Soccer Drills Diary Table Page 2
Pages on Soccer
Hts and wts of players on Brazil,  Germany national soccer teams, and goalkeeping rules notes:
table log of  soccer air-dribbling flight drill workouts
Dimensions of soccer field, goalie habitats,
jpeg marked scale map of soccer field, notes on dimensions of field...
https://www.angelfire.com/ma/vincemoon/airattack.htm
 

 
DATE

RESULT
number successful flights*/
minutes spent on flight attempts

COMMENTS  
BALL USED
 
Adidas Replique
unless noted
INFLATION OF BALL
Hard unless otherwise noted

DEFINITIONS ( * ** etc)

 
 
See Beneath Table
 
 
NOTE most of these runs go further than 13 yds, and alot of them would go further than 20 but are stopped by the presence of the wall. 13 yds is 40 feet a 3 story building, 17 yds is 51 feet a 4 story building.
 














5/15/06

31/57
extrapolates to 33/60
525-630 PM
Waltham Y


concentrated decisive alpha blind
 
Unbelievable that I would go so long without practicing.
We have to be on the lookout for people who sort of drain us of the energy we need, mental and physical to practice.
 
The boredom and depression and lack of enthusiasm for anything that is in some people, the sloth that is in them, or the excess of some herb or of alcohol, the simple lack of virtuous content in their lives all this stuff can be as infectious as the common cold.
 
One of these types is the type that never compliments you no matter how spectacular a job you do in sports.
 
Also I get to the the point where I become a computer nurd, who does not feel like exercising; I get absorbed in studying the program and creating the programs, and the desire to exercise leaves me. I begin to feel that
exercising would be too boring and depressing.
 
Then you have the feeling that now that it has been a few days you wont be able to equal your previous stellar performance so it will get depressing.
 
I decided to apply a fraction of the brain power I apply to programming to the situation. I came up with the idea,
that the simpler the schedule, the easier it will be to remember it implement it and become habituated to it. Lets not get lost in detail. So roughly speaking, my new schedule is 1 Sports 2 Cooking 3 Eating 4 Programming & Computers 5 recreational alcohol etc.  Lets face it computer work actually gets done better after exercise, and it can be done after that pearl of civlization the Y closes.
 
2 cannot be done until 1 is done, 4 cannot be done until 2 is done etc etc. Thus The important stuff, the stuff that has to be done early in the day gets done first. There are of course exceptional priorities such as deadlines for paying bills but an overly complex schedule is depressing, not easy to get habituated to etc.
 
I surprised myself today by doing 50 minutes swimming and 60 minutes soccer without feeling bored and depressed. Working out a reasonable schedule helped me to get through it without getting bored or depressed.
 
The runs today, there were lots of low quality with the ball not in tight control that still got past the 13 yard line. I could feel the effects of the layoff, the fatigue from getting out of shape, the drop off in the skill level. I could feel that for a few days I had not been getting the natural beta carotene I usually get from carrot tangerine passion fruit apple juice. I cant even remember the last time  I went so many days without these juices.
 
Still, there were some stellar runs, and the basketball father and son playing each oher, the basketball kids, the volleyball people, none of them seemed to even notice.
 
33/60 rate has to be the best I have ever done after a layoff. There is something to be said for how a rest can limber you up, and make you strong and get rid of stiffness and soreness.
 
Today the swimming came after the soccer.
 
Home home on the New England range,
Where the deer and the antelope play,
Where NEVER is heard an ENCOURAGING word,
And the skies are not cloudy all day.

ng


Adidas Replique, from here on unless otherwise noted. Adidas Replique is a $25 replica of the $130 match ball which will be used in the 2006 World Cup.

Hard















5/18/06
29/60
Concentrated alpha blind
 
Started out with only 9 successes in the first 25 minutes. That comes out to only
22/hour. They were not especially high quality flights either. For the first time that I can remember, I felt as if sexual thoughts about beautiful women, was messing up my ability to perform. I think it was the first time I ever felt this way. It was because of improvements in my life-style, throwing in swimming, moderating intake of things that can possibly harm the body. Thus I felt healthy. This healthy feeling led into sexual thoughts. I really felt upset. Maybe I was messing up in a way on purpose, because I felt that a person who is distracted by sexual thoughts SHOULD mess up. So I asked God once to help me to get rid of sexual thoughts, this did not work. Thereafter I began to constantly ask God to help me get rid of the sexual thoughts, on every run, and then I began to think less about sex, and my performance improved. Asking God just once, with a little five second request, did not work, but asking God over and over in different words seemed to work. But I know the proverb about vain repetition in prayer, and I also know the paradox that one should pray without ceasing, continue instant in prayer.  So the last 35 minutes I scored 20 successes, a 34/60 rate.  Alot better than a 20/60 rate.
 
There was not one person watching me today, so I feel it is hard to say that people watching me results in me performing worse, I've done alot better with people around.
 
I am beginning to think I might be getting sort of effetely, bridge over the river kwai-ishly obsessed with how many times I and the ball make it past that 13 yard line with the ball not touching the ground from the start, and me touching the ball after the 13 yard line. Almost as if I am forgetting about aspects aside from exactly how many times I make it. If I am feeling especially healthy I go fast, there are more failures. Today there were several in which the speed was close to the fastest I can run without the ball, with the ball under the best control possible given that level of speed, but all I could do was mourn the fact that sexual thoughts were preventing me from achieving more successful flights I could chalk up in the stats (these stats ignore how fast the runs were). I was underappreciating myself, failing to see that runs on which the ball is kicked every four paces are faster than those when it is kicked every three paces, the level of control is also necessarily lower with the every four paces runs because the ball is kicked every four paces instead of every three; it was as if I was some brutish coach, failing to see that the run on which the ball was touched every four paces, featured the ball being kept under the tightest control possible for an every four paces run, myopically only seeing how the ball is not under as tight control on the every four paces runs.
 
 
 
 
 
 

ng np 24 hrs


hard















5/20/06
Waltham Y gym
656-750 PM
 
32/54 =
 
36/60


Looking at it from the depressing point of view of the despised brutish coach within myself, who is a part of myself, and helps to coach myself, this was another mediocrity of a day. Lots of the succesful runs featured the ball being out of tight control, with the thighs and the head coming into play. I did not feel like I was having statistically the second best day I have ever had at all. All I could see was my faults, as if the coach within, was a coach whose standards grew higher and higher every day, as a result of which, there was a lack of a sense of self esteem or acheivement.
All I could think of was, how, on April 27, I made it 34 times in 50 minutes extrapolating to a rate of 41/60.
 
Yet on the positive side alot of the runs were very fast, a few weeks or months ago I would think I was a god for doing what I did several times today. Several of the runs that did not make it past the 13 yd line with the ball still in my control and having never touched the ground from the start, were very high speed, culminated in what would have been a spectacular pass or shot, since the ball was so far away I could not flick it upwards enough to keep it in control. Several of the runs almost made it.
 
Today for the first time, I noticed in myself, the ability to sprint forward, then backwards, then forwards again, all the time keeping the ball off the ground and not far from my body, and covering 15 yds forward in the process.
 
NOTE most of these runs go further than 13 yds, and alot of them would go further than 20 but are stopped by the presence of the wall.
 
 
Today I noticed in myself for the first time, the ability to so to speak pull my plane out of crashes, I could catch miskicked balls that were hard and awkward to reach and keep the run alive.
 
The positive side effect of being a klutz, is that you develop the ability to recover from being a klutz, out of practice.
 
Yet it is funny, that one could excuse every fault on such a basis, ie, well dad the positive side of getting F's in school, is that I get practiced at recovering from getting an F.
 
The value of runs that do not make it past the 13 yd line with me and the ball still together the ball never having touched the ground over the 40 feet (equiv 3 story building), can be underestimated when it comes to the realities of an actual game.
 
In a game, a 12 yard flight/run ending in the ball going straight up, or off to the side, or forwards, in such a manner that I cannot catch up with it before it hits the ground, can have devastating effect especially if the "pilot" is surrounded by quality players. In agame there are times where a shot or a pass is actually preferable to continuing the flight. In a game, you can get a better outcome when the ball bounces once on the ground, than you would get if  you caught up with the ball before it hit the ground.
 
The ball bounces off the pilot, so to speak, in a flight, at sharper angles, and at higher speeds, and in more unpredictable ways than it does when the attacking player is dribbling the ball on the ground. So sometimes the ball bounces off the so to speak pilot in a way that surprises the pilot and that the pilot cannot predict. So, so what, what is the big shame in that? The sheer unpredictability of it, can have dramatic positive consequences. In a sense the ball behaving in ways the player did not expect is more surprising and more unpredictable than when a player purposely attempts to surprise. In fact, the reality of it is that in a game, surprise is achieved better achieved by accident, it is too hard to be purposely surprising. yet such should not be a slur on those who do things with the ball that surprise them the ones who do these things. If  a player is wise and deliberate enough to develop the ability to succeed 80 percent of the time in a move in which 25% of the time something the player did not expect happens with the ball, the player still deserves credit for developing this move he has developed.
 
There was no lust problem today there was a fatigue problem. Irregular sleep patterns, insufficient sleep, lack of attention to diet, can take their toll, result in fatigue.
 
Nobody was in the gym today so there was nobody there to pretend nothing was happening when I did spectacular things.
 
And there was something I planned on mentioning today that I forgot. Oh yea, what I forgot, even when hustling, sometimes when I make a succesful flight on each attempt for a few attempts in a row, I still find my pace at one per two minutes. Keeping up with myself, equalling my past performances has become tough.
 
ng

















5/22/06
530-625 PM
41/55 =
45/60 pace
New Personal Record
Alpha blind concentrated
 
Up all night doing computer work, woke up approx 3 PM, felt underfed, stiff weak before leaving for the gym, surprised myself.
 
There is always some amount of error on every kick. Seemed the level of error has gotten reduced, so that a succesful flight can be recorded even when there is error; and the ability to recover from error, save a flight that would have crashed, has improved.
 
The head and the thighs got into the act but the runs were fast, many just a shade slower than top speed without juggling a ball. Noticed that for the first time, the thigh was accurately being used in combination with a fast pace of movement of body and ball. Usually the use of the thigh slows down the speed.
 
I always try to use alternating feet but often there is no alternative to head or thigh. You become what you value in yourself, I think the right policy is to attempt to use alternating feet but to count runs in which the head or the thigh is unavoidably used as successes. When I used the head or the thigh I made sure to attempt to kick the ball well on the last kick, beyond the 13 yd line, and usually succeeded in doing this.
 
Yesterday and today for the first time I stretched my legs before the practice, in times past it seemed to me stretching was a painful thing, a waste of time that did not improve things, something for old folks. But stretching for a couple of minutes has helped alot, I do the best I can when stretching even though I cannot even bend over and reach my toe with my finger with the leg straight.
 
611 PM young adult white male entered the gym sat there watching, said nothing. 617 PM a couple of oriental mongoloid looking young adult males came in to shoot baskets said nothing. Then about 625 PM the volleyballers came in said nothing. But I am almost certain that the volleyball referee, a short white red haired short haired overweight lady, whose face was very pink, looked in my direction and said, "that's God". When I got near her she was quiet, her arms folded across her chest, she had a mean look on her face.
 
These local people, sometimes I wonder whether they are stunned into silence, or whether they dont want to bother me and drive me the superstar away from using the gym, or whether they are just parading themselves, in love with themselves, disrespectful of those who excel in ways they themselves do not excel in, or maybe just fanatically loyal to the baseball red sox, the football patriots etc etc.
 
After the workout I swam 2000 yds in about 60 minutes. Been swimming about every other day lately. Usually I cant get alot of swimming done cause I get too bored, but I found today that the swimming, after the stress and excitement of the soccer juggling/sprinting drill, was as opposed to boring a refreshingly relaxing change of pace. I reccommend, the boring relaxing stuff like swimming after the exciting stressful stuff.
 
 

ng
ball bounces dropped from above head to middle 5 inches above navel
 
Ball was what I would call medium in hardness, you could press it in a little without too much difficulty.

















5/25/06
844-
945 PM
Waltham Y gym

37/57 =
39/60
 
The whole time I felt that I was screwing up, though this was probably my third best performance ever statistically. I feel sure, my standards keep for myself keep rising, I grow ever harsher on myself.
 
Today everything was simply not quite as good as the last time, runs not quite as fast, not quite as many succesful runs, not quite as much endurance.
 
The problem this time was the India-Indian chewing tobacco. I find it works great for suppressing the urge to smoke, but today, after waking up about 6 PM after being up all night,  I started chewing a wad of it, on an empty stomach, into which went nothing but a cup of tea w non dairy creamer and sugar before I started practicing.  Thus although I was not chewing any of it when I practiced, I could feel the effect of it on me while practicing, some of it was still left inside of me while I was practicing, the effect of it on a stomach that contained only tea, was to make me feel slightly nauseated and tired.
 
There was in the gym while I was practicing a young adult white male, he was silent.

ng np1

















7/16/05
NEW DRILL
DRILL WC06
 
 
98/37 Attempts
2.64 AVG
50 minutes
outdoors hot sun humidity
baseball turf
 
 
 
 
 

 
FROM HERE ON THE DRILL REPORTED ON HERE IS CHANGED TO DRILL WC06
 
The Average for the first 25 minutes was 2.4 for the second 25 minutes it was 2.8.  The best performance was a 5.  My goal is to have an average for all the attempts that is 7. Each attempt receives a score that is 0 or greater than 0 the higher the score the better the quality of the attempt.
 
Done outdoors at baseball park, 90 degrees, 50 percent humidity, in the sun. Extremely fatiguing. The uneven ground must have reduced performance levels significantly. The ground used was the area between the backstop and home plate on the baseball diamond, so as to allow easy recovery of overkicked balls.
 
The new drill is based on conclusions I came to watching the 2006 World Cup. It develops an ability that is as yet undeveloped that complements abilities that I have already developed. When the bility it develops is combined with abilities I have already developed, and this is combined with several hours of me practicing with balls that are passed in my direction, I will be an advanced super-hero.
 
My experience with the drill reported on up to 7/16 today, serves me well for the planning of drill WC06.


Adidas Replique

Hard















7/17/06
score 313
attempts 87
AVG 3.60
 
Waltham Y gym
430-600 pm

DRILL: WC06
First half avg 3.3
 
second half avg  3.9
 
This was an improvement of
1.0 compared to yesterday for the avg score.
 
This is a great rate of improvement, I'd be an advanced super-hero after six more hours of practice at this rate.
 
Today there were
two attempts that resulted in a score of 8, four that resulted in a score of 7, eight that scored 6, and 10 attempts that were scored at 5. Yesterday the best score was 5 which I got on just one attempt.
 
Indoors it is much cooler than it is outdoors when temps are around 90s.

Replique

med hard















7/18
 
Waltham Y
412-542 PM
 
WC06
 
total attempts/score
75/335
avg 4.5
 
1st half
37/149
avg 4.0
 
2nd half
38/186
avg 4.9

 

Unexpectedly the rate of improvement continues at 1.0 per hour.
 
Today  score:# attempts resulting in score:
 
11:1; 10:1; 9:4; 8:2; 7:4; 6:4; 5:12.
 
Learned the value of a skipping motion. In the skipping motion, a given foot say the left foot hits the ground twice before the right foot hits the ground. Wonder how many World Cup coaches athletes and fans realize the value of a skipping motion.
 
Today at certain times the following shared the gym with me, all playing basketball: a young white adult male shooting baskets, a grade schoolish 'oriental' girl, a couple of grade school white kids playing basketball. None of them said anything which does not bother me as much when I do this particular drill, because the results with this drill are usually unspectacular. Nevertheless my rate of improvement in WC06,  means I am improving at an impressive warp speed as a player, improving much faster than players who practice much more spectacular techniques improve.
 
It really surprises me that I am improving so fast; WC06 is a drill which improves skills that I have always been weak in. Looks like if I improve in the future at a quarter the rate I have been improving so far,  In 45 more hours I will be up to an average of 12 per attempt;  if you had told me before I started WC06 that I would be at an average of 12 per attempt doing the WC06 drill, I would have found it hard to believe.
 
 
 
 
same as above unless noted
med hard bounce to lower chest from above head















7/19
WC06
Waltham Y
652-822 PM
attempts/score
 
1st half
34/181
5.3 avg
 
35/185
5.3 avg
 
69/366
5.3 avg

Improved today by 0.8 avg. This surprised me. I felt the improvement rate would drop off more. After all if I were to continue improving at this rate (increase in average per day), in 80 hours, two average work week, I would be up to an average 64 score on each attempt, meaning I would be thoroughly superhuman, a demigod, more than merely an advanced super-hero.
 
The score given each attempt measures only an aspect of the attempt's quality. Today there were several attempts of a quality the score does not measure.
 
Today the skipping with the feet motion that I discovered yesterday came more into play, I became more competent with it, I see its usefulness for the future.
 
Today, a group composed of three black and one brown boy who looked like they were in eigth grade was wandering in and out of the gym; a light brown skin color adult male with a mustache shot baskets in the gym for some time; and a white young adult shot some baskets, and an elderly tall white male with glasses came in for five minutes to shoot baskets, got his basketball stuck in the basketball hoop net, asked me what to do (I suggested he hit it with another ball), then jumped up and easily knocked it loose with his hand. As he departed for some reason he said, "Oooh...no thanks" as he looked in my direction.
 
I felt like addressing these people, telling them, do you realize that you are watching an athlete who is practicing a skill as a result of which he will soon be on top of the world in the world's most played sport? None of them said anything as they watched, but I admit right now I am spectacular only a minority of the time. But at least now I can say that I am sometimes spectacular at this, something I could not say yesterday.
 
Every time I did something spectacular today, the basketball player(s) in the gym had their back turned, was not watching, or nobody was in the gym with me.
 
Today I discovered the value of the double skip, wherein for example the left foot hits the ground, and then the left foot hits the ground TWO more times before the right foot hits the ground.
 
Today there were (score-# attempts):
 
13:1; 12:1; 11:2; 10:0;  9:4; 8:2; 7:7;
 
Today in the second half I experienced phases wherein my attention lagged as I began to feel tired and sleepy and became overly relaxed. Beware suddenly cool weather (75 degrees 60% humidity) as we had today! It makes you feel sleepy...alot of people cannot sleep in the heat.
 
After doing the drill I went swimming for 35 minutes.
 

replique

hard
ball pumped before practice.















7/20/06

 
WC06
Waltham Y
452-622 PM
 
1st half
37/189
avg 5.1
 
2nd half
37/249
avg 6.7
 
total
74/438
avg 5.9

 
I surprised myself again by continuing to progress, the overall average was up from 5.3 yesterday to 5.9 today, and the 2nd half average was all the way up to 6.7!
 
I begin to realize that by practicing in the way I do, every attempt recorded for result, I build up abilities such as: handling stress, handling the pressure to be even better than you were yesterday, concentrating, relaxing, being decisive.
 
Today the second half was far superior to the first half. All I can say is that in the second half, I became relaxed confident and skillful--it seemed as if every hour practiced up till then on WC06 had been just warm up, loosening up, stretching, in preparation for what I did in the second half today.
 
There were several attempts of high quality today beyond what the numerical score indicates. At one point there were three attempts in a row with near perfect form.
 
Today there were (score/# attempts resulting in score):
 
14:1; 13:2; 12:0; 11:2; 10:2; 9:2; 8:7; 7:8.
 
But I now realize that even when the avg gets to 7.0 there will still be work to do. I want 95% of attempts to result in at least a 7. But I don't want to discount scores above 7, because I learn things and become more adept on attempts that score above 7. Thus I want to continue counting scores above 7, continue recording the average score. I don't want to just count everything 7 or above as a success, count everything below 7 as a failure. To do so would render my world boring and uninspiring. The attempts that result in scores above 7, even if relatively lacking in practical value in real games, are the attempts that are exciting, they are the attempts that impress onlookers.
 
Today in the first half the karate class for what looked like 2nd graders was in the other side of the gym; this time they decided to not draw the big blue curtain that separates the half of the gym I am in from their half.
 
In the second half I shared the gym with: this oriental father and son team that was shooting baskets; a white girl, a white woman, a white young man slash basketball jock; a couple of oriental and one white girl said basketball jock was teaching. The oriental father and son team came into the gym and started dribbling the ball in a place such that my execution of the drill was obstructed. Instead of arguing I simply moved to the other side of the gym; after this my performance improved dramatically, while I was in the gym with the father and son team and the basketball jock and his female pupils.
 
After doing the drills I went swimming for an hour. This kind of practicing with every attempt recorded, and constant pressure to excel yesterday's performance, needs to be balanced with something relaxing like swimming.
 
Today I noticed for the first time I was able to deliberately choose between a style that would produce high scores, and a style that would produce high quality but lower scores. This could be a problem with regards to the scoring of this drill.
 
The better I get at football/soccer, the more depressed I get, because the better I get, the greater the injustice of and the misfortune caused by the discrimination that suppresses me in the world. It depresses me that nobody told me when I was younger that I was a football (soccer) talent. Everyone thought I was too slow, American boys would never be as good as foreigners whoze been playin since theyze babies, If I was not fast enough now I would never be fast enough etc etc.
 
Today I used psychological tricks to snap myself out of ruts: I inspired myself by telling myself I could henceforth over the next 30 or so attempts, not counting the previous attempts, establish a personal record; I drank some water and popped into mouth another piece of nicotine gum when my performance became mediocre; I picked up the tempo the number of attempts per minute; I told myself to concentrate super hard on a certain beginning segment of each attempt.
 
Today  the ball rolled towards me from in fighter pilot lingo 1200 from straight in front of me. With ease and quickness, I flipped it up in the air about a foot high and  in the "five o'clock" direction swiveled clockwise and began an air dribble. This kind of dealing with incoming balls is something I had felt uncomfortable about while watching World Cup 2006. I was feeling as if the World Cuppers are much better than me at this. Then again I have noticed in the past how I have surprised myself in terms of how doing individual drills alone, improves me in my ability to handle incoming balls. If I had seen a World Cupper accomplish this twelve o clock incoming flip to five oclock to initiate air dribble trick, I would have been extremely impressed and pleased that this was a welcome sign of the World Cuppers' evolution from "homo erectus to homo sapiens".  The World Cuppers simply were not that good at handling incoming balls and flipping them up in the air to initiate air dribbles.
 
Today the father in the oriental father and son team kicked me the ball it rolled towards me on the ground from twelve o clock fighter pilot lingo. With ease and quickness I flipped it up in the air, and swivelled counter clockwise while air dribbling it a couple of feet above the ground (height of air-dribbled ball at apex between kicks)
until I had turned 90 degrees to face at nine o'clock. Then before the ball touched the ground I blasted a line drive shot that traveled 20 yds and hit the wall like a rocket (I could have kicked it even harder, the gym was completely empty in the area I kicked it). If I had seen a World Cupper execute this swiveling initiation of an air dribble followed by a shot I would have been beside myself with admiration, watching the World Cup I felt there were many instances in which the players had ample opportunities to engage in such antics but did not.
 
Watching the 2006 World Cup I felt as if a 20 yd line drive rocket shot of the type they could shoot was beyond my ability, even though I should have remembered that sometimes in practice I had been letting off such shots. I had felt inferior because my mind felt as if since the World Cuppers practice shooting more they would be better than me; all the distances looked longer and more difficult on the television screen.
 
Then the first day I returned to practice after the World Cup, I had felt as if I could barely shoot ten yds with power. This is because my legs had not again built up the kind of shock absorbing resiliency needed in both legs to kick the ball with a given foot, and also because as it turns out cross-training shoes are fine for certain types of soccer drills but not good for kicking balls that are on the ground because the shoelace area of the shoe is too far above ground.
 
Before the practice I felt incompetent and decrepit. It was not until I had been practicing for twenty minutes that I began to feel you know godly and athletic and healthy.
 
 
 

replique
hard















7/21/06
WC06
Waltham Y
406-625 PM
 
1st 45 minutes:
37/218
5.9
 
2nd 45 minutes:
37/231
6.2
 
1st + 2nd avg:
6.1
 
overtime
45 mins:
37/240
avg 6.5
 
1st 2nd 3rd:
111 attempts
avg 6.2
 

Weird how each 45 minute segment produced  37 attempts.
 
There was a problem with these phases in which I would become sort of sleepy, seemed the water made me feel sleepy.
 
In certain ways not covered by the numerical rating of each attempt, today was clearly superior to yesterday.
 
As I improve it may be wise to add new ways of measuring the quality of each attempt, for now the rough measure I am using serves a useful purpose.
 
However I deliberately caught myself a few times purposely lowering the quality level of an attempt so as to get a higher score.
 
Problem is that  sometimes if the quality of an attempt becomes too good it becomes impossible to get a very high score on the attempt.
 
As usual today a few people were in and out of the gym while I was practicing: a black boy in about second grade; a young white adult male basketball jock; a mom and her first grade age boy; big tall white young man who looked like George Clooney; a couple more white male young adult basketball jocks; about seven first grade size campers in from the rain with their white young adult male counselor (the counselors were wearing superman shirts with the big S on them); some more first grade type kids. Nobody said anything buy I am sure at least a couple saw me do something spectaccolo twice, and at least half a dozen saw me do something spectaccolo once. One of the counselor types was in a hurry talking to this and that person I thought he looked at me and said "Yea...you're good..."; but I didn't know if he meant I was a good guy or good at soccer.
 
My estimate is that today in total there were 36 high quality attempts and 26 very high quality attempts out of 111 attempts total--this is judging attempts in a way other than the numerical scale, a way that looks at aspects the numerical scale does not.
 
Looks like re the numerical scale score of the attempts, I might lower the number that I desire to reach 95 percent of the time from 7 to 6. But the problem with this is that 6-6-6-6 etc., is a number sometimes unjustly frowned upon by the superstitious.
 
Today there was plenty of skipping, double skips, triple skips, combined with long striding.
 
Kind of amazing how much ground you can cover at a surprisingly high rate of speed, by skipping, combined with taking long strides: in other words, land on left foot, skip with left foot, take long stride and land on right foot, can get you going surprisingly fast, even though it is not a running or jogging motion. This kind of skipping motion has tactical advantages in soccer-football. I wonder if it is a coincidence that captains in football-soccer are called "skippers".
 
Today throughout the practice I was morosely obsessed with the score on each attempt, obsessed with numerically defeating my performance of yesterday.
 
Undoubtedly on several of the attempts I reached a World Class Plus level of achievement--but I realize a problem remains in that I need to be able to execute WC06 while paying less attention to the ball with my eyes. However I feel now is not the time to pressure myself to get the eyes up and off the ball, as I am making rapid progress with a difficult new skill. The time for this eye adjustment is later.
 
 

Replique
med hard















7/22/06
Waltham Y
500 PM-
800 PM
attempts/total score:
 
1st half
40/233
avg 5.8
 
2nd half
40/265
avg 6.6
1st +2nd:
avg 6.2
 
overtime
40/275
avg 6.9
 
1st+2nd+overtime avg = 6.4
 
2nd overtime:
27/226
avg 8.4
 
Overall
147/999
avg 6.8.


Managed to get the average for 1st and 2nd combined 0.1 above yesterday.
 
The averages for all attempts including overtime was the highest ever,
6.8. The 2nd overtime had by far the highest average of any segment, 8.4.
 
Thing about these averages is that I get better and better the more attempts I have made in a given practice session, so there could be a  problem comparing between practice sessions when one practice session contained more overtimes than another.
 
Today it became again quite evident that focusing on running up a high score conflicts with attempting to achieve not just a high score but quality. Nevertheless the score criteria I have used this far has proved useful in helping me to concentrate focus and strive--thing is I am entering a phase where it would be good to  include a new scoring criteria.
 
Each attempt can quantitatily not subjectively be measured by two criteria, the H score and the M score, which can be actually quantitatively measured for each attempt.
 
Thus far the scoring criteria used has H, measured for each attempt. Another measure for each attempt that has been ignored thus far, is
M. Henceforth I intend to count attempts that exceed 8 on the M count, and that feature a M/H ratio greater than or equal to 4/3, as "gold" attempts; and I intend to calculate a number, the gold number, which is the total M on all the gold attempts.
 
By this new criteria, today the stats were:
 
1st half:
11 Gold attempts
gold number: 104
 
2nd half:
17 Gold attempts
gold number: 202
 
overtime:
7 Gold attempts
gold number: 72
 
2nd overtime:
6 gold attempts
gold number: 67
 
You can see how by this new way of scoring the second half was the superior segment, whereas by the old way of scoring the second overtime was the superior segment. The new way of scoring more accurately reflects the practical as applied to games situations quality of an attempt. But it would have been a mistake to use this new way of scoring at the beginning because at the beginning I was not as good as I am now.
 
In the 2nd overtime in which my average so excelled my average in all previous segments, I was extremely focused on running up good numbers and to hell with quality. Conversely in the segments in which my average was not so high today, I was forgetting about how attempts are scored, and getting carried away by the spirit of the game, the spirit of striving for quality not just numbers.
 
Anyway judging by the "H" scores, today yet again for the 6th straight day the average on the first and second half was better than my previous personal record, and today there were also other personal all-time statistical achievements.
 
Today yet again the pace for the overtime was exactly the same as the pace in the 1st/2nd half.
 
Today I shared the gym with: a bald  white basketball adult; a white basketball adult; a father and son basketball team;  couple of high schoolish oriental basketballers;  couple of white basketball kids; an oriental basketball kid.
 
I do not mean to offend by the term "oriental" I am talking about people who are from China Japan etc. Seems as if "oriental" sounds better than "mongoloid".
 
I will let you know when these folks sharing the gym with me behave and render verbal respects. If I don't say they said anything it means they were as usual quiet.
 
 
replique
hard
bounce from above head to chest on bball court
ball pumped up before practice















7/23/06
330-700 PM
Waltham Y
WC06
 
Using new scoring method explained above:
 
Number Gold/Attempts:
 
1st 45 minutes:
18/30
60%
 
2nd 45 minutes:
16/29
55%
 
3rd 45 minutes:
14/27
52%
 
4th 45 minutes:
23/27
85%
 
TOTAL
71/113 63%
 
 
 
 

 

The day before all I had to eat all day was a McDonalds Fish Filet. As a result I began to feel tired after the first few attempts and the performance went down radically; so finally after 44 attempts I allowed myself to break for a snack. I ate two dates and drank some spring water. After this I went 11/15 (73%) in terms of golds/attempt for the remainder of the second 45 minutes.
 
Prior to the 3rd 45 minutes, I reviewed my score before and after the snack. I concluded that I should allow myself three outmeal cookies from the Victory Supermarket, and some spring water.
 
I realize that I have discovered that drinking water makes you clumsy; but the idea of snacking without drinking water struck me as unbearable.
 
The mediocre performance in the 3rd 45 minutes would seem to indicate, that dates and spring water, is a better snack than oatmeal cookies and spring water.
 
The 4th 45 minutes, practiced in front of the official Waltham YMCA Youth Basketball Clinic, which was held a couple of hours later than it was supposed to be held for some reason, was the crown jewel of the day.
 
When the skill I am practicing in WC06 is at a 95% gold level, then it will be lethally useful in World Class soccer/football, putting me at a level roughly equal to that of the world's best players.
 
Still it can be wearisome and frustrating toiling away, the rate of improvement can seem unbearably gradual and slow, even when at the given rate of improvement, you are going to be world class in just one month.
 
One of the children being taught by the young black man at the youth basketball clinic was an Asian Indian type, a girl. What seemed to be her mother sat on the bleachers watching me for a little while. Her husband joined her. After running a "gold" I looked at them. They looked like the proverbial cat that swallowed the canary.
 
I spent time in India as a child prior to 6th grade. I was reading on the internet yesterday about India's "all-time greatest" soccer or football player, Neville D'Souza of Goa, the former Portuguese colony (Ourtuguese like Christiano Ronaldo were a memorable presence at the 2006 World Cup). Neville scored a hat-trick in a game against Australia which India won at the 1956 Olympics by a score of 4-2. The Australians were so outraged that they demanded a rematch in Sydney after the Olympics India won the rematch. India after beating Australia went on to lose in the semifinals to some team.
 
It was terrible to read about how during these times and afterwards, Indian players played barefoot because they could not afford the shoes, and the players with shoes would play tough with the players without shoes, and then pick on the players without shoes who would be hurt, by injuring them some more!
 
Still  for years and years, Indian soccer players played without shoes, against people who were wearing shoes--they should get some kind of medal for gallantry and heroism.  Look at these World Cuppers with shoes, seemingly rolling on the ground in agony because a feather brushed against them--and then think of those valiant fellows playing without shoes. Americans are proud of their love of sports and of their sporting activities; but how many Americans would go out and play soccer without shoes, against people wearing shoes?
 
I wonder how an economy cannot allow people to afford shoes. When people spend money on shoes the shoe-makers get an income, and then the shoe-makers spend the money they earn, producing income for the economy again.
 
Today in total there were 71 gold runs
in 180 minutes. That is one every 2.5 minutes. Half of these were super-gold runs. I was around alot of people today, both adults and children. None of them said anything. But one about eigth grade, overweight, brown skinned East Asian girl did look at me, while I was doing spectacular things, and said, regarding this official Waltham YMCA Youth Basketball Clinic that was sharing the gym with me, "they're good, aren't they?". And I looked at them and thought, they just look like typical kids. 
 
After practice today I went swimming for 20 minutes, swimming very slowly.
 
 

















7/24/06
 
Waltham YMCA
 
430-600 pm
 
905-950 pm

WC06
 
430-600 pm
1st 45 minutes
18/33 55%
2nd 45 minutes:
23/32 72%
 
 
905-950 pm
3rd 45 mins:
23/42 55%
 
TOTAL
64/107 60% over
135 minutes
 
 

Yesterday the score for the first three segments was 48/86 56%; today for the three segments it was 64/107 or 60%. My goal is 95%. At 4% per day it would take me 9 days to get to 95%. 
 
Yet you could say today was my first defeat competing against myself. Yesterday I was at 63% for not just the first three segments but for all four segments; today I was at 60% for all three 45 minute segments.
 
Yet there were mitigating circumstances re this difference in total scores. Yesterday there were four segments today only three, I get better and better with each passing segment. Today there was a long break before the third segment--this allowed the loosened up warmed up effect to wear off.  Today 140 minutes before starting the third segment, I had a snack wrap and a vanilla cone from McDonalds. then ten minutes before the third segments two dates, four dried apricot pieces, some water.  Today the third segment was late at night 9.5 hours after I woke up in the morning. Today I felt woozy in the third segment, lapses of concentration.
 
My feeling is that the late time of the third segment and also perhaps the McDonalds food just 140 minutes before the segment began, created a woozy lack of concentration in the third segment. I think this may have been the first time that I was doing this drill this late at night, with no daylight coming in through the windows to combine with the indoor lighting.
 
Today I felt a few of the gold runs were as good as any yesterday.
 
Today there were streaks where I would have seven to nine attempts in a row that were all gold runs.
 
Today towards the end of the second segment, this balding white man about average height with a mustache and a young lady who seemed to be his white dark brown haired daughter (there are tons with dark brown hair around here) came into the gym. I thinks this man is a Waltham Cop who in fact gave me a ticket once. After he entered the gym, I had 9 gold runs in a row, followed by two "failures", an 9/11 rate.
 
The third segment was my worst segment, You naturally expect the first segment to manifest all the follies of warming up. I count every attempt there are no warm up attempts that are uncounted. During the third segment the gym was completely empty. I am not the type who does great with nobody watching me and then chokes under the pressure of being watched by a dozen people.
 
My plan for tommorrow is that the first segment I will force myself to skip all the time on each attempt. I think this might speed my improvement. The skipping movement is useful, I could make it even more useful, develop it further, by skipping the decision re whether to skip or not skip at a given time.
 
