Welcome to the Soccer Newsletter. Today's issue will deal with the most
important parts of a soccer game and how to use this knowledge to your advantage.
The most dangerous times during a soccer game are the first five minutes of each half, the
last five minutes of each half and the first two minutes after any goals are scored.
The reasons for these important time periods are pretty well understood but not actually
utilized well at all. The reason the first five minutes of the game is so important is
that most teams are unprepared for the start of the game and use the first few minutes to
essentially finish up their warm up and feel the other team out. It is real similar
to boxing matches. When you watch most boxing matches, you see the fighters
frequently dance around for the first round or so to get a better understanding of the
strengths and weaknesses of their opponent. Then, Mike Tyson came around and when
the other boxer was trying to get a
rhythm Tyson would just attack and knock the person out. I am not a boxing fan (and
certainly am not a fan of Mike Tyson) but the thought behind this strategy makes a lot of
sense. While the other team is trying to break a sweat and get a feel for the game,
a smart team will try to come up and score quickly to set the pace right away. The
team that comes out really ready to
play in the first five minutes can have a tremendous advantage.
The last five minutes of the first half is also very important because it sets the tone
for the half time. By really pushing hard during this period, it can do a lot of
psychological damage to the opponent. In order to do this, a team must be both
physically and mentally fit.
The first five minutes of the second half is just as important. The opponent has
frequently been sitting down during the half time and not completely stretched out for the
second half. By jumping on them early before they are ready to play will usually
negate
anything they have been told by their coach at half time. I have always felt this
period is one that can most be controlled by the coach. By talking to the team
during the first part of the intermission and then get them back up and stretch some and
then actually run will allow them to be ready to play.
The last five minutes are important for obvious reasons and the main way this time period
can be prepared for
is with good conditioning.
The reason the period immediately after a goal is important is that the team who got
scored on will frequently be down and looking to place blame amongst each other. By
attacking them when they are done will allow you to be on the offensive when they are most
vulnerable. This is why it is so common to see a goal scored immediately after the
first one. The team that
scored the goal is also vulnerable because they sometimes are still reliving the goal and
aren't always mentally ready to play immediately after they scored.
Teams that understand the important times of a game and also can take advantage of them
will be more successful then the teams that don't. Keep in mind that many people
know some of these time periods are important but very few actually do anything about it.
Really making a concerted effort to step up your play during these important time
periods will make the difference.
