more important.

Soccer Goalkeeping >> Tweener Saves – A ball that comes rolling to a goalkeeper's side is usually referred to as a tweener, hence the name of this type of save. Basically, the mechanics for this save are very close to the forward vault's ones, but since the ball is coming at your side, you have to vault sideways. The only difference between the two is the leg work. With the tweener save, you will have to extend your lead foot in the direction of the save, kneeling on the trailing leg. Just make sure you don't allow any space for the ball to squeeze through the space opening up between your legs. Soccer Goalkeeping >> Diving Saves – The diving save is probably the most spectacular a goalkeeper can perform. When a ball is far enough from your current position that a tweener save isn't enough, you will have to perform a diving save. This involves pushing yourself hard into the ground with both legs, fully extending yourself sideways in the direction the ball is aimed at and releasing the jump. Luckily, you'll be able to deflect the ball off its course towards the goal. Remember that a ball can rarely be "saved" and secured from a dive and even if you do grab hold of it, the fall has a chance of shattering the ball away from your hands. So, depending on the situation, it might be best to deflect it rather than try to save it. Well that's about all you need to know about soccer goalkeeping skills and saves. If you're a goalkeeper and want to better yourself in extra hours, outside your team's practice, you can either choose to work on your strength, or grab a friend and ask him to help you out in improving your saving grip. Learn the body mechanics and positioning involved with each save perfectly and practice each of them until they become natural. Hopefully, on matchday, you'll be able to put that practice to good use and save your team a couple of goals.

How to - football Free Kicks

Before going deeper in the soccer free kicks subject, let me start with a short piece of history so that you can understand how free kicks are viewed now in relation to the history of soccer and how they gained such a big importance. Today's soccer is becoming more and more sophisticated tactic wise and the times a matches would end 5-4 on a regular basis are long past. More emphasis is put on defense in today's soccer than ever before and it's becoming increasingly hard for strikers to score. Statistically for example, if the goal average of a match was 4-5 in the 60s, as of the 80s the average dropped to 2-3 goals per match. Therefore, facing a tighter defense with each opponent, coaches and players struggled to find an alternative for scoring from direct play. This is how set pieces gained the important status they hold today. Obviously, when we refer to a free kick, we think of the offensive free kick, not one that has no real importance in your own defensive half for example. Offensive soccer free kicks can be split up into two more subcategories: direct shot free kicks and crosses. Of course, the best free kicks to have are the direct shot ones, but these require a rather small area on the pitch to be fired from. Usually a team considers a direct shot on goal from a free kick if the foul occurred centrally in the offensive third. The range the free kick is taken from is also a factor. Ironically, fouls that occur very close to the penalty box are considered less favorable, since the free kick taker will have a hard time printing a swirl to the ball to drop down fast behind the wall. However, this type of free kick is dangerous if the ball gets a deflection or if it passes straight through the wall, since the goalkeeper won't have time to react. Impressive free kick takers such as David Beckham, Juninho or Ronaldinho will always prefer a free kick that is somewhere between 22 and 25 yards, because they can add a lot more power to the shot, without worrying there won't be enough space for it to fall down towards the goal under the effect of the swirl. If you take a close look at David Beckham's free kicks, you will notice that the ball starts falling towards the goal when it's around 6 yards, before that, giving you the impression that it will go over the bar. If the foul occurred centrally around 25-30 yards, you'll probably want to rely on power rather than finesse in your shot. Even if you get a well-aimed shot from such a free kick, the goal keeper has enough time to cover the ground to get it.

A powerful shot on the other hand from such a range, has 2 advantages. It closes the time frame of the goalkeeper, since the ball will move faster towards the goal and you have the chance of getting a lucky deflection from a teammate or an opponent, which will confuse the goalkeeper. Roberto Carlos and Juninho are probably today's best free kick takers from this range and if you watch a compilation of their successful shots you'll notice a lot of them get slight deflections or go straight in the unprotected corner, with the keeper lacking the time to jump for the ball. I remember Oliver Kahn, Germany's goalkeeper saying that he would prefer if soccer free kicks from 25-30 yards are not defended by a wall. He said that in such a case, a wall actually hurts the goalkeeper more than it helps, since it can produce an unlucky deflection and it blocks the view of the keeper. Of course, it might have been a bit of bravado from Kahn saying that, but he did have a point since many of these soccer free kicks turn into goals with the help of an unlucky deflection from a teammate in the wall.