 
 
 


















7/25/06
Waltham YMCA
 
555PM-900 PM


WC06
Skips
 
 
# gold/attempts
!st Quarter
555 PM-640 PM
19/34
56%
 
2nd Quarter
640-725 PM
22/29
76%
 
3rd Quarter
730-815 PM
22/31
71%
 
4th Quarter
815-900 PM
27/36
75%
 
TOTAL
90 /130
69%
over 180 minutes
 
 
 
 
FIRST QUARTER
 
I decided to devote the first quarter to skipping all the time while executing the WC06 drill. The first two runs were not gold, but after these first two runs I knew for a fact that the skipping method was an improvement that would make my future dominance of the soccer-football world easy for me.
 
I felt like a Prince who had fallen in love with a new young wife to add to my collection of wives. The new young wife was this new skill I would have by utilizing skipping while doing WC06 drill type stuff.
 
The third run after the first two failures was an awesome gold.
 
With the score 6/17 an east asian boy with brown skin entered my half of the gym which was divided in two by a blue curtain. He looked like he was in about 7th grade, he wore a dark green shirt that had the word "Quiksilver" printed on it, and he wore camouflage shades of green patterned pants. He was shooting baskets. After he entered, I went 4 gold for 5 attempts. The first run after the boy entered featured lots of side to side movement with the ball, it was a gold. The fourth was a gold featuring fast forward pause rewind fast forward, if you know what I mean. The next one was a spectacular gold featuring perfect form.
 
At this point the boy began a ritual, wherein As I would prepare to start a run, he would cease his basketball activity, stand still, and stare at me, like a soldier at attention. This went on for about three runs. He stood at attention and watched as I executed a gold run with perfect form, a gold fast easy run, and then a run that was not a gold. Then he went back to his basketball.
 
Towards the end of the first quarter,
A white little girl entered, sat on the bleachers, and loudly said something in my direction. I asked her what she had said and she claimed she had not said anything.
 
SECOND QUARTER
 
I resolved this would be an all skips quarter also.
 
I went 5/6, there was a fast easy gold run and a gold run with perfect form. At this point I noticed a tall royal-type looking white East Asian athletic looking man standing in the doorway with what looked like his grade school age daughter. He was wearing a white shirt and dark slacks of the business world type. They were on the other side of the gym but they could see parts of my runs through the gaps in the blue curtains. Seemed they were watching the three white junior high school age boys shooting baskets on the side of the gym they were on of the two sides of the gym divided by the big blue curtain.
 
But I felt I was having a big impact on them, that what they were really watching was me, though they did not come over to my side of the gym. Why would they bother with watching  three white european type junior high boys, with such rapt attention? And all of a sudden these three junior high boys, had also three high school age boys sitting in the bleachers pretending to watch them with rapt attention. And there was this gangsterish looking young black who looked like he dressed in imitation of a "Ninja Turtle", leaning against the wall in between the two sides of the gym divided by the big blue curtain, pretending to be watching these three white junior high boys on the other side of the gym from me.
 
I felt  they were all in shock at my performance, but were pretending such was not the case, this is my opinion. Even though they could see only portions of a given run of mine, they could hear the ball hitting my feet on the runs, they could hear my feet hitting the ground further and further away from me on these runs. They could hear the difference between a ball hitting my foot and a ball hitting the wodden floor of the basketball court.
 
At this point my score was 24/40 60%
 
As a matter of fact from the beginning today after the first two or three runs I felt as if those in the gym could like me sense that I had so to speak turned the corner.  At this point the gym began to empty of spectators.
 
THIRD QUARTER
 
Again all skips
 
The gym was empty no spectators. Whereas as previously in third quarters I had felt not fatigue but increased competence this time I was feeling fatigue. Some gold runs excel other gold runs in quality the quality of these was lower than in the first and second quarters. But I managed to keep up the
percentage.
 
FOURTH QUARTER
 
Again all skips
 
In this quarter I recovered from a streak of several attempts in a row all of which were not a gold, by slowing down the tempo in terms of number of attempts per minute. The gym now was also empty, again the golds were not stellar golds but the percentage was kept up.
 
 
Today I was up from 60% yesterday to 69% today. My goal is 95%. At this rate I will be at 95% in just three days.
 
 
The snacks in between quarters today were dried apricot pieces and spring water.
 
 
Ended day with 20 minute swim
 
 
 
 
 
 

replique

med hard
bounce from top of head to lower chest















7/26/06
550-900 PM
Waltham Y

WC06
Skips
 
2nd 45 MINUTES TODAY DESTINED TO STAND AS BEST SEGMENT EVER RECORD UNTIL AUGUST 10, and CONTINUES TO STAND AS BEST SECOND SEGMENT RECORD AS OF AUGUST 11
 
 
# gold/attempts
!st Quarter
650 PM-740 PM
17/26
65%
 
2nd Quarter
740-825 PM
26/30
87%
 
3rd Quarter
825-905 PM
23/32
71%
 
4th Quarter
815-900 PM
27/36
72%
 
TOTAL
66 /88
75%
over 130 minutes
 
 


Yesterday the first three sets were 63/94 67%; all four sets yesterday was 69%. Today over three sets I was 75%. This is real improvement; at this rate I will be at the target 95% in two to four days. When I am at the target 95% I will have good cause to think of myself on a par with the world's best players, not counting things like endurance conditioning, and the ability to field balls that fly in one's direction from elsewhere, an ability that is best practiced when you are associated with a team. But I know a 60% rate is enough to cause shock in the gym, when it is a well formed skipping fast 60%. So don't cornsider me deceitfully boastful, as I realize that which is good enough to shock the people in the gym, may not put me at a world class level.
 
Maybe shock is the wrong word for it. Anyway there is something martial and heart-stirring to a saga of someone reaching the top in the world's most played game. Soccer type football is a game that a wide variety of body types can excel in.
 
Today I felt fatigue in all the sets. I have suddenly been doing these long workouts every day without a day off. Today the percentage of golds was high, but the golds were not especially well formed fast or spectacular. Then again gold vs non-gold is a relatively accurate measurement, for all practical real world game purposes the simple plain golds are not much worse than the spectacular well formed fast ones. But the spectacular well formed fast ones impress people, build my morale and skills.
 
Today I noted that a few sips of water produces a temporary decline in competence. Seems the best route, is to wait a while or at least slow the tempo down in the first few minutes after sipping water. But I am pressed for time, so  I cannot afford the luxury of a four minute break after sipping water.
 
There were only a few sharing the gym with me today, the usual crew of East Asian and White boys and men. Plus today there was a brown hispanic boy, throwing a rubber ball in the air and hitting it with his baseball bat.
 
At most there were two of them in the gym with me at any given time. They were all absorbed in shooting baskets, they did not seem to notice me, the way they seemed to notice me yesterday.
 
After the soccer or football practice I swam for twenty minutes.
 
There were plenty of well formed attempts that scored gold today, but the speed was not like yesterday as a result of the fatigue.
 
 

replique

bounces on court from above head to just below chest
 
 















Thursday July 27
 
 

BREAK AND REVIEW
 
Two scoring methods have been used. It is possible to estimate what the score by the second scoring method introduced on day 8, the gold/non-gold scoring method, was on the days that the first scoring method was used. Thus the progression in terms of estimate or real percent gold over the ten days has been:
 
0; 17; 19; 27; 25; 26; 28; 63; 60; 69; 75.
 
The big break you might say was switching to the new scoring method, as a result of which my efforts became focused on producing results with more practical real game applicability. Day 8 I jumped from a 28% estimated gold to 63 gold% actually measured. Overall indoors from day 2 to day 11 I jumped from estimated 17% gold to 75% gold.
 
So although on some days the progress has appeared to be painfully slow, almost not worth the effort involved, the percentage gold score has increased daily by an average of 6%.
 
Getting more mathematically sophisticated, the percentage score has grown by an average 18% compared to what it was on the previous day.
 
This is counting the big jump day when I changed to a policy of deliberately attempting to achieve "gold" on attempts (previously I had been just attempting to score a lot of H's on each attempt). If I throw out this score as a freak, the percentage score has been going up by 3 points on an average day; and, the percentage on a given day has on average been 11 percent greater than the previous day.
 
Why is this important to know? Because to avoid unnecessary stress, it is good to have a proper understanding of your achievements, and of what one can reasonably expect from oneself.
 
So I figure that on each day in the future, progressing at the rate I have been progressing from the beginning not counting the freak day, my percentage gold score should be 11 percent greater than the previous day's percentage gold score.
Thus I estimate the future should run something like (percentage gold scores): 83, 92, 100.
 
Looking at the rate I have been progressing since instituting the new scoring system, 60 to 75 in three days, on an average day the percentage has been 8 percent higher than it was the previous day. Thus along this way of thinking I could expect the future to run something like: 81, 87, 95.
 
Thus I have some idea of the ground I have covered and what I can expect to cover how fast in the future.
 
When I get to the 95 percentage I will consider myself at an all-world level, one of the world's best 11 players, not counting the physical endurance conditioning and the practicing of certain skills best practiced with a team such as handling incoming passes.
 
Overall looks like this has been a two week campaign to march from a zero percent to a 95 percent World Class, in a crucial skill whereby I do things people have never seen before, and never thought possible, with the ball.
 
As for the humility, the idea I have to get up to 85% on this WC06 drill thing to be world class, some apparently think that I am already world class--I appreciate their (imagined?) support--
and I have to admit that what I count as something "below gold" when scoring this drill (strictly scored to build skill), could end up on an actual soccer field accomplishing more than the attempts that I score as "gold". Furthermore, the fact that a certain percentage of the attempts do not work out exactly as planned, and are not scored as a "gold", adds a certain level of unpredictability to the outcome of my adventures with the ball. Nevertheless I can see how with perfect control with the ball, I could substitute for this kind of unpredictability by varying what I do deliberately.
 
 
DETAILS:
 
If one fails to keep cognizant regarding how much one has been improving, one could become demoralized. For example I have been working really hard the last few days on this drill, tiring myself out mentally and physically--it is much more tiring, when every attempt is counted and recorded, you never have the luxury of being lackadaisical about anything. So getting tired it began to seem to me that for all that work I had only been improving by a few percentage points per day. Thus in order to counteract this demoralizing notion that arose within myself, I decided to review the history of the past ten days, the operation WC06. Because I realized that the changes in the scoring methods were reducing my ability to appreciate how far I had progressed and this my morale.
 
Day 1-- Sunday July 16, outdoors, first scoring method. The average was 2.6, the high 7--my estimate is that the gold count going by the gold/non-gold method of scoring, on this day, was 0 for 37, 0%.
 
Day 2-- Monday July 17, indoors, first scoring method used, average 3.6; my estimate is that using the gold/non-gold method of scoring I now use, 15 of 87 attempts were gold, which would be 17%
 
Day 3-- Tuesday July 18, indoors,  first scoring method used, avg 4.6. My estimate is that on this day there were 14 golds out of 75 attempts, 19%.
 
Day 4-- Wednesday July 19, indoors, first scoring method. Avg 5.3. Estimate golds  27% 15/69.
 
Day 5--Thursday July 20, indoors, first scoring method used, avg 5.9. Estimate golds 18/74 25%
 
Day 6--Friday July 21, indoors, first scoring method used, avg 6.2. Estimate golds 26% 29/111.
 
Day 7--Saturday July 22, indoors, first AND ALSO second scoring methods used. By the first scoring method, the average was 6.8 over 147 attempts. By the second scoring method, there were 41 golds out of 147 attempts or 28% gold. Thus, onw way of looking at it is that the formula for estimating the golds from the first scoring method could be said to be average by first scoring method times 4.1.
 
Day 8--Sunday July 23, indoors, 71/113, 63% gold. A BIG JUMP from the previous day.
 
Day 9--Monday July 24, indoors, 64/107 60% gold.
 
Day 10--Tuesday July 25, indoors, 90/130 67% gold.
 
Day 11-Wednesday July 26, indoors, 66/88 75% gold.
 
 
As for the effect of these drills on endurance, doing this drill every day, executing about 100 attempts a day, eventually becomes tiring and one needs a break. This drill does indeed build endurance, but what it builds is anaerobic endurance not aerobic endurance. It consists of five to ten seconds burst of intense activity separated by a mostly walking rest of about 1.5 minutes. Nevertheless it is tiring because the movements of the body in the attempts are very precise and quick, and then there is the fatigue effect on the mind, of all these quick precise movements with every result being noted and scored.
 
The endurance built by this drill may be anaerobic (sprints etc) as opposed to aerobic (marathon, mile etc); but I now believe that at the 2006 World Cup we saw Italy, a team with anaerobic endurance, defeat teams like Germany and Australia that had aerobic endurance. I now believe that the soccer world overemphasizes aerobic endurance at the expense of anaerobic endurance. The Italians looked like a team living on spaghetti meat sauce and wine (not a bad choice when there is limited time money and energy to put into food), they looked as if their aerobic endurance was not as good as Germany's or Australia's, but in the end nevertheless they wore down their aerobically conditioned opponents who looked like they had been dining on broiled fish and tangerine juice, but who anyway became more tired than the Italians. I believe this is because these teams overemphasized aerobic conditioning. Alot of what is done in soccer requires anaerobic not aerobic conditioning. Recently Evander Holyfield won a boxing championship by adopting the novel approach of avoiding long distance running and concentrating on aerobic endurance.
 
 
 
 
 


















7/28/06
BREAK
 
There could be no soccer practice today. My dad wanted me to go shopping with him and my brother. This and that was bought for my brother. He wanted a shirt here, shirt and pants and hat there etc etc.
 
We were standing in line at the Indian grocery store "Apna Bazaar".  I was telling him about how I was finally becoming world class in soccer. He was huffing and puffing and saying things like "you have been saying that for years". Actually I have never said that I am world class in soccer. I have talked about my interest in soccer, being able to do cool things with the ball, being good at soccer, the possibility of becoming excellent at soccer in the future, but I have never said prior to these days that I was "world class" or near such. The man who owns operates this Indian shop "Apna Bazaar" heard my dad pooh poohing what I was saying. He said "you're father is scoffing at you"--I could see he was empathizing with me not my dad. Then when I told my stepmother the story of this incident, my father claimed that the people in the shop were laughing at me--which is false. Nobody laughed, rather, they thought of my dad as a scoffer. They knew I was the realistic one and he was the scoffer, I practice at the Y in the same town they are located in.
 
Actually going back a few years I had a dream that one day, people would say of me that I am better than people like Diego Maradona at soccer. I should have taken this dream seriously and started practicing seriously. As it turns out there was truth in this dream.  But I had been brainwashed into the idea that dreams are not things to be taken seriously, that they are just wish fulfillment fantasies--and of course there were "scoffers" everywhere.
 
What with the 'scoffers" and all the psychological stresses in my life it is a wonder I do as well at soccer practice as I do, practicing these really difficult skills (as you can see from this diary, before I started the WC06 drill phase, I was already very skilled, yet on the first day of the WC06 drill I was at 0% gold).
 
Sometimes I find myself while practicing getting angry about someone, because I have had some dream about the given person that gave me cause to get angry. Immediately when this happens my success rate goes down (the good thing about keeping detailed stats re performance in practice is that you are for once aware of such things).
 
For example, there is this woman Linda S who I have both positive and negative feelings about when I am awake and asleep. I have been feeling annoyed with her for not giving me a phone call. After I started WC06 I had a dream in which I had the official, unstoppable power to inspect the phone records of people like Linda S. I inspected her phone records. The phone records papers to the best of my recollection, were on white paper with light blue borders like the Israeli flag. The phone records showed that Linda had been calling Israel, she had been calling neo-cons, she had been calling Jews. And I felt angry she had not called me, but had been calling these other people. Then when I was practicing I thought about this dream and became angry, and my percentage success rate immediately plummeted.
 
Another time after I started WC06, I was remembering a dream I had in which my brother was literally frying in hell. As I thought of the dream I became angry at him, and my percentage plummeted.
 
Both times I solved the problem by simply saying the Lord's Prayer once, and asking God that my attitude to thise people should not be amiss (I realize our prayers should be secret but discussing such things is sometimes unavoidable). I had felt that I was so mired in sin that it would require maybe 72 hours non-stop on my knees combined with self-flagellation with a bullwhip to get anywhere in prayer, yet a one minute prayer was able to pull my out of the ruts. I believe tge presence of anger within oneself reduces one's level of skill
 
It is really hard to master difficult skills, skills that require something beyond natural ability, strength, speed, endurance etc., when there are all these psychological pressures (seems nobody does anything to relax me while everyone does things that cause stress for me)--and under the circumstances I feel my mastering these skills despite all the stress in my life is admirable. I wonder how much better I would do if I got some luck and people for once did things that relax me instead of things that cause me stress.
 
When we went home to my dad's for dinner, there was on the table a box filled with "dhokla" pieces, "dhoklas" are a vegetarian thing, little yellow cubes about two inches square. I ate one. My dad told me not to eat any more of them. The time got to 745 PM, we were supposed to have eaten at 700 PM. I forgot what my dad had said and ate another "dhokla". My father became rude and temperamental with me. I told him he had become rude and temperamental with me. He then ordered me to leave his house and started making threats about permanently ending his relationship with me and disinheriting me, all for a piece of "dhokla" worth 30 cents! But my brother insisted that I be allowed to stay. Maybe I should take pity on what my dad goes through being old, but I get upset. I never knew we were supposed to expect and tolerate rudeness and temper from older persons.
 
These are the kind of stresses I have to lay aside when I practice, and I think I do a good job of it, yet I feel I could do an even better job of laying aside such stresses (I notice that when I am asleep and dreaming I forgive everyone and am angry with nobody). It is not unreasonable for me to believe that if only people would reduce the level of stress they subject me to, I would become even better, improve even faster, than is now the case.
 
No matter how good you get, you can always get better. Even now I am plotting out what will be the next drill after WC06, a drill even more difficult than WC06.


















7/29/06
SWIMMING BREAK
Swam 1300 yds in 55 minutes taking it easy, alternating 50 breast, 50 crawl.
 
The thing about these stressful experiences, not only do they take up time in and of themselves, and cause stress in the time subsequent to the stressful experience; they also take up time in the sense that time that could be put into something else, has to be put into recovering from the stressful experience. They gym was empty today I could have done the soccer drill but I felt I had to go swimming instead.
 
But I'm sure I learned alot from swimming along slowly, regarding the art of swimming; and I believe that the swimming, might well have positive repercussions on the soccer performance.
 
WC06 drill etc require extreme precision in the movement of the entire body. Where the foot ends up, the position the foot ends up in, has to do with where the body is placed.
Thus all muscles in the body are brought into play, not in the sense of the moving of heavy weights in a given direction, but rather in the sense of the exertion of small amounts of force in various directions. Swimming exercises all the muscles of the body, in movements in various different directions, in the exercise of moderate as opposed to heavy amounts of force.
 
Swimming serves to relax the body in general, especially the parts of the body that are stressed by soccer in general and WC06 type activities specifically.
 
Swimming provides a physiological and psychological counter-balance to the physical and psychological stresses placed on the body by WC06 type stuff. When you swim you can relax like a jelly fish, totally different to what happens in WC06 type stuff. Swimming works the whole body and develops endurance in ways WC06 type stuff does not.
 
As for swimming in and of itself, I have been swimming slowly, taking it easy, using swimming to relax and recuperate from WC06 type stuff. In the process of swimming slowly, I have learned things about how to maximize the amount of movement in the water you get out of the expenditure of a given amount of energy, that I did not learn while swimming fast.
 
I have learned: taking a little extra time when you breathe can pay off, because by holding air in longer you get more oxygen out of the air you breathe in, though this is compensated for by the fact that it results in the exhalation-inhalation process taking longer; you can get forward propulsion ouf of your kick even when the shoelaces area of your feet are facing towards the sides of the pool; rolling side to side to the point where such sideways kicking is natural can icrease the propulsive force per unit energy expended;  you can get at least as much propulsion out of your kick kicking without your feet breaking the water as they teach you to kick, as you can kicking with your feet breaking the surface of the water which is the method taught by instructors; the new way of doing the flip turn, ending up facing straight up, can be mastered by someone used to ending up facing up and to the side at a 45 degree angle but this takes time; the straight up flip turn is quicker than ending up facing at the 45 degree angle; the trick to mastering the flip turn that ends up straight up is, one foot ends up higher than the other, and the body twists to the side at the same time the blast off from the side begins before the feet leave the side of the pool; the underwater crawl kick for some depths and angles and individuals off the crawl flip turn could be as good as the dolphin kick (I saw one female olympic swimmer using this scissors style crawl style kick on the turn); you can fiddle around with the depth and the motion of the underwater movements and glides on the breast stroke turn to get a little more power into the turn.
 
RE swimming my opinion now, is that it should not be done for long periods every day because of the effects of substances used to keep the water clean, such as chlorine. Although there are more natural less harmful methods available to purify swimming pool water, all the pools in the Boston area as far a I can tell use chlorine. Not using soap on the cleaner un-smelly parts of the body probably protects the body from the chlorine. Rubbing a lemon on the body after swimming in chlorinated water probably helps the body deal with the chlorine. But none of this deals with what I dreamt is the problem, which is the effect on the body of the powerful synthetic deodorants people wear, washing off into the pool water they swim in.

















7/30/06
BREAK
SWIMMING
Swam today because in the amount of time available at the gym, the soccer workout would not have tired me enough.
 
Expending about 85% max effort, I swam 1600 yds alternating 50 breast, and 50 crawl, in 45 minutes. That is 2.8 minutes per 100 yds, a really good time seeing that I have not been swimming much.
 
I wonder if surprisingly the soccer drills I have been doing have some impact that increases my long distance swimming ability. During the drills what you have is two or three hours of an intense 5 second burst of activity followed with about 1.5 minutes of walking around and a little standing in between.
 
Maybe the fact I lost some weight last month is manifesting in improved swimming activity.
 
Not only do I think I have a chance to surpass the world's best soccer player (this is the same as being the best in the world but for some reason sounds more realistic), I now believe I have a chance for age group world records in the crawl and the breast. As for the wild dream of world records for people in general not just the age group, anything I suppose is possible, but I do not presume to such right now, though I do not think it impossible. My weakness is slowing down in the last half of the fifty meter or yard sprints due to fatigue.
 
It all reminds me of the line in the Bible about the angel who put one foot on the land and the other on the sea.
 
Yet it seems I can count on the employers in the area hiring someone else instead of me whenever there are more job applicants than there are jobs.
 
Seems to me that the employers in my area have the entire world exactly upside down. They seem to have some kind of weird allergy that makes them allergic to me, when they should be doing the exact opposite, placing me above other people.


















7/31/06
Waltham Y
845 PM-
939 PM
 
BREAK SWIMMING
The schedule for the gym had been re-written so I went swimming, because otherwise there would have only been 1 hour of soccer drills not enough to tire me out enough.
 
Swam 2000 yds alternating 50 yds breast 50 yds crawl at approx 90% of max effort, in 54 minutes--2.7 minutes per 100 yds.
 
Surprises me that I would be able to swim 2000 yds this fast after having returned to swimming for just a few days.
 
 
 
 


















8/1/06
Waltham Y
815-945

 
WC06
 
gold/attempts

1st 45 min
22/32
69%
 
2nd 45 min
29/38
76%
 
TOTAL
51/70
73%
 
 
 

This constitutes a fall of 2% from the 75% of the last practice, July 26.
 
Aside from the score I was pleased with the result. It went well except for a couple of bad streaks: the first 11 attempts were 4/11, and 1 for 6 on attempts 50-55. Aside from these two bad streaks, the percentage was 46/53 or 87%.
 
Thus I felt that I was being clever by inside my head playing the melody of the English national anthem, "Land of Hope and Glory", and motivating myself by telling myself that what I was fighting for was proof that I can take it easy for a few days, swim, without declining in my rate of improvement per practice session.
 
I had listened to "Land of Hope and Glory" on the internet when I was considering making a mini-movie about
the English team at the 2006 World Cup. I felt today that it helped me to keep my mind off of performance impairing mental distractions such as some annoying woman or an annoying brother or father.
 
What I ended up proving was that I can take five days off without declining in my skill level, although a decline in the rate of improvement per practice session did result.
 
Or you could say that what I showed was that if there have been five days off, it is necessary to pay special attention to the warm-up and the first 11 or so attempts. Not counting the first 11 attempts today I was at 47/59 80%, a five percentage point improvement over the previous practice session despite the five day layoff.
 
I felt as if the days spent swimming had improved my physical ability to excel at this WC06 drill. I felt energetic, bouncy, limber, relatively calm and relaxed.
 
I missed between this practice session and the previous one five practice sessions. So you could say I regressed 0.4% per missed practice session. So my guess now is that one or two days skipped between practice sessions when there is fatigue muscle soreness/stiffness etc., is probably a good idea.
 
The first 11 attempts the percentage was only 36%. My take on this, is that I did the traditional muscle stretching exercises I was taught in high school in Chicago, and these exercises were not effective enough, in terms of stretching or loosening up the muscles that are actually used in the WC06 drill.
 
The stretching exercises that I did that were learned in high school were: touching the toes with the legs together; touching the toes with the legs apart; touching the soles of the feet together while sitting on the ground and wobbling the knees up and down; stretching a leg backwards to stretch the tendon on the back of the ankle. These are the ones I did before I started today. I resolve henceforth to stretch in ways that more closely mimic the actual movements of the body during the WC06 drill.
 
As for the 1/6 disaster, all of a sudden the first move on the attempts began to go awry. This resulted in a state of panic and anxiety. I attributed the failure to things like a lack of water, a lack of confidence, a lack of relaxation, that infected me as attempts began to fail. But I was able to correct the situation by making sure that I concentrated extra hard on the first movement in each attempt. I think that since attempts 12-49 had gone so well for me, I had hubristically(?) begun to forget the basics of success on an attempt, one of which is that you concentrate extra hard on the first move in an attempt. Then I forgot that usually what is wrong when there is a bad streak is a lack of concentration on the particular elements of an attempt that are going wrong; and it seemed impossible to me to simply will myself into being relaxed and confident in a middle of a bad streak--I felt as if my world was falling apart and I was despising and hating myself.
 
I went on a 6/6 streak on attempts 33-38 while the black guy who is the girls basketball instructor was in the gym with a young white woman sitting in the bleachers watching him. The 1/6 occurred after he left when nobody was in the gym. While he was there I felt as if I could not understand how I could ever miss gold on an attempt, how I could ever not feel relaxed, confident and godly. Something about his orange shirt on his stout non-fat body relaxed me--I felt a relaxation and confidence inspiring kindred spirit inside of him as if he was a fellow God. I thin k what it was was that looking at him, I saw a calm person who was not struggling with a strictly scored practice session like I was, who, looking at me, knew that in a month or so I would be the winner that I dream to be--and this understanding that I perceived in him, entered into me, displacing what was inside of me, which was an insane, despondent, desperate obsession with beating the score that I had achieved in the previous practice session.
 
 
I am not the type as this and other occasions have shown, who does worse when there are people around to watch him. Perhaps having people around makes everything seem less lonely and dismal and vain, and helps to release some kind of helpful hormone into the body such as adrenaline.
 
Seems that performance is enhanced by keeping minimal detail in the notes that I take during the practice session. Seems that putting alot of detail into the notes decreases performance.
 
Some might say that I should spend practice time working on just the first move in an attempt, in isolation. As of now I disagree. I noted today that I have recently increased rapidly, aside from the scoring of the practice session, in terms of the ability to recover from a defective first move on an attempt. This is because I have been forced to over and over deal with recovery from defective first moves. I have developed the ability to recover by use of the thighs and the chest.
 
In general I noted today significant improvement not evident in the raw score, in terms of the ability to use the thigh and the chest executing WC06.
 
I should remember to take comfort in the fact, that even when the raw score is not going up, improvements are occurring in various sub-sets of the WC06 skill.
 
 
 
replique
hard
bounce from above head to below breast
pumped up day before















8/4/06
Outdoor basketball Courts at High & Lowell intersection, Waltham MA
 
728-858 PM


WC06
 
1ST 45 MINS
18/24
75%
 
2ND 45 MINS
22/28
79%
 
TOTAL
40/52
77%
NEW PERSONAL BEST
 

This was a really good effort seeing that I have never done WC06 on an outdoor concrete floored basketball court. The surface is not as flat as an indoor wood floored basketball court. The ball ends up getting dirt and water on it.
 
The first half was lit by the bright athletic field type lighting and daylight; the second half was lit by the lights alone, both types of light were new and strange to me.
 
Before starting I did the Chicago style stretching I mentioned in the previous post, plus also I added in my own type of stretching designed to simulate the movements of my body during WC06.
 
I succeeded in starting out 6/8, 75%, thus avoiding falling behind a good percentage at the start. I attribute this to the new realistic type of stretching I introduced in this practice session, and to my new way of psychologically dealing with failing to achieve gold on an attempt.
 
The entire 90 minutes today, the worst losing streak was two attempts in a row that  both failed to achieve gold.
 
In this session I implemented the psychological strategy I figured out in the previous session for dealing with losing streaks. Essentially just one attempt that fails to get gold is the start of such a dreaded losing streak.
 
This psychological strategy, is to: focus on simply concentrating extra hard on the first or the first and second moves in an attempt; forget about attempting to artificially induce in oneself the confidence and calm that is missing when there are one or more misses in a row.
 
The result was that there was a lack of panic in me because: I began to realize that I could stop losing streaks by concentrating extra hard on the first two moves and playing so to speak "conservative" ball; and, by focusing my mind on concentrating extra hard on the first two attempts, I forgot about the crisis of confidence of me in myself.
 
What I call conservative ball, is that an attempt is executed conservatively, that is in a way that minimizes the chance that there will be a failure to achieve gold on the attempt.
 
I began to feel like a hardened soldier who has gotten so used to the stress of a losing streak in the context of having every attempt scored, that it no longer bothered me or (Clint Eastwood)  "unmade"  "my day".
 
I felt decrepit before heading out to the outdoor basketball courts, but after 15 minutes out there felt athletic healthy and capable.
 
Today on many attempts, I did not bother with turning the gold into a spectacular super gold but finished off the gold attempt with a shot at the wire fence surrounding the courts. This finishing off with a shot was probably almost as spectacular as turning the gold into a super gold.
 
I found I could finish off the attempts with shots that were unpredictable, off the ground, hard and accurate for at least the ten yards from my foot kicking the ball up to the point the balls hit the fence.
 
At one point the ball bounced hard off a fence-pole to back behind me to this Mexican looking guy with a mustache who was about six feet two inches tall and thickset, he was the oldest guy out on the courts aside from me, and the biggest. He kicked me the ball, it flew to me in the air, a hard line drive from 30 yards away. I was facing towards him when he kicked it at me thus it flew at me in fighter pilot lingo from twelve o'clock. I let it fly a little past me, stuck my  left foot out at the seven o clock angle caught it with my left foot so that it bounced a foot above the catching left foot, swiveled counter clockwise and fired it hard and accurate into the fence with my right foot, the ball all the while having never touched the ground.
 
I felt totally in control of the ball and confident while I did this.  The ball came in from twelve o clock, I stuck my left foot out towards seven o clock, caught it perfectly with my left foot, then swivelled towards seven o clock and fired it hard and accurate into the fence with my right foot, keeping it off the ground the entire time.
 
THAT WAS INDEED SEVEN O CLOCK NOT FIVE EASY TO GET THESE TWO DIRECTIONAL ANGLES MIXED UP
 
Doing this, I  in relaxed manner very competently handled the kind of line drive flying at me in the air that I had been afraid I would not be able to handle as well as the World Cuppers when I was watching the World Cup.
 
Thus I conclude that I have radically underestimated the power this WC06 drill has to improve a player's or my ability to handle incoming balls that are flying in the air as opposed to rolling on the ground or bouncing.
 
If I had seen a World Cupper handle a line drive air pass in to him the way I handled this line drive pass from the Mexicano, I would have been extremely impressed, it would have been one of the highlights of the World Cup for me.
 
There were twenty to thirty black and hispanic grade school boys playing basketball or soccer on the basketball courts. None of them said anything, but this black kid amongst them began skipping and running here and there imitating my motions when I do the drill.
 
A few white high school age boys leaned against their car parked just outside the wire fence I was firing the ball at during the attempts, they just sat in their car or leaned on the car staring straight at me for about fifteen twenty minutes. But this did not result in me choking or panicking and messing up.
 
There was a white college age adult male shooting baskets at the basketball hoop nearest me for quite a while he was the only white adult male on the basketball courts. He started shooting at this closest hoop after I had started practicing near it.  it was almost all black or hispanic grade school kids. There were three big concrete floored basketball courts, and I was on one of them.
 
The musical score I kept in my head today was the electric bass from "Keep on Using Me Until You Use Me Up" by Bill Withers
 
 
 
 

















8/5/06
Saturday
910-945 PM
Outdoor Basketball Courts
corner of Lowell and High
Waltham MA
 
19/25
76%
35 mins
Best first segment ever
 
 

 
I did not feel like I was going to have a good day, I had just had to talk for 40 minutes on the phone with this man we shall call "Mister Schnapps". Mr. Schnapps gave me long speeches about manners and my lack of manners, the problem being that I have dared express to him the fact that he is rude and temperamental with me.
 
Mr. Schnapps feels he has the right to be rude and temperamental with me because he is older than me.
 
Whereas from my point of view, there exist men, whom nobody has the right to be rude to, no matter how much older than them they the rude ones are.
 
I guess what annoys, even angers me is Schnapps' & others' presumption that there is no such thing as a man whom one should not be rude to despite being older than this man one is rude to. It seems to me like sacrilege. I believe we should behave as if there did indeed exist men whom we should not be rude to even though we are older than them.
 
Mr. Schnapps claimed I had gotten drunk at my cousin's house and railed at the wife of Mr. Schnapps.
 
This I do not remember, I remember some small incident that was a misunderstanding in a weekend Schnapps was otherwise pleased with.
 
This always happens with Schnapps, I will do work for him or have dinner with him and he will be pleased, then with the passage of time some inconsequential incident in the dinner or work he was pleased with gets blown into a major incident.
 
And Schnapps does not allow me to defend myself re these minor incidents that with the passage of time get blown all out of proportion.
 
Problem is that if I do not discuss how the given incident was minor, it gradually explodes in his mind into a major matter.
 
Thus I was in a grim and pessimistic frame of mind as I started the practice, I knew it would be cut short because of the long speeches given by Mr. Schnapps. The sun had already set when I was out on the court. There was nothing but bright light and the reflected remnants of daylight.
 
The score today was 4% better than the score for the first half yesterday. It was my best first 45 minutes ever except I had to cut it 10 minutes short because the lights on 2 out of 3 of the courts went out at 945 PM.
 
Today there was no music playing in my head, it just didn't naturally come into my head, the shouting and clapping of the boys on the court sort of displaced any music that could come into my head.
 
Today I used the Chicago style and the mimic style of stretching before starting.
 
I realized that the kind of practice I am doing contradicts my own natural inclination if I were out to just have a good time, which would be to not count the result of each attempt, but just keep long notes regarding the attempts that came out spectacular, and glory in the spectacular.
 
It was a grim business focusing simply on consistency on attempt after attempt, consistently doing things I do not find so spectacular myself though others might--can't say I was enjoying or relaxing myself.
 
The truth of the situation lay heavy on my mind, which was, that the first dozen or so attempts exceed all that comes afterwards in importance, because in a game I may only touch the ball in a position to execute WC06,  eight or so times.
 
It was really depressing to think, that I could do great tonight, but if the first eight attempts were messed up, the whole evening would be a failure.
 
