GAME BODY MIND OFF THE PITCH NEWS

Your Body: The Championship Breakfast

Ok, everything here would be great for a breakfast on that championship morning. You might want to share it with a teammate and probably substitute the wine for OJ and save the Champagne for the post game celebration.

Looks good huh? For this wonderful feast you’ll need the following!

1) A passion for treating and spoiling yourself with delicious food.
2) Organic free range eggs
3) Smoke cured bacon
4) Genuine South-African “Boerewors” (Grilled on the BBQ)
5) Hash Browns
6) Fried Banana
7) Fried Tomato
Fresh Fruit
9) Sparkling Wine! (The one in the picture is “JC Le Roux” from South-Africa - Very easy drinking! Perfect for the Breakfast of Kings!) - Essentially “Champagne”.

So enjoy - I dare you to cook it!

~ Jason

LET KIDS BE KIDS….

If you take offense to this, then it most likely means you’re guilty of it.

I attended my mate’s 11yr old niece’s football match over the weekend and was gutted with what I saw and heard.  First, I saw their "coach" yelling at these girls telling them "if you don’t win this game you are a disappointment to me". I saw kid’s siting on the side line for the whole match while their teammates play the whole match (One of those girls happened to be my mate’s niece, who was in tears).  And lastly I saw a "coach" pack up her stuff after the match with out telling her team that they "played well," or "she’s proud of them", or even giving them a high five.

After the match Mark was curious why Madison and a few others girls sat on the side the full match, so we went to the coach to ask her.  Her answer was this…"Madison has missed 2 practices, so she has to sit on the side and watch the girls that are more committed to the team play". 

When I heard this I could not sit back and listen to this bollocks.  I asked her how many practices they have a week and was surprised to hear her tell me 5 practices a week and games on the weekend.   I then asked her how she expects 11 year old kids to practice 5 days a week and her answer to that was: "you obviously don’t know anything about soccer, maybe you should sit on the sidelines, watch the game and you can learn something".   Needless to say that did not go over well with me.  I did have a few "adult words" with her and  Mark explained to her that Madison would not be attending any of the remaining games.   

In closing, my comments are this….

Kid’s play football because it’s fun….Don’t take that away from them.  Making an 11 year old practice 5 times a week is cruel enough, but then to punish them because they miss 1 or 2..or even 3 practices by sitting them the whole match is ridiculous. 

This is another example of what is wrong with football in America.  It starts with the youth and the youth coaches.  There is plenty of time for kids to be brilliant footballers, but it has to be fun.  With out the fun they get frustrated and quit playing and the beautiful game is one of the things that suffers.            

Cheers,

Scott   

Scott Hudlow is a member of Ziga-Zoga and blogs passionately about his views on the culture of football .  Scott that can be reached from his page here.                                                            

Your Game: Getting behind the defense quickly!

One of the things I really enjoyed about my college team was our direct
style of play and how quickly we were able to break done our opponents.  Granted we had some very talented players, we also had a strategy
that always caused havoc.  This strategy was nothing
more than playing a long, short, then long ball. 

Most of our goals were scored by our outside backs playing a
long and direct pass from our final third to a sticker in the opponents
final third (that’s the first long ball).  That attacker, as they were
checking back to receive the ball, would play a one-touch short pass
back to an oncoming mid fielder who would then dump the ball into the
corner for the outside mid, who was making a blazing run down the flank while the opposite side outside mid made a similar run.  Then, once under control the outside mid began gunning at the near pole drawing the opponent over and would then slot the ball back across the goal mouth for the oncoming runners or could sometimes take on the opponent 1 v 1 to put the ball in the back of the net.

This series of play happens in about 8-10 seconds with at most 1-2 touches and if done
technically right the opponent was on their heals and usually did not know what hit them.   The are limitless
combinations of how this happens but to keep it simple - its a long,
short, long sequence.  If you watch a lot of EPL you’ll see this
sequence quite a bit.  However, it does not happen so easily to very good, quick and organized defensive backs.  Still, mistakes can be forced easily with this direct attacking strategy that can quickly put lots of pressure on the other side.