Last but not least, crossing free kicks can usually be taken from the side areas of your team's offensive third, but in some cases you can cross from a central position (usually further than 25 yards, if you don't have a good soccer free kicks taker from that range). What you'll want to do in either case is try to hit the cross hard with a descending curve that should fall somewhere between the penalty spot and the 6 yard keeper protection box. That's the most dangerous place a free kick can land, since it's out of reach from the goalkeeper and close enough to the goal that a slight deflection with the head would push the ball in the net. The best free kick takers in the world spend hundreds of hours perfecting their skills, so don't think David Beckham, Juninho or Roberto Carlos are simply "talented". True, some players will do better naturally from a free kick, but mastering this part of the game can only be obtained through hours upon hours in the grass, shooting from all angles and from all ranges. If you want to train your free kick skills individually, ask your coach to let you stay overtime after the practice and maybe ask the help from a goalkeeper. It will be a lot more realistic if there's someone in the goal rather than if you shoot blindly for the net. He can also help you scoop up balls faster, so you don't have to waste time running around gathering them. If possible get hold of some free kick wall mannequins. They're expensive to buy on your own, but if you train at a club that has them, ask your coach to let you use them after hours.

How to - Football Dribbling

Soccer Dribbling - goals are the essence of soccer and a goal makes the entire game go around, but I consider the dribbling the salt and pepper in this beautiful game. If you go take a look at a kids match, say aged 10ish, you'll notice almost all of the kids will want to take the ball on themselves and dribble with it as far as possible. That's an instinctive response, they want to be the heroes, they want to make the difference and passing the ball to another player would mean giving him the chance to become the hero in your place. Obviously, in professional soccer things are different, but I was just noting the natural fascination we have in the soccer dribbling. You've seen Ronaldinho, Zinedine Zidane, Thierry Henry or Cristiano Ronaldo dribble countless of times and stood in awe in front of your TV screen, or on the stadium. The sheer "magic" that a soccer dribble outputs is incredible and you'll hear a wave of cheers (even from the opposing team's fans) whenever a player manages to perform a spectacular dribble. But dribbling in soccer does not always have to be spectacular. A successful soccer dribble doesn't always mean a fancy rainbow backheel kick over your head, a double spin a-la Zidane, or a flipover trademarked by the Brazilian soccer school. There are often less spectacular dribbles in a match, but those dribbles are usually the most effective. For example, when a player receives the ball and simply traps it avoiding the defender's tackle, he managed to take out his direct opponent with a short, effective dribble that isn't necessarily spectacular, but one that managed to create offensive superiority. But let's take a look at some of the basic rules and fundamental laws of the soccer dribble. Fundaments of the Soccer Dribbling The Angle – the way you position yourself on the pitch when having the ball, opens up (or closes) dribbling opportunities. Theoretically, the easiest way to dribble is by moving parallel to the goal lines, which allows you to get some space and delays the defender's tackle. You don't actually create offensive superiority with this type of side-ways soccer dribble, but it does open up several passing opportunities and maybe even a shot. Luring Opponents and Creating Offensive Superiority – a soccer dribble is efficient against both zone and man-marking defenses, considering the way you can destabilize both of these defenses. Zone defenses require one defender to cover a specific zone of the pitch (central left area, central right area, etc) so if you manage to outwit one defender with a dribble, another one will have to leave his zone and cover you (since for defenders, the rule of thumb is that the player with the ball is always the most dangerous). This can easily destabilize an entire defense, leaving you with offensive superiority. Same goes for man-marking defenses, with the addition that these are even easier to confuse with a well timed dribble. Dribbling Technique – Soccer can employ tactic to a point, but after that it's the player's own creativity and inspiration that comes into play. Therefore the dribbling technique you will use will have to be "invented" right there on the spot, seconds before you actually initiate the soccer dribble. There are of course certain guidelines and certain "trademarked dribbles" you can try out, but ultimately the dribbling technique will be based on your skills and your skills alone. Types of Dribbles The Angle Creator – I'm sure no one has a trademark over this type of soccer dribble, since it's far too common and widely used. The Angle Creator dribble is a quick burst move where you move the ball slightly sideways when facing an opponent, in order to clear an angle for a pass or a shot. Note that this type of dribble doesn't really fit in the definition you may find in the dictionary under soccer dribbling, which says that the dribbler must be on the opposite side of his opponent, between him and the ball. With the Angle Creator, you don't actually pass the ball behind your opponent; however you do take him out of play for a second or two, which is your window of opportunity to pass or shoot. The Scissors – The scissors dribble is equally effective as it is