When I am out there, every attempt is counted in the percentage, there are no uncounted warm up attempts, because I know that in a game I could suddenly touch the ball after not having touched it for twenty minutes, and have to then execute a WC06 type maneuver. I know that when I out there jogging around on the field not touching the ball, I am not allowed to have a ball with me to keep myself warmed up at WC06 type skills with. And it at least seems that in the top levels of soccer or football, The substitutes do not play with balls before going into the game.
 
At the beginning I simply concentrated extra hard on each attempt, ran conservative attempts avoiding cool-but-risky moves, did not attempt to install any special emotion in myself, just put up with the fact that this was not fun.
 
I went 7/8 87% on the first eight attempts.
 
The worst losing streak was three straight failed to attain gold.
I just concentrated extra hard, played conservative ball, and forgot about my own emotional state, and pulled back on course every time there was an attempt that failed to attain gold.
 
This achieving a high state of consistency on something that for me is relatively basic, seemed stressful and boring but it seemed I was improving in terms of dealing with the stress and the boredom of it. It would be more fun when in front of people to drill at something easier but more spectacular than WC06.
 
I minimized today the detail in the notes I took.
 
I also mimimized the extra flourishes I can add on to an attempt, that make it look really cool but that expend mental and physical energy on things other than having a very high percentage of attempts at at least a given level of excellence.
 
There were about twenty black and hispanic boys average age about 14, playing a basketball game on one of the courts, ten played and about ten watched.
 
About 935 PM they ended their game and they all sat down on the long concrete bench beyond the endline of the court they were playing on, about a dozen of them. All their eyes were on me. But it did not effect me much.
 
I achieved 6 gold out of 7 attempts during this closely watched time. I just employed my usual formula of forgetting about my mental state and concentrating on the first two moves of each attempt.
 
On at least one of the attempts while the boys were watching (there is usually about one female amongst them) the boys cheered during the attempt and then shouted "goal!"   when I finished the attempt off with a shot into the fence surrounding the basketball courts.
 
The cheering noise reminded me of sort of a low level of cheering preceding the baseball pitch, or preceding the free throw attempt. But this was soccer. One day if they don't discriminate you'll hear this kind of cheering simply due to me getting the ball.
 
Today during the three attempts in a row that failed to achieve gold, I noticed that the problem seemed to be concentration during the first 1.5 parts of the attempts, but a lack of concentration on the second half of the second part of the attempt.
 
I plan to test out a remedy wherein I start doing the mimicking type of stretching that I can do standing up without looking too weird while out on the field or pitch, when things go bad or maybe at regular intervals between attempts.
 
 
 
 
 

Replique
medium hard
bounce from bottom of ball at top of head level to just below chest.
















8/6/06
Sunday
834-945 PM
Outdoor Basketball Courts
corner of Lowell and High
Waltham MA

WC06
 
1st 45 mins
21/33
64%
 
2nd 45
12/14
86%
 
TOTAL
33/47
70%
 


 
25/33 would have been 75% I was down to 21/33 64% in the first 45 minutes.
 
Total was 33/47 70%;  36/47 would have been 77% not a big deal.
 
I started off only 3/8 on the first 8 attempts; but of the 5 non gold I counted 3 as attempts that in a game would have been no worse than a gold. Seemed this new thing of keeping track of whether a non gold would be practically speaking significantly worse in a game distracted my mind.
 
The mind got distracted by thoughts of how to make sure a non gold was an acceptable non gold, this combined with the mind focusing on getting golds, was too much for the mind, seeing that trying to get gold could interfere with achieving an acceptable as opposed to unacceptable non-gold; and trying to acheive a acceptable non gold as opposed to an unacceptable non gold could get in the way of getting gold.
 
I find with the passage of time such mental disturbance fade away. When I first started WC06 I could not keep count of certain things while doing the drill now I can easily keep count of such things.
 
I started out with the Chicago stretches and the mimic stretches these were done for 19 minutes. I tried to concentrate and be conservative on the first attempts. Still from the strict score point of view it started out badly.
 
I think the problem was that I left my hot stuffy apartment, and suddenly I was in this idyllic paradisical weather situation, the outdoor air was great to breathe, the weather was cool, the night sky looked pretty, there was a fine mild breeze (the state govt must at least me doing certain things right). The idyllic weather put me to sleep, relaxed me too much.
 
I resolve that when I can, I should try to get used to the weather wherever I will be playing before I start playing in it, especially if it is relaxing weather.
 
Seemed to me after the practice, that I started out attempting to be concentrate on the beginning part of each attempt, and to be conservative at first until I had gotten warmed up more, but that nevertheless on the first few attempts, my concentration consisted merely in staring very hard at the ball, waiting a long time between attempts, and a tense facial expression; and my "conservativism" merely  consisted of a mental focus on the word "conservative" combined with a generalized mental discomfiture re the awkward movements I associated in my mind with attempts to play in a "consevative" style that avoids mistakes.
 
However in reality concentration consists of focusing the mind on kicking the ball to a certain spot; and conservativism consists of basically slowing down the pace of an attempt, a concept which can actually be grasped and implemented.
 
When I finally realized the difference between pseudo-concentration (facial expressions, staring at the ball, long waits between attempts) and real concentration (focusing the mind on kicking the ball to a certain spot), I ended the day with 10 attempts in a row that were all golds.
 
I had been wondering why on the first kick of an attempt, I was going haywire so often, while doing so well on subsequent kicks in a given attempt. I think I now understand. Having time to think before the first move on an attempt, my concentration became pseudo-concentration; but on the subsequent split-second moves on the attempts I would have no time to think so my concentration would be real concentration.
 
Overall today there were 7 attempts that were not golds that I felt in a game situation would not be worse than a gold. Counting these as successes my percentage today was 40/47, 85%. These attempts are not counted as gold because the gold standard is set so as to build skill through high standards.
 
I felt at the start today what was especially lacking was actual conservativism as opposed to pseudo- conservativism. Real conservativism is slowing down the speed of an attempt, this in and of itself reduces error; pseudo-conservatisim is merely thinking about the word "conservative", or trying to deliberately avoid mistakes as opposed to--real conservativism--simply slowing things down thereby naturally reducing mistakes.
 
Today when I started out there were just two or three people out on the  courts, it was like the good old days. But by the time I started practicing the courts filled up with about 20 people.
 
 

Replique

med hard
bounces from above head to below breast.















8/7/06
Monday
835-1005 PM
John J Larosa Outdoor Tennis Courts
corner of Willow and Grove
Waltham MA
WC06
SLEEP DEPRIVED
BUT equal to  PERSONAL BEST FOR 1ST 45 MINS
 
1st 45 mins
22/29
76%
 
2nd 45 mins
13/25
52%
 
TOTAL
35/54
65%
 
 
 

I got two hours of sleep prior to the workout whereas the normal amount of sleep would have been 8 hours.
 
Did the Chicago and mimic stretches. Did the mimic 'stretches' in between most attempts. At least such simulates the running around in a game that occurs between attempts. Such is not really stretching it looks exactly like an American Indian skipping type war dance.
 
The first three attempts of the day were all perfect golds. This does not show up in the stats in the adjacent stats column, but it meant alot to me. I tried to engage in actual concentration as opposed to pseudo concentration.
 
For the first time today I proved that I can go out there completely  cold, not having touched the soccer ball in 24 hours, and then as soon as I touch the ball for the first time in 24 hours, score three high quality golds in a row, with no fiddling around with the ball in between the attempts. 
 
 After the first three seemed I reverted back to pseudo-concentration as opposed to actual real concentration.
 
Some excellence was shown in the first 45 minutes today in terms of the use of the thigh, and in terms of recovering from slight miskicks without slowing the pace of an attempt or failing to achieve gold and while at the same time maintaining tight control. It is a real accomplishment if you think about it to recover from a miskick without a loosening of control, or a reduction in speed, or a failure to achieve gold. 
 
It has not really excited me or even sunk in to me but today's first half was equal to my best first half ever, even though I was sleep deprived and even though I have never done the WC06 drill at these Larosa tennis courts. Plus the entire time the lighting was artificial outdoor lights that shone like bright silver moons, which is a new thing for  me. The floor and the low horizon form the backdrop for the ball, thus everything looks different in new places.
 
The second half, seems fatigue kicked in, and it was not until the second half of these second 45 minutes that I learned to deal with the fatigue that had kicked in.
 
I started out the second 45 minutes, at 4/12 only 33%! After this it was 9/13 69%.
 
There were Africans playing soccer on the adjoining grass field, using trash can type things as goals, there were some people playing tennis on the adjoining courts, there were some people playing basketball on an adjoining lighted basketball court. Man, this place has it all.
 
Luckily as if by instinct, the Africans left before the debacle of the second 45 minutes.
 
Usually when I don't get enough sleep for some reason, I go swimming instead of practicing the football or soccer.
 
I think today that a problem was that I got mentally angry at a certain woman because I was thinking of how she had never invited me to a party, and that she seemed to be trying to coerce me into marriage, by ruining me socially and financially. Seemed to me that she was a spoiled feminist, for whom a man who was not the father of her child was nothing, and for whom a man who was foolish enough to father a child with her was less than nothing, something to be exploited in behalf of her fantasy baby she is so passionate about. But I was too tired to note when the angry thoughts came into my head and what the count was during this time. There was a combo this time of fatigue and mental anger. Simply saying the Lord's prayer did not seem to handle this lethal combo too well.
 
 
 
 

















8/8/06
Tuesday
808-1005 PM
John J Larosa Outdoor Tennis Courts
corner of Willow and Grove
Waltham MA

WC06
 
gold attempts/attempts
1st 45 mins
18/27
67%
 
2nd 45 mins
19/27
70%
 
overtime 24 mins
8/10
80%
 
TOTAL
45/64
70%
 

War dance between attempts
 
The first eight it was 4 for 8, 5/8 counting a non-gold which was for all practical purposes in a game situation as good as a gold (SILVER). But the first two were golds. then I went 9-golds/10- attempts before moving to the adjoining basketball court to make way for an East Asian guy who wanted to play tennis. On the basketball court I went 5 for 9. End First Half.
 
Second half was on the basketball court; some white grade school kids set up their skateboard set-up complete with a wooden foot high four feet long and three feet wide box; they would slide their skateboard through a tunnel in the wide thing while jumping up on top of the wood thing, and then jumping back on to the skateboard. They set up their line of skating right in front of me but we managed to not bump into each other.
 
I was wondering, are these boys being social/human (getting to the point you do not expect such in our video-audio entertainment culture), or are they just oblivious to getting in the way of other persons?
 
Overtime was on the basketball court, a short hispanic lady (not ugly in face or body)  with dyed(?) brown hair was  playing basketball with some young men, she kept wandering in front of me.
 
Half of me thought she was a brat oblivious to getting in the way of others, a quarter of me thought she was being social, and a quarter of me didn't have a clue.
 
Too bad at the beginning  I screwed up after the first two. I guess I just felt sick of the stress cubed of the first eight attempts (IMPORTANT!!!), out on strange tennis courts several miles from home day after day. After the first two I just let the concentration slip.
 
Also and this is relevant to the entire evening, seemed that at the beginning of the evening's practice, I had slipped into the delusion that the absence of the outwards signs of concentration such as the furrowed eyebrows and the staring at the ball and the pursed lips, in and of itself constitutes inner concentration.
 
False. Inner concentration is independent of outer concentration, and can co-exist with or without the the outer signs of concentration. Suppression of the outer signs of concentration could just make things worse.
 
A little muscle tension in the body, I found, can be an improvement. A lack of muscle tension does not in and of itself indicate the presence of psychological relaxation or the presence of real inner concentration. You could feel the most relaxed you have ever felt in your life, and still be able to physically tense up your muscles.
 
The first half was 18/27, 67%. 21/27 would have been 78% a new personal best for a first 45 minutes.
 
For the second half and the overtime, I used a specific foot placement for the take-off or initial move in an attempt, foot placement A. During this time the percentage was 27/37 73% an improvement, despite having shifted over from the tennis court to a totally new environment the basketball court at this Larosa playground. 29/37 would have been 78% superior to my personal best for an entire practice session.
 
Weird how I get dark and gloomy, feeling as if the end of the world has arrived in the person of my poor performance, when the difference between my current performance and a personal best, is just five percent of the attempts ending up as non-golds instead of golds. What is happening is that when I am just a shade away from a personal best, what I am gloomily melodramatically feeling is, "Things fall apart...the center cannot hold...mere anarchy is loosed upon the world..." (Chinua Achebe).
 
The take-off in an attempt, is the least spectacular part of an attempt. Thus it is easy to assume that the reason the mundane take-off goes wrong has to do with psychology as opposed to physical technique.
 
Henceforth I intend to standardize the take-off, so that the foot placement is always for a given time period the same, be it foot placement A, B, C, or D. It is time to ignore psychology and devote some hard headed technical analysis to what is the best foot placement position at point of take-off. I find that when the foot placement is always the same for attempt after attempt this produces improvement at least when the foot position is foot position type A. No need to burden myself with panicky doubts regarding what foot positioning to use at the starts of attempts.
 
Henceforth I intend to obsess less over details of these practices and pay more attention to the non-soccer-practice aspects of life, which in the end redound in effect on the soccer practices.
 
There were two soccer games on the adjoining field,
both about eleven on eleven games. One game the one nearby was Africans the other was mostly whites.  By the time the stretching was over it was so dark I could not see the far away players  out on the unlit grass field and so I felt as if they could not see me; but this actually  did not mean they could not see me out on the brightly lit tennis court. On the tennis court I was 9/10 after the rocky start.
 
Then when I moved to the basketball court I was again right near the African game on the field. Right before the end of the first 45 minutes, their game ended and the basketball court I was on filled with them, this continued into the beginning of the second 45 minutes.
 
For about a minute three of these Africans sat down side by side on a bench and stared at me, one with his eyes wide open, as if he was exaggerating the facial expression of someone staring at someone. At this point after a gold I failed to achieve gold three times in a row, and their attention wandered, they became absorbed in basketball.  One of them wanted to stuff my soccer ball into the basketball hoop I let him do it.
 
This is the first instance I can record wherein people playing close attention seemed to impair my performance; I guess those of us who grew up as little white boys in  white enclaves in the black neighborhoods in Chicago, by nature think of blacks as potential muggers, however much we appreciate the ways in which they can improve the atmosphere in a community.
 
 
 
 


















8/9/06
Wednesday
830-945 PM
Outdoor Basketball Courts
corner of Lowell and High
Waltham MA

WCO6
SLEEP DEPRIVED
 
gold/attempts,
gold+silver/attempts for each segment
 
1st 45 mins
Slant-12-6-forwardfoot-slant (S126FS) start
16/22 73%
19/22 86%
 
2nd 45 mins
Slant-12-6-outfoot-slant (S126OS) start
15/22 68%
19/22 86%
 
 
TOTAL
31/44 70%
38/44 86%
 
1ST 8 of practice:
5/8 68%
6/8 75%
 
 

Had only two hours of sleep when I should have had eight prior to the practice.
 
War dance between attempts

34/44 77% golds would have been a personal best this was 31/44 70% golds total. I felt quite significantly inferior to my best days today, even though the difference was only 3 golds out of 44 attempts. Alot of this was my mind exaggerating the inferiority of my performance.
 
On the first eight attempts the first time I touched the ball in 24 hours, after missing the first two I hit five golds in a row, before hitting a silver.  This showed I can keep my cool when I start out missing even though these first 8 attempts are so important.
 
The S126FS start used in the first 45 minutes, was a new start. The 73% results will have to be compared to the results on other starts.
 
The S126OS start for the second 45 minutes produced 68% but this is good for the second 45 mins after two hours of sleep instead of the usual eight hours of sleep.
 
There was a streak in the second 45 where I failed to get gold on four attempts in a row. At this point I was ready to dismiss the S126OS start I was using but I finished the evening with ten golds in a row, upholding the finest traditions of the (football) regiment, bouncing back despite the stress of being at a low percentage score  to finish up with an acceptable percentage score.
 
S126OF is another possible start.
 
All I want to say now re starts, is that it reminds of fencing--fencers have their back foot pointing a little to the side while their front foot points straight forward this helps them to balance themselves.
 
Today I felt like I was screwing up in front of 60 mostly black and hispanic junior high age boys; I mourned having to try out what seemed at first to be a clumsy new start while sleep deprived in front of so many people, but the performance was not so bad.
 
I would guess there were 8 spectacular attempts in the first 45 mins and 5 in the second, one spectacular one every 7 minutes, but what I felt was pity for myself that I had to do WC06 a difficult drill that is not as spectacular as what I was doing before but harder to do, while sleep deprived, while trying out new starts, in front of so many boys.
 
At the beginning 4 hispanic boys about 9 years old gathered around me to ask me lots of questions re what I was doing when I was playing with the ball measuring distances from it, trying to categorize various types of possible starts. I explained it to them.
 
A black guy about 15 years old wanted to know if I was a player or a coach, I explained to him I was just someone trying to excel the World Cup players who were on TV.
 
One of the blacks protested to me that it was not the "brothers" (blacks) who were getting in my way, but that it was the "Ricans" (hispanics) who were getting in my way. I felt the "Ricans" and "Brothers" were both well behaved.
 
The three basketball courts were packed with 60 boys--two half court basketball games on the court I was on, a full court basketball game, and a 8 on 8 soccer game; plus the two long concrete benches were both filled with about ten solemn monkish boys on each bench, sitting there, solemnly watching. I'd say there were at most a half dozen whites and a half dozen females around at any one time.
 
Someone left his car keys on the ground right near me while I was practicing for about an hour. An astonished  black boy wanted to know if they were my car keys. I told him they were not.
 
I had explained to the black 15 yr old that I was getting myself used to the hell of the stress of everything being counted--he was curious re my clipboard and paper. I wear ear plugs when I practice but I am pretty sure that while he was playing basketball, he looked over at me and gave me the thumbs up and shouted "stress!!!" approvingly.
 
I could feel myself getting used to the mental attitudes that bring success, such as not allowing the mind to wander to the subject of annoying persons, not feeling angry with annoying persons, concentrating, playing conservative.
 
I could feel myself improving in my ability to relax and enjoy myself despite the constant scorekeeping and the consistency-oriented humdrum nature of what is required to get a high score using the scoring methods I am using.
 
I may have not attained new heights of percentage gold this evening, but I was glad to notice that the proper attitude and relaxed enjoyment were beginning to become second nature to me.
 
I could feel in the voices of the boys on the court, the reflection of these two poems, one on virtue and the other on sin, that I had written that I have been emailing out to people like famous athletes who play a big role in the lives of such boys. The boys out on the courts this summer evening sounded well educated, gentlemanly, virtuous.
 
And I was thinking, we teach these boys virtue, we improve them as human beings, and at the same time these "powers that be" work to deprive such boys of their food supply. I say let us not screw things up so bad that these boys end up not having enough to eat.
 
Mat 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
 
Or one might say, Man shall not live by the world of God alone, but by bread also.
 
You can check out my page on current and all-time all-world soccer or football teams at:
 
 
 
 

replique

bounce top of head  to a couple inches below breast















8/10/06
Thursday
830-945 PM
Outdoor Basketball Courts
corner of Lowell and High
Waltham MA

WCO6
SLEEP DEPRIVED
 
JULY 26 BEST SEGMENT EVER 87% (INDOORS)
AUGUST 10, NEW BEST SEGMENT EVER 89%
 
AUGUST 5, BEST FIRST SEGMENT 76%
AUGUST 10 NEW BEST FIRS SEGEMENT 89%
 
AUGUST 4, BEST TOTAL PERCENTAGE 77%
AUGUST 10, NEW BEST TOTAL PERCENTAGE 82%
 
 
 
 
 
gold/attempts,
gold+silver/attempts for each segment
 
1st 45 mins
Slant-12-6-forwardfoot-straight(S126FF) start
17/19 89%
18/19 95%
 
2nd 45 mins
Slant-12-6-outfoot-forward (S126OF) start
14/19 74%
16/19 84%
 
 
TOTAL
31/38 82%
34/38 89%
 
1ST 8 of practice:
7/8 87%
8/8 100%

I slept only three hours instead of eight the night before, and the night before that it was two hours instead of eight.
 
War dance between attempts
 
Prior to the workout instead of the usual 1-2 cups coffee it was 1/2 cup coffee and 1/2 cup tea, plus tangerine juice and fish oil pills, and a McDonald's hamburger.
 
No toons were playing in my head today, I did not drink water or snack during the practice.
 
I started out not having played with the ball, basically not having touched the ball (touching it to move it somewhere or simply to mark of some theoretical distance does not count) in 24 hours, and hit the first five attempts as golds.
 
About this time I heard a voice from this group of hispanic teenagers who were watching me, sitting on a concrete bench on the inner side of the fence surrounding the basketball courts. The male young-adult voice said:  "Ehhh...Maradona". His tone of voice was one of scorn and contempt for Maradona. Most of the soccer world thinks Maradona is one of the eleven best players of all time, one of the three best forwards of all-time!
 
There I was, being spoken of as excelling Maradona, I had hit the first five in a row as golds, I felt tired, it was hard to resist the temptation to just relax too much while making the attempts with the result of errors.  But I only missed twice from them on in this first 45 minutes.
Thus I concluded with by far the best percentage ever on a first half, 89% gold.
 
The second half percentage was 74%, this was a good percentage looking at my personal history,  for a sleep deprived state second 45 minutes. It got really hard to keep concentrating on each attempt, I would relax too much things would go wrong...the outdoor air blowing through the trees, the pleasant temperature and humidity, the Garden of Eden like basketball court surrounded by trees and lawn, in a neighborhood I spent years in, a neighborhood where I've heard a few beautiful women "do", a neighborhood that reminded me of past years that were more innocent than the present time seeing that for the past twenty years things keep getting worse--a neighborhood where I was blissfully ignorant compared to the way I am now--it was all too beautiful and relaxing, there were some attempts that did not get gold, but still no long losing streaks, the longest losing streak in the second 45 minutes was two silvers in a row that did not attain to gold.
 
About half way through this second half I was watching these dark skinned black teenage basketball players who spoke with American accents but looked African who were playing a game next to me. One of them looked at the others and said with a judge-rejecting-the-plaintiff demeanour, "Diego..." as he scornfully shook his head. I knew what he was saying is that Diego is not in the same class I am in.
 
I suppose if they think of me as excellling "Maradona...Diego", the reason the boys at the court often almost behave as if I was not there, is that they figure superstars like me are easily annoyed and will desert the playground if given too much attention.
 
Incidentally a few years back I had a dream that one day people would be saying of me that I am a better player than Diego Maradona. But I did not take the dream seriously. I had been trained to think of dreams as merely wish fulfillment, and I was already at an age that would be held against me in the youth-crazed world of pro soccer.
 
I enjoy playing on this tree lined outdoor basketball court in the cool air of night. These paradisical little basketball courts oases are one of the successes of society and it is a disaster when they become unuseable due to the presence of delinquents and gangsters.
 
Going back to the old neighborhood, Moody & High, in south Waltham (South of Main St) makes me more aware of how the landlords out on the other side of Waltham I now am on, in North Waltham (north of Main St) , are more demanding, and of how the people at the YMCA out in north Waltham are more aloof than the south Waltham playground people, differences like that. In North Waltham the distances are greater, the architecture is more modern, the population density lesser, the people more aloof and formal etc etc.
 
I feel like a fool for not having spent more time in my old neighborhood simply because I had to move to the other side of town.
 
I love breathing in the cool outdoors night air as it blows through the trees. Too bad there are these jerks who pollute the air and then hide inside air filtered habitats and laugh at the outdoors loving people getting sick.
 
Looks like the total percentage is moving at an improvement of about
0.7% per day meaning I can expect to get from 82 to 95 in 19 more days. This does not take into account that I expect improvement to accelerate as the start is decided upon and standardized.
 
The numbers show that me having become alarmed and concerned about the percentage on the very first attempts has paid off with dramatic improvement in the percentage on the first few attempts.
 
Weird in my mind, that I should be thought of as outshining Maradona, and at the same time the only jobs I can land, are jobs that exhaust me physically and mentally to the point where I have no time and energy and money for things in which people think I can excel such as sports, poetry, essays, audio, video, and web programming to name a few.
 
Today again somehow the inner thoughts inside of me, exaggerated in my mind, the extent to which I was failing to impress while performing. Today in the first half, there were 8 impressive golds and in the second half also 8 impressive golds. Impressive is less than spectacular; I was conserving my energies for consistency as opposed to expending them on spectacularity. The onlookers nevertheless were impressed. Today there were only 8 attempts that ended up as spectacular. If I count an attempt as spectacular I count it as impressive also.
 
HOW ARE THE MIGHTY FALLEN
 
The beauty is slain upon thy high places: how are the mighty fallen!
 
Tell it not, publish it not in the streets; lest the daughters of the foolish rejoice, lest the daughters of the profane triumph. 
 
Ye mountains, let there be no dew, neither let there be rain, upon you, nor fields of offerings: for there the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away, the shield of Saul, as though he had not been anointed with oil. 
 
From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan turned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty.
Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided: they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.
Ye daughters, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet, with other delights, who put on ornaments of gold upon your apparel.
How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! O Jonathan, thou wast slain in thine high places.
I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan: very pleasant hast thou been unto me: thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women. 
How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished!
 
 
 
Replique
Bounce from about head to two inches below breast















8/11/06
Friday
9-945 PM
Waltham Y Pool
 
SWIMMING BREAK
AND REVIEW
 
SLEEP DEPRIVED
3 HRS SLEEP NIGHT BEFORE

 
Swam 1200 yds in 44.5 minutes, alternating 50 breast and 50 crawl.
 

After 3 nights in a row in which I got only 2, then 3, then again only 3 hours of sleep, I decided to go swimming. Seemed I was sleeping better when I would sometimes go swimming, seemed such did not interfere with performance, but rather it seemed swimming breaks taken at the right time can lead to improvements in soccer or football performance. If you like swimming breaks and reward yourself with swimming breaks for good performances, this is a way of psychologically conditioning yourself to succeed.
 
I would guess that the sleep deprivation problem is overall inhibiting rather than enhancing my soccer performance, though I suppose at certain stages it could have had an enhancing effect on the learning curve.  Seems sleep deprivation might actually help first half performance, but coincident with the sleep deprivation I have carefully studied concentrated on and solved certain first 45 minutes related problems.
 
Second halfs are low in a sleep deprived state. I realize the mortals of the type I am surrounded with will be quick to seize upon my sleep deprived tired demeanor as proof of their superiority as an employee--the fact remains that even when sleep deprived I excel most mortals in this WC06 exercise which is a combination of body and mind, without being focused on strength, aerobic endurance, or sprinting without the ball running speed.
 
It coes take a certain kind of endurance to stand or run out on the court for 90 minutes, making 45 attempts at doing something which requires alot of mental concentration/attention, and extreme quickness and precision physically using a body that is in the end controlled by a mind.
 
I believe the slow rise in the total for day percentages is deceptive because insomnia has been reducing the second half scores. My personal best for a first half jumped from 76% August 5 to 89% on sleep-deprived August 10.  That is  2.6% per  per day by simple math.
 
At the same time the sleep deprived second half percentages of 52,  68 and 74 on August 7,  9 and 10, were way below my personal best for a second 45 minutes, 86% July 26 indoors. These three days the average percentage second half was 65 only due to the sleep deprivation but I gradually improved in my ability to handle the sleep deprivation.
 
When well rested the second half is usually at least as good as the first half.
 
So if  when well rested I can manage 90% for 1st and 2nd, at 2.6% a day I would only have to go on another couple of days to get to 95% average, when this is consistent I can go on to the next drill.
 
But 82% total is good enough to get the teenage boys thinking of me as better than Maradona--this is a variable value for the soccer playing computer program that I have sort of become. Could be, we understimate these Wiley-Coyote-like teenage boys. The African and Latin ones know alot about soccer. Boys pay alot of attention to spectator sports.
 
95 is 16 percent greater than 82 my total percentage August 10, the day I received the Acclamation of the Troops as a greater-than-Maradona value for the glorious variable in the program that I am.  Suppose the average soccer/football player when mounting an individual offensive effort, succeeds in that the effort results in his team scoring a goal, four percent of the time.  Suppose the 'god' that I will be when I am at a consistent 95% in WC06, produces a goal for his team on ten percent of his individual offensive efforts (these efforts could culminate in a team-mate scoring a goal). If at 95% rate on WC06 I am a ten percenter, then at 80% WC06 I would be an eight percenter, still twice as good as the average player.
 
The fact of the matter is that both the average world class player in world class competition and also myself when I attain so to speak 'god-hood' in soccer, have this in common: we both usually fail to get a goal for our team with our attempts. By the sheer force of probability both me and them will get our share of lucky situations when it is easier to score a goal than it is using the WC06 type of maneuver.
 
Next I plan to test out a couple of starts as yet officially untested:
 
F126FF
F1260F
 
 
 
 

















8/13/06
Sunday
830-945 PM
Outdoor Basketball Courts
corner of Lowell and High
Waltham MA


 
WC06
gold/attempts,
gold+silver/attempts for each segment
 
NEW PERSONAL BEST FOR TOTAL PERCENTAGE FOR DAY 85%
 
1st 45 mins
Forward-12-6-forwardfoot-forward(F126FF) start
17/20 85%
18/20 90%
 
2nd 45 mins
Forward-12-6-outfoot-forward (F126OF) start
12/14 86%
13/14 93%
 
 
TOTAL
29/34 85%
31/34 91%
 
1ST 8 of practice:
7/8 87%
7/8 87%

Yesterday I did nothing, no swimming, no soccer, and finally got about 7 hours of sleep. Day before after the swimming, it was yet again only about 3 hours of sleep.Seems I have to work out very hard, or not work out at all, if I want to be able to sleep well. Then maybe I just naturally now sleep more than four hours once every three of four days. No use convincing myself that I am disabled by fatigue if I have just entered a stage in life in which I just sleep less.
 
Things turned out as I had predicted on August 10. The first half was a high percentage, and then the second half also was a high percentage because I was not so sleep deprived.
 
Thus today was a new record for total percentage for the day, 85%.
 
Today I again noticed that some muscular tension in the body at the start of an attempt is useful--the presence of muscular tension does not necessarily coincide with an excess of mental tension. Today I noticed that getting the body into the first movement of an attempt, crouching down a little on the first kick of an attempt, appears to improve things. Such is by no means necessary for the first move, yet the fact such is not necessary does not mean it is not an improvement. One of these days I'll have a chance to officially statistically test this official crouch type start vs a standing straight up type start, until then seems a good idea.
 
Today I noticed that I have this mental attitude problem, in that once I get a high percentage going, I begin to fail to enjoy the practice, because I just wish that it would be over, so that I can go home and boast about my high percentage. Thus there are too few attempts, too little joy.
 
But part of the reason there were so few attempts in the second half was that I had to take off my socks and rub some lotion on my feet because they itched.
 
Today again I did this skipping dance in between attempts. It looks like an American Indian War dance, it mimics my movements with the ball. I have been doing this war dance in between attempts ever since August 7.
 
Today from 820 PM to 847 PM, 27 minutes, these four black and/or hispanic young adults(I could not see their faces clearly in the darkness of the car they were in) stared intently at me the whole time in complete silence. They were in a car, a blue sedan, parked on the street outside the fence of the basketball court, I'd end my attempts about 8 yards away from them.
 
The four black and or hispanic adults in the car,  had their faces pointing directly at me the entire time they were parked there, even though the car seats were pointing off to my right. They had one of the car doors open. It was as if they were looking at a ghost or a god. They made no noise, their  their eyes were wide open and big.
 
While they watched I scored 10 golds out of 10 attempts. Seems I only choke when watched when there is some fear of being mugged. Seems I actually do better when watched--the more watchers and the more closely watched the better.
 
They the four people in the car, sat there transfixed the entire time, but only two of the golds that they watched were spectacular, and none of these golds met my criteria for what I call 'impressive'  (but not spectacular) when I score how many are 'impressive'.
 
See, it is a semantic matter, and a matter of high standards, alot of the attempts are in the eyes of spectators fascinating and impressive though I do not call them 'impressive' in the scoring lingo I use here. That does not mean the attempts are literally not impressive just that I do not score them as in the "impressive" category. What I mean by "impressive" as I use the word is especially impressive from my own jaded point of view.
 
Today there were approx 10 spectacular golds and 11 impressive golds (a spectacular gold is a cut above an impressive one but a spectacular one also counts as an impressive one.
 
Today After practice I was at the Exxon on Main St. in Waltham, run by the greek guy George. I was telling him about how I impress people so much in soccer, he was amiably scoffing about my age which he estimated to be 40. He said that it was simply a matter of "physics" that older people cannot compete with younger ones in soccer. I tried to explain to him that despite my age I had speed, quickness, a strong shot, skill, that soccer was not as aerobic as people think, that players like Cruyff considered one of the best three forwards ever, and others, smoked one or more packs of cigarettes a day. George encouraged me to keep practicing. When I told him what I do when I practice his eyes got wide, he got an astonished look on his face.

Replique
med soft,
ball bounced when dropped from right above head, to four inches below chest(measured from top most part of ball touching body when ball pressed to body after being caught at apex of bounce)















8/14/06
Waltham Y Pool
845 PM-945 PM
SWIMMING BREAK
2000 yds swum in 60 minutes.
 
Alternating 50 yds crawl 50 yds breast


This swimming performance would have been faster were it not for the fact that the water in the pool was so hot.
 
In the morning I had Hannaford Supermarkets brand multi-grain or 12 grain bread with Bread & Circus slash Whole Foods Markets peanut butter and the Durkee-mower Marshmallow Fluff spread on the bread. I had two of these.  I was impressed with how much energy these two "fluffernutter" open sandwiches  gave me.
 
The peanut butter and marshmallow fluff sandwich is an old staple, what we have here is the most advanced, organic purest version of an old staple.
 
Implication: inexpensive and simple shortcut to health: simple old staples but using the newer purer more "organic" more expensive ingredients.
 
There is a water fountain by the pool side where I swam tonight, next to the water fountain, there is a thing that looks just like a water fountain, but is not, which is called a "spittoon". 
 
I spat in the spittoon box in the wall instead of into the box in the wall next to it where the water fountain is , and instead of into the pool, which is what a man is supposed to do--and the lifeguard, a young white female of medium build and height with straight brown hair, criticized me for doing this!
 
This lifeguard, was under the impression that the spittoon, is some kind of open air plumbing device where the water for the water fountain is processed an recycled! I explained to her that the whole purpose of the spittoon, which was in the wall next to the water fountain which was a metal  box in the wall, and which looked like a twin of the box with the water fountain, was that people should spit into a box different than the box the water fountain was in.
 
She insisted that the spittoon, which actually in reality was made specifically for the purpose of spitting into, was an open to the air and visible device used to recycle the water that came out of the water fountain! She had large bird like eyes that resembled Linda Skinner's eyes.
 
This really struck me as incredibly weird and strange, because there is no reason that the plumbing devices that reprocess and recycle and clean the water, should be open to the air and open to the eye, and situated in a metal box in the wall that looks just like the water fountain metal box in the wall next to it.
 
She muttered under her breath with a knowing look, "this is not good". Seemed to me that she was one of millions that Linda Skinner has infected with ideas such as people should be evil because the world is not good. Seemed as if the problem was that Linda Skinner was too effective at indoctrinating people with wrong doctrines. 
 
Fact of the matter is, that when all the scriptures advising people to be "good" were written, even then, the world was not a good place. So then how can these wise-in-their-own-eyes people, blythely assume that the scriptures that advise us to be good, should now in this present world  be disregarded or reversed, simply because the world is not good?
 
My personal opinion now also is, (these are personal opinions not facts) that this Linda Skinner (adie from her admirable qualities) has been spreading the notion that the proper interpretation of scripture is that the main thing is that people should love themselves.
 