Later, I plan discuss some of the strategies to
create this opportunity and how to capitalize when you get behind the
defense.  If their fast enough you’ll need to have other options.  So, until next time "get stuck in!"

~ Jason

Your Mind: Learning How Not To Choke By ‘Letting Go’

Players who can make plays at critical times in a match develop the reputation of being clutch.  But how many times have you seen players - on any level - tighten like a guitar string with the game on the line?  Some players are so afraid of making that critical mistake that they … make that critical mistake.

This is certainly not unique to soccer.  But what’s intriguing is finding out how do the greats become great?  If the players and participants in other sports could tell you just one thing to do (or not to do) when the game’s on the line - what would it be?  Regardless of the sport, it’s the technique that may be something that helps you on the pitch.

Do you know who Ty Murray is?  If not, he’s one of the legendary superstars of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association - the Michael Jordan of bull riding.  He won a ridiculous number of World Championships and probably most times the title was on the line going into his final ride.

I’m not a rodeo guy and maybe many of you aren’t either, but technique from a world champion like that could easily translate onto the pitch in a 0-0 game with a title on the line.  I had the great opportunity to attend a couple of National Finals Rodeos in Las Vegas, NV where the sport’s best compete in every event. 

Picture this: you’re literally a couple of feet away from the gate where the bull riders are squirming in the saddle and constantly wrapping the rope around their hands as if their lives depended on it, which they do.  They signal they’re ready; the gate slings open and a humongous bull thunders out of the gate and flys around like a 160-pound midfielder.  When you’re standing close enough to get hit with mud slinging off the bull’s hooves you develop a honest-to-God appreciation of what these guys do.

So when Ty Murray talks about how he learned not to choke under pressure, maybe it’ll be something you can use when you need it.  Here’s an excerpt from a recent interview in Best Life Magazine about how he learned to go from choker to champion:

"It was 1987, my senior year at the National High School Rodeo Association Championships.  The previous two years, I had kicked ass all season long, but when it came down to the final ride for the championship, I would choke.  I would come out like a long-distance runner taking off in a full sprint, not thinking about his breathing, his form or his balance.

I’d lose in the end and I couldn’t figure out why.  Each time, my mom told me the same thing: I was trying too hard to win.  I thought, ‘Ah, she doesn’t know what she’s talking about.  I was in a sport where how much effort you put in was everything.

My senior year, though, for whatever reason, I let her advice sink in.  Instead of coming out like a boxer with his head down, windmilling his punches, I had to treat each time I got on the bull the exact same way, putting myself into the mental state that it was just another day, another practice ride.

And just like that, the switch went off.  That year, I won the high school championships and not two years later, I became the youngest world champion ever.  Letting go of pressure at life’s most important moments isn’t something you can teach.  That’s why Vegas (National Finals Rodeo) kicks everybody’s ass.  But I see the importance of it in every aspect of my life, not just how I live my life as an athlete.

When the stakes are raised, everybody wants to change his game.  But you can’t do that, no matter how high the risk or how big the decision.  In bull riding (like in other sports), you take something scary or dangerous and you learn to gain control over your mind and your emotions and move fluidly through the situation."

So, hope Ty’s advice and technique will help.  If you have a technique that you use when the game’s on the line or you need to make a play to change the outcome, let us know what it is - you never know who you might help in the process.  After all, you gotta perform under pressure when you "Get Stuck In."

– Steve

Calling all kids…

Alright, This goes out to all kids that watch football (soccer).

Support your football (soccer) team whether it be MLS, European or a National side with passion! Learn 3 or 4 songs/chants for the team you support (there are kid friendly chants/songs). NEVER let ANYONE
tell you to "be quiet because you’re cheering to loudly"! (unless it’s
your parents…but give them a big sigh if they do) Ask your parent(s)
to take you to a professional match. If you don’t have an MLS team, go
to a A-league match, if you don’t have a A-League team go to a college
or even a high school match…..Go watch players that are at a higher
level to understand their touch and control on the ball.