spectacular and hard to counter by the opposing defender. It involves moving one foot over the ball in a quick motion, allowing your entire body weight to press on this foot, then immediately cutting the ball with the outside of your other foot and accelerating. In order for it to be effective, the scissors dribble must be done quickly and it's usually more efficient against defenders that stay "on guard", rather than a defender that attacks you decisively. Once you've mastered the scissors move, you can try practicing with the double scissors soccer dribble, which involves two faking motions over the ball. This move is especially popular with Brazilian players , some of the most famous ones using it frequently include Ronaldo, Ronaldinho or Robinho. Cristiano Ronaldo also makes good use of the scissors dribble. The Fake Kick – This is one of the most effective dribbles in soccer when you're near the enemy penalty box. I'm sure you've all seen it: the attacker fakes a shot, making the defender jump or attacks him to try to block the would-be shot, but instead of actually releasing the shot the attacker stops the initial move and cuts the ball past the defender and accelerates. You can make good use of your body to make the initial fake shot more believable, for example using your hands to "charge" the fake shot and so forth. If you want to learn how to dribble in soccer, this should be one of the first moves to try and master. If you've seen the "best goal in the history of soccer" scored by Maradona against England in the 1986 World Cup, he uses a quick fake kick to trick the goalkeeper into throwing himself on the ground, then dribbles him and pushes the ball in the net. The Lunge – One of the basic one-on-one soccer dribbles that every player should start with. The lunge is all about using your body to trick the defender into thinking you're going one way or the other. Simply take a small sideways jump around the ball, pushing your shoulder and your entire body on the sustaining foot, and then cut the ball in the opposite direction, with your other foot. It's sort of a scissor dribble, but without faking a stepover of the ball. The ball should roll gently forward during this trick but you shouldn't really touch it during the dribble, only redirect the ball once you've confused the defender with the body movement. I know it sounds complicated, but once you try it you'll realize there's not really much to it and you can master it in a few minutes. However, the hard part about this dribble is using it effectively in a real match. It can be a great way to dribble past 2 or even 3 opponents that give you a short gap in between them to make the 360 move. Practicing Your Soccer Dribbling Skills These are just a few examples of dribbling in soccer, but there are obviously a lot more that you can practice and use. Some of these dribbles will come in naturally in a match, but you can always prepare something special for your opponent beforehand. Just don't think like "I'm going to make a 360 dribble next time I have the ball" during the match. It almost never works that way, unless you have the perfect setting, perfect body and ball positioning and so forth. Remember, in a match environment, no defender will give you the time to think out what dribble to use, so you'll have to be quick on your toes. Some of the best soccer dribbling skills are acquired naturally by professional players, they are not studied beforehand. How you can train your dribbling skills individually? I'd say that unlike other skills in soccer, dribbling is best trained in pairs, because that way you'll learn how another player reacts against your dribble. Sure you could dribble around a pole or a trashcan or something all day long, but in a real match setting the defender in front of you will try to counter your moves, unlike the pole or trashcan. Grab a friend and take turns in dribbling: this way you will improve the way you counter dribbles as well and you'll also learn to think like a defender, which improves the way you set up your dribbles. Oh and one last thing. There's really no "I can't do that" when it comes to soccer dribbling skills. Sure, you might never be able to hit a shot like Roberto Carlos, or a free kick like David Beckham, but with enough practice you can basically copy off any dribbling you try. It's just like practicing ball juggling tricks: you'll fail miserably at first, but after enough practice you'll get the moves down perfectly and you'll be wondering how come you couldn't do them at first.

Fundamentals of Playing Football

Over its century long existence in its current (professional) form, soccer continually evolved into an all-skills sport. In order to be a good soccer player, you can't simply focus on a single skill. You could be an extraordinary free kick taker and score every one of two close range kicks, but if you have no passing or receiving skills for example, no coach will risk throwing you in the team and literally playing 10 versus 11. If you're a young athlete reading this, make sure you strive to improve all of the below listed soccer fundamentals, or you won't have much of a chance in becoming a pro. If you're a coach, try not to neglect any of the fundamentals in your training sessions and make sure every one of your players gets an all round complete skill training, regardless of his or her position (the only exception being of course the goalkeeper, who must fully emphasize on goalkeeping skills and some passing and clearing). This said, let's take a look at the main soccer fundamental skills that are required in the modern day player. Note that they will each be covered with more details in a separate article, so what you'll find below is just an introductory paragraph to each of these soccer fundamentals.