False. The command love thy neighbor as thyself is a 17th century english translation of an ancient Hebrew colloquiallism.
The love thy neighbor as thyself command is not advising emotional self love or behavioral selfish self-centeredness. It is advising that we should seek for our neighbor, the things that we seek for ourselves.
 
The words in the scriptures that are translated as "love", according to scholars often in their original sense actually meant behavioral helpfulness more than they meant emotion of some kind.  
 
The whole incident reminded me of the time that I spit into the spittoon outside of the gym, that also was situated next to its twin water fountain. The black guy at the desk down the hall, thought that I had spit into the metal box in the wall that the water fountain was in. He expressed his indignation albeit politely and mildly. I explained to him that I had spat into the spittoon not the water fountain. This satisfied him. He was smart enough to realize that the purpose of the spittoon box in the wall was so that people would spit into it and not pit somewhere else.
 
These are tough times for me. I wonder, am I doing too well at soccer?
 
Last night I had a dream, that: I was out on some road where there were bikes and pedestrians but no cars during daylight hours; there was a tall blond young man on a bicycle riding around; the word was that I was supposed to let some guy named "Mister Gardner" assassinate me, and that I would be misbehaving if I did not meekly allow him to assassinate me. I was sitting on the sidewalk leaning against a wall, I did not know what to do.  
 
In real life "Mister Gardner" is this man who works for the landlord and who gave me real harsh reports on the cleanliness of my apartment; he was real offended by stuff like papers in the wastebasket where they belong, empty coffee bag wrappers on the desk (there are few things cleaner than empty coffee bag wrappers).
 
I visited the Baptist church this Mr. Garnder goes to once. 
 
These baptists should learn to take wise criticism like a man, and admit that alot of them are wrong to say, that it does not matter what a man does so long as he has faith.
 
They should take it like a man, and admit that the truth is that alot of them foolishly have made a God out of their own personal interpretation of some hard to understand scripture.
 
As for me, what is important to me, is this: what is in God's mind regarding what this scripture should mean to modern man?
 
Once I emailed some Gardner museum or something in honor of the fact that my apartment was being inspected by a "Mr. Gardner", I sent them a couple of poems I had written.
 
 
 

















8/15/06
Waltham Y Pool
845 PM-945 PM

SWIMMING BREAK
2000 yds swum in 55:55, alternating 50 yds crawl 50 yds breast


Decided to go swimming again, sleep has been about 60% of what it should be last couple nights.
 
Swam 2000 yds alternating 50 breast and 50 crawl in 55:55. This was 4:05 better than yesterday's time. Best as I can recall, I would have to get down to about 26:40 to be at world record pace. The water was 85 degrees according to the Y, but it seemed hotter than 85 degrees to me and I'm sure I would have gone significantly faster if the water had been cooler. It get's to the point where you feel like you are running a marathon in humid 90 degree heat and gasping for breath.
 
For about half an hour while I was in the pool, this young white adult male who works at the pool and one or two other people were standing by the edge of the pool where the lane I was swimming ends, watching me; and the female white teenager lifeguard with black hair and glasses with thick black rims, was sitting in a chair right by where the lane I was swimming in hits the edge of the pool, as opposed to the normal place for a lifeguard on a chair.
 
I think I heard the white guy who works at the pool say, "that's a good swimmer". After the workout I was thinking to myself, that watching me swim must be as exciting as watching a special new paint dry, that dries at twice the speed of normal paint...I thought of the boring sporting events that I suspect are watched by people because these people who watch these events are themselves boring people, and so boring people end up getting glorified by advertisers TV stations etc. as something really exciting.
 
Then again I suppose that people who are into swimming can get something out of watching a good swimmer swimming slowly. I figure with time I will be at age group world record speed in at least one event.
 
It just gets to the point, where I dread the stress of soccer practice. You think it is easy to get to the point where people think of you as better than say the third best forward of all time, and stare at you for half an hour as if they were looking at a ghost? Lots of men have what it takes physically to be as good as me at soccer.  It's to a large extent mental. It's developing extreme quickness combined with extreme precision combined with extreme consistency--it is not speed or brute strength, the quick precise movements of the body are controlled by the mind, and by the eye feeding information to the mind.
 
It gets to the point where my mind feels like the drugged mind in the anti-drug commercial, which showed an egg frying, while the macho goody goody teenager male voice said, "this is your mind on drugs".
 
I think as opposed to days without soccer, maybe what I need is days on which I do not count meaning keep score of the results of the attempts. I think I need to put some time and effort into making some improvements in my non-soccer non-sports life, which I feel will result in the soccer practices being less stressful for me.
 
But I realize how an hour of stressful scored practice can be worth more than four hours of relaxed unscored practice, and I realize how an hour of the stressful practice may be more  fatiguing for the mind and body than three hours of relaxed unstressful practice.
 
 

















8/30/06
Basketball courts at Moody & Underwood Waltham MA
355-555 PM
NOT SCORED
WC06
Lost 15 days of practice. Funny how a couple of days off turns into five days off which turn into 8 days off which turn into 12 days off before you even know what happened.
 
Problem was that in the heat of August, attempting to scrimp and save on my electricity bill, I could not sleep at night because of the heat. The brilliant state of Massachusetts electricity comes from, believe it or not, oil, and oil has been expensive.
 
Then it took me a while to get my schedule straight, waking and going to sleep at the right time, and while I was straightening out the schedule I felt tired.
 
All I can say is that a little knowledge regarding how to maintain a steady sleep wake circadian rhythm routine, would well be worth the time energy and money invested in acquiring such knowledge.
 
Today I was working on testing out my theory that crouching a little at the start would improve things. After today's practice my feeling is that a slight crouch at the start might produce improvement, once I get used to the new method of crouching slightly at the start. Too much of a crouch is unworkably akward.
 
Not keeping score I was up to about 45 attempts per 45 minutes instead of 20 attempts per 45 minutes. This because there no time spent keeping score, no time spent concentrating between attempts, no time spent doing the war dance to keep myself loosened up between attempts. Just off to the races.
 
By the end of today's two hour practice I felt I had improved more from the practice than I do when I keep score.Right now I think that some pf the practices should be scored and some unscored. When the practices are scored: there is more time lapsed between attempts which more approximates actual game conditions; the ability to handle game type stress is developed.
 
But when the practices are not scored, I find after a while I begin to develop that god-like ability (I have always desired to have) to blythely sail along accomplishing great things with ease without having to bother with concentrating hard or getting un-relaxed. By the end of the practice today I was achieving spectacular results on attempts without concentrating hard, or getting stressed out.
 
The first 20 minutes today  a couple of hispanic guys on a park bench stared at me intently. This sort of surprised me because to my jaded way of thinking, my performance was rusty, sub-par, seeing I had not practiced for two weeks.
 
Then this elderly guy walked out on to the court inquiring if I was Spanish. He began talking about Pele's bicycle kick shots (maybe I reminded him of Pele), the great stamina of soccer players, how big the soccer field is. I told him that I saw no bicycle kicks in the world cup, probably because players have decided that the time and energy it takes to develop proficiency n the bicycle kick is better invested in other pursuits.
 
Towards the end of practice this hispanic guy who bore a faint resemblance to the Satanist mass murderer Ramirez walked up to me to invite me to shoot baskets with him. I told him the truth, I had to go to meet my father for dinner. But hey, this friendly hispanic guy reminded me of normal people, the white "massholes" do not remind of me normal people, they are never friendly or sociable.


Replique

Inflated to 11.0 psi















8/31/06
315-600 PM
Waltham YMCA
Indoor gym
WC06
UNSCORED
 
The first move in a run has three components. I started out today with my body in a slight crouch as opposed to straight upright on all three components of this first move. I wasn't keeping score but I got the feeling that such is superior to being straight upright on all three components as I was prior to August 30.
 
Then I tried: upright on the first two components but crouched on the third; upright on the first component but slightly crouched on the last two components of the first move; and upright on all three components which is the approach I have the most experience with.
 
Thus the possible combinations on the first move, with U=upright and C=crouched, are:
 
(already tried out)
CCC
UUU
UUC
UCC
 
(not already tried out)
CUC
CCU
CUU
UCU
 
Hard to tell until a new method is gotten used to, which is the best.
Right now I feel the most comfortable with the CCC. But this might have to do with the fact that today the first method I tried, while I felt the freshest, was the CCC.
 
It would be wise to figure out which method works the best and to standardize, try to use this super-method as much as possible in games.
 
However, my feeling now is that anyway in practice it builds up ability to spend some time using every method.  Also in a game you are not always in a position to use your pet method.
 
Today there were plenty of excellent impressive runs, more than yesterday. Today I could tell returning to indoor practice comparing my performance to the way I was yesterday, that I have significantly improved compared to how I was last time I was indoors at the Y.
 
Seems that practicing without keeping score helps to develop a natural, effiicient,  relaxed, physical-and-mental-energy efficient style.
 
The first three components of the first move are worthy of the attention I am giving them, because: a run or attempt is like a tree, when the first move on a run/attempt is off this effects every subsequent move; and because the first move is part of every attempt while for example the seventh move plays a role in only a fraction of attempts and such seventh moves are usually there for show to impress people and would not actually be performed in a game.
 
I confess I have been giving insufficient attention to detailed analysis of the first move because: the first move is relatively unglamorous and boring; mistakes on the first move seem to be merely psychological as opposed to technical and methodological since theoretically the first move is the easiest part of a run/attempt.
 
Today there were plenty of persons sharing the gym with me, the usual mix of East Asian adults and their children, and white adults and their children. "It was the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse".  I executed plenty of impressive runs but none of the people in the gym with me let on that they noticed me.
 
If I had been doing what I did today outdoors at one of the playground basketball or tennis courts, there probably would have been verbal compliments, people in cars staring for a half hour, that kind of thing. It is a different kind of person out there as compared to at the YMCA.
 
I take refuge in the Lotus feet of the notion that the folks in the gym are secretly impressed but don't want to drive me away by "annoying" me with comments and stares.
 
 
 
 

Replique
10.6 psi, measured before practice.















9/1/06
335-600 PM
Waltham Y gym
WCO6
UNSCORED
 
There are 9 horizontal take-off variations, and the 8 crouch/upright variations.
 
Today I did:
 
UUU, using the BCDE with right out horizontal placements. The runs were good, the starts not as good as CCC
 
CUU, using ABCD and E w/ right out horizontal placements. This worked out surprisingly well, right now it seems to be a shade worse than CCC, better than UUU
 
CCU, using ABCD and E w/ right out horizontal placements. This now seems to be at the bottom amongst the vertical variation possibilities, a shade better than UUU. But it was working out pretty well towards the end of the 55 minutes I devoted to learning it.
 
Today there were lots and lots of spectacular technically almost perfect runs. There were alot more of these super-runs today than there were yesterday and there were more yesterday than the day before. Today it seemed I showed more improvement compared to the previous day than I ever have.
 
There is something to be said for the mode of practice I have been using, which has been 50 minutes using certain vertical pattern on the first move (UUU CCC etc), with 10 of these 50 minutes going to five different horizontal start possibilities in conjuction with the given vertical setup.
 
If I keep improving at this rate there will be no hope for the entire world, in terms of competing with me. And I know that when I know exactly which combination of vertical specs and horizontal specs works the best on the first move, my improvement will accelerate.
 
Problem was, today the gym was absolutely empty the entire time, except for about five or ten minutes during which three or four females passed through. Nobody saw the god that I was today.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Replique

10.1 psi, measured before practice.















9/2/06
Peter Gilmore Playground basketball courts
corner of Lowell and High
425-655
150 minutes
WC06 unscored
Weather was 63 degrees, winds 17 mph gusting to 23 mph.
 
Suddenly the melancholia of fall upon us, just a few days ago it was too hot. It's always too hot or too cold around here.
 
Today seemed I did not do as well as yesterday but such is to a large extent the way things seem because: performance is impaired by the uneven concrete surface, the strong winds, the sweatpants and sweatshirt (not used to such) worn due to the cold. In the wide open spaces of the outdoors 15 yds seems a shorter distance than it does indoors, thus accomplishments seem lesser. The wind was so strong that the ball kept getting blown away preventing me from initiating runs. I had to start the runs with the ball in a shallow depression in the concrete surface of the basketball court.
 
The first segment today: 50 minutes using the UCU vertical set up, this 50 minutes broken up into 10 minutes each for horizontal setups A-E with right foot out. My conclusion was that as of now, I consider the UCU vertical pattern at the start to be awkward, maybe even worse than UUU. This is because going from upright to a crouch to upright again, up down up, is clumsy, it is annoying the way having to sit down and get up and sit down again in church is annoying.
 
The second segment today: 50 minutes using the CUC vertical set up, this 50 minutes broken up into 10 minutes each for horizontal setups A-E with right foot out. My conclusion again was that as of now, I consider the CUC vertical pattern at the start to be awkward, again maybe even worse than UUU. This is  because going from a crouch  to upright to a crouch again, down up down, is like UCU clumsy, again it is annoying the way having to sit down and get up and sit down again in church is annoying.
 
The third segment today: 50 minutes using the CCC vertical set up, this 50 minutes broken up into 10 minutes each for horizontal setups A-E with right foot out in combination with the vertical CCC. My conclusion again was that as of now, I consider this CCC vertical pattern to be far superior to the CUC and the UCU.
 
Today there was nobody out on the courts but me. Massachusetts is that kind of place, a storm less than half as severe as the kind of storm Chicago keeps on running in, shuts everything down here. I was glad actually that there was nobody there to watch, because I was using these clumsy awkward vertical setups in the three phases of the first move. But one guy across the street stared for a while anyway.
 
Funny how on the days when it is too cool/windy (wind chill) for the boys to play basketball, there is also missing the people in the cars who park to stare at me.
 
But at least progress is being made to getting to the point where I will know exactly which horizontal and vertical setups work the best on the opening three components of the crucial first move.
 
 
But even after I know which vertical setup works the best, and which horizontal setup works the best, I will split my practice time between concentrating on what works the best and dabbling in the various other approaches. Practicing  the inferior approaches has value the same way free-weights, with every lift done slightly differently, excels a machine where everything is done exactly the same all the time. In the real world, due to various factors, you end up having to deal with diverse situations and practicing all the different vertical/horizontal combos prepares you for this. Once you become competent using an awkward clumsy method, it gets hard to screw up using the best method.

 


Replique

10.1 psi measured.
 
Ball pressure went down from 10.1 before yesterday's practice to 9.4 before todays practice so I had to inflate the ball somewhat prior to starting.















9/3/06
Waltham Y Gym
325-555 PM
WC06
unscored

First, did 50 minutes using UUC vert setup, horiz setups 10 min each in combo with UUC, for A-E (R). This was awkward. The sudden shift from U or upright on the second component of the first move, to C or crouched on the crucial third component of the first move, resulted in too much inaccuracy on the third component of the first move.
 
Second, did 50 minutes using UCC vert setup, horiz setups 10 min each in combo with UUC, for A-E (R). This was definitely better than UUC/A-E(R) the first segment done today. It was also significantly worse than my favorite at this point, CCC/A-E(R).  The D (R) horiz setup worked best with this vert setup.
 
The next eight 50 minute segments will be using the horiz setups A-E (S) as opposed to A-E (R).
 
Third, did 50 minutes using UUU vert setup, horiz setups 10 min each in combo with UUU, for A-E (S). This turned out alot better than the last time I did UUU, which was with horizontal setups A-E(R). I rate this UUU/A-E (S) I did today as coming in at at least a tie for second place amongst all the vertical setups, second to the CCC/R series.  The question remains, why today's UUU/S series so excelled the previous UUU/R series. Was it  because this used the S type horiz setups, or was it a general improvement in my UUU ability? UUU with S type horizontal sets, is what I am most used to out of all the possibilities, what I have always prior to time immemorial, before I started experimenting with different vertical start sets.
 
It felt good to be back doing it. I felt relaxed and confident doing it. Using this UUU vert S horiz, I found myself to be slow but reliable, this relates to the fact that while using the UUU with S I was scoring myself and pushing myself to extreme levels of consistency.
 
I felt my performance had been impaired due to: drinking 40 oz of beer last night before dinner; spending time with my nutty brother, who got me into the beer drinking mentality;being called on the phone by my nutty brother.
 
I felt I underestimated today's performance, because: runs that in the past I would think of as above average, I now think of as average, due to continual improvement.
 
Today I felt that my endurance had advanced a stage; for the first time I had the energy to put in moves simulating actual-game type moves tacked on at the end of alot of the WC06 runs I was making today. The practicing 2.5 hours, unscored, produces approximately 150 runs in total; practicing 1.5 hours scored, produces 40 runs total.
 
Today there was a young East Asian male shooting baskets as I was getting ready to start my drills. He threw the basketball baseball style from half court, the ball went in on a swoosh. I told him I saw it. He was silent. As I began practicing he left. He had blue and red shorts.
 
Then there were about four parent(s) child combos featuring white families in the gym at various times while I was doing the drills, plus a white boy about twelve shooting his orange and white soccer ball against the wall; and there was this bespectacled bald dark South Asian guy wearing a white T-Shirt who had his arms folded across his chest the whole time as he watched his I guess daughter practice basketball. He would unfold his arms whenever he had to retrieve the ball for his daughter and then fold them again. None of these folks who shared the gym with me said anything to me. It was depressing, there I was, being a soccer god, a tiring trick to perform, and these people watching me said nothing; plus they seemed absorbed in their own activities the whole time.
 
I could tell today that my abilities in terms of the drill I was working on before WC06, have improved dramatically from doing WC06.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Replique
10.1 psi measured. Ball was at 9.7 psi had to be inflated.















9/4/06
Waltham Y gym
225-555 PM
WC06
Unscored
 
First, 50 minutes using CUU vert setup, horiz setups 10 min each in combo with CUU, for A-E (S). This was slightly awkward. The  shift from C or crouched on the first component of the first move, to U or upright on the second component of the first move produced a certain level of awkwardness, and the second and third components of the first move being U or upright also added a certain level of awkwardness.  Overall this setup was at about the 60th percentile amongst the various vertical setups, better than about 60% of them. The D (S) horizontal setup worked well with this vertical setup.
 
Second, 50 minutes using CCU vert setup, horiz setups 10 min each in combo with CCU, for A-E (S). This was worse than CUU the first one done today, the sudden shift from C on the second component to U on the crucial third component was awkward.
 
Third, 50 minutes using UCU vert setup, horiz setups 10 min each in combo with UCU, for A-E (S). This was approx speaking, equal to the CUU done first today, and better than the CCU done second today. It is a surprise that this kind of up and down yo yo like motion should produce results better than CCU; but such rocking back and forth motions are a natural part of human nature. The D (S) and E (S) horizontal setups worked well with this vertical setup.
 
Overall, the performance was similar to yesterday; what I used to consider above average I now consider average, what I used to consider spectacular I now consider merely good.
 
Remembering how people in their cars would stop and stare for a half an hour the way I was a few days ago, I figure if they saw me as I was today there would be a busload stopped for an hour. Part of this is that it  just seems harder to get spectacular outdoors. On the other hand seems that since distances look smaller outdoors, you accomplish great things over long distances because such does not seem intimidatingly impossible.
 
Today at the end of a WC006 run, the ball was in the air and I shot it at the wall ten yards away, using about two thirds of my full strength, the ball hit the wall, bounced back about eight yards, and then rolled another twelve yards into the metal bleachers where it got wedged between the front row seat and the second row footrest. I tried to pull the ball out from where it had gotten wedged and could not. I had to hit it with my fist from the other direction to dislodge it. These shots I take at the end of the WC06 runs are real rockets without any effort put into them.
 
The whole gym was empty today, except for a tall guy with a gray beard and glasses there for five minutes at the beginning, and the South Asian basketball girl this time with her mother for ten minutes at the end.
 
Rate 1.2 attempts per minute.
 

Replique
10.1 psi measured.
 
Had only lost 0.1 psi since yesterday.
















9/5/06
Waltham YMCA Gym
315-545
 
WC06 unscored
First, 50 minutes using CUC vert setup, horiz setups 10 min each in combo with CUC, for A-E (S).  This rated as in the bottom third amongst the verts. Especially good with E (S) horiz setup.
 
Second, 50 minutes using CCC vert setup, horiz setups 10 min each in combo with CCC, for A-E (S).  This rated as in the top third of the verts. Not as good as CCC with A-E (R). Especially good with A, E (S) horiz setups.
 
Third, 50 minutes using UUC vert setup, horiz setups 10 min each in combo with UUC, for A-E (S).  This was above average amongst verts not at the top. A nice upright euro-schoolboy style, with a C for Crouch thrown in on the third component to add a touch of soul. This one good on A (S) horiz setup.
 
Today again I experienced beer fatigue from approx 50 oz of King Cobra (high alcohol content beer) yesterday. My nutty brother informs me this is because King Cobra is a high alcohol content beer, a couple of days ago he enthused about it now he is down on it.
Today I was at 1.0 attempts per minute yesterday it was 1.2 attempts per minute.
 
 
The gym was practically empty most of time.
 
The East Asian approx 10 year old boy, the one who had stood at attention when I was running WC06 runs far inferior to what I did today, carefull drue the huge blue plastic curtain that divides the two sides of the gym, to the center point exactly on the basketball court, so on one half there was nothing between the two sides of the gym and on the other half, the side where I started my WC06 runs, the two sides were divided by the huge blue curtain.
 
The Indian basketball girl and her mom showed up again as in the previous couple of days, to use the side the E.Asian boy had partially separated with the huge blue curtain.
 
Then on the other side of the gym, there was a bald white man about in his thirties, playing basketball, listening to music through these big head-sets. He could not see most of what I did because the huge blue curtain marked off half of the line demarcating the two halves of they gym he was on the other side.
 
He showed off the trick where you roll the ball up behind your thigh and then heel it up over your head. I discussed with him how none of the players actually use this trick in games. He said all players have juggling tricks they use in games he was enthusing about Ronaldinho's juggling tricks.
 
I was thinking to myself, that the juggling tricks I do in practice, can be easily be done in games, they are designed to be do-able in games, yet the other players never do the tricks I do in practice in games. Why? Because they can't.
 
After this there were a couple of white females with white children, playing on the other side with the huge inflatable toy palace. I exiting the part of the gym blocked from their view by the huge blue curtain the E Asian boy had half drawn out, performed a perfect run stretching out to 17 yds from the start. I looked  at the white female adult near the toy palace. I am sure she saw me perform my trick and she smiled at me. She was a tad overweight.
 
 
 
 
Replique
10.1 psi measured
was down to 10.0















9/6/06
Waltham Y Gym
735-945
WC06
unscored
First, 50 minutes using UCC vert setup, horiz setups 10 min each in combo with UCC, for A-E (S).  This rated as at the 60th percentile, better than 60% of the verts, worse than 40 percent of the verts. Especially good with B (S)  horiz setup.
 
The next 8 sets will be using the (R) series horizontal sets, with the order of the horizontal sets reversed from A, B, C, D, E to E, D, C, B, A.
 
Second, 50 minutes using UUU vert setup, horiz setups 10 min each in combo with UUU, for E-A (R).  This rated as at the 40th percentile amongst the verts, better than 40 percent, worse than 60 percent.
 
Third, 30 minutes using CUU vert setup, horiz setups 10 min each in combo with CUU, for E-A (R).  This rated as approx the 90th percentile amonst verts, around second or third place. Especially good with D and C (R) horiz setup.  The B and A remain to be done on this vert.
 
I felt more tired than I have at any time in the past seven or so days. The temperature was 63 degrees, 93 percent humidity, hotter in the gym than outdoors, humid in the gym.
 
Due to their last minute schedule changes, the practice started 9 hours after I woke up instead of 4.5 hours after I woke up, this significantly increased the fatigue level. I spent the afternoon freaking out about a lost credit card that was actually hid in my wallet this tired me. I've been drinking lemonade the past two or three days, lemonade is sugar water and lemon basically it is not the same thing as fruit juice. Yesterday I had 12 oz beer, and 6 oz wine, and a light rice and yogurt veggie dinner. Whenever I drink in the evening my sleep is disrupted. Donating social time to my garrulous sociable beer drinking brother seems to tire me out I did this yesterday.
 
The fatigue actually helped in the sense that I wanted to tack on some free form loosely structured stuff on to the end of the WC06 runs, the fatigue actually helped me to break out of the pattern of strictly adhering to the WC06 pattern the whole time.
 
Today I could not start practice until 730 PM because some girls cheerleading group had rented the gym. There they were, must have been a hundred twelve year old girl cheerleaders most of them were white. They were all lined up in a long row stretching the length of the gym in their crimson cheerleading bikini bottom outfits. Them in the line seemed to symbolize a WC06 run, what I sensed in the air was that they were aware of these WC06 runs. They reminded me of a bunch of chicks, young female chickens...the gym was filled with the sound of their chirpy good natured small talk.
 
I entered the gym at 730 PM the gym was still filled for them, but there was empty space at one end enough for me to do my drill. Seemed they expected me to do this drill in front of them. But I did not want to get in trouble for disrupting their meeting that had now taken up 5 extra minutes of gym time. The teachers gave their final speeches, the girls were officially dismissed, as they started leaving the gym I started doing the runs. There were still plenty of them in the gym, seemed they expected me to perform for them. The first couple of run attempts were somewhat messed up, I had forgot the tricks that produce consistent performance right from the beginning since I hadnt been keeping score for a while. One of them said "He hasn't warmed up yet". Then the runs began to become good and spectacular and I heard words like "There...he can do that". I felt bad that I had to do the UCC vert format, not one of the best and awkward at the beginning on the first few attempts, in front of all those girls. But I have the policy of not allowing people being around to disrupt my schedule of experiments.
 
Later this older tall white guy, balding, gray hair, glasses,  wearing a gray T shirt with the word "Yosemite" written on it, was shooting baskets. I accomplished some spectacular WC06 runs while he was there, he did not let on that he saw anything except he smiled at me on the way out.

Replique
10.1 psi measured
 
Was at 10.0 psi
















9/7/06
Waltham Y Gym
315-605 PM
WC06
Unscored
 
First, 20 minutes using CUU vert setup, horiz setups 10 min each in combo with CUU, for B and A (S).  Comments for this vert set are in yesterday's post.
 
The next sets will use the E-A (R) horiz setups, this time the A (R) will actually use the R on the right foot previously due to awkwardness the A in the (R) series was done with a (S) straight right foot.
 
Second, 50 minutes using CCU vert setup, horiz setups 10 min each in combo with CCU, for E-A (R).  This rated as at the 65th percentile amongst the verts, better than 65 percent, worse than 35 percent. Takes a little while to get used to this vert setup. The movement on the first move with this vert setup is similar to the body movement on the moves that come after move 1. Worked well with the C and  B (R) horiz setup.
 
Third, 50 minutes using UCU vert setup, horiz setups 10 min each in combo with UCU, for E-A (R).  This rated as at the 50th percentile amongst the verts, better than 50 percent, worse than 50 percent. It did not seem as good as UCU with the (S) series of horizontals.
 
Fourth, 50 minutes using CUC vert setup, horiz setups 10 min each in combo with CUC, for E-A (R).  This rated as at the 60th percentile amongst the verts, better than 60 percent, worse than 40 percent. This worked very well when it was working well, is hard to get used to. The C on the third component of the move is an advantage, I am getting much better at this vert setup. Works especially well with B (R) horiz set.
 
There is a problem with the percentage level estimates; this has to do with the fact that I am constantly improving, there are 16 different vertical setups, I am always roughly speaking comparing the current set being tested to the previous 16 I did, the current set has me usually at a higher skill level than at any previous time.
 
Today there were about a dozen white kids and their I suppose parents in and out of the gym. There was a stocky short white guy with a beard, with his tall thin blonde I guess wife, and their I guess kids. I was the only other guy in gym aside from this I guess family. The stocky white bearded guy loudly said, after watching me, "You're a King". I'm sure he was talking about me. The only other male in the gym was this little boy off in the distance playing somewhere, the tone of voice was of the type used to address a distant adult stranger. When he said "You're a King", I heard the gloominess of a dark rainy day in his voice. It was as if what he was feeling was "How depressing...He's a King and I am just a commoner". Then again, the time during which a king rules is called a "reign", which sounds the same as "rain" but is spelled differently.
 
I was thinking, if I am a king, then the social and economic conduct of the people around me with regards to me is tantamount to regicide. Seems I only get jobs when the number of jobs open is not less than the number of applicants. I keep trying to tell myself that I am not living in an anti-christian homosexual environment that neglects and persecutes me, but I can't get over the feeling that maybe the environment I am in really is an antichristian homosexual environment.
 
 

Replique
10.1 psi measured was down to 9.4.















9/8/06
Waltham Y gym
430-610 PM
WC06 unscored
 
First, 50 minutes using CCC vert setup, horiz setups 10 min each in combo with CCC, for E-A (R).  This vert performed the first ten attempts of the day very well on the difficult E (R) horiz setup. Most of the first twenty attempts were good despite the complete absence of warm-up playing with the ball. Did some war dance pseudo-runs before first attempt. This vaunted CCC vert style only seemed to be at 70% today, maybe because today it was the first set of the day.
 
All except four of the 16 verts I have been cycling through, have been verts involving changing from U to C or C to U during the vert. I have gotten used to the changing when starting a WC06 run. The CCC featuring no variation between upright and crouch on the first three components in the first move, now seems to me to lack rhythm and liveliness.
 
Second, 50 minutes using UUC vert setup, horiz setups 10 min each in combo with UUC, for E-A (R).  This felt rhythmic and lively compared to the previous set featuring the CCC vert with everything crouched, all three components of the first move crouched, and no variation. This vert setup involves being Upright on the first and second components of the first move and crouched on the third. It performed especially well with horiz setups B and C.  The UUC this time seemed to me to be at about 80%, better than 80% of the 16 possible verts.
 
Today there were about half a dozen white adults and children in and out of the gym while I was there. There were a couple of shirtless white approx twelve year old boys playing basketball, I had the feeling they were aware of my excellence but hiding said awareness.
 
 

















9/9/06
Waltham Y gym
530-740 PM
WC06
unscored
First, 50 minutes using UCC vert setup, horiz setups 10 min each in combo with UCC, for E-A (R).  This vert also like CCC yesterday performed the first ten attempts of the day very well on the difficult E (R) horiz setup. It also did A (R) well. I rated this vert at the 80th percentile amongst verts this time.
 
The Waltham teen basketball league (blacks, a brown, East Asians, Whites teenage boys) featured two teams involved in an intense contest up to 530 PM on the gym floor. I had to get started at 530 PM to keep to schedule at this time there were still about a dozen coaches and players from the teen basketball league hanging around on the court. I feel lucky that this vert setup performed well on the first ten attempts, with zero warm up attempts, in front of these stragglers from the Waltham teen basketball league. 
 
But I did do the war dance a few times before doing the first WC06+ Runs.
 
None of these Waltham teen basketball people said anything but the runs were consistently spectacular, 18 yds flying with the ball in the air keeping it close to the body with the ball never touching the ground or the hands or the arm, with the first 10 or so yds done WC06 style and then some improvisation tagged on at the end.
 
The next 8 vert sets will be done using the S style of horiz setups.
 
Second, 50 minutes using UUU vert setup, horiz setups 10 min each in combo with UUU, for E-A (S).  This vert performed well with the E, C, and B  (S) horizontal setups. I rated this vert at the 85th percentile amongst verts this time. This time this vert was slow, slightly off from time to time, but very consistent in terms of avoiding serious error.
 
Third, 30 minutes using CUU vert setup, horiz setups 10 min each in combo with CUU, for E-C (S).  This vert performed well with the  C,  (S) horizontal setup. I rated this vert at the 85th percentile amongst verts this time. It takes time to get used to this vert, but when it works it works well it works  VERY WELL it produces perfect starts; and it is consistent.
 
I am getting to the point where with every type of vert start, there is almost never serious error, even on the first runs without any warmup prior to the runs. This is a milestone for me that in the past seemed an impossible dream.
 
The two previous days and today I have been working with balls that bounce on the ground previously I would just abort the run when a ball bounce conserving my energy for not allowing the ball to bounce in the first place. I find so far regarding one bounce bounced balls: you can kick the ball and then get it with the head or thigh; moving the ball from whatever side of the body you are on to the other side of the body brings the ball under control and off the ground well; sometimes the best you can hope for is to kick the ball a couple of yds forward and then before it hits the ground kick it again if you want to bring it under control while keeping it in the air.
 
Yesterday I wanted to start chipping the ball up in the air after I went ten yds forward with it after ending the WC06 pattern part of the run. I kept telling myself mentally, to chip the ball up in the air at the end of the run, but on every run I would forget to chip the ball up in the air at the end of the run.
 
See, for the first at least 8 yds of the run, a WC06 pattern is adhered to, featuring the ball staying at a height somewhere between the knee and the hip. What I was trying to tell my mind to do was get the ball up to at least eight feet off the ground between kicks after the first 8 yds. But it was as if my mind was a computer program too absorbed in other things to remember to chip the ball up in the air after I got 10 yds down the line.
 
I resolved the problem by telling my mind to chip the ball up in the air on the 5th kick of the run (a run is running along keeping the ball close to the body but off the ground, sometimes a WC06 pattern is adhered to during a run). For some reason it was much easier for my brain to remember to chip up on the 5th kick of the run, than it was to tell my mind to remember to chip up after 10 yds of the run.
 
There were three white teenage males, all wearing either red shirts or red shorts with the word Waltham in some context written on it in the gym playing with a volleyball while I was doing the first segment. They came back during the third segment today to play with a basketball. They gave no indication that they noticed any excellence in me. But one of them, this white kid around five feet seven not fully grown yet wearing glasses and a baseball cap, lounging in the bleachers, looked in my direction and said in a oud lazy way, "Yea...pop it up..." He was noticing how I chipped the ball up after the first few yards of a run to get it up to above head height between contacts with it.
 
The turning the flight into the high altitude for ball pattern, is working well already, in terms of accuracy and in terms of re-establishing control over the ball when it returns from the high altitude.
 
There was also about a half dozen East Asians in the gym in the third segment.
 
The way I felt about the silence from the people in the gym while I was doing great things, reminded me of the way these people who sympathize with Lebanon feel regarding what they consider to be too much silence in the USA and in the world regarding what Israel did to Lebanon militarily in the recent conflict.
 
My plan henceforth is to put some time into ground dribbling. I thought I heard some voices of radio announcers saying I should get into ground dribbling and how great I am at it.
 
But the world out there is sceptical and jealous, it is easy for the world to dismiss my assertions re my ground dribbling skills as merely hollow  boasting. I feel I have to do the aerial acrobatics to get it into the world's thick sceptical skull that I really am, the greatest.
 
My theory is that the world is screwed up because there is not enough respect for: people who do not look Jewish; and people who do not look like they are rich. Rich people are never alone, they always have some sycophant around them.
Replique
10.1 measured
was down to 9.7















9/11/06
Outdoor Basketball Courts,
Corner of Lowell and High,
Waltham MA
625 PM - 930 PM
GROUND DRIBBLING DRILLS

First, 20 mins G1 footwork pattern ground dribbling drill, steps not skips. Directional pattern variants a b c and d.
 
Second, 20 mins G1 ground dribbling drill, skips not steps. Directional pattern variants a b c and d.
 
Third, 15 mins G2 ground dribbling drill, steps not skips. Directional pattern variants a b and c.
 
Fourth 15 mins G2 ground dribbling drill, skips not steps. Directional pattern variants a b and c.
 
Fifth, 30 minutes left-footed attack on cones representing feet of defender, attacking from left middle and right, using random, G1, and G2 footwork pattern on approach, steps not skips. Attack Options A B C and D.
 