Love the sport and defend it.
You kids in the the US will get bombarded with American football,
basketball, baseball, etc., and may be teased or even called names for enjoying football
(soccer). If that should happen don’t let them get to you, it’s usually because they don’t understand the sport, so
it’s up to you to teach them.

If they still want to say things like "soccer is an easy sport" (or something worse), challenge them to get in the goal and try to stop some shots.

~ Scott

Introduction to Scott Hudlow - ZZ member

As ZZ grows and members like Scott Hudlow express their true passion for this game I will continue to let their voices be heard.  Scott is a 3rd generation Chelsea supporter and is extremely devoted to the club.  He also has a deep-rooted passion for helping the game grow in the US.  A self-proclaimed hooligan, Scott knows his football and I’m hoping there are a few folks out there who will listen to what Scott has to say.  We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us to get more people truly Stuck In like Scott!

So, here are a few words from the man himself!

———->>>>

Hello all, my name is Scott.

Let me start off by giving you some background about myself.  I’ve played football (soccer) in both Europe and in the US (non professional) for several years.   I have been a loyal Chelsea supporter since before I could talk or walk. My dad has been a Chelsea supporter since he was a lad as was my grandfather.  My mom is from the states and has always been supportive but, isn’t much of a football follower. 

You will learn that although I am quite opinionated (and usually in the right) I am very much open to others opinions and thoughts….and I will continue to call the sport what the rest of the world calls it….FOOTBALL so deal with it.  My first football (soccer) post will be up soon….here comes the pain!!

Cheers,

Scott

I love Drew!

Ever since we learned that Drew Carey is as passionate about the game as we are we’ve been trying to reach him.  We’ve contacted his agent/management company but alas have not made contact.  So, Drew if you are out there and want to come work with us to help promote the game and grow our grassroots we’d love to have you.  I’m sure you have plenty of pictures and World Cup experiences to share that the rest of the ZZ Crew would love to hear about.

Thanks for all your doing Drew…keep it up as we need more people like you to Get Stuck In for this game in America.  If you see this Drew call me, gotta have lunch - 210.259.3242.

The Troops are Gettin Stuck In!

Several of our members are adding some really cool stuff to ZZ, great football photos and some club songs  and thought I’d share with everyone in case you’re not a member yet.  Check out the updated slideshow and music list below:

Find more photos like this on Ziga-Zoga

Find more music like this on Ziga-Zoga

Off The Pitch: MLS Cup 2007 @ RFK Stadium

Putting a group together to go to the MLS Cup in November.  Who wants to go have a good time and meet up?

Give me a ring 210.259.3242 or drop me a note at jcronkhite at zigazoga dot com .  Better yet get on the group list:

Click for Form

Off The Pitch: MLS Club Relegation to USL?

Have you seen some of the recent results of the Open Cup?  Its into the quarter finals now and several MLS clubs have been knocked out by USL teams.  Is there something here that I should be aware of or is this crazy? 

I have often wondered if the top tier USL Teams like Portland Timbers and Seattle Sounders and the bottom tier MLS clubs like Chicago and Salt Lake should be given the opportunity to fight for the opportunity to play in the big league just like EPL, etc.

I mean c’mon there are enough USL teams with sometimes more passionate fanbases than MLS.  I vote that we institute relegation so that we can drive a consequence to the underpeforming franchises and reward the top of the USL.  Hey just looking for ways to drive more of a competitive nature within the clubs. 

Maybe this could spur furhter USL expansion knowing that teams at the top of the table could get promoted.  With the rest of the world practicing and executing this reward / consequence strategy why shouldn’t we do it here?

Just thinking out loud….

Cheers, Jason

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