I really do hate it when it begins to rain. Not only does it cause ground closures all over the place, but it means that you and I can’t go down to the park to practice our ball skills and accuracy. This past week it has rained, long and hard, causing all the fields in my area to close and has left me useless. I have actually lost sleep over not being able to go to training all week. Where you live, this might not be the case, so maybe I should do a repeat post in my summer, your winter So what do you do when you are rendered useless by the rain?

Desperate Times Call For Desperate Measures

And if you’re desperate to practice your skills infront of a goal, then go right ahead and play in the pouring rain. I have done this many times, but this course of action comes with a warning. Be properly equipped and dressed for the occasion. That means a really warm tracksuit and hood/beanie to cover your head. Use some really crappy boots that you might have laying around because they will get drenched and really dirty. You also run the risk of catching a cold. This seems extreme, but those who are serious about becoming the best will train, rain, hail or shine.

Option Number Two

You stay inside and work on your strength. I have spoken about the importance of strength training before and the balance that you need to have with weights and training. The idea of balance between strength and technique still applies here, but when you have no choice but to work out, then do it. This means that if you’re not out in the wet training, you are inside doing the following exercises:

• Push-ups (Clapping ones if possible)
• Sit-ups/Crunches
• Squats/Leap Frogs
• Stretches
• Leg Elevations

There are more, but these are the fundamentals. You can find details on how to do these exercises on the web. Finally you can always work on your ball control via juggling on the spot. However, you really do need to be careful and considerate to the other people that you share the house with, whether it be parents, brothers, sisters or room mates. And you also need to be wise to the possibility of breaking something.

What’s The Moral Of The Post?

Always be doing something which benefits your game! Never just sit around doing nothing with your time, unless of course you’ve decided recovery is in order for injuries or tiredness you may have. So I want to reiterate to always be doing something to benefit your game because you don’t have a say in the weather, someone/thing else does and until they decide to stop the rain, you do what you have to do

If I asked every single reader here what they do other than play football, most people would give me an occupation or tell me they are in school, college, university etc. Now, if you are one of these people, congratulations, wisdom is something that you have. I could be stepping on some toes here, but I’m here to say what is on my mind and I give you my opinion. Those of you who solely play football for the sake of becoming a great player like Ronaldinho, I want you to stop and have a long hard think about what you’re going to do if things don’t turn out the way you want them to.

What Could Possibly Happen?

Anything. We live in a world where anything is possible. Let me give you an example of the dream going horribly wrong. This happened to a friend of mine who I have played football with for over 6 years. He is one of the best players I have played with and against. I can’t name him, so lets call him G as it is the first letter of his name. I met G a long time ago in school and he always had aspirations to become a professional football player later on in life. I loved playing football against him because he brought the absolute best out of me, you could say it was friendly competition. He progressed to become a Sydney FC player, which is top tier football here in Australia and finally went overseas at the conclusion of school. We said our goodbyes and I parted ways with him, unfortunately I never saw him again. 2 years later someone on one of my football teams says to me:

Mate did you hear about what happened to G? He went to Argentina and was offered a full contract with one of the best clubs there, all he needed was permission from his parents to go and play there, pretty much just a signature saying that ‘We allow our son to yada yada yada’.

I’m Thinking “Wow He Made It”

But then he goes on to tell more of the story to me and I’m thinking about the life that G is going to have and probably is happening:

So he needs a signature from his parents but guess what? His mother and father never approved of his footballing ways and the time he ‘wasted’ on football. For that reason they never intended on signing on their son to play football in Argentina and security reasons also. G was heartbroken and was forced to come back to here (Australia) and work for money while playing football with a local club. He works in some warehousing job because he had nothing to fall back on in case his football didn’t work out. Man I feel so sorry for that guy.

And it hits me when I’m listening to this. This poor guy has been training everyday of his life for the big time footballing stage to see it go away by the lack of a couple of signatures. It made me think about how I question my decision to keep going with my university education so I can have a degree ready in case my footballing dreams are cut short. Like I said before anything can happen; from life threatening injuries, administration problems to something simple like your parents disapproval. God forbid any of these things happen to you and I.

My Message To You

Be wise and organise your life so that you have a backup plan. It’s easy to say “I’m gonna be a footballer and nothing else”, but that’s what we all think, but in being wise, you need to not act on impulse all the time and think things through. My friend G, didn’t think about what could potentially happen and he has suffered some grave consequences. This has meant him resulting to warehouse work and weekends partying, rather than weekdays filled with football and weekends in packed out stadiums with fans chanting your name enough to make the hairs on your neck stand up… better than any party or club in my opinion. So guys and girls, be wise and plan your future, yes have football as the primary goal in your life, but also have a secondary set of goals just in case things don’t work out. I personally have an Advertising Degree to be completed by the end of this year which I hope I never have to use. Finally, the sad truth that we all know is that, if playing football professionally was easy, everyone would be doing it

Never Give Up

Despite the odds and the fact that anything can happen in the future, never give up on the dreams that you hold close to your heart. Never ever let them go. I’ve only outlined what is logical, but I also am a strong believer in the human spirit and determination to be successful in the areas that you really want to do well in. So with both mental and emotional forces behind your actions, your chances of becoming a great player like Ronaldinho become that much better.

After a hard fought match where you run around the whole time, the chances are, you will be absolutely wiped out and your mind may not be on the injuries that you have picked up along the way. I personally know that I pick up at least two injuries per game, whether that be something such as a bruise to a pulled muscle, however, I would never know it because my entire body would be tired and hurting. Many of my team mates are very much the same. So how do you figure out whether that hurt you feel is an injury or normal muscle pain?

Long Hot Showers

Yes, one of the best ways to isolate the injuries that you may have picked up during a game. Notice the two adjectives before the word “showers”.  The reason you have a long shower is to give your body enought time to respond to the hot water that is pouring over it. When the hot water keeps hitting your skin, the receptors underneath will respond in kind and let you know exactly where on your body you have been banged up the most. An example of this is yesterday. I took many hits on the field and I wouldn’t know which one was most pressing. During showering, I noticed after a while that just under my knee, there began small swelling and pain, which I associated immediately with a big hit I took against another player during the first half. It is true that everyone showers after a game, however, most don’t have long showers to understand the extent of their injuries.

Now Time To Take Advantage 

With this feedback from your body, you can begin treatment for your injuries immediately rather than having to wait until the next morning for your body to reveal the various pains around the place. And trust me, it hurts even more the next day if you haven’t done anything about it.