Sixth, 30 minutes left-footed attack on cones representing feet of defender, attacking from left middle and right, using random, G1, and G2 footwork pattern on approach, skips not steps. Attack Options A B C and D.
 
Seventh, 30 minutes right-footed attack on cones representing feet of defender, attacking from left middle and right, using random, G1, and G2 footwork pattern on approach, skips not steps. Attack Options A B C and D.
 
Some extra time was spent on some of these segments beyond what is listed above.
 
I have been imagining people saying I should keep the ball on the ground, how good I am with the ball on the ground. So today I returned to the ground game.
 
Temperature conditions were:
 
10:31 PM 9/11/2006
 43 °F / 6 °C
Clear
Humidity: 93%
Dew Point: 41 °F / 5 °C 
Wind: Calm 
Pressure: 30.35 in / 1028 hPa 
Visibility: 10.0 miles / 16.1 kilometers 
UV: 0 out of 16
Clouds: Clear -
(Above Ground Level)
 
I felt under the weather, slight body ache, slight cough, slight fever, slight fatigue. Why? My guess is that yesterday I went to eat dinner with Mr. Schnapps, Mr. Schnapps and his wife offered me a couple of glasses of wine at dinner time, but for me since I woke up late, around 1 PM, I had not been awake long enough when I drank the wine at 6 PM. So when I returned first I fell asleep for an hour and then I could not sleep at night and felt fatigued, because I had not been awake long enough before I drank the wine.
 
Today, I noticed how the outdoor basketball court is inferior to an indoor basketball court or grass for playing soccer games on. The outdoor basketball court surface concrete is not level, this irregularity is compounded by the fact that the flat concrete surface exaggerates the effects of level irregularities, effects that the slowing inhibiting effect of grass helps to minimize.
 
It was apparent today that the lesson I learned doing the WC06 air dribble drill, that skips can work better than steps when keeping the ball under especially tight control, applies also to the groun dribble.
 
G1 and G2 with skips excelled G1 and G2 with steps. With the skips, there was better speed (tight ball control condition) sharper side to side cuts, more liveliness, more fun, more style, more class, less fatigue-ennui.
 
I never thought anyone would be fascinated by watching my practice ground dribbling. But:
 
Tonight there was a pizza delivery guy from Moody St. Pizza, a tall thin white clean shaven black haired Eastern European looking guy, talking on a cell phone, staring at me for about five minutes while I did the G1 using skips not steps, the cool way of doing it. I think he would have watched longer than five minutes but I had to go take a piss. Having to go take a piss was an unusually big problem today I had to do it like three times, I think again because of the two to three glasses wine yesterday. A real problem at the outdoors court at Lowell and High where there is no public restroom and I don't want to get into disrepute with the local bars.
 
This Pizza delivery guy watched me to do the G1 with steps, He said, "that's good". It might have been my imagination but I thought I also heard him say, disdainfully, "air...", expressing his disdain for air-dribbling.
 
I can see how balance between ground and air is good, but the air-scorners do not understand the value of the air attack I have developed because it is new, less than 1/10,000 college or higher level players are even near capable of it.
 
Fact is I have gotten to the point where I can use the WC06 pattern to zoom in on a defender eight yards in front of me, on the run, keeping the ball off the ground but close to my body, the ball altitude being between ankle and knee, the ball always being close to my left or right shoelaces, as if it was tied to my shoelaces. Then after going eight yards this way like an attack helicopter, I can suddenly transform into a faster fighter jet by shifting the ball altitude to six feet or higher at the apex between times I kick the ball, to get the ball above and over the defender.  While I am the approach helicopter and also after when I turn into the faster higher altitude jet, I keep the ball close to my body and off the ground as I move forward with it at high speed.
 
Another piece of wisdom I applied from the air dribbling runs practices to the ground dribbling today, was to limit each practice run to approx 15 yds. Alot of times even at "smart" high schools and colleges what you will see is players practicing dribbling by dribbling the ball sixty yards in a straight line. This is non-sense because in a game, most of the dribbling runs will be far less than sixty yards in length. The reality of it is that on a dribbling run or sprint, the movements of the body are completely different on the first five yards, as compared to the second five yards, or the third five yards or the fourth 15-20 yards segment. The way the body moves when you are coasting along during yards 40-60 of a run or sprint is completely different from the way the body moves during the the first five or ten yards of a dribbling run or sprint.
 
Today I noticed that certain footwork patterns, naturally lend themselves to certain directional movement patterns, and that this can be taken advantage of, if the mind firmly understand what kind of directional pattern a given footwork pattern will produce.
 
For instance here is a diagram of a progression moving from the start at the left to the end at the right of the page. First the ball is kicked with the left foot to the right at an angle, then the ball is kicked with the right foot continuing the same right-wards movement, then it is kicked in a forward direction as opposed to continuing the right-wards movement with the left foot, then it is kicked in a left direction by the right foot, then it is kicked in a right direction by the left foot. The ball is kicked every time the foot hits the ground on the run. Since when moving to one's right and hitting the ball with one's left foot it is hard to move the ball to one's left at this point the movement is forward as opposed to to the left. The first position in Red leads to the second red position by swing to the right of the end position and then slightly to the left:
 
Left O              
            Right O                           Left O
                           Left O Right O            Right O
 
 
 
Today I noticed that there is cause for hope regarding learning how to execute the difficult ground dribble by the defender maneuvers I use using my right foot instead of my left. The air dribbling drills have resulted in me being much more ambidextrous than I used to be, and in general I am quicker and more lithe and agile than I used to be.
 
Today I noticed how the fund and glamor and glory of air-dribbling drills allow you to expend more energy than you otherwise would, help you to forget your fatigue, and the aches and pains in your body, while you do the practice. By way of comparison when doing the ground dribbling drill, you have nothing glamorous going on to take your body and your mind off of the fatigue and the sore muscles.
 
But there is something fun about practicing ground dribbling, because ground dribbling is something that all the fans and coaches and gurus expect and look for as a part of a top-notch player's repertoire, something they can all understand and relate to and identify with.
 
Generally I noticed today that with the passage of time, with the skill that comes with practice thinking about things like air dribble drills, using the internet for doing programming, reading, and writing, my general analytical ability when it comes to things like footwork and direction in ground dribbling is  stronger than it was a few years ago.
 
For instance I never understood that when you touch the ball with each step and zig zag every two steps, you can end up using either just the left foot or just the right foot every time you change direction.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Replique
10.1 psi measured, was down to 9.4 psi before inflation.
 
Just pressing your fingers on the ball you cannot tell the difference between 9.4 psi and 10.1 psi. Both levels are what people would call a "hard ball".
















9/12/06
Waltham Y Gym
515-850 PM
 

GROUND DRIBBLE

 

1. I used two red cones as markers representing a defenders right and left feet. The marker cones were set as if the defender's feet were fairly far apart.  Starting from eight yards away from this mock defender, I moved towards him kicking the ball with both left and right feet or with just the LEFT foot, and then using the LEFT foot executed the a or the c variants of the four variants used when the ball is dribbled by a defender. Spent 15 minuted attacking cones from middle, 10 minutes from the left, and 10 minutes from the right.
 
2. I used two red cones as markers representing a defenders right and left feet. The marker cones were set as if the defender's feet were fairly far apart. Starting from eight yards away from this mock defender, I moved towards him kicking the ball with both left and right feet or with just the RIGHT foot, and then  using the RIGHT foot  executed  the a or the c variants of the four variants used when the ball is dribbled by a defender. Spent 15 minuted attacking cones from middle, 10 minutes from the left, and 10 minutes from the right.
 
3. I used two red cones as markers representing a defenders right and left feet. The marker cones were set as if the defender's feet were close to each other.  Starting from eight yards away from this mock defender, I moved towards him kicking the ball with both left and right feet or with just the LEFT foot, and then using the LEFT foot executed the b or the d variants of the four variants used when the ball is dribbled by a defender. Spent 15 minuted attacking cones from middle, 10 minutes from the left, and 10 minutes from the right.
 
4. I used two red cones as markers representing a defenders right and left feet. The marker cones were set as if the defender's feet were close to each other. Starting from eight yards away from this mock defender, I moved towards him kicking the ball with both left and right feet or with just the RIGHT foot, and then  using the RIGHT foot  executed  the b or the d variants of the four variants used when the ball is dribbled by a defender. Spent 15 minuted attacking cones from middle, 10 minutes from the left, and 10 minutes from the right.
 
While doing these four segments for a total of 140 minutes, I continually cycled through the following 9 variations of the 8 yd approach to the defender slash victim (the two red marker cones symbolizing the defender slash victim's left and right feet): 1--free form no requirement of foot-work or ball-work pattern; 2-free form only requirement that there be no skipping of the feet (ie left foot hitting ground twice before right foot hits ground); 3--free from only requirement being that there be skipping involved; 4--touch ball on every step, no skipping; 5--touch ball on every step, skipping on every step; 6--touch ball on every step, skipping on steps using the foot that will be used to dribble past the defender; 7--touch ball on every step, skipping on steps that do not use the foot that will be used to dribble past the defender; 8--touch ball on every other step with the foot that will be used to dribble past the defender, no skipping; 9--touch ball on every other step with the foot that will be used to dribble past the defender, skipping on every step; 10--touch ball on every other step with the foot that will be used to dribble past the defender, skipping on the steps using the foot that will be used to dribble past the defender; 11-touch ball on every other step with the foot that will be used to dribble past the defender, skipping on the steps using the foot that will not be used to dribble past the defender.
 
After 140 minutes of this I felt really really tired. Air dribbling acts like an anaesthetic and a stimulant. This was ground dribbling. Plus I was constantly keeping track of not just what time it was in a given segment, but also of cycling through the eleven variants in the eight yard approach to the target.
 
This was mentally tiring. Yet they claim there is no such thing as mental overwork causing mental or physical fatigue. Maybe it's the still feeling slightly under the weather from the untimely glasses of wine.
 
My conclusion from the above four segments was that the best eight yard approach is 11-touch ball on every other step with the foot that will be used to dribble past the defender, skipping on the steps using the foot that will not be used to dribble past the defender.
 
After the above work, I spent 40 minutes doing 20 yard runs, in which I would touch the ball on every other step always touching the ball with my left foot never my right foot. I did these runs in three different ways: a--touching the ball with the outside shoelace side of the foot only; b--touching the ball with the inside of the foot only; c--touching the ball alternately with the outside and then the inside of the foot.
 
I concluded that the best way to implement the #11 eight yd approach to the defender, is using the outside of the foot, which I now think would be better than using the inside of the  foot or alternating between the outside and the inside.
 
So the total was 140+40 180 minutes 3 hrs working out. This was more tiring and hard on the body than 3 hrs doing air dribbling drills, even though the air dribbling drills involve more work for the body, hard shots against the wall when there are no kidz around. Then again the reason it seemed so tough might be that I am still a bit under the weather from the two glasses of wine drunk too early.
 
I got the feeling that folks for some reason find ground dribbling exercises interesting and exciting. For me they are nostalgia producing. I guess people figure that a air dribbling is never really done in games, or is against the rules, or that there exist these flaky people who are great indvidual practice time air-dribblers but incompetent in an actual soccer games. So for people the player doing things that he will actually do alot in games if games were played today, is more fun than the player doing things they think the player will never do during  a game.
 
I must admit that it would improve me if I were to start doing the air dribble drills running against cones symbolizing people and then running against sparring partner types who sometimes do not try hard and sometimes try really hard to stop me.
 
I have very little experience using the air dribble in games. I have lots of experience in my life dribbling the ball on the ground in games, be it as a sissy eager to pass the ball away as I was before I turned myself into an enlightened player, or as the macho wise guy I turned myself into eager to attempt to dribble right by a defender.
 
But let's face it the skilled aerial ball players in real life as at the 06 World Cup, effectively used the air dribble going no further than five yds, in situations that are rarely rehearsed in practice.
 
Replique
10.1 psi measured, was down to 10.0 psi
 
The air dribbling causes psi losses of up to 0.7 psi. The ground dribbling causes a loss of 0.1 psi. Alot of energy is being put into the shots that I take at the wall during air dribbling practices such as WC06.
















9/13/06
Wednesday
615-835 PM
Park adjacent to
John J Larosa Outdoor Tennis Courts
corner of Willow and Grove
Waltham MA


 
Ground Dribble and Ground Shots

1 Dribbled at cones marking defender's two feet (wide apart) eight yards in front of me. Dribbled using only left foot, touching the ball every other step (#11 approach), skipping on every step with right foot (right foot hits ground twice before left foot hits ground), experimenting with outside of foot only, inside of foot only, and outside inside alteration. Upon dribbling past cones, shot ball at goal 15 yds behind cones. 30 minutes.
 
2 Dribbled at cones marking defender's two feet (close to each other) eight yards in front of me. Dribbled using only left foot, touching the ball every other step (#11 approach), skipping on every step with right foot (right foot hits ground twice before left foot hits ground), experimenting with outside of foot only, inside of foot only, and outside inside alteration. Upon dribbling past cones, shot ball at goal 15 yds behind cones. 30 minutes.
 
3 Dribbled at cones marking defender's two feet (wide apart) eight yards in front of me. Dribbled using only left foot, touching the ball every other step (#11 approach), skipping on every step with right foot (right foot hits ground twice before left foot hits ground), experimenting with inside of foot only, and outside inside alteration. Upon dribbling past cones, shot ball at goal 20 yds behind cones. 30 minutes.
 
4 Dribbled at cones marking defender's two feet (close to each other) eight yards in front of me. Dribbled using only left foot, touching the ball every other step (#11 approach), skipping on every step with right foot (right foot hits ground twice before left foot hits ground), experimenting inside of foot only, and outside inside alteration. Upon dribbling past cones, shot ball at goal 20 yds behind cones. 30 minutes.
 
The ground on this field often used for soccer games, had grass about five inches high, mixed up with clumps of weeds, the ground was uneven, everywhere 2 inches above or 2 inches below the average elevation.
 
I concluded that on this kind of uneven, high-grassed field, the best approach towards the defender is #11, alternating between outside and inside of foot, using only left foot on approach touching the ball every other step, skipping on every step with the right foot. By way of contrast the best approach on an indoor basketball court seemed yesterday to be #11, using outside of the foot only when hitting the ball as opposed to outside inside alteration.
 
I noticed today that I am off of a slow dribble forward, able to shoot hard accurate shots with either foot, at least 20 yards.
 
This was the first time in years I had practiced shooting balls that were rolling on the ground as opposed to suspended in the air when shot.
 
Up until today I did not think I could shoot rolling balls this well. I felt that a lack of practice doing such combined with a general weakening of the body had caused this. I was deceived into under-rating myself because: the cross training shoes I have been wearing have heels and soles about 1.5 inches high, and this makes it difficult to kick a ball resting on a smooth flat surface like concrete or wood; what I have been used to when it comes to shooting a grounded ball is a grass surface, and grass surfaces give the advantage of holding up the ball off the ground that concrete and wood surfaces do not give.
 
I noted today that simply through practicing kicking a ball suspended in air, that is off the ground, with my right foot at the end of an air dribble, towards a target, I have become at least as good at shooting a ball rolling on the ground with my right foot as I am with my left.
 
Previously this was not the case, my left foot was far superior for shots. The right footed shots even seemed better than the left footed shots today. Seems that learning to shoot balls that are rolling on the ground,  by first learning to kick balls that are in the air and off the ground at the goal, is paradoxically superior to learning to shoot by kicking balls rolling on the ground.
 
I estimate in total I dribbled past the cones and shot hard accurate approx 15-20 yd shots today 100 times. This tired me out. It was the first time in years that I had been practicing shooting balls rolling on the ground. I took all the shots using at least 90 percent of max effort. A new kind of activity not trained for equals fatigue, which shall be overcome by training, and the training should increase the range of my shot.
 
The balls shot from 15 yds were hitting the goalposts/crossbar, and the metal poles on the fence behind the goal, and bouncing back 15 yds before hitting the ground, after hitting the posts and crossbars, this is how hard they were shot. And the goal was a miniature portable goal that gave way somewhat when a ball hit the posts or the crossbar. One shot done with less than max effort with the right foot, sailed at least 35 yds befor hitting the elevated tennis court ground hard and rolling into the tennis net.
 
Smart to find things to remember in this kind of "boring" practice, it makes this kind of "boring" practice less boring.
 
the sunset approx was 7 PM, there was sufficient daylight to play until "civil twilight" at approx 730 PM.
 
About twenty teenage boys, mostly blacks and hispanics I guess, who were on a full length field on the same rough grassy surface I was practicing on today, saw me practicing and invited me to play with them. I said the truth, which was that I had not been out on this kind of grass field in years and had to practice by myself today. These boys saw me play until they quit about 715 PM. Their ball rolled my way, I flicked it up in the air and air-volleyed it right to one of them 15 yds away hard with little effort, he was impressed.
 
I noticed that little subtleties that have come in to my kick, from hours spent practicing shooting balls that are in the air not on the ground at the goal, have improved my kick. For example, the better kick involves not just body and hip and knee but also a flicking movement with the foot, a movement of the type used to flick a ball up off the ground or upwards.
 
There were some guys playing tennis they must have noticed my competence. The light lighting up the tennis courts gives some light to play under on the grass field near the tennis courts until 10 PM.
 
This pretty teen-age blonde white girl and her more typical looking white female friend kept coming up to me and asking me to kick them the ball, the taller more typical looking dark haired one even shot the ball at the goal fifteen yards away from me and then I had to go retrieve it. I told her I was not going to fetch balls for her.
 
I think they could tell that getting the drill done according to a time schedule was a big thing for me.  For them grabbing 20 minutes of my time for silliness was nothing, for me it meant that an entire segment of practice would not get done, meaning that in return for all the time I had invested getting ready for practice and out on this field two miles away from home, I would be getting less actual practice time out of this investment. I think like a time-hungry crab they think like girls of the "endless summer".
 
20 minutes got wasted driving to the supermarket (they have public restrooms) to take a piss and driving back again.
 
I noted that the right foot shot improvement is especially important seeing that using the four options I now use for dribbling by a defender, when I am using my left foot to dribble by the defender, with the majority of the attack options if I beat the defender and want to then shoot/pass the shots/passes have to be with my right foot.
 
Since the left footed attack I use naturally sweeps inwards from the left side of the field, (my left), and since the defender's main interest is in keeping me to the outside of the field, you could say it is good that the majority of the options involve me sweeping with my left foot towards the center of the field.
 
Remember the French defender retreating 20 yds while Portugal's Ronaldo dribbled forward, obsessed with denying Ronaldo a move to the center at the 06 World Cup.
 
The end result of this kind of sweep often involves me having to shoot/pass with my right foot if I want to shoot/pass as soon as I beat the defender, and now I have become good at shooting or passing with my right foot due to the air-dribbling drills.
 
I was blasting powerful shots today off of a grass field without using cleats. It has to do with the fact that although now I weigh only approx 170 lbs at 5 10 inches, I have the agility to get my body into each shot.
 
Oh yea and the pretty blonde teenage girl who "pestered" me, she looked at me and said, "God is love", in this flower child type of way.
 
Replique
inflated to 10.1 psi measured had fallen to 9.5 psi.
 
Hard to believe yesterday's practice knocked so much wind out of the ball.















9/14/06
Thursday
Waltham Y Pool
910-940 PM

 
SWIMMING BREAK
Swam 1000 yds alternating 50 breast 50 crawl in
32 minutes.
 
It was raining outside, the gym was unavailable, so I went swimming.
 
Does doing the kind of soccer practices I have been doing day after day without a break tire me out? Yes. Do these practices get me in shape for swimming? No. Does the swimming get me in shape for soccer? Who knows.


















9/15/06

SUMMARY REPORT ON BEST START FOR  WC06 PATTERN AIR DRIBBLE
 
The Best horiz and vertical setups for initiating an air dribble attack as of now
 
Fall is upon us and now is the time to wander around getting into actual soccer games, so as to test out the old skills featuring dribbling by defenders with the ball on the ground, and also the new skills featuring the air-dribble attack, moving at and past the defender while keeping the ball off the ground but close to the body.
 
Thus although there has not been alot of time to test out the 16 different vertical setup possibilities for the WC06 start, (only about two thirds of the sixteen different possibilities have been tested in two 50 minute sessions) choices have to be made, now is the time to guess at which of all the tested vertical and horizontal possibilities will work the best.
 

As of 12:25 AM 9/15/2006 my conclusion ( see https://www.angelfire.com/ma/vincemoon/wc06starts.htm ) is that the best "vert" forthe start of the WC06 air dribble approach to the defender, is CUU using the R series of horizontals. This CUU works especially well with the D and C horizontal setups. The C horizontal setup is closer to the setup I use when dribbling the ball on the ground. Thus as of now until I know better, I plan to use the CUU vertical setup combined with the C horizontal setup when taking off with the ball starting an air dribble approaching a defender in a game.
 
This means that: on the first component of the first move of the air dribble I will crouch slightly, and on the second and third components  I will be upright; I will start out with my right foot pointed slightly to the right as opposed to pointed straight at the defender; I will start out behind the ball with my body on the line drawn between the ball and the defender; I will start out by moving the ball slightly to my right with my left foot on the first move.
 
Henceforth I will devote half my air dribble practice time to starts using the CUU-R vertical start with the C-type horizontal setup. The other half of my aerial dribble practice will be devoted to continuing to cycle through all the different vertical and horizontal possibilities for the start of the WC06 pattern air-dribble approach to the defender. 
 
I am confident that I will be able to if given a chance, successfully execute in games the following air dribble maneuver: Approach defender eight yds away while air dribbling the ball, keeping the ball under especially tight control, low and close to the body; then upon getting near the defender pop the ball up so that at its apex between the times it touches me it rises to a height of 9 feet; then speed up with the ball under looser control while continuing the air dribble keeping the ball off the ground but under control.
 
Sometimes when I make a new entry in this log I notice typos in previous entries and correct them. With a little thought you can tell what was meant to be typed but was mistakenly not typed when you encounter such typos.
 
 
 
 
 
 


















9/15/06
Friday
620-920 PM
Park adjacent to
John J Larosa Outdoor Tennis Courts
corner of Willow and Grove
Waltham MA

 
UNSCORED AIR DRIBBLE VS CONES


For 3 hours did  the following drill:
 
worked with two red cones eight yards in front of point where I started each run, each cone symbolizing the feet of a defender. Air dribbled towards cone, and then popped ball up, as if to pop the ball up over the defender's head, and then continued air dribble run or shot the ball.
 
The beginning was tough, all of a sudden I realized, that a bumpy out doors field with five inch tall grass and weeds, is a really difficult place to execute the air dribble. The nature of the surface of the field results in failure to get the ball up off the ground at the start of the run, and even when there is not failure it results in the ball on the first kick being placed much more imprecisely, unpredictably, and awkwardly then is the case on an indoors or outdoors basketball court.  This clumsiness produced by the uneven grassy field, results in a degree of clumsiness on every kick that comes after the first kick of the air dribble run, so that even say the sixth or the seventh kick of the air dribble run is infected with clumsiness.
 
The first move on the drills I did today, consisted of the three components of the first move of the WC06 drill: 1-put the sole of my left foot on the ball and roll it backwards; 2-flip the ball up with the top of the left foot; 3-kick the ball forward with the left foot.
 
Due to the nature of the field, 1 and 2 resulted in imprecise ball placement leading to imprecision on 3.
 
Not only that, aside from the effect of the imprecise start, when you run on this bumpy green field,  every step you take your body unpredictably ends up a little low or a little high or a little to the left or a little to the right. This throws something as precise as an air dribble run off.
 
Weird thing is that ground dribbling on the grassy bumpy field, is alot easier than air dribbling on the grassy bumpy field.
 
Undoubtedly the development of soccer in the US is retarded by the lack of fields that are flat and smooth.
 
I got so frustrated by the uneven field that I felt like grabbing ahold of the feminine Massachusetts bureaucrat I imagine responsible and shaking him giving him a bad case of shaken-baby-bureaucrat syndrome.
 
I now realize I need for air dribbling on this kind of bumpy outdoors grassy field a shoe that is: made for outdoors grass; has a narrow toe; and has thin as opposed to thick sole and heel.
 
Right now I use the Adidas cross trainer, it is colored black gray orange and silver, it has a thick toe sole and heel. I can function well with it on an outdoors or indoors basketball court but not on a bumpy grassy field, when it comes to the first move of an air dribble.
 
Due to the uneven grassy field I had to abandon my plan to use the CUU-R vert and the C horizontal on the start. The grassy bumpy field just made everything too unpredictable. I ended up using the UUU-S start, modified so that my right foot was further back before the first part of the first move.
 
By experimentation I determined that on this kind of uneven grassy field, attempting to stick to a pattern such as kicking the ball with the left foot on kick 1 of the air dribble run and the right foot on kick 2 of the air dribble run, does not work as well as allowing oneself freedom in terms of which foot the ball will be kicked with on kick 2 of the air dribble run (I always kick the ball with the left foot nowadays on kick 1 of the air dribble run.
 
Judging from the expermentation I have done so far, I still am not sure if it would be a good idea to stick to a predetermined pattern such as the WC06 pattern on the slow tight ball-altitude-low eight yard approach to the defender. But I do now feel that it is a mistake to bother with sticking to a predetermined plan re which foot the ball will be kicked with on kick 2 of the run.
 
Civil twilight again about 730 PM today. I found that after 730 PM I had to depend upon the lights used to light up the adjacent tennis court to do the drill. I could clearly see the ball, but my performance decreased significantly the tennis court's lights do not emit that much light out on to the adjacent grass field. For precise stuff like air dribble you need bright light for optimum performance, that is what I now think.
 
After 730 PM the grass and the ball became wet  though it did not rain. I guess this was the phenom popularly known as "dew". The dew made the ball even harder to control.
 
Tonight I was able to get  the ball up from the low approach altitude of under waist high, to an altitude of over six feet, upon approaching the cones, based upon my eye discerning the proximity of the cone as opposed to based on what number kick in the air dribble it was.
 
I would guess that today I did the drill run I did today about 250 times. There must have been at least 50 "high quality" runs, ball under control and off ground over 25 yds, ball kept low on approach and then popped up after eight yards. Compared to the last time I tried this drill on a grass field more than a couple of years ago, I did great, but I felt like a clumsy fool because of the field conditions.
 
I could tell from comparing the way I ran today on the grassy field, to the way I ran on a grassy field the last time I did sprinting on a grassy field a few years ago, that I have really gotten significantly faster as a sprinter, as a result of these air dribble runs that I have been doing on basketball courts. I am sure that when it comes to sprinting 15 yds from a jogging start I am much faster now than I was a year ago.
 
There is something about chasing a ball that is in the air trying to catch it before it hits the ground, that brings out the natural sprinter in a person.
 
today I shot about half a dozen balls into the tennis courts by mistake, these balls travelled at least 35 yds in the air before hitting the ground, I was not even kicking them hard I was kicking them with about 60 percent of max effort.
 
Bummer as it was due to the nature of the field, air dribbling outdoors on a grassy field, seemed good for my spirit; I did it for three hours without tiring or feeling any pain in my body, the temperature at 60 degrees 94% humidity was pleasantly cool, there was something spiritual and energizing about being in the outdoors.
 
Once when the ball sailed into the tennis court this short clean shaven light brown skinned young man, did a little air dribble with it before returning it to me. He advanced about five yards very slowly, sometimes touching the ball more than once with a given foot before making the next step. He showed fine control, but he was moving forward at about a fifth of the speed I move forward for the first eight yards of an air dribble, and I call the speed I do this at "slow", because it is slow compared to how fast I am able to air dribble when I want to go fast.  The common slickster thinks that the glory lies in how many times you can kick the ball before it hits the ground, whereas for me the glory lies in keeping the ball close to my body while I move forward at  a relatively high rate of speed.
 
From 620 PM to 730 PM there were about twenty young adult males playing soccer on a field adjacent to where I was practicing. I'm sure they could see me. Lucky for me the next time out when they see me, I will have the advantage of knowing all the things I learned today. I would guess while they were there I executed at least ten good runs,
cruising at the cones representing the defender at a "slow" speed with the ball under tight control and low, then upon reaching the defender popping the ball up, and then continuing the air dribble another fifteen yards at a faster speed with the ball higher and less tightly controlled and then shooting the ball.
 
After the practice at the KFC nearby, this young black guy was talking to the older black guy with the mustache working at the KFC, telling him in an urgent Dan Ratherish this is important tone of voice of the play by play of some sports contest; and I was daydreaming(?) that the unsaid message of what this young black was saying was that this guy in the KFC with us was doing this kind of important sports deeds on the field near here tonight.
 
Note: the starting point on the field for most of the runs today, was a point chosen at random by me kicking the ball in the general direction of the start and then starting wherever the ball came to rest. I did not today attempt to start from especially smooth areas of the field. The ball probably comes to rest in craters as a result of which the spot it naturally comes to rest in is not optimal for starting an air dribble run.
 
So in summary next thing on grass with air is the same drill, using UUU-S, sometimes trying to adhere to a pattern on the air dribble sometimes going freestyle, and not trying to stick to a predetermined plan re which foot the ball will be kicked with on kick no 2 of the air dribble run. And looking for some shoes that will work out there on the bumpy grassy field.
 

replique

10.1 psi measured















9/16/06
Saturday
550-750 PM
Park adjacent to
John J Larosa Outdoor Tennis Courts
corner of Willow and Grove
Waltham MA


 
OUTDOORS AERIAL DRIBBLE ON BUMPY GRASS FIELD DRILLS


All the runs today featured the usual setup with the two red cones each representing a defender's feet eight yards in front of me at the start, with me mounting slow low tight air dribble towards the cones and then upon reaching the cones, moving the ball up to an altitude between kicks of over six feet and continuing the aerial dribble forward at a faster speed for up to another twenty yards for a total of 28 yds.
 
1 550-610 PM.  Used no footwork pattern for the eight yard approach to the cones. Only one run was an ultra-cool run. I had scheduled this experiment. a dozen young white adults (co-ed) were playing soccer on the field next to me,  the experiment was not going well, but I stuck to my experimental guns for the whole twenty minutes feeling clumsy and embarrassed. I now believe that following no footwork pattern at all is significantly worse than attempting to adhere to the WC06 pattern on the eight yard approach to the red cones.
 
2 610-630 PM.  Used the WC06 footwork pattern for a seven yard approach to the cones. There were four ultra-cool runs. Superior to freestyle no pattern approach. I started from about seven yds away from the cones not the usual eight, this produced a kind of constriction I was unused to.
 
3 630-650 PM.  Used the WC06 footwork pattern for the eight yard approach to the cones. There were NINE ultra-cool runs. Superior to freestyle no pattern approach. This was the best segment of the day. There was a weird coincidence far as I could tell. At the exact moment that I completed a 28 yd ultra-cool run, the players on the field next to me all threw their hands up in the air and shouted, "goal"! I think this was because someone on their field scored a goal at the exact same second that I completed my ultra cool run, possibly they were cheering for me. A hispanic looking guy from the twenty guys playing on the full length field came over and asked me if I wanted to play with them. I told him I had to do my drills. I guess this was a good segment because the yardage approach to the cones was eight not by accident seven, I had gotten warmed up, I was using the WC06 flight pattern approach to the cones.
 
At 640 PM, suddenly the ground became wet (official sunset time today 653 PM). This was the dew, it was as if one minute the field was dry, and the next minute, the field was wet. This resulted in subequent performance being cut to about 50% of what it was when the ground was dry. This was primarily because component one of the first move involves placing the sole of the foot on the top of the ball and rolling the ball backwards towards oneself, and when the ball and the ground are wet, it becomes difficult to do this at the speed requisite in order to be able to accomplish component two of move one, flipping the ball in the air with the top of the foot.
 
Woe unto me due to the existence of outdoor night time games, featuring much of the game being played after sunset, after the ball and the ground have become wet with dew! But methinks the engineering geniuses producing those tremendous modern sports shoes we wear today, are able to come up with a shoe that counteracts the slippery effects of the dew.
 
4 650-710 PM.  Used the WC06 footwork pattern for the eight yard approach to the cones. There were four ultra-cool runs. The slipperiness of the dew impaired component one of move one, which
in turn impaired all the subsequent moves.
 
5 710-730 PM.  Used the LO footwork pattern for the eight yard approach to the cones. There were three ultra-cool runs. The combined effects of low visibility, and dew were beginning to tell.
 
6 730-750 PM.  Used the RO footwork pattern for the eight yard approach to the cones. There were zero ultra-cool runs. The combined effects of low visibility, and dew caused havoc.
 
This evening I deliberately chose the starting point of each run in relatively flat spots on the field. Thus when it became too dark to choose such spots a disadvantage developed.
 
Today during the first hour of the practice there must have been
10 whites watching soccer + 10 hispanics watching soccer + 12 whites playing soccer + 20 hispanics/africans playing soccer + 8 people playing tennis out there at this park. That is a total of 60 52 of which were soccer connected.
 
I guess there were 21 ultracool runs one every six minutes, about one ultracool run every four minutes in the first hour when conditions were good. to imagine what it was like for motivational purposes. But it did not feel like an ultra cool run every four minutes even during the good hour. It felt clumsy, because of the field conditions and the sticking to an experiment schedule. An ultra cool run every four minutes is pretty damned cool but I felt like a dork.
 
So I did not feel good about having to stick to a schedule that tests out different methods, as opposed to using which method was working for me best at the given time, because of all the people out there who could and were seeing what I did. So I stuck to the experimentation schedule for 20 minutes and then stuck with WC06 for an hour. I figure that a couple of hours of embarrassment experimenting will be compensated for by knowledge and the certainty that the optimum method is being used that comes with experimentation.
 
I have come to realize that aerial dribble practice outdoors on a bumpy grass field, in a sense excels aerial dribble practice on a flat surface, because the aerial dribble practice outdoors on grass, prepares one for aerial dribble on a flat surface also, more than aerial dribble practice on  a flat surface prepares one for aerial dribble on grass.  The disadvantages of the bumpy grassy field act to build the skill the way wearing wristweights act to build strength in the arms.
 
Today I noticed how when the red cones representing the defenders feet are attacked after the eight yard air dribble approach to them, there is a certain kind of advantage when the ball goes from air to ground as it is pushed past the defender. Such an air to ground move combines the best characteristics of the air and also of the ground. Since the ball is in the air when it is hit, it is sent off in this or that direction with little movement of the body or leg that would telegraph what is about to happen to the defense, and at the same time it moves off more quickly than it does when it is hit on the ground. Since the ball hits the ground soon after it passes the defender it is a high percentage of the time within reach, if it bounces it can be played on the bounce or brought to the ground.
 
What I noticed yesterday but failed to mention, the air dribbled ball when it hits the grassy ground on the spin, can bounce at a severe angle compared to how the ball bounces after a normal pass or or rebound. The combination of the slow forward movement of the ball combined with the high level of sideways spin, can produce unbelievable bounces. I saw a ball that I kicked about five yards forward in the air, which never was above thigh height, hit the ground and bounce off to the side four yards in the air, low, at about a seventy degree, two o'clock angle. This effect of balls bouncing at astounding angles is greater on the grassy field than it is on the indoor or outdoor basketball court or on the outdoor tennis court. I am reminded of the discussions regarding how the field conditions would favor this or that bowler in cricket. In cricket, the bowler bowls the ball at the batter on one bounce. When the grass is long this is considered to favor the bowler because the spun balls bounce at a more extreme angle compared to straight forward.
 
the people out at this field have been quiet; but I think yesterday, if it was on a day I was doing ground dribbling alarm bells would have gone off on my head, this tall light brown colored East Asian man who I've seen more than one evening on the tennis courts, looked at me, and said, "he's brilliant". I think this was wednesday the day I was doing air dribbling On the internet I did a google search combining  the phrase  "brilliant player" and the word soccer. Looking through the first ten results the following players were players people called "brilliant players": Zidane (France), Ronaldo (forward Brazil);  Tevez (striker Argentina); Ronaldinho (midfielder Brazil); Beckham (midfielder England) Cole "best left back in world" (England).
 
Then one time I was wearing my red head band doing 15 yd air dribble runs at the YMCA earlier this month, a couple of these white colored East Asian guys were playing basketball, and one of them with his face down and his body in my direction loudly said, "he's a brave". I think he was talking about me. "Brave" is the term for a North American native male. I suppose it is true that in certain ways I physically resemble the East Asians and The North American Indian natives. I've heard that going back 150 years there was perhaps some mixing between the American Indians and my white european ancestors in the midwest.
 
Somehow when I see these tall East Asians I think of them as royal aristocratic dignified. So there.
 
Main conclusion today WC06 > freestyle on 8 yd approach.
 
Next up:
Experiments with:
LO(L) approach
LO(R) approach
RO approach
E3 approach
continued specialization in:
WC06 approach the current leader
Be at outdoors grass field by 330 PM latest
Everything has to be on same field for comparison purposes.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Replique
10.1 psi measured had fallen to 9.7 psi.















9/17/06
OLeary Field
Bacon St
Waltham MA
540-840 PM
AIR DRIBBLE AT MR. POSTMAN TARGET UNSCORED ON RUBBER SURFACE
 
At Oleary Field, there is a flat area with a pebbled rubber outdoor track surface, about twenty yards square, adjacent to one of the American tackle football type goals on the main field. This goal is held up by a single central goalpost that up to six feet three inches above the adjacent rubber surface, is wrapped in a mattress like covering that is soft and about eight inches thick. Thus what you have in the bottom six feet three inches of this goalpost, in the part of the goalpost with the protective covering around it, something resembling a man, a BIG man, a man six feet three inches tall, two and a half soccer balls wide, and two and a half soccer balls thick.
I call this man like thing Mr. POSTMAN.
 
Today I resolved to drill by starting eight yards from Mr. Postman, on the rubber outdoor track covered surface side of Mr. Postman, air dribble at Mr. Postman, and then flip the ball up over Mr. Postman and continue the air dribble.
 
I went to OLeary and decided to scout out the entire park, all the field in it, and I noticed Mr. Postman. I had undoubtedly seen Mr. Postman many times before when at the Oleary Field but somehow I had forgotten about Mr. Postman.
 
It was like an opportunity sent from God, to have available this setup featuring Mr. Postman, and the large surface covered with the pebbly rubberish outdoor track adjacent to Mr. Postman. On the other side of Mr. Postman, was the grass covered end zone and the rest of the football field.
 
Mr. Postman presented a few obstacles not found on an actual soccer field: the curved pole leading to the cross bar and the crossbar of the american style tackle football goal that Mr. Postman supported, that sort of grew out of his head and loomed above him; and also the grass that was one one side of Mr. Postman was a foot lower than the rubber slightly pebbly surface on the other side of Mr. Postman--for a yard the grass surface sloped up a foot to where Mr. Postman was.
 
Air dribbling by Mr. Postman was more difficult than air dribbling by the two red cones each six inches high symbolizing a defender's two feet. Mr. Postman kept blocking balls with the curved post that grew out of his head leading to the crossbar and with the crossbar. The whole situation was new I was not used to it. There were only a few ultracool long runs, the air dribble continuing uninterrupted 25 yds from the start to the low tightly controlled slow flight to Mr. Postman to the flip up move past Mr. Postman and then the fast speed on past Mr. Postman all keeping the ball off the ground and under control.
 
I remember there was one run in which I went 40 yards at the sprint after going by Mr. Postman, while never letting the ball hit the ground more than once before I kicked it again, kicking it about four times once every ten yards once I went by Mr. Postman.
 
This Mr. Postman setup is good for exploring the possibilities of the one bounce dribble, meaning the ball bounces once in between each time it is kicked.
 
Last couple of nights I only had about four hours of sleep each night. After about 45 minutes of this running against Mr. Postman I began to feel fatigued. There was no fence at the end of my runs like at the more bumpy grass field at Willow and Grove, that I could fire long shots at and that forced my runs to come to a halt and stopped the ball reducing distances walked fetching the ball. There was alot of chasing down and succesfully reaching over long distances at high speeds these balls that I would get to after they bounced once after U had gotten by Mr. Postman.
 
One of the high points today was this high speed one bounce dribble once past Mr. Postman. My control of the ball was good enough that the ball would rarely bounce more than once before I reached it once I beat Mr. Postman, and I would reach the ball and kick it after it bounced once, while running forward at a high speed without slowing down--in this manner I would get to points 20 to 40 yards behind Mr. Postman.
 
To my jaded sense of glamor this once bounce air dribble was a dissapointment what I would have preferred is that the ball should never touch the ground between kicks, but in retrospect and future-spect, the ability to move 30 yards fast, on a one bounce air dribble the ball bouncing every 10 yards, is an ability with actual practical game significance--there are situations where for all practical purposes, the spectacular sprinting air dribble with the ball never touching the ground between kicks, is as good as the relatively mundane kicking the ball on one bounce.
 
From 540-740 PM I did the WC06 eight yd approach to Mr. Postman. Before the combination of the dew, reduced visibility, and fatigue exerted their effects, the CUU (R) / C start worked very reliably. Problem was getting the ball up and over and past the formidable Mr. Postman.
 
I noticed that in some ways my right foot is not the equal of my left foot, one of these being the actual flip of the ball up and over and past Mr. Postman.
 
I tried shifting to pre-programming myself to flip the ball  up high on say kick number 5 or kick number 3 of the approach to Mr. Postman, as opposed to doing this whenever I felt the time was right. I was suprised to note that the preprogrammed numerical did not today excel the impromptu un-numerically-programmed approach: the preprogrammed approach resulted in exceceedingly rigid adherence to the WC06 footwork/ballwork pattern--every run is different, for example kick number 5 is not always the best number kick to flip up on.
 
Numerically speaking if the flip up to beat Mr. Postman comes on kick number 5 this is getting a little close to Mr. Postman. Kick number 4 is just right but this involves using the right foot to flip up and over Mr. Postman. Kick number 3 uses the left but this involves shooting the ball up and over Mr. Postman when I am too far away from Mr. Postman.
 
740-840 PM I experimented with wet ball in low light, on the LO, RLO, RO, and E3 alternatives to the WC06 pattern eight yard approach to Mr. Postman.
 
WC06 is the ideal, it is a great drill for developing skill, but when it comes to an actual game, what with a wet ball, a bumpy grassy field, human defenders, I wonder whether there might be patterns that for now are better. Ultimately WC06 pattern is the best, but it is a difficult footwork/ballwork pattern to perfect.
 
I rate the alternatives in the following order, from most useable now to least useable now:
 
1 LO
2 E3
3 RLO
4 RO
 
These alternatives all have advantages and disadvantages.
 
The dew wets the ball and the field and a few minutes later the light begins to become dimmer and dimmer. I should not forget to take a sponge and a water bottle and wet up the ball while it is still brightly lit outdoors, to get an understanding into what it is like to play with a wet ball on a well lit field.
 
My plan for next practice:
 
1 have sponge water bottle
2 get to field before 330 PM
3 use WC06 LO and E3 flight approaches to target, but use what is working the best if there are lots of people around.
 
Today there must have been 40-50 adults and children out at Oleary field, they were mostly White and a half dozen South Asians. I resolved that while the visibility was good and there were lots of people out there I would stick with WC06. Sure 'nuff I noticed a half dozen white people, mostly adults, about 150 yds away staring at me for at least 15 minutes. One of them was this athletic looking white guy wearing sunglasses and a white short sleeved shirt
 
Then about 630 PM, a brown haired white boy who told me his name was Joseph and that he was eight years old, walked up to near where I was to watch me. He then climbed up on top of Mr. Postman, so that he was as it were sitting on top of Mr. Postman's head. From this vantage point he watched me. Over about twenty minutes about three different times, he climbed up on top of Mr. Postman and from his perch for a few minutes watched me drill, and then climbed down again. Then he noticed his family was getting ready to leave the park and ran off to join them.
 
When Joseph came by to visit he brought with him a few yellow and brown haired white girls who looked like siblings. I asked them to let me have enough space to practice without bumping into them. Then a couple of South Asian kids, a boy and a girl ran up to me and I had to request them to let me have a little space.
 
Today I noticed that even when you shift from a low quality uneven surface to a high quality smooth surface like the rubberish pebblish crimsonish outdoor track surface I was on when on the near side of Mr. Postman today, the new high quality surface can take some time to get used to.
 
It is not as if the new thing doesn't take getting used to simply because it is a better quality. The kind of movements used to adapt to long grass, an uneven field, are not optimum movements for a rubberish pebblish flat outdoor track surface.
 

Replique

Inflated from 9.6 to 10.1 psi















9/18/06
Outdoor basketball courts
Lowell and High
Waltham MA
830-945 PM
 
AIR DRIBBLE AT TARGET
WC06
LO
E3
 
Each run involved: air dribbling at two red cones symbolizing a defender's feet, eight yards away from where I would start by flipping the stationary ball up off the ground; then air dribbling the ball by the imaginary defender by flipping the ball over and or to the side of the imaginare defender Mr. Cone; and then continuing the air dribble.
 
I rotated between WC06, LO, and E3 patterns in the eight yard flight towards the target. For example fourth attempt, WC06, fifth attempt LO, sixth attempt E3, seventh attempt, WC06 etc. If a given run using a given style was not technically perfect there would be a repeat with that style.
 
I concluded that as of now the order from most practically effective in a game to least practically effective in a game is:
 
1 LO
2 E3
3 WC06
 
WC06 pattern, will after God knows how many more hours of practice on it, be the best flight pattern, a superstar flight pattern for approaches of up to eight yards towards defenders. But as of right now there are problems with it: it is still relatively imperfect when it comes to the crucial move when the ball is kicked past the defender; it involves a relatively high amount of taking the eye off of the defenders and the players, and keeping the eye on the ball; even when it succeeds in getting the ball the eight yds from the start to the target, the flight is a relatively high percentage of the time slow and clumsy to the point where in a game, the danger of having the ball taken control of by the defense becomes excessive.
 
Yet the LO in general and the  E3 recently have received less practice time than the WC06.
 
Thus my plan is to use my practice time as follows:
 
Approach Pattern / percent of total time allotted
LO Air  25% 2/8
E3 Air  12.5% 1/8
WC06 Air 12.5% 1/8
#11 I/O Ground 25% 2/8
#11  O Ground   12.5% 1/8
#11 I Ground      12.5% 1/8
 
The practice routine if you are faced with a few games right this week, is different than the practice routine if you do not have any games to play for a few weeks or a few months, if you are interested in playing as well as possible in those games coming up in just a few days.
 
Far-called, our navies melt away;
On dune and headland sinks the fire:
Lo, all our pomp of yesterday
Is one with Nineveh and Tyre!
     --Kipling, Recessional
            
Today I felt depressed during the practice and afterwards for possibly the following reasons: it was sad to think that after all that time put into WC06, WC06 was not combat-ready enough to be the primary flight approach pattern, and that now I would have to put time into another flight approach pattern, the LO;  I'm not used to reading novels but I've been reading "A Distinguished Guest" by Sue Miller because Mr. Schnapps wanted me to; my brother pestered me again with a message on the answering machine begging me for social time; the alternating first attempt one style second attempt another style third attempt yet another style type of practice was new and impaired performance with every style used especially with the WC06 style; I was only able to get 75 minutes of practice time in.
 
My guess is that the performance impairment caused by the constant rotation of style of approach, is a mental impairment--similar to the not being able to flip the ball up to a higher altitude upon reaching the target symbolizing the defender unless a preprogrammed step number is used--that will be overcome after a couple of hours of practice using such rotation.
 
But more of what I figure is proof that even when I feel like a dork people are impressed: after I finished this black teenager asked me, "are you a player?"
 
The weird thing today was that about a dozen noisy hispanic grade school kids were playing soccer on one of the basketball courts, using a ball a little smaller than and softer than a soccer ball that still maintained its bounciness when soft, I guess a "foosball". I finished my stretches and lined up the ball and the red cones in the narrow alley between two of the courts, and just when I was getting ready to use this narrow alley I looked and presto magico, all of a sudden all the children on the neighboring court had disappeared, it was empty, I could use the space I usually use at these courts, there would be a much better practice than if I had to use the narrow alley like space.
 
 
Replique
10.1 psi
was down to 10.0 psi.















9/19/06
Tuesday
Outdoor Basketball Courts
corner of Lowell and High
Waltham MA
800-940 PM
AIR DRIBBLE
LO VARIATIONS
 
I gout out there and it was drizzling, seemed the God had favored me with rain to test wet ball conditions under bright lighting, I had forgotten the sponge to put water on the ball. 
 
The LO air-dribble footwork/ballwork pattern was able to get me eight yards and then past the mock defender keeping the ball still under control on 80% attempts in the rain on a concrete outdoor basketball court.
 
But what about rain and wetness under good lighting outdoors? My guess is if the conditions are such that I am able to get the ball up off the ground and kick it accurately to start the air dribble, then I will be able to air dribble using the LO pattern towards the defender and beat him.
 
Problem is that on the field at Willow and Grove, getting the ball up is tough when there even just dew on the ground. Do'nt know what would happen on O'leary field, which is superior to the Willow and Grove one.
 
Today on the concrete, both when it was raining hard and when it was wet, I had no problem getting the ball up off the ground and air dribbling the eight yards towards the two red cones symbolizing the defenders feet, and then  chipping the ball past the mock defender and continuing the air dribble, all the while the ball being kept in control and off the ground.
 
Thus the LO pattern appears to be a sturdy pattern that holds up well under wet conditions. I believe that to some extent the wetness and the rain, impair performance on the air dribble even on a level smooth flat surface. Since the LO flight pattern holds up well in the rain and or wetness, it probably holds up well under other impairments such as bumpy grass and low light.
 
I estimate today I did 120 runs in total. Today all I did was eight yard runs at the two red cones each symbolizing the feet of a defender facing me, each run involved chipping the ball past the mock defender and continuing the forward air dribble:
 
1 30 minutes LO flight pattern, no skipping (one foot hits ground twice before other foot hits ground)
 
2 20 minutes LO flight pattern, skipping (one foot hits ground twice before other foot hits ground) on every step with the right foot. For about 5 minutes, this seemed to be an impossible thing to do. Then several times I was able to make it eight yds to the target.
 
3 15 minutes LO flight pattern, skipping (one foot hits ground twice before other foot hits ground) on every step with the left foot.  For about 10 minutes, this seemed to be an impossible thing to do. Then several times I was able to make it eight yds to the target.
 
4 15 minutes LO flight pattern, skipping (one foot hits ground twice before other foot hits ground) on every step. Since I had already done to the two prior segments, this only seemed impossible for a minute.
 
5 10 minutes LO no skips. Returning to no skips I noticed how doing the skipping variants improved my performance on the non-skipping variant.
 
6 10 minutes LO skips on every right step this requires the ball to be kicked higher.
 
As of now I rate these variants from best to worst: 1 no skips; 2 skips on right steps; 3 skips on both steps; 4 skips on left steps.
 
I noted today that comparing the eight yd approach to the target on the ground to the approach in the air, the air approach seems relatively surprisingly fast and quick in terms of acceleration, forward speed, and change of direction.
 
In the air dribble the ball follows an up and down curved trajectory, thus, it seems, it can be kicked forward on the dribble at a higher velocity, without loss of control, compared to the ground dribble featuring the ball moving in a straight line (the forward movement of the body is slowed by the concern for kicking the ball very gently); on a well executed air dribble the movements of the body can approximate teh beginning of a sprint without any ball involved, more than is the case on the ground dribble.
 
Some time in the future one of the skipping variants might become the best variant but as of now the best variant is the no skipping variant. Still I believe that these skipping variants when practiced produce improvement in the non-skipping variant.
 
Doing something using an extraordinarily difficult method that is not yet game-worthy (we'll diplomatically and peacefully skip the euphemism 'combat ready' this time) can produce improvement in the leading method that is actually used in games. It can result in the inferior method for games becoming the superior method for games. It is relaxing because the pressure is off, you have an excuse to give yourself for screwing up. Thus I question the wisdom of avoiding these "inferior" methods out of a desire to impress onlookers.
 
My plan for next practice (hey kids this is a cool way to think in terms of planning the usage of time keeping proportions in mind!):
 
Total Time units: 10
1 LO skip L 3/10 time unit (TU)
2 LO skip R 1/10 TU
3 LO skip LR 1/10 TU
4 LO no skip 1/10 TU
5 E3 3/10 TU
6 Ground 1/10 TU
 
Example: with TU at 10 minutes practice would be 100 minutes. Next practical number for TU, is 15, because keeping track of for example 13 minute segments on a watch is a pain in the ass. At a 15 minute TU the total practice time would be 10X15=150 minutes, 2.5 hours.
 
I was the only one out there in the rain, temp 68 humidity 100%. It got too hot for a long sleeved sweatshirt.
 
At the end a tall heavy man in a raincoat with a blond mustache strode across the court, he said, "nobody came out to play with ya?", I told him of course not it's raining. What I was thinking was how the Boston area folks seem to let weather pressure them into canceling events relatively easily, so what do you expect in this kind of rain?
 
I finished up this log report, got on the internet, read about Deval Patrick winning the democratic primary for governor election. I read about all the ways in which me and Deval Patrick are similar, I sent Patrick an email mentioning the similarities, and giving links to my blog post about the dream about me and Reggie Bush being twins, and to this hyar soccer log page.
 
Deval Patrick, Reggie Bush, and me, Hobbs, to me this all meant America. I walked outside in the cool fall night air, to take a look at the flagpole flying the flag outside the apartment where I live, because the flag on the pole reminded me of these others and myself and of my soccer achievements, in terms of the height of the flagpole being similar to the distance I air dribble without letting the ball touch the ground.
 
I measured the flagpole using my body, and then stepping away using my hands held in front of my eye, to count off how many body lengths tall the flagpole is. The flagpole I calculated as being seven feet tall from the ground to the handle connected to the rope that lowers and raises the flag; and stepping away I counted the flagpole from top to bottom as being four of these seven feet lengths, 28 feet, nine yards, with the flag occupying vertically the top yard and a half.
 
I looked at height the flag was flying at, it was a lofty significant magnificent royal height; the distance I dribble horizontally when air dribbling, flying along keeping the ball off the ground but under control, is usually at minimum the same as this height.
 
The flag at the top yard and a half of the flagpole, to me, symbolized the yard of my air dribble runs that involves chipping the ball past the red cones or the padded football goal-post that I use to symbolize a defender; and I was thinking, could that be mere coincidence, this stately flag-pole height of nine yards, compared to me flying at a target eight yards away and then continuing the air-dribble while flipping the ball up past the target and moving further on?
 
Looking at that imposing height of nine yards of the flagpole, for the first time in a while, I sensed within me something like...inspired spirit--inspired spirit that radio and TV and people were not producing in me--but that meditating on the noble dignified height of the flagpole was.
 
O say, can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hail'd at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thro' the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watch'd, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof thro' the night that our flag was still there.
 

Replique

10.1 psi















9/20/06
Wednesday
Outdoor Basketball Courts
corner of Lowell and High
Waltham MA
815-1000 PM

 
LO, E3 EIGHT YARD AIR DRIBBLE APPROACH TO TARGET DRILLS

 
1 30 minutes LO pattern flight air dribble approach to target eight yards from starting point no skipping
 
2 10 minutes LO pattern flight air dribble approach to target eight yards from starting point, skipping on steps with right foot.
 
3 10 minutes LO pattern flight air dribble approach to target eight yards from starting point, skipping on steps with left foot.
 
410 minutes LO pattern flight air dribble approach to target eight yards from starting pointm skipping with both left and right feet
 
5 45 minutes E3 pattern flight air dribble approach to target eight yards from starting point, skipping on every step both left and right.
 
For some reason, I felt no better than an equal today in dry conditions today, compared  to what I was yesterday in the rain, at least until  I started using start setups different from CUU on the first move. I had been using CUU on move 1 of the LO and E3 air dribbles because CUU worked the best with WC06 pattern air dribble approach.
 
Then it dawned on me, that since LO and E3 are different than WC06 flight pattern for eight yd approach to target, maybe I should try different starts on move 1 with LO and E3 compared to the start that works best with WC06. 
 
 I found that both CCC and UCC work better than CUU when it comes to the vertical pattern for the  start of OL and E3.
 
This despite the fact that vertical pattern CUU is best for move 1 with the  WC06 pattern eight yard approach to target. This because LO involves the left foot being used two yards from the start point, E3 involves the right foot being used on move 1 approx three yards  from the start point, whereas WC06 involves the right foot being used one yard from the start point. I hope to more diligently investigate various alternatives to CUU on the start for E3 and LO approach patterns.
 
Today I dropped by to see my brother  ("Shank") before I practiced. Shank wanted me to drive him all the way to Main Street and back to get some special type of tobacco from the store.  He was constantly talking in this lazy undisciplined uncivilized tone  of voice. I had to take him home where I picked up my soccer ball and stuff for practice before dropping him off at his house near the practice area.
 
Maybe the Shank interaction prior to the practice is to blame for the fact that today, although there was no rain or wetness, I felt like I was performing worse than I did yesterday in the pouring rain, until I figured out that the vertical pattern that works the best for a WC06 start, does not work the best for a LO or E3 start.
 
Today the LO variants involving skipping with left or right or both feet were both still inferior to the LO variant involving no skips; but today there was not time span during which skipping with LO with left or right or both feet seemd impossible.
 
There were a couple of young white adults playing basketball out on the courts today with me.
 
Replique
Was down to 9.0, pumped up to 10.1 psi.















9/21/06
Thursday
Outdoor Basketball Courts
corner of Lowell and High
Waltham MA
800-1000 PM



LO6
E3
 
All I did today was the eight yard air dribble flight runs at the target, the chip over the target, and then the continuation of the flight/run/air-dribble. The target today was this circle painted in white on the basketball court at center, diameter approx 1 yd; it was inside a second circle, diameter approx 3 yds. On at least two thirds of the runs I was able to comfortably with sufficient speed and control get to the target, chip the ball over the target ( kicking it from a spot about a yard from the target), and then continue the run for at least another five yards, the ball all the while being kept off the ground but under control, the ball being touched only with the feet prior to reaching the target.
 
I remember a few years ago I was able to consistently sprint 15 yards keeping the ball off the ground but close to the body, using only my head. Today I was wondering during practice, what exactly the advantages of using the feet to do this instead of using the head are. The answers my mind produced for myself: when using the head like that you set yourself up for a nasty headbutt from the likes of Zidane or the Portuguese; you have more directional flexibility and range when kicking the ball; in the real world you would end up in situation where the only way to reach the ball was with your feet.
 
Still I am tempted to experiment with approaches that combine the head and the feet...but I doubt whether such would be an improvement over LO or E3. I feel like I have enough options on my hands already...but then again one can in "Bridge Over the River Kwai" get obsessed with a drill, in the process losing sight of the sport as a whole and what actual games are like. 
 
Today I did:
 
1 60 minutes using the LO footwork-ballwork pattern eight yd approach to the target, followed by the chip of the ball over and or to the side of the target, followed by the continuation of the run. Used feet only as usual on approach to target.
 
2 60 minutes using the E3 footwork-ballwork pattern eight yd approach to the target, followed by the chip of the ball over and or to the side of the target, followed by the continuation of the run. Used feet only on approach to target.
 
Comments re LO segment
 
For the first time since I started practicing the LO on 9/19, I noticed significant dramatic improvement.  During the 145 minutes spend practicing LO the previous two days I did not notice this kind of improvement. Today and the previous two days are the first time in years I have practiced the LO. I remember last time I was into something similar to LO, a few years ago, I was extremely incompetent compared to the way I am now; in those days it seemed impossible to go even ten yards using the LO type approach I was using. This was before I thoughtfully scientifically dissected the problem and came up with the idea of footwork/ballwork patterns that are adhered to the way musicians adhere to a musical notational score.  
 
I wore my sweatpants and sweatshirt the first 40 minutes (46 degrees, humidity 87%, wind 4 mph). The first 40 minutes performance was much better than yesterday. Then though I began to feel hot, I continued wearing the sweatshirt for another ten minutes during which performance declined. 50 minutes from the start I took off my sweatshirt so I was wearing just a short sleeved shirt, but I did not feel too cold, and then performance came back up for the rest of the evening.
 
From the beginning I used the CCC type vertical setup for the starts on LO, amd instiinctively I used the A type horizontal approaching the ball on the start from an angle, from the right.
 
From the very first attempt onwards, I consistently, the majority of the time, got to the target, chipped the ball over the target and continued the run at least another five yards, keeping the ball under control but off the ground the whole time.
 
I felt confident and relaxed, I felt like an American tackle football player holding the ball in his arm as I air dribbled the ball towards the target...the chipping the ball past the target and continuing the flight were also easy. Except for the ten minutes when I was overly heated in the sweatshirt I would say on 75% of the runs I got to the target, chipped the ball over the target, and then continued the air dribble with the ball under control for at least another five yards fro a total of thirteen yards.
 
I noticed that if you look at the ground as a graph with an X and a Y axis, the act of approaching the target and chipping the ball over the target, requires that the ball be kicked from a precise X and Y coordinate spot  right in front of the target; and it requires the ball to be kicked to a precise XY spot behind the target.
 
The ball can be kicked when it is chipped past the target, too soon, or too late. Getting the ball to a point that is off target by being to one or the other side of the target, is also an unacceptable level of error. 
 
The WC06 method has been deprecated in part because it is currently lacking in precision in terms of this kind of X coordinate slash Y coordinate placement.
 
With the LO on the majority of the attempts I was able to: kick the ball, when chipping the ball past the target, from a point outside the yard wide  circle marking the target but inside the three yard wide circle the little target circle was the center of; and then, continue the air dribble without the ball touching the ground on past the target.
 
However I noticed there is still a certain level of roughness re the spot the ball is kicked from when chipped past the target and the spot the ball is contacted at before it hits the ground (often with the head) once past the target.
 
Comments re the E3 approach
 
The E3 is not as tightly controlled an approach as the LO, but aside from that disadvantage today it showed itself more reliable than the LO, again further complicating matters ( reason for this may be the E3 was run in the second 60 minutes today).
 
For the first time since I started practicing the E3 approach again--it was the approach used prior to the WC06 practice sessions--there was significant dramatic improvement. The first 45 minutes of practice with E3 yesterday there was not much improvement between the beginning of the 45 minutes and the end.
 
 
The CCC vertical setup was used on the start, with the A type horizontal on the start the ball approached from the  right side at an angle. On at least three fourths of the attempts, I was able to comfortable and quickly get the ball to the target, and then chip it from a spot inside the three yard circle but outside the one yard wide target circle, past the target, and then continue the air dribble run for at least another five yards.  
 
Without a doubt,  the WC06 pattern practice sessions have resulted in enormous improvement in the E3, which I would say is now at least twice as good as it was before I started the WC06 practices. As of now aside from being less tightly controlled than the LO, the E3 is more reliable in terms of getting the ball to the target. But I did not notice this vast level of improvement  during the first 45 minutes of returning to E3 yesterday.
 
In general today I felt highly skilled but underfed and fatigued. Yesterday I had seen Shank and I drank about a six pack of beer; today there was no Shank and no beer. I have been paying very little attention to what I eat, putting very little time and energy and money into the food area of life.
 
I started my drills at 8 PM. At almost exactly 8 PM, the dozen or so hispanic looking grade school age boys who were playing soccer on one of the courts ended their game, the climax of the game consisting of a couple of them rolling around on the ground and hitting each other it was kind of half serious half in jest fighting.
 
Just my luck, on the day the skills are good, nobody is on the court to get impressed. There were just two or three black guys, teenager-types,  walking across the court as a way of cutting corners getting from here to there. One of them was talking on a cell phone and wore a crimson and white jersey with the number 58 on it; the other was wearing a gaudy, some would call it "garish" shirt patterned like the flag of Niger or India, without the insignia in the middle of the white stripe which is  in between the orange stripe on top and the green stripe on the bottom in both the Niger and India flags.
 
 
 
 
Replique
was down to 9.0 inflated to 10.1 psi. Seems ball hitting metal poles in fences, knocks alot of psi out of the ball.















9/22/06
Friday
Outdoor Basketball Courts
corner of Lowell and High
Waltham MA
830-1000 PM
minus 20 mins to urinate in appropriate place


 
E3
LO
air dribble vs target
 
Today same as yesterday I did the same eight yard air dribble at the target, keeping the ball off the ground but under control, followed by the chip over the imaginary target, followed by the continuation of the air dribble run. the majority of these were well executed with the ball under control and kept off the ground for at least fifteen yards.
 
This practice started out like a bummer. I got to the courts, then before I used the ball after stretching, I realized that if I did not find a place  where I could respectably defecate, I would shit in my pants. I found a mens room in a restaurant, the "Hungry Coyote (netzahualcoyotl)" Mexican restaurant.
 
I went back to the courts. By now it was already 830 PM. I practiced for 12 minutes and then I realized I had to take a piss. I drove to the Burger King to take a piss, because I had already used the "Hungry Coyote" men's room, and the Tempo restaurant seemed like, too upscale to walk into holding a gym bag, wearing a sleeveless t-shirt and shorts. I drove to the Burger King to take a piss in their men's room. By the time I got back to the outdoor basketball courts I had lost approx another 20 minutes of practice time.
 
I wonder whether the reason there were these bathroom problems today, that usually almost never occur, is that I had to discuss a financial transaction with this man who helps me handle these transactions and he was being somewhat cranky. Maybe two cups of coffee, the second one guzzled down right before I head to the practice, will cause bathroom problems; I'm not sure if I usually have one or two cups of coffee before I head out.
 
By the time I got back to the courts, my peace of mind was shattered. What a disaster, this idiotic running looking for a bathroom. I continued with the E3 which went first this time. I felt like a dork. I felt I was playing clumsily.
 
Also on the court was a brown skinned American black type teenage male, practicing soccer with a dark brown almost  African teenage male whose skin was almst black. They were using a ball that was undersized and soft. I asked them about the ball.
 
The lighter colored one said his name was Giscard, he was on the track team at Waltham High School. The darker one he was with played soccer at Newton North High School. Giscard asked me what college team I had played for, his tone of voice was that he was convinced I had played for a significant respectable college team. He also asked, "did you play professionally?"
 
I told him that I played college soccer at Harvard. Little did he know that I was for much of the one short fall season my freshman year at Harvard, the only year I played on the Harvard team, a pathetic scrub--until after a few weeks I got used to Harvard and started dominating playing defense in scrimmages; little did he know that the only reason I made the freshman team is that they decided not to cut any of the players who tried out. I do not remember why I did not play after my freshman year don't remember if I tried out and did not make it or did not even bother trying out. To me after University High School,  the Harvard players seemed big, skilled, fast, and, especially, well conditioned. If what happened was that sophomore year I tried out and did not make it all I have to say is that it takes time for people like me to get used to the peculiarities of places like Harvard especially after being away for the summer vacation.
 
I told Giscard that one day we should do drills together.
 
I realized that I was not doing too well as I resumed the drill, and tried a change in attitude. I decided henceforth to try to approach each run with "panache" and "joie de vivre". I remembered how my father had told me when I was younger that Pakistan plays cricket  with "panache". I remembered how Matt Leinart of the USC Trojans had said that we often forget the importance of enjoying playing games like football. I tried to take pleasure in visualizing what a successful run would look and feel like. I tried to adopt the personality of a hale and hearty star player who enjoys every practice run.
 
Heretofore I had been my usual glum self, thinking technically, thinking about concentrating on getting certain technical things done, always feeling down about my mistakes.
 
Subsequent to the change in attitude my performance improved. It became the equal of what my performance had been when I was being my usual glum concentrating-hard technical self yesterday. My thesis now is that there is the glum-concentrated-technical attitude and there is the joyous-super-hero attitude, these attitudes are equals, but when one of these attitudes is not working it is time to switch to the other attitude and vice versa.
 
I got better at E3 as I changed attitude and then I switched to LO which worked better than E3 today. Seems of these two whichever one is done second seems better and whichever is done first seems worse. My thesis now is that these two air dribble approach patterns are still at a point where they are a little clumsy until I have warmed up.
 
As my performance picked up about 910 PM, the other guys on the court, I noticed, were now just standing there, right next to the point from where I was starting all my runs, and now there were about half a dozen of them, all of them Africans or African-American teenage males. For about 20 minutes I guess, they just stood there, having stopped their ball games; and one of them put his brown jacket and his cell phone right next to my gym bag. Then they went back to playing ball but now it was basketball not soccer with an under-inflated under-sized ball. My performance stayed hot until 1000 PM when the half the lights at the courts went out and I called it quits.
 
The dark African guy who played soccer on the Newton North team, was a good juggler with the soft little ball, but his juggling as is typical did not involve moving from here to there horizontally while juggling. He and Giscard dribbled the soft little ball at each other; this African from Newton North High, was using those moves where the feet in feint shoot forward and to the side of the ball as it rolls forward. I remembered how during the World Cup such looked flashy indeed, but usually resulted in the defending team seizing control of the ball.
 
Psa 46:6-11  The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah. Come, behold the works of the LORD, what desolations he hath made in the earth. He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire. Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
 
 
 
 
 

 
Replique
inflated to 10.1 psi.















9/23 Saturday
BREAK



















9/24/06
Sunday
Outdoor Basketball Courts
corner of Lowell and High
Waltham MA
845-1000 PM

 
LO
E3
AIR DRIBBLE RUNS AT TARGET 9 YDS AWAY FROM START


Drank 8 oz tangerine juice and 12 oz coffee w non dairy creamer and cane sugar before the practice. There was a need to urinate before starting which is unusual. I think usually I skip the tangerine juice before the practice. Tangerine juice and coffee together produces this need to piss, the pants and the underpants and the stresses of the workout exacerbate the piss-urge.
 
Today I did:
 
1 LO 40 mins using the super-hero personality
2 E3 33 mins using relaxed personality
 
Seems for the past two or three days the distance from the start to the center of the target has grown to nine yards.
 
Today on at least a quarter of the runs, I got to the target, chipped the ball over the target, and then continued the air dribble run with the ball not having touched the ground and still under control, for another eleven yds for a total of 20 yds, ending the run by touching the ball right before it hit the fence, which was 20 yds from the start. 
 
Beyond this quarter of the runs a certain amount would have gone on for longer than 20 yds, but I did not kick the ball in a ball-controlled way right before I hit the fence--thus technically I cannot say with certainty that the air dribble run would have continued beyond a distance of 20 yds from the start, the ball having been kept under control and off the ground the whole time.
 
These distances have gotten longer recently. I can remember when I would be impressed by myself for traveling 13 yds keeping the ball under control and off the ground, without the complication of having to chip the ball past an imaginary defender.
 
Up until I reach the target I move at a run, not a sprint, but it becomes a sprint air dribble flight once the ball is chipped over the target after the first 9 yds.
 
Today the first segment the LO using the "super hero personality" (Leinart have fun type) as a frame of mind, was no better than the glum or  grim personality.  Henceforth the glum personality will be called the "grim" personality because this sounds more respectable.
 
As usual the star of the show was the pattern run in the second half, which was today the E3. In the second segment today, I used a personality to serve as my mental attitude that I have not used yet, which I call the relaxed personality.
 
When I move into relaxed personality mode, I breathe deeply alot, the basic point of the personality is that it is relaxed, relaxed similarly to how you feel when jogging or swimming slowly.
 
The relaxed personality did not produce performance superior to that produced by Captain Grim or Captain Super-hero. In some ways it seemed to produce better performance in other ways it seemed to produce worse performance.
 
For the first time since I started doing the drills, while using the Relaxed personality, I slipped and fell to the ground, a hard concrete outdoor basketball court ground. But it did not put me out of action for a minute.  After I tripped over the ball I hit the ground with my body in the position used to do pushups, I cushioned my fall with my hands and rolled to the side as I hit the ground. My knee and my hands were slightly scraped.
 
Captain Relaxo so to speak, seems to perform well when it comes to the first kick  of a run and trying out new improved methods for kicking the ball.
 
My guess is that the relaxed, the grim, and the super-hero enjoy-the-game type personalities all have their strengths and weaknesses when it comes to performance, and that I might end up with a better game personality if I spend a little time in each frame of mind.
 
Today Giscard was out on the court, I waved at him and he waved back--his face lit up with a bashful smile. A half dozen teenagers half of whom were Black were out on the court playing basketball. After I was out there for 20 minutes I guess, they began to sit down on the benches by the courts, they sat on those benches for about 20 minutes and then moseyed on home.  I saw them staring in my direction a couple of times, but it seemed they wanted to look as if they were not paying me too much attention.
 
Plan for tomorrow:
 
1/2 E3,  split between grim, superhero, relaxed, and undetermined 'personalities'
 
1/2 LO,  split between grim, superhero, relaxed, and undetermined 'personalities'
 
Day after this the order of the personalities will be reversed.
 
 
 
 
Replique
inlated to 10.1 psi















9/25/06
Monday
Outdoor Basketball Courts
corner of Lowell and High
Waltham MA
820-1000 PM

AIR DRIBBLE AT TARGET
E3
LO
1208 1232,
 
This evening I skipped taking any vitamin pill before practice, had just one glass of tea with non dairy creamer and sugar, and there was no problem with having to piss during practice. I think the problem is vitamin pills end up making you feel like pissing.
 
Nigh before I got a good night's sleep which is rare for me, and felt relaxed after I woke up from my night's sleep. I suspect the reason is that I drank the following concoction before sleeping: 12 oz organic whole milk + vanilla liquid + kewra water + cane sugar.
 
This evening the entire evening was done using the Captain "Relaxo" personality. Meaning the focus of my mind this evening was relaxation:
 
1 60 minutes alternating between E3 and LO
 
2 20 minutes E3
 
3 20 minutes LO
 
Captain Relaxo showed himself, so to speak, to be superior to the other personalities when it comes to the first 15 minutes which have been a problem so far.
 
The first run of the day, these kids were standing around me asking questions, including black haired little Jorge who is always getting into half-serious fights with his fellow boys, and it was time for me to execute my first run.   It was the first time I had touched the ball in 24 hours, all these boys were standing around watching, but there you have it, ce la guerre.
 
I activated the Captain Relaxo personality in my mind, and  the first run was a perfect LO, the approach flight to the target, the chip over the target, the sprint flight another 12 yards, 20 yards covered fast with the ball under control, the ball  never touching the ground.
 
The Captain Relaxo personality seems by a slight margin to be the best personality for LO after the first 20 minutes also. But for E3 it does not seem a better than average personality to use. 
 
LO is compared to E3 a new flight pattern which there has been little practice on. LO is also a more natural flight pattern for one such as myself, compared to E3.
 
This evening, LO showed itself to be currently definitely the superior flight pattern compared to E3, as of now. Since E3 and LO were alternating, they both shared the disadvantage of being run early in the practice.
 
I estimate in total I executed 100 of these air dribble runs in 100 minutes today.
 
The overall performance was a little better than yesterday because Captain Relaxo performed well in the first 15 minutes and throughout the evening performed well with LO.
 
At the beginning of the practice some time around run number 1, this brown skinned boy on the playground--you could see the brown on him was different than the tan on a white--engaged me in a conversation. I found out his name was Jorge, that he was thirteen years old and Mexican, and that he attended the McDevitt Middle School (http://www.city.waltham.ma.us/SCHOOL/Webpage/so.htm).
 
He bombarded me with questions: "what team did you play for?...what team do you play for?...what team are you going to play for?...". He tried to guess what my nationality was. His first guess was Brazil. I shook my head, no, I was not a Brazilian. His second guess was that I was from Argentina.
 
The only thing I could come up with in response to his queries re what team did I, or do I, or will I play for, was that I once played on the Harvard team. He looked at me, a wide eyed expression on his face, wearing a slight smile.
 
He looked as if he was thinking, regarding me, that I was: a pro; hiding the fact that I was on some bigshot team and pretending to have just Harvard on my resume as a player; a player much greater than a mere Harvard player.
 
He looked at me as if he was vicariously sharing in all the pleasures that awaited me as a glamorous pro, the pretty women, the fast cars, the money. He told me that he sees me play on the playground every day. And I was thinking, I have never noticed him watching me.
 
I asked them where I sounded as if I came from. Pedro's friend from Guatemela, a slight black haired boy with a mustache, said he thought that I sounded as if I came from New York, that I had a New York accent.  I remembered how others have said I sound as if I was from New York, though I have never lived there only visited for a few days. I was thinking that by now I must have developed a Boston accent but I guess maybe not
 
At the end of the practice, on my last run, I executed a perfect LO, nine yds run to the target using the LO flight pattern, a chip over the target, another eleven yards unpatterned and sprinted, total twenty yards on the run or sprint the ball under control never touching the ground. Little Jorge, who is much shorter than Pedro, saw this run, I feel sure. Then he recovered the ball after it bounced off the fence and began dribbling it, daring me to steal it from him, talking trash about how he was going to whup some move on me.
 
I did not feel like investing energy in stealing the ball from him. I said to him, something like, "you just saw me fly twenty yards with the ball, and now you're talking trash".
 
Plan for tomorrow: LO goes first when done by itself, use un-predetermined freestyle personality.
 

Replique

inflated to 10.1 psi had fallen to 9.4 psi.















9/27/06
Tuesday

 
BREAK
SAMBA MUSIC TALK AS IN BRAZILIAN SAMBA STYLE SOCCER
 
SICK STOMACH ACHE
 
About 1 AM today I developed a painful stomach ache; betel nut did not solve the problem, drinking water did not solve the problem, vomiting and then drinking water did not solve the problem--finally vomiting and then not drinking water solved the painful problem but slowly--I must have been in severe pain for 13 hours. So I missed practice today.
 
The Brazilian style of soccer is called the "Samba" style it is supposed to be like a sibling of the "Samba" style of music. The Mexican boy yesterday thought I was from Brazil.
 
I found the most incredible thing on the internet at http://www.rhapsody.com/album/sambagoalpoweredbyr10. This page has a compilation of Brazil soccer star Ronaldinho's favorite Samba songs, twelve of them, you can listen to them all for free, hearing the entire length of each song. Incredible. My favorites were: festa, (http://play.rhapsody.com/album/sambagoalpoweredbyr10/track-1), and, the "Brazil soccer anthem", "Na Cadencia Do Samba" (http://play.rhapsody.com/album/sambagoalpoweredbyr10/track-9).
 
You can listen to "Samba Pa Ti" (1970) by Carlos Santana at
The whole song for free, incredibly.
 
At http://music.download.com/3608-5-0-1.html?tag=MDL_pageRow&searchType=3608&orderby=-totalLeadCount&tg=&qt=samba (first page of results of music.download.com search for Samba, results ordered by "total listens") and, http://music.download.com/3608-5-0-2.html?tag=MDL_pageRow&searchType=3608&tg=&orderby=-totalLeadCount&qt=samba (second page of search results), you can find a list of 26 Samba songs, ranked by total number of listens. You can listen to all of these songs in their entirety.
 
My take on these 26 songs at music.download.com (I listened to samples of all of them)--the songs I liked the best out of these 26:
 
Ranked #1 by total number of listens, you can listen to all  of "Samba Batacuda" by Sambaholics. Captures the spirit of one of my playground air dribble practice session or Samba-style soccer in a game to some extent.
 
Ranked #13 in "total listens": "La Samba"  by ScanVoice Fun Factory--This Samba has a sophisticated movie-sound-track like quality to it. You can hear the whole song for free.
 
Ranked #20 in "total listens": "Electric Samba"  by Penrique. This one also has that competent sophisticated movie-sound-track like quality to it, whole song for free.
 
Ranked #26 in "total listens": "Poolside Samba" by David Delaney, comes in dead last in terms of total number of listens. But again I like that dignified intelligent sounding movie-sound-track like quality. Whole song for free.
 
Looking at these results I liked the most popular and also high rated "Batacuda Samba", but the other three I liked had not been rated by anyone and were not highly ranked in terms of number of listens in total or this week. I would guess a song  that ranks number one in total listens or in a tie or close to a tie for first place in terms of user ratings, will be good, but then also there will a few songs not ranked highly that are especially good.
 
From what I have heard of Ronaldinho's Sambas and other Sambas, I guess my thing in Sambas is that I get tired of what seem to be deliberately tacky amateurish sounding Sambas produced to appeal to the self-love of the audience, which were they attempt to produce a Samba would end up probably producing something tacky and amateurish sounding.
 

















Sunday
10/8/06
Willow & Grove
Waltham MA
440-640 PM
LO E3 AIR APPROACH TO TARGET
 
 
Tragically missed 10 days practice. First I ate this vegetable stew at Shank's house which resulted in a terrible stomach ache, upset stomach and fatigue for about four days. Then I came down with a cold and a sore throat. Then I got so discombobulated by the pressure of having to deal with temperamental Mr. Schnapps trustee of my little trust fund, that I felt too tired to practice soccer.
 
It was sunny 60 degrees 60 percent humidity when I started, rapidly got too hot for anything but shorts and t-shirt. It seemed incredible to me that the lazy person I had become was the same person who in September was carrying out such energetic zealous practices.
 
The first 75 minutes I devoted to the LO flight approach to the target 8 yds in front of my starting point, which in turn was 25 yds in front of the goal. The whole evening my object was to air dribble to the target, chip it past the target pick up speed continue the air dribble and shoot.
 
The first 20 minutes, I had zero of the successes I was having 4 times every 5 minutes last time out, on the smooth outdoor basketball court surface. The second 20 minutes, about 1 'success' (making it at least past the target 8 yds away from me with the ball kept off the ground and under control) per 5 minutes, the third 20 minutes about 2 'successes' per 5 minutes, the last 15 minutes about 3 'successes' per 5 minutes.
xxx
It seemed incredible that the incompetent I was at this time, and the demigod I was ten days ago, were one and the same person. Seemed like the combo of the uneven grass surface and the skill and conditioning effect of  having been away from the game for ten days had knocked me out, turned me into trash for the first 45 minutes of the workout.
 
Reminds me that it seems it takes about three hours to get back to being as good as you were before the break, after a break of longer than five days.
 
At 555 PM I switched to the E3 pattern. The E3 pattern worked surprisingly well right from the start of doing the E3 until about 625 PM. Then about 15 minutes before the 642 PM Civil Twilight, the ball began to get damp with dew and performance began to get impaired due to the difficulty of rolling the ball back and flipping it up off the ground in damp conditions when on bumpy grass.
 
At this point I remembered that I had so far been using the CCC crouched type of start, out of habit because such is the start I had been using on the concrete surface outdoors basketball court, even though I had earlier determined that the upright UUU type start worked better outdoors on grass.
 
I tried the UUU type start before the dew-damp came on with the E3, it did not seem superior to the CCC which worked well with the E3 before the ball began to get damp.
 
Then I realized that I had also forgotten that the distance between the feet should be extended at the start when outdoors on bumpy grass. I tried the CCC with the extended distance between feet, it seemed to work the best amongst all the possible starts for the E3 after the ball got damp.
I
I Did not get a chance to try out the UUU with extended distance between feet which I had earlier concluded was the best start for grass.
 
Fact is that although a couple of weeks ago UUU worked best on bumpy grass, that does not mean such will still be the case today.
 
After the first 60 minutes or so the performance ceased to be feel embarrassing. The E3s were good runs 3 times out of every 5 minutes for 30 minutes until the ball began to get damp.
 
There were a few 20 yard runs and a few 30 yd runs, the ball air dribbled without touching the ground for 30 yds at a sprint or fast run.
 
I noted improvement in the shooting bouncing balls. I had observed the need for more skill amongst World Cup players, with regard to playing balls that have bounced once or twice. I have begun to figure out how on a bumpy grass field, when you are chasing the ball you need to slow down, not approach it as fast as you approach it on a smooth flat surface, because the ball is bound to bounce in a somewhat erratic, unpredictable way.
 
Today at the beginning as I screwed up, two senior citizens came out in front of the convenience store across the street and sat down on chairs and stared in my direction, they looked like something out of a Norman Rockwell painting, and there I was, screwing up, due to ten days off and the bumpy grass surface (come to think of it the fact that LO has been practiced by me on the grass surface less than E3  might have had something to do with the slow start). And there was a guy talking on a pay phone outside the store while he was watching me screw up. If he was talking to the wrong person my reputation world wide could be ruined now.
 
Then three cop cars stopped this brown skinned wavy black haired tall woman in a gray car, arrested her, and had her car towed away by a huge flatbed truck. These cop cars were there for about 20 minutes towards the end of the 75 minutes I devoted to the LO pattern, I had some spectacular runs and shots while they were there.
 
As things got good with the E3, these grade school age boys stood in a circle right next to the spot I start from when I do a run. Seems this is characteristic of grade school and high school age boys around me, they form a circle and stand next to the spot I start from.
 
Then a short thick African and his little boy started playing at the miniature goal I was shooting at. The boy parked his yellow bicycle directly in front of the goal, right on the field. I asked him to move it. These two played right in front of me as if it did not even occur to them that they might get im my way, and I was there before they were. I thought maybe they wanted people to think they were my buddies.
 
There were not too many tennis players on the tennis court, but plenty of people around the convenience store, sitting in the bleachers, playing soccer, walking around.
 
Today I was so to speak 'using' the happy super-hero type personality, trying to feel like a happy successful pro who was enjoying myself. This personality did not seem to work as well as Captain Relaxo for the tough beginning first few attempts of the practice session.
 
It was not until 60 minutes into the practice that I began to flip my foot as I kicked the ball; until then due to the break, I was keeping the angle between my foot and my knee rigid as I kicked the ball. This flipping the foot as the ball is kicked is crucial for the high level of air dribbling I have attained to.
 
Civil twilight was 642 PM, I expected that there would be enough light to play in until nauticul twilight at 715 PM, but such was not the case this evening, this evening it became too dark to continue with air dribbling at the Civil Twilight time.
 
I am tempted to lay a rug or a towel down on the grass at the starting point to smooth things out for the flip of the ball off the ground, such would prepare me better for good fields, but it would prepare me worse for the typical field.
 
Today:  I was choosing smooth spots on the ground to take off from; the right foot was slanted outwards on the starts.
 

Replique
10.1 psi measured these balls lose lots of pressure even when they are not used over a few days.















Columbus Day
Monday 10/9
park at corner of Willow & grove
Waltham MA
230-400 PM
E3, LO AIR APPROACH TO TARGET
 
Order of events was:
 
1 E3
a 10 min CCC regular -- very good 3 good runs per 5 min
b 10 min CCC extended--better than a, approx 3 good/5 min
c 10 min UUU extended--good 3/5 rate worse than a
d 15 min UUU regular-- as good as c
 
2 LO
a 11 min CCC close--good 3/5 rate not as good as E3 past target
b 11 min CCC extended--good slightly better than a
c 11 min UUU extended--good 3/5 rate not as good as a or b
d 12 min UUU close--better than c approx equal to a
 
Above, good for E3 was typically an 8 yd run to the target followed by 12 more yds for a total of 20 with ball under control off ground. good for LO was on average about a 14 yd run with ball off ground in control in total.
 
There were plenty of fast long 25-30 yd runs today with ball under control and off ground the whole time, especially with the E3. With the LO I got to the target as often as with the E3 but the control was not as good so the flight once past the target was not as good.
 
The E3 was clearly better than the LO for bumpy grass surface. The LO is the preferred pattern on the smooth surfaces. Maybe if I stick with the LO it will catch up to E3 in terms of outdoors performance.
 
Once the ball touched the ground rarely did it bounce more than once before I touched it again.
 
Being outdoors I was not bumping into a wall at the 20 yd point thus certain spectacularities could be seen that are not seen indoors or when I start closer to the fence outdoors.
 
tenp 79 degrees humidity 42% sunny.
 
I felt physically and mentally mediocre, but the performance was not mediocre it was very good. To be able to get up to 3 good runs per 5 attempts outdoors in the third and fourth hours after a ten day layoff was an accomplishment. About 4 runs reaching the target per 5 attempts was my rate outdoors on the smooth flat outdoors basketball court concrete surface when I was impressing people including myself.
 
There were about a dozen basketball players, a guy sitting in a chair in front of the convenience store across the street who looked like he was watching me, a few soccer players.
 
The personality I used was the Captain Relaxo personality it performed well...especially,  today I did really well on the E3 right from the beginning, without goofing around with the ball to warm up first. The first five minutes there were three good runs this held up for the entire 1.5 hours.
 
Today I was not choosing smooth spots on the  ground to take off from. Rather, I without looking rolled the ball to the takeoff area and then took  off from whatever spot the ball came to rest. Still it was much better than yesterday. Today right foot slanted outwards on start.
 
Today when I went to retrieve a ball on the basketball court, I was wondering if the sun was at that unflattering angle that makes my acne scars visible. there was a pretty, sharp-military-pretty-look type blonde teenage female with a nice body on the basketball court; she was with this white clean shaven muscular guy with glasses, I guess her father, who was about six foot five inches tall, about 40 (I suppose people who are with people who look like their kids always look older than they would otherwise) about 270 pounds muscle not, who was not fat, he wore a dark blue t shirt with "Waltham" in white on it. He looked like a pro football offensive lineman. Our eyes met as I was about ten yds away and he shouted, "Yea!...Waltham!...".
 
 
 
 

Replique
10.1 psi















Tuesday 10/10
park at corner of Willow & grove
Waltham MA
440-640 PM

E3, LO AIR APPROACH TO TARGET
 
Order of events was:
Reverse of order yesterday
 
A  20 yd run ball off ground kept under control means the last time the ball was touched before it hit the ground was 20 yds from the start. So when I say the flight/run was a 30 yd flight/run  that means I last touched the ball (with a soccer-legal part of my body) before it hit the ground 30 yds from the start.
 
Numbers given approximate did not keep track but reported after every 15 minutes, approximations.
 
Personality used today: captain Grim, my usual self, grim, concentrating hard, aware of my failures and faults.
 
Approx 1 run/flight per minute today
 
Used right foot out at slant on start today
 
1 LO APPROACH TO TARGET FLIGHT PATTERN-- Used start from behind ball approach today not start at angle on right as with previous two days
 
a 15 min UUU regular -- More than 80 percent got to target eight yards from start with ball under control not having touched ground. A Great segment. Most  of the runs were 25 yds flights w ball under control off ground; first ten attempts were all almost perfect, at least 20 yds flights; first three were long 35 yd flights! Captain Grim did a great job using the LO, so that right from the start, basically the first time I touched the ball with my foot in 26 hours, things were spectacular. I did the usual stretches and a little bit of the war dance before starting.
 
b 15 min UUU ext extended--More than 75 percent got to the target 8 yds from the start with ball under control not having touched the ground. Not as goor as 1-a. Avg flight length 18 yds. Not as well controlled on meeting target as 1-a.
 
c 15 min CCC ext--More than 80% got to target 8 yds away with ball not having touched ground and under control. Felt competent, confident, using the CCC ext start with LO flight approach pattern. Avg run/flights 20 yds ball under control off ground.  Not as good as 1-a on length of run with ball off ground, but better on approach to target, approx equal today to 1-a.
 
d 15 min CCC close-- not as good as 1-c, equal approx to 1-b; 75% got to target 8 yds from start with ball under control not having touched ground; 17 avg run/flight distance before ball hit ground; did not feel as competent and confident and relaxed as with 1-c.
 
2 E3
 
a 15 min UUU close--as good as the worst of the LOs done today. 2/3 reached target 8 yds away ball under control not having touched ground. 18 yds avg length of run up to last kick before ball hits ground.
 
b 15 min UUU extended--Better than 2-a; approx equal to 1-a; 18 yds avg length of run up to last kick before ball hits ground; worse after target than 1-a.
 
c 15 min CCC extended--Surprise! did not feel especially confident; worst segment of night; 60 percent got to target 8 yds away with ball not having touched ground and under control; 20 yds avg length of run up to last kick before ball hits ground.
 
d 15 min CCC close--Best of night, more than 80 percent reached target ball not having touched ground under control; 20 yds avg length of run up to last kick before ball hits ground. The distance of the flights not extreme but the quality up to the target and the chip past target superior. Last 10 minutes impaired  due to poor visibility.
 
The LO was superior today even though it went first before the E3. Today I was up to about 80% success reaching target at 8 yds with ball under control not having touched ground, a real achievement for a bumpy grass field. The day before I was at about 60% on this and the day before that at about 40%. Seems if I put my mind to it carefully, I can get up to a performance on a bumpy grassy field that is almost as good as if the surface was smooth.
 
As usual once the ball touched the ground rarely did it bounce more than once before I touched it again; but it was bouncing weird as hell due to the bumpy grassy field.
 
Again being outdoors I was not bumping into a wall at the 20 yd point thus certain spectacularities could be seen that are not seen indoors or when I start closer to the fence outdoors.
 
temp today was 54 degrees humidity 77% cloudy; played comfortably in sleeveless t-shirt + lonng sleeved shirt + shorts + sweatpants.
 
civil twilight 639 PM got too dark 630 PM.
 
When it comes to sorting out exactly which pattern is best and which start to use and which personality to use things have gotten fluid and complex. All I can do is use in a game what is working best at the given time.
 
There were about half a dozen American looking basketball players,  about half a dozen soccer players this increased to two dozen hispanic soccer players about half way through the practice. They were using this weird green and blue ball, that was heavy and that seemed like it had a soft thick skin and was also somewhat underinflated.
 
Captain Grim did a great job with the LO today.
 
The last 15 minutes I was coughing up phlegm, feeling fevered and fatigued, upset stomach. Outdoors on grass in the fall might be some kind of problem. 
 
Today again I was not choosing smooth spots on the  ground to take off from. Rather, I without looking rolled the ball to the takeoff area and then took  off from whatever spot the ball came to rest. Still it was much better than day before yesterday when I chose the takeoff spots.
 
In summary about 75% made it to the 8 yd target ball controlled not having touched ground; 20 yd average length of run up to last kick before ball hits ground; there were about 90 of these successes that averaged out to 20 yd flights; there must have been 30 spectacular runs one every 4 minutes on average going 25 yds up to the last kick before the ball hit the ground.
 
Retrospectively during the workout all I could see were my failures and faults and imperfections, looking at how I felt during the workout it seems incredible that I accomplished as much, at as high a level, in ust two hours, as I did. I guess I get down on myself too much when people do not compliment ,e and do not seem to be staring at me.
 
Today there was a five foot tall hispanic dad with his boy, playing soccer, I saw the dad go eight yds using the LO pattern a couple of times; he was the closest thing to me I have ever seen; but his speed going the eight yards was about a third of my average speed going the eight yds to the target. In a real game you cannot be a turtle like that someone will steal the ball.
 
At end of previous entry added para re the Incredible white Hulk from Waltham.
 
 

Replique
10.1 psi
had declined to 9.5 psi.















Wednesday 10/11
 
Lowell Field Playground
 
corner of Willow & grove
 
Waltham MA
 
440-640 PM

E3, LO AIR APPROACH TO TARGE
Order of events was:
Reverse of order yesterday
 
A  20 yd run ball off ground kept under control means the last time the ball was touched before it hit the ground was 20 yds from the start. So when I say the flight/run was a 30 yd flight/run  that means I last touched the ball (with a soccer-legal part of my body) before it hit the ground 30 yds from the start.
 
Numbers given approximate did not keep track but reported after every 15 minutes, approximations.
 
Personality used today: Captain Funn, the emphasis on trying to enjoy: the practice, the times between the runs, and the runs.
 
Approx 1 run/flight per minute today
 
Used right foot out at slant on start today
 
1 E3 APPROACH TO TARGET FLIGHT PATTERN-- 
 
a 15 min CCC regular -- More than 90 percent got to target eight yards from start with ball under control not having touched ground. Slight, almost unnoticeable drizzle, ball was definitely wet after the first five minutes. Avg length of flights 17 yds. Captain Funn, did a great job of getting to the target consistently, despite the wetness of the ball, from the very start, from basically the first time I had touched the ball in 24 hours. Used stretching and war dance before start of segment.
 
b 15 min CCC extended--More than 85 percent got to the target 8 yds from the start with ball under control not having touched the ground. Not as good as 1-a. Avg flight length 20 yds. Problem was the ball was wet for more of the segment in this segment and everything was wetter. About a quarter of the starts had to be aborted, because the ball didnt get flipped up due to the wetness and the bumpy grassy field.
 
c 15 min UUU ext--More than 85% got to target 8 yds away with ball not having touched ground and under control. . Avg run/flights 18 yds ball under control off ground. About a quarter of the starts were aborted starts due to wetness and field  Not as good as 1-a  approx equal to 1b.
 
d 15 min UUU regular-- the best of the E3s today. Less aborts than the others; more than 90% got to target 8 yds from start with ball under control not having touched ground; 21 yd avg run/flight distance before ball hit ground; runs were of high quality.
 
2 LO APPROACH FLIGHT PATTERN
 
a 15 min CCC regular--90% reached target 8 yds away ball under control not having touched ground. 18 yds avg length of run up to last kick before ball hits ground. Few aborts. Approx equal to average E3 today.
 
b 15 min CCC extended--85% reached target ball under control not having touched ground; average runs went 15 yds before last kick before ball hit ground. Worst segment of the evening. The ball was carried to the target, but ball was not in optimum position on reaching target, as a result, the flight once past the target was not impressive compared to the other segments.
 
c 15 min UUU extended--90 percent got to target 8 yds away with ball not having touched ground and under control; 18 yds avg length of run up to last kick before ball hits ground. Approx equal today of 2a, better than 2b.
 
d 15 min UUU close-- 85 percent reached target with ball not having touched ground under control; 16 yds avg length of run up to last kick before ball hits ground. Last 10 minutes impaired  due to poor visibility. Better than 2b, worse than 2a.. Rain picked up this segment.
 
The E3 was superior today even though it went first before the LO.
 
Today I was up to about 90% success reaching target at 8 yds with ball under control not having touched ground, a very significant achievement for a wet bumpy grass field.  I can remember when very recently getting anywhere air dribbling on a bumpy grass field seemed almost impossible due to the starts being so screwy. Up till now the best I was doing on the smooth surfaces with the E3 and LO was 80% approx getting there.
 
Today although Captain Funn did an excellent job of getting the plane so to speak to the target despite the wet grassy bumpy field impairing the take-off, once the target was reached the ball due to the impaired take-off was in less than optimum position so that the flight subsequent to the reaching the target was not as impressive as yesterday on the dry field.
 
Yesterday I was at about 80% success reaching the target on a dry field; The day before that  I was at about 60% on said statistic and three days ago  at about 40%. Today I was at 90% on a wet field, which for me is a new height of skill.
 
Noticed improvement in ability to shoot airborne balls after they have bounced once. The field is so bumpy and grassy that the balls almost always bounce unpredictably.
 
Since I was outdoors I was running more than indoors, the air breathed was different, like yesterday in the last 20 minutes I felt body ache fever cough as if I had a cold. Looks like I have again a long lasting condition of sort of half having a cold, which can only be cured by significant doses of real Mezcal plant produced Tequila.
 
Temp today was 55 degrees humidity 88% cloudy; played comfortably in sleeveless t-shirt + long sleeved shirt + shorts + sweatpants.
 
civil twilight 637 PM sunset 609 PM got too dark 610 PM. I guess practice should end at sunset in fall.
 
There were about a dozen white toddlers with yellow or brown or black hair running around playing soccer on the field next to where I was, watched by their parents and I suppose teachers, a picturesque sight, pretty the way leaves of all different colors are pretty in the fall.
 
A half dozen teenage hispanic looking males were practicing soccer 10 yds from me. They began attempting to imitate me. They found out what a hell it is to get the ball up off the wet bumpy grassy ground using the feet. They picked the ball up dropped it with their hands starting the air dribble that way. They had trouble doing it with their feet. One of them got five yds slowly using his thighs, then shot. Another one got seven yds using just his good foot, he was left footed, then shot. They went at about a third of my average approach speed to the target 8 yds away (my approach speed is about half my speed once past the target).
 
Today's teenage male guy who went seven yds using his good foot slowly, is the new King of the World Out There when it comes to air dribbling--he said he was from Guatemala.  He displaces the five foot tall hispanic guy of yesterday. But this new Guatemalan world champ moves slowly, at about a third of my average speed for the first eight yds, and he has no ability to use his clumsy right foot when air dribbling whereas I am almost ambidextrous.
 
Guatemelan Teen-prince was about five foot eight inches, a couple of inches shorter than me, thinner, slower. He  went through trial and error before producing his championship winning seven yd slow flight. He quit attempting the air dribble as soon as he finished his slow seven yd flight. The boys made a good effort imitating me but Guateenprince  quit while he was ahead.
 
A long time ago I found out that the problem is consistency, you can be able to do something on a quarter of your attempts, you could be a god a quarter of the time, but at that level of consistency you would be unjustified to attempt  that one quarter of attempts level of success method in an actual game.
 
Takeoff spots randomly chosen today.
 
There must have been 60 very respectable flights reaching 20 yds today, one every two minutes. But I did not feel as if I was being so respectable.
 
It is really tough to attain the consistency I attained today on the wet grassy bumpy field, and to keep up that kind of consistency for 120 minutes without drifting off into inconsistency due to boredom, fatigue, stress. Captain Funn, today's pilot, seems to have the kind of  character it takes to keep consistent for 120 minutes doing something very difficult.
 
Replique
10.1 psi















Thursday 10/12
 
 
Lowell Field Playground
 
corner of Willow & grove
 
Waltham MA
 
410-610 PM

LO, E3 AIR APPROACH TO TARGE

Order of events was:
Reverse of order yesterday
 
A  20 yd run ball off ground kept under control means the last time the ball was touched before it hit the ground was 20 yds from the start. So when I say the flight/run was a 30 yd flight/run  that means I last touched the ball (with a soccer-legal part of my body) before it hit the ground 30 yds from the start.
 
Numbers given approximate did not keep track but reported after every 15 minutes, approximations.
 
Personality used today: captain Relaxo, emphasis in relaxing
 
Approx 1 run/flight per minute today
 
Used right foot STRAIGHT on start today
 
1 LO APPROACH TO TARGET FLIGHT PATTERN-- Used start from behind ball approach today not start at angle on right as with previous two days
 
a 15 min UUU regular -- 80 percent got to target eight yards from start with ball under control not having touched ground. 20 yd average. Not as good as Capt Grim of a couple of dayts ago. Inconsistent first five or so attempts. 3 spectacular runs.
 
b 15 min UUU ext extended--90 percent got to the target 8 yds from the start with ball under control not having touched the ground. Better than 1-a today. Avg flight length 22 yds. 3 spectacular runs
 
c 15 min CCC extended-- 90% got to target 8 yds away with ball not having touched ground and under control.  Avg run/flights 25 yds ball under control off ground.  Better than 1b except for 2-3 aborts, but aborts can be blamed on bad luck when the starting spot is randomly chosen. 3 spectaculars.
 
d 15 min CCC close-- 90% got to target 8 yds from start with ball under control not having touched ground; 25 yd avg run/flight distance before ball hit ground; 5 spectaculars.
 
2 E3
 
a 15 min UUU close--85% reached target 8 yds away ball under control not having touched ground. 25 yds avg length of run up to last kick before ball hits ground. Approx equal to 1a. 2-3 aborts.
 
b 15 min UUU extended--90% reached target 8 yds from start with ball under control not having touched ground.  20 yds avg length of run up to last kick before ball hits ground;4 spectaccolos; 2b>2s; both 2b and 2a not as good as avg LO today on quality of approach to target.
 
c 15 min CCC extended--90% reached target 8 yds away with ball kept off ground, 2c>2b; approx equal to avg LO today; 4 spectaculars
 
d 15 min CCC close-- 85 percent reached target ball not having touched ground under control; 16 yds avg length of run up to last kick before ball hits ground. At this point I was surrounded by 40 shouting boys of various ages and types, right next to me, one playing on one side the other on the other a little distracting. An unusually high number of runs featured the last kick before ball hit the ground being at point  only about 10 yds from start. About 2-3 aborts.
 
The LO was superior today even though it went first before the E3. The ball was under better control upon reaching the target with the LO, there were less runs featuring slow speed of approach to target or meandering course to target.
 
 
.
 
temp today was 66 degrees humidity 83% cloudy; played comfortably in sleeveless t-shirt + shorts.
 
Sunset 607 PM sufficient light till end practice.
 
 
There were about 20 Latin teenagers playing on one side of me, about 30 8 yr old boys with their coaches on the other, and then a few playing with the american type football a few parents watching etc etc. They did not bother me or effect me until I found myself with one game with 20 of them five yds to my right and another with 20 of them 5 yds to my left, with lots of shouting. One of the Latin teenagers invited me to play with them in Spanish. I did not understand him. He was shocked, that I did not speak Spanish. They play at 555 PM. I told them I would start playing with them tommorrow. The practice schedule has to be adjusted so I am not tired out when I play with them; I have to sort out what the leading method is as of now, I do not like to cut a practice short for a little pickup game screws up the record keeping and analysis.
 
Today again I was not choosing smooth spots on the  ground to take off from. Rather, I without looking rolled the ball to the takeoff area and then took  off from whatever spot the ball came to rest. Still it was much better than day before yesterday when I chose the takeoff spots.
 
 
SO today there must have been about 30 spectacular runs, about 60 very respectable ones, again it did not feel like such is what had happened my mind was focusing on my mistakes, how the glass was half empty as opposed to how it was half full.
 
Captain Relaxo seemed to produce a performance that was not a decline from the continuing improvement, but also not more than what one would expect if one was expecting a certain level of continual daily improvement.
 
 

Replique

10.1 psi had declined to 9.5 psi.















10/13/06
BUMPY GRASS FIELD REVIEW
Bumpy grass field summary
 
The time to enter a game on the bumpy grass field draws nigh, thus it is decision-time re method to be used in the game.
 
My estimate as of now for both wet and dry days: the LO and the E3 are approx equal; the ground method should be the #11, ball touched with left foot alternating inside outside of foot skips with right foot; the prime air method  should be LO/CCC close; the secondary air method should be E3/ccc close; the right foot should be slanted outwards on start; the Captain Funn personality should be used; 'war dance' should be used during lulls in game.
 

My review of the bumpy grass field experiences:
 
9/13
I concluded that on this kind of uneven, high-grassed field, the best approach towards the defender is #11, alternating between outside and inside of foot, using only left foot on approach touching the ball every other step, skipping on every step with the right foot.
 
9/15
Thus as of now until I know better, I plan to use the CUU vertical setup combined with the C horizontal setup when taking off with the ball starting an air dribble approaching a defender in a game.
...I mean with right foot slanted outwards indoors for WC06
 
9/15
Due to the uneven grassy field I had to abandon my plan to use the CUU-R vert and the C horizontal on the start. The grassy bumpy field just made everything too unpredictable. I ended up using the UUU-S start, modified so that my right foot was further back before the first part of the first move.
 

10/8
 I remembered that I had so far been using the CCC crouched type of start, out of habit because such is the start I had been using on the concrete surface outdoors basketball court, even though I had earlier determined that the upright UUU type start worked better outdoors on grass. (I mean here, UUU-S right foot straight on start);
 
On this day with the E3, the CCC extended was better than the CCC close or the UUU close for the E3; no conclusion re LO vs E3
 
10/9
E3 first, LO second, E3 better. At 4 points for best of four starts used for each down to one point for worst of four starts used for each, with ties given the same score  the score (current, cumulative) was:
 
1 E3 WINNER WENT FIRST RELAXO
 CCC regular -- 3,3
 CCC extended-- 4,4
 UUU extended--2,2
 UUU regular-- 2,2
 
2 LO
 CCC close--3,3
 CCC extended--4,4
 UUU extended--2,2
 UUU close--3,3
 
10/10 R series GRIM
 
1 E3
 CCC regular -- 4,7
 CCC extended-- 4,4
 UUU extended--3,5
 UUU regular-- 3,5
 
2 LO WINNER WENT FIRST
 CCC close--3,6
 CCC extended--4,8
 UUU extended--3,5
 UUU close--4,7
 
10/11 R series WET FUNN
 
1 E3 WINNER WENT FIRST
 CCC regular -- 3,10
 CCC extended-- 2,6
 UUU extended--2,7
 UUU regular-- 4,9
 
2 LO
 CCC close--4,10
 CCC extended--2,10
 UUU extended--4,9
 UUU close--3,10
 
10/12 S series RELAXO
 
1 E3
 CCC regular -- 1,11
 CCC extended-- 4,10
 UUU extended--3,10
 UUU regular-- 2,11
 
2 LO WINNER WENT FIRST
 CCC close--4,14
 CCC extended--3,13
 UUU extended--2,11
 UUU close--1,11
 

 

















Friday
10/13/06
400-530 PM
6-635 PM
GROUND DRIBBLING DRILLS
 
GAME
 
4-530 pm, ground dribbled at target, using #11 pattern; then shot from approx 22 yds. Shots were hard, fast with both left and right feet. Succeeded in getting off hard shots with 80% effort through flipping the foot and body positioning. I think they were hard enough for actual game conditions. The flick of the foot produces the effect of the ball on takeoff being dragged against the surface less on its way off the ground, and added some extra punch to the kick.
 
Then I drove to Shaw's Supermarket to take a piss in their men's room. I looked good in the men's room mirror; flat embedded fluorescent ceiling lights behind me and to the left of me. I also looked handsome despite contrast exaggeration in the Shaw's surveillance camera, sort of like (what I fancy would be?) the classic Primordial Aryan, like a handsome mix of Russian and Indian.
 
Yet these inexpensive digital still cameras can be hell for me, making me look like a different person in every shot, uglifying me. I figure I've been getting better looking due to getting some sun and  the exercise.
 
About 16 South Americans played a game on an approx 60 yd length field with makeshift goals 3 yds in width; I joined them before they started at 600 PM and played with them till 635 PM. They were South American men in their teens and twenties. When I asked them if I could play a couple of them just sort of looked at me in silence with a bemused look on their face, a slight Mona-Lisa like smile. I could'nt figure out what the look on their face meant; I was thinking, they had probably seen me doing spectacular things during drills. One of them, a guy from Peru said I could play with them. There was at least one Peruvian amongst them.
 
Watching them before the game, I saw how three of them stood in a circle, each about four yds away from each other, and the ball went around the circle three times before it hit the ground!
 
This was  my first game in years; I had become preoccupied with drills practicing air dribbling the ball or simply disinterested in soccer. Right away I could tell this was different from the drills I have been doing in terms of the kind of endurance required.
 
In these games there is alot of sudden change of direction when running; and between fast runs there is jogging not walking. This requires a certain type of endurance, and also simply a certain type of strength, the change of direction while running type of strength (such utilizes a certain set of muscles in a certain way).
 
I knew right away these Latin American guys had an endurance advantage over me. Because of this and because of the fact this was my  first game in years and these were strangers, I dropped back to play defense; and whenever I got the ball I passed it right away to a team-mate.
 
The first touch of the ball for me, a ball rolled at me on the ground, and then because of the bumpy field when it hit my foot it amazingly bounced up over my head, and a defender headed it away! I have had for years very little practice trapping balls rolling towards me on a bumpy grass field. I suppose the foot should be placed above the ball or slightly above the ground when the ball is trapped to guard against weird bump induced behavior. Need a wall or stiff fence adjacent to a grass field to practice such.
 
Out of about six long passes I made, a couple went to players on the other team. It was confusing, keeping track of who was on my team, they wore no jerseys to differentiate themselves, it was in between Sunset and Civil Twilight time. Plus I was over-eager to not screw up and to pass off, this led to passing in too much of a hurry.
 
A team-mate noticed I was getting winded, he said he was getting tired too it was his first game also.
 
These guys were in good shape for this kind of game, they were quick, agile, able to suddenly change direction with the ball well, good at feinting when dribbling, good at shielding the ball when dribbling with it, good at trapping a pass, good at all the things you are good at when you play and practice soccer alot and most of your time on soccer is spent playing in such small field small goal bumpy grass field games. As dribblers compared to me they emphasize feinting shielding and radical change of direction more than I do (all my soccer playing has been in Chicago, Boston area, & India). 
 
There were guys on the other team that to me seemed as good as pros, even as good as World Cuppers representing so called "Banana Republic" nations, when it came to the skill of the small bumpy grass field offensive ground dribbling game. The ball seemed to be tied to their feet when they dribbled.
 
The best dribblers on the field tested me six times, attempting to dribble the ball past me. Every time they attempted this I knocked the ball away from them--but once when I blocked the dribble, the ball bounced back to the dribbler, and after this he thought the better of attempting to dribble past me again. But I still felt embarrassed. 
 
Once as I kicked the ball away from one of them who tried to dribble past me, a team-mate shouted "good!". For the evening I got away with one "good!" and a caution for being out of shape.
 
It reminded me of Harvard freshman team days except these guys were much better offensive dribblers than the Harvard freshman team guys of long ago. The best players of the field, tried to dribble past me and repeatedly failed.
 
I'm too smart now to make that mistake a second time, the mistake of trying to play forward at the beginning, when I should start off as a defender and then gradually move up the chain on up to forward. As a forward I am dependent on strangers passing me the ball, as a defender I will almost always get a few balls coming my way. Forwards have to run harder in these games. 
 
On the plus side, I still have that quickness. the quick reactions, the agility and the instincts that make me good on defense, even against excellent Latin players in the prime of life. Having played in America (where the coaches and players are relatively un-advanced) from the time I was 7 years old, I may not have early on developed great offensive skills but I had the chance to develop defensive instincts.
 
My feeling now is that the conditioning problem is best solved by jogging as much as possible between air dribble and ground dribble practice runs; incorporating change of direction and reverse of direction into ground and air dribble runs; doing conditioning work involving short change of direction and reverse direction sprints interspersed with jogging. I consider myself smarter and more up to date than those who would reccommend that I set myself to running two miles in twelve minutes, which appears to be what they consider the conditioning standard for soccer players--I figure I could run two miles in 25 minutes!
 

 
Replique for drill
 
Their ball for
10.1 psi















Saturday
10/14/06
 
Lowell Field Playground
555-640 PM
 
Oleary Field
7-715 PM


ZIG ZAG
REVERSE DIRECTION
GROUND DRIBBLE
DRILLS--60 minutes
 
Yesterday I noticed that it was not just getting winded, it was also the pain and fatigue produced in my calves, feet and thighs through changes of direction, that impaired my performance in the game with Peru & Co.
 
When I try to run a mile again I have this problem of pain, cramps, in my calves and the soles of my feet.
 
When playing on the Harvard team or trying out for it I vaguely remember pain in the ankles.
 
This might be the condition they call 'Plantar Fasciitis', according to this lady Mary Kay, the I guess wife of Mr. Bose. But I am not sure that is what I have. The great mystery is whether cold should be applied first and then heat or  vice versa I suspect it is cold then heat.
 
The getting winded due to lack of aerobic conditioning and the muscular fatigue or cramps or pain in the soles of the feet, calves and thighs due to lack of anaerobic conditioning seem to exacerbate each other's effects.
 
So it would be simple minded to assert that this is simply a matter of aerobic lack of fitness to be corrected by running two mile runs.
 
The world record speed for swimming about a mile--I swim a mile at about half the world record speed for swimming a mile. But my speed in the running the two mile run, is about only one third of the world record speed for running two miles. You get winded fast when your calves and feet are cramped and in pain and tired.
 
I am flat-footed, I have known that for a long time.
 
So my solution today was to do the #11 with my left foot, alternating between runs in which I would do a zig zag pattern 5 dribbles on each slant, and runs in which I would go for five dribbles in one direction, and then do a 180 degree turn and go for five dribbles in the other direction, on and on like that. I would do both until the cramp and the pain in my right thigh calf and sole of foot became too much and then briefly break.
 
The other half of the time I did the #11 with my right foot doing the zig zag and the reverses. This caused pain and cramps in my LEFT calf sole of foot and thigh.
 
But I was definitely satisfied that I was exercising those muscles that deal with changes of direction and and reversing direction and that are in my body, under-developed for soccer games as in two teams trying to score goals on each other,  as opposed to the kind of individual drills I have been doing.
 
I could tell the zig zag and the reverses were rapidly turning me into a better dribbler. I was impressed by how well I did the #11 zig zag and the #11 reverses using my right foot. The air dribble drills have I think improved not only the right footed shot of the grounded ball, but also the right footed ground dribble, both to the point where they now seem at least as good as the left footed versions although previous to the air dribble drills the right footed versions definitely seemed only about half as good as the left footed ones.
 
I was hoping to join a game of Latin Americans at the Lowell Field; I was surprised there was no such game. There was just three of them passing the ball to each other.
 
I checked the Warren Field in W Newton and the Newton North field, they are nearby two teams in organized leagues have their home fields there but there was nobody playing there. There was also nobody at the Halloran field in Newton. Lowell Field in Waltham is the hot spot for soccer around here.
 
My plan is to combine:
 
1 LO CCC close air dribble at target
2 E3 CCC close air dribble at target
3 #11 Ground dribbles at target followed by 20 yd shots
4 #11 Ground dribbles in Zig Zag and Reverse Direction patterns
 
When I get to the point where I can jog instead of walk between the zig- zag/reverse-direction #11 pattern ground runs, I will be developing not just anaerobic endurance but also aerobic endurance.
 
 
 
 

Replique
10.1 psi















Sunday
10/15/06
 
Lowell Field Playground
 
430-520 PM drills
 
520-640 PM game
 
 


GROUND DRIBBLE CONDITIONING DRILLS - 50 minutes
 
GAME--80 minutes
 
The Ground dribble conditioning drill done today:
 
1 Left footed #11 pattern
a 5 mins -- alternating zig zag and 180 degree turns, forward dribble
b 5 mins -- alternating zig zag and 180 degree turns, sideways dribble
c 5 mins -- alternating zig zag and 180 degree turns, backwards dribble
2 Right footed #11 pattern
a 5 mins -- alternating zig zag and 180 degree turns, forward dribble
b 5 mins -- alternating zig zag and 180 degree turns, sideways dribble
c 5 mins -- alternating zig zag and 180 degree turns, backwards dribble
3 Left footed #11 pattern
a 5 mins -- alternating zig zag and 180 degree turns, forward dribble
b 5 mins -- alternating zig zag and 180 degree turns, sideways dribble
c 5 mins -- alternating zig zag and 180 degree turns, backwards dribble
 
By sideways pattern I mean that I moved with my body facing in a direction perpendicular to, at right angles to, the direction my body moved. Moving left on this the left foot would be used; moving right the right foot would be used.
 
Moving backwards the #11 style skip with the foot was not used, but a pattern did develop, hard to describe what this pattern was. Moving backward my back faced in the direction I dribbled.
 
Each ground dribble run in these drills lasted about 30 seconds, until the pain began to build in the calves, the soles of the feet, and the thigh. After each run the pain in the thighs and the calves would subside first, then more slowly the pain/cramp in the soles of the feet. Then I would go on with the next run till the calves and feet hurt too much, stop until the pain went away, and so on and so forth.
 
I felt doing these drills that I was developing the strength/endurance I have been lacking for change of direction and reverse direction in runs; I felt my level of speed quickness ball control improving.
 
In the game I felt as if my level of endurance was fifty percent better at least than it was in the game on Friday. The entire game I did not get pain in the calves or the feet once, although I often felt such pain in the first game.
 
This game was played using wooden goals complete with crossbar and goalposts and net, that were miniature. The goal was approx 4 yds wide and 8 feet high. The game was a five on five with no goalies. The field was about 60 yds long and 40 yds wide.
 
The short brown Guatemalan guy, who looked like an amiable Chinese with somewhat of a beard and mustache, and who was wearing a blue and white Guatemala uniform, complete with high red soccer socks and shin pads and soccer shoes, invited me over to play with them. He wanted me on his team. He had seen my practicing ground dribbling that day. During the game he said most of the players were from Guatemala.
 
I started out playing defense with him. Then I was the guy furthest back on defense. The score got to be 12-4 our favor. Then they began to score some goals. Then this guy on my team wanted me to go up to play halfback or forward while he dropped back--I suppose he thought this would reduce the level of goals the other team was scoring but it did not. Then the guy sent me back to play defense again. We ended up winning 20-10. I did not score a goal, I was not focused on scoring a goal.
 
About five times, the other team got the ball past me and into the goal. It was a weird situation, attempting to guard this big goal without using the hands, without any goalie in the goal. You could not just stand in the goal and wait. Yet charging the player dribbling the ball towards you was risky too he just had to shoot it by you and there would be a goal.
 
I reduced the number of goals scored on me after I realized that when you are the main defender and there is no goalie and the goal is big, you have to charge the offensive player who has the ball, and take the ball away from him or force him to pass the ball into an inferior position on the field or force him to flub a shot or get his shot blocked.
 
I flubbed a few long chip passes that I attempted. It really shocked me. The ball we were using was typical of the kind of balls these Latin Americans out at Lowell Field Park and elswhere use. It was so underinflated that I would guess it would not be a legal ball in competition; it had a soft cushiony sponge like skin like you find on furniture and in car interiors. It was smaller than the Adidas Replique (replica of official 2006 World Cup ball) perhaps at least in part because of the underinflation.
 
I was amazed at how when I kicked their ball it did not travel nearly as far as the Replique. With my Adidas Powerline All-purpose shoes with the 1.5" thick soles, I was shocking myself at my inability to chip this ball. I would aim for a point 30 yds away in fighter pilot lingo at eleven o'clock; the ball would end up at twelve oclock 20 yards away, and vertically about 10 feet lower than I intended. Seemed I was giving the ball a glancing blow hitting it on its left side spinning and curving it, when I would produce these inaccurate attempted chips.  
 
I wanted to give up on chipping the ball but I could not resist the temptation to keep attempting the chip and finally got a chip where I intended it--I take this as an indication the spirit of the game is coming back to me, the stubbornly persisting in a failed maneuver and finally succeeding.  Overall about only a third of my attempted long distance chip passes went where I wanted them to.
 
On the positive side:
 
I blocked several of their attempts to score goals,  like a goalie who is not allowed to use his hands. This was difficult, it required quick reflexes, quick movement of the body, intelligent positioning of the body on the field.
 
The Guatemalans  on the other team did not have success that I can recall, in attempting to dribble the ball by me. Their successes were in scoring goals, when I was the only thing between them and the goal, by shooting the ball by me, this mostly before I realized that you have to charge these guys when they have the ball and you are the only thing between them and the goal there being no goalie.
 
I kicked several long passes of 25-30 yds that were intelligent, accurate, and well placed, on some of these I even managed to chip the ball up to altitude despite the Adidas Powerpoint shoe incompatibility with the Latin American style ball they were using. I got off a long high perfectly placed 35 yd chip pass utilizing the momentum of the ball rolling towards me to chip it up.
 
I showed poise when in possession of the ball; froze defenders by moving AT them, dribbled through a couple of the defenders once; I felt very competent, confident, and un-fatigued when dribbling  the ball at 60 minutes into the 80 minute game we played. I'm sure if I continue to improve via my new anaerobic conditioning for games program that I have devised, and continue to get to play in games, the offensive fireworks will start to manifest in my play. I am just beginning to get the feel of the game back, beginning to re-learn the spirit and the instincts of the game, not to mention the endurance and strength of the type required for playing in games as opposed to doing individual drills.
 
I was beginning to get a feel for the fact that although these Latin Americans, one of them said they were mostly Guatemalans, were compared to me cunning and instinctive about dribbling the ball, I was compared to them, quick, fast, big, strong, and would be able to take advantage of such advantages eventually as I got used to playing--it's like getting used to the cold water of a pool when you go swimming.
 
You get used to the cold water of a pool in five or ten minutes; but as for me I am still gradually getting to the point that is analagous to being comfortable in a cool pool when swimming, after 35+80=115 minutes of game time. But I can feel myself gradually getting to that point where I feel something analagous to having gotten used to the cool water in the pool.
 
Several times I charged the Latin Guatemalans and knocked the ball away from them or took control of it. Some of them wore shin pads, I did not, but I did not show any hesitancy or fear charging them. I noticed that I was able to take advantage of my advantage in terms of quickness in moving the torso and the legs, and in terms of the general strength and size of my body, to take possession of the ball, take it away from Latins who were dribbling it.
 
The Guatemalan Latins do not seem to rest as heavily on the ground as I do so I can overpower them when taking the ball away from them when they are dribbling it. The short, light body in a player provides certain advantages when it comes to dribbling the ball,  but such has its disadvantages also. Likewise the relatively tall heavy body has its advantages it would be wise to understand how to take advantage of such advantage-disadvantages. I suppose the idea is that one with a weight and height and reach advantage should not be scared to mix it up at close range, despite the apparent instinctive cunning of the lighter shorter Latins.
 
The kind of drills I have done have failed to improve strength in certain ways in me, but in other ways they have undoubtedly made me physically stronger. I found I was able to using my torso and my legs to overpower the Guatemalan Latins when contesting balls with them. I expect I shall be able to take advantage of this ability to overpower them on offense when I start going on the offensive.
 
About 70 minutes into the game I fell as I passed the ball to a team-mate, after I charged and stole the ball from one of the Guatins. I was hobbled for 10 minutes and in some pain but after ten minutes I was back to normal.
 
So far I feel vindicated that the new anaerobic conditioning program that I did 60 minutes of yesterday and 50 minutes of today, is building endurance in me better than jogging two miles would. Maybe part of what the new anaerobic conditioning program is doing, is stretching and relaxing the muscles that end up getting cramped and painful through the constant changes of direction that you have in games but not in certain drills.
 
The whole thing feels like being on the Harvard freshman soccer team, gradually getting used to the game, gradually getting stronger and more competent. It takes a while for me to get used to playing a game that I have not played in 9 months, which is what can happen when you play soccer only in the fall. It takes even longer to get used to a game when you have not played it in years.
 
The game today reminded me more of Harvard College than of high school in Chicago. In high school in Chicago I did not have that feeling of improving during a given fall season in skill and in strength like I did at Harvard; there was a big change in me in terms of speed and strength between high school and college.
 
At college, you got all you can eat meals three times a day, so you built up strength in muscles that you exercised more than you might depending on a morose, nagging mother.
 
One of the guys on my team thought I was tired today. He said he himself was not tired.
 
These Guatemalans were very quiet during the game. Rarely did they make any excuses, or criticize or complement anyone. Occasionally they would fire off rapidly spoken low volume sentences of words to each other.
 
Replique
10.1 psi















Monday
10/16/06
 
Lowell Field Playground
 
515- 555 PM drills
 
600-640 PM game
 
OLeary Field
Ground conditioning drills
810-935 PM

 
 

GROUND DRIBBLING CONDITIONING DRILLS
 
GAME AS GOALIE
 
I was doing some ground conditioning drills, the Latin Americans had a game one of them invited me over to play with them. Then one of them, a short slightly fat older clean shave guy, relegated me to play goalie, he told me to play goalie and I did. Only today he, this guy I had not seen before, said to play goalie with my hands like a normal goalie.
 
Thus it was not like a fullback defender workout, it was a goalie workout, I was dissappointed, I will never be a good goalie. The furthest back defender on the other team did not play using his hands he played like a defender. Henceforth I will simply not use my hands and play like a defender if they put me back at goalie.
 
The other team won today scoring at least half a dozen goals. Seemed I was more effective preventing goals the other day playing without hands as a defender as opposed to today with hands as a goalie. I have never played goalie in a formal game, rarely in informal ones.
 
I skipped running at the opposing players and diving on the ball like a red blooded goalie. I blocked some shots, dived to the left or right sometimes succesfully, but I found that the reflexes and the strategy needed to play goalie are not developed in 15 minutes even if you are quick with your feet. T
 
This guy who played yesterday who never dribbled by me-none of them ever has--was today a dominant force, dribbling by the defenders firing on me from 10 yds, he was much more effective today than he was when I was out playing without using hands like a fullback. I made the mistake today of asking a team-mate if I should use my hands he said yes. I general the players on the other team seemed significantly less disrupted, more cocky and confident, with me playing as a goalie using his hands as opposed to as a sweeper type defender.
 
The other team was getting in repreatedly to less than 12 yds away, 10 yds away, six yds away etc and shooting it was hard to stop their shots. Their shots hurt when they hit the hands. The fact is these shots from 12 yds as in the penalty shootouts rarely fail to result in a score.
 
I repeatedly had trouble chipping their ball what with my high soled Adidas Powerpoint cross-trainer shoes, though I have no trouble chipping the Replique ball. After the game I found at home a ball resembling the type they Latin Ams use and underinflated it getting it to the level of softness the Latin Ams have their balls at, and used it to do 85 more minutes of ground drills. The inflation of this ball, which I carefullyt inflated to the level approximately the Latin Ams seem to inflate their balls to, is at only 5.0 psi! That is less than the psi range legally allowed in games I think it is a minimum 8.7 psi for official games according to FIFA rules. I inflate the Replique to 10.1 psi I think this is the psi level that is an average between that recommended for the Replique and the average between the low and the high in the officially FIFA tolerated psi range.
 
The more I watch these guys the less they intimidate me as I get used to them and to the playing in a game. At first, to someone who has been out of actual games and doing only individual drills, the way people used to playing in games function in games compared to the self, seems kind of magical and wizard-like.
 
The Latin Ams really got a kick out of firing away at a goalie who played like a goalie, using his hands. None of the Latin Ams like to play goalie the most they will do is play as a fullback who is furthest back and does not use his hands. Me playing goalie of the normal type  made them look like St  Jorge vanquishing the dragon, but it was not fun or useful for me.
 
The ground dribbling conditioning drills today were:
 
'Ball lead' means the ball is in between the body and the direction the body is moving during the dribble
 
Body lead means the body is kept in between the ball and the direction the ball is moving.
 
Sideways dribble means I move without the left foot crossing over in front of the right foot or the right foot crossing over in front of the left foot
 
'180 degree turns' means I dribble 10 yds, make 180 degree turn, dribble ten yds, make another 180 turn e tc.
 
Alternate left and right attack sets means first I face a towel on the ground symbolizing a defender with the ball to the defender's right, dance around the ball without moving it as if intending to go in this or that direction. Then I move the ball to the defender's left and do the same thing, and so on and forth.
 
#11 pattern used unless noted
 
1  15 mins -- alternating zig zag and 180 degree turns, forward dribble, ball lead, left footed
 
2  15 mins -- alternating zig zag and 180 degree turns, forward dribble, body lead, left and right footed
 
3  15 mins -- alternating zig zag and 180 degree turns, sideways dribble, (both left and right foot used), ball lead
 
4  15 mins -- alternating zig zag and 180 degree turns, sideways dribble, (both left and right foot used), body lead
 
5  15 mins -- alternating zig zag and 180 degree turns, backwards dribble, left footed, ball lead, #11 not used
 
6  5 mins -- alternating zig zag and 180 degree turns, backwards dribble, left footed, body lead, #11 not used
 
7  10 mins -- alternating left and right attack sets, #11 not used
 
8  10 mins -- alternating zig zag and 180 degree turns, forward dribble, ball lead, right footed
 
9  10 mins -- alternating zig zag and 180 degree turns, backwards dribble, right footed,  body lead #11 not used
 
10  10 mins -- alternating zig zag and 180 degree turns, backwards dribble, right footed, ball lead #11 not used
 
Today of the ten above #5, and #7 were really tough, I think they were new ones not done before. My endurance in these drills is rapidly improving I can keep going for a much longer time before the pain in the calves feet etc becomes too great, compared to one or two days ago.
 
Today I did a couple minutes of stretching the soles of the feet placing the front of the sole on a ledge not sure how much this helped.
 
 I think the improvement in terms of ability to continue a reversing directions or zig zag run longer without pain in the calves/feet is due to a combo of increased strength,  a loosening stretching effect, and improvement in the anaerobic system's ability to support the use of the muscles in question. I doubt two days is enough to actually increase the physical strength of the heretofore little used muscles that these drills are exercising.
 
I did the last 85 mins of the conditioning drills using a Latin American style ball that I underinflated I want to use this ball to practice chips so I can chip in the Latin games, I also want to look around see if I have better shoes to use.
 
There was an attractive looking team of teenage white females out there playing while I was doing the drills before the game. But they were just ground conditioning drills not air dribble drills.
 
Weird how these Latin Am players seem to act as if they had never seen me do anything spectacular though I have this month done spectacular things hundreds of times on the aerial dribble at this Lowell field where they play.

Replique
 
Nike T-90 Radiant

10.1 psi
5 psi















Tuesday
10/17/06
 
Lowell Field Playground
 
455-655 PM chip drills



CHIP PASS/SHOT DRILLS
 
ADIDAS POWERPOINT SHOE REPLACED WITH PUMA CAPTAIN NEMO INDOOR SOCCER SHOE
 
 
I decided to practice chips using a Latin Am style ball, and my indoor soccer shoes instead of the thick toed thick soled cross-trainers. From the very first chip I noticed a radical improvement in my ability to chip the ball, even though the Latin Am style thick spongy skinned ball at 6.5 psi is not as good for chipping as the Replique at 10.1 psi.
 
It was drizzling the entire time, in the last 45 minutes of the practice the darkness got greater and greater.
 
I started off testing my ability to chip to various heights/distances.
 
I found that at distances from 2 to 11 yards I can chip the ball as it sits stationary on the ground, over the seven foot high crossbar of the miniature goal; at 1 yd I can flip it over the seven foot high crossbar this is not the same as kicking it over.
 
I found that at distances of 4 to 13 yds, I can chip the stationary ball over the 12 foot high fence behind the goal.
 
Next I decided to practice by attempting to chip the ball at the fence, aiming for one of the 3 inch wide vertical posts in the fence, aiming to hit the vertical post I chose for a target at a point above the six foot high horizontal pole in the fence.
 
I would attempt this, let the ball roll to wherever it would become still on the rebound, attempt again, and so forth. The ground was bumpy and grassy but I felt I should just let the ball roll to wherever it would roll, so long as this was to a spot at least four yards from the fence.
 
I recorded the number of times I hit the vertical 3 inch wide post I was aiming for (there were several of them about 10 feet from each other), at a height of greater than six feet, and the distance the ball traveled before it hit the post. The results were as follows, each number represents a successful hit on the three inch wide post and the distance in yds from which it was hit:
 
6, 4, 4, 4, 14, 4, 6, 5, 7, 4, 4, 7, 7, 4, 8, 6, 6,
 
Total 17 hits in 55 minutes, one every 3.2 minutes; average hit, 5.9 yds; 4 yds 7 hits; 5 yds 1 hit; 6 yds 4 hits; 7 yds 3 hits; 8 yds 1 hit; 14 yds 1 hit. 55 miinutes includes time kept keeping track of the stats. It was common that the ball would miss the vertical post by no more than the width of a ball.
 
Some of these chip passes aimed at these posts, traveled like powerful shots on goal. I expect that practicing chips will improve my shot.
 
Compared to the way I was when I had been embarrassing myself amongst the Latin Ams, I was 1000% improved today when it comes to chips. But it was all the problem of the Adidas Powerpoint shoes--which are useful in that they keep the feet from hurting when air dribble runs are practiced on hard surfaces--were too thick toed and thick soled to allow quality chipping with the Latin Am style ball.
 
It would be interesting to see what a math whiz would make of these chip at the pole results. To me the results  mean I can chip the ball over a defender who is from 3 to 14 yds away with accuracy. Since the ball was not coming downwards vertically at the point of the hits on the poles, assuming the distance the ball travels on its way down is 2/3 of the distance it travels on its way up, the results tell me I can chip accurately to team-mates who are 3 to 20 yds away from me, getting the ball over anyone who is in the way. This is what these results tell me, but I know that I can chip accurately to farther than 20 yds.
 
Retrospectively I regret not switching balls and shoes earlier to improve performance when playing with the Latin Ams. I was a left wing in high school, I have always had a very good chip pass capability; it seems hard to describe to a non-athlete, what it feels like when your bread and butter skill in your favorite sport the sport you play better than the other sports, suddenly evaporates. I feel like often in my life people have been impatient and critical with me when the problem has been things like a certain shoe not combining with a certain ball well.
 
I suppose the last few evenings I did not want to change from the Adidas Powerpoint shoes I had done air dribbling miracles in, and kept telling myself that the chips being off had to do with doing something new, chipping in a game, as opposed to equipment.
 
This leads to the soccer shoe purchase problem, I do not even have any 'cleats', that is how long I have been away from the grass outdoor fields in terms of practicing and playing soccer.
 
In a right triangle, the length of the side opposite the angle in question, divided by the length of the side adjacent to the angle in question, is equal to the tangent of the angle in question, when the side opposite the angle in question and the side adjacent the angle in question, are perpendicular. The degrees of the angle in question, is equal to the inverse tangent, which is also called the arctangent, arc tangent, and arctan. The inverse tangent is determined via calculators online calculators do not seem to determine inverse tangents.
 
Amazing how using the internet it seems the most simple math explanations are obfuscated due to failure to define terms, lack of agreement re what a term means, multiple terms used to describe the same thing. You can see how confused even Mt Holyoke College ("As the first of the Seven Sisters—the female equivalent of the once predominantly male Ivy League—Mount Holyoke established higher education for women as a serious endeavor") students get at http://www.mtholyoke.edu/~mpeterso/classes/math101/jitt10ans.html.
 
 
Thus since I got the ball to a height of 7 feet from 6 feet away, the inverse tangent of the tangent which is 7/6=1.17, is 49.5 degrees as you can see in the following link:
 
For a height of 12 feet at a length of 12 feet the tangent is 1.0 which is 45 degrees of course.
 
Best math review I could find:

In the photo below you can see how my highest angle on chips today compares with Ronaldinho in the photo below:
 
angles comparison photo
 

Nike T90 Radiant

6.5 psi















10/18/06
130-630 PM
BREAK
BUYING SOCCER SHOES
 
ANNOYING UNNECESSARY AGGRAVATIONS ENDURED WHILE BUYING A PAIR OF SOCCER SHOES
 
I checked the internet for soccer shoes. Did not have time to have them mailed to me.  Olympia Sports in Cambridge said they had three different indoor soccer shoes in stock.
 
I was thinking of getting indoor shoes because then I could use the indoor shoe outdoors and also indoors and have the advantage of one pair of shoes being used all the time. My idea was that I would for example then be able to practice the chip shot on indoor shoe type surfaces, as well as on outdoors field surfaces.
 
But later I got to thinking: all the techniques I use in outdoors grass field games, can also be practiced on outdoors grass fields; and there is less need for the chip pass (chip passes are performed better with soccer shoes as opposed to the Adidas Powerpoint Cross-trainers I have been using on concrete and wood basketball surfaces) in the games played on the hard concrete or wood surfaces.
 
I got to Olympia Sports in Cambridge, there I decided to get the Adidas Bracara indoor shoes--Adidas produces an Adidas Bracara outdoors cleats shoe that is like an identical twin of the indoors version, which is an advantage when practicing on both natural grass and also wood or concrete surfaces, because then you wear basically the same shoe on both grass and on wood basketball courts, when you have both versions.
 
 Turned out they did not have it in my size. AGGRAVATION #1 I guess I should have asked them if they had it in my size. The nearest place which had the Bracara indoors version in my size was a long way away. AGGRAVATION #2
 
 
I then decided to settle on $20 outdoors cleats named Danora or something like that, to start with in the emergency that this has become, idea being go on and get the carefully chosen more expensive shoes later. The store did not have these in my size either. AGGRAVATION #3
 
Then I decided to get the Adidas Bracara outdoors cleated shoe. The store did not have these in my size either, this is the middle of the soccer season in the US. AGGRAVATION #4 I was thinking they should have told me about them not having the shoes in the common size of ten and a half.
 
The people working at the store were, two short thin black guys, and a short heavier guy who looked like a white skinned black type who was the manager trainee. They all looked like teenagers. I was thinking, I have a few times applied for jobs at these kinds of stores when I was in my twenties and afterwards, and not gotten a job. AGGRAVATION #5
 
I had to drive on to Mystic Valley Pkwy. Got to a big important rotary and the signs were insufficient. AGGRAVATION #6 Got on to something called Fresh Pond Parkway. Did not know if I was on the correct street. Had to stop to find out that Fresh Pond Parkway turns into Mystic Valley Parkway. AGGRAVATION #7
 
In general seemed they always have the signs up at the unimportant intersections, they never have enough signs at the important intersections and roads. AGGRAVATION #8
 
There was a sign on Mystic Valley Pkwy saying this direction for Mystic Ave. Of course I figured to stay on the Mystic Valley Pkwy I should take this exit to Mystic Ave. I guessed wrong as it turned out. Mystic Ave and Mystic Valley Pkwy are two different things. AGGRAVATION #9
 
I asked a white normal-length -black-haired clean shaven young man, who ws about five feet eigh inches tall, a couple of inches shorter than me, who was of average build, and who worked at the gas station as I could tell from his blue and white gas station uniform shirt, where Mystic Valley Pkwy was. In a deep tone of voice he said "No!" It was unbelievable. He worked at a gas station on Mystic Ave., about 100 yds from Mystic Valley Pkwy, he did not know where Mystic Valley Pkwy was. AGGRAVATION #1 0
 
In his tone of voice he reminded me of  the Spanish national team pro Fernando Torres, when Torres said, "Mo...we're not good", when he was interviewed on TV during the 2006 World Cup. AGGRAVATION #11 Mo is this radio announcer who has been muttering, giving me a hard time about my choices in women (I used to have a habit of reading speeches into the Media telephone answering machines).
 
This reminded me of how day before yesterday when I was playing with the Latin Ams, embarrassing myself through my crosstrainer shoe produced inability to chip the ball, when I asked this white Latin Am black hair in a pony tail clean shaven pretty boy of about five feet seven inches in height, and moderate build if he was from Guatemala, in a deep loud tone of voice resembling Fernando's famous "Mo!...", he said "No!". AGGRAVATION #1 2
 
It also reminded me of how the same evening when I asked the white normal-length-brown-hair Latin Am clean shaven handsome upper class looking Latin Am guy who as about five ten inches tall and of average build, if the ball he had after the game was the ball that had been used in the game, he said, "No!", again it sounded just like Fernando saying "Mo!...". AGGRAVATION #1 3
 
I got back on Mystic Valley Pkwy and got to the shopping mall. There was no sign up saying the address of the shopping mall was the address given me by the store. AGGRAVATION #1 4
 
There was no sign on the shopping mall building saying what damned stores were in the damned building. AGGRAVATION #1 5
 
I finally found the store and bought the shoes. It seemed it took an eternity for the short brown saleswoman to find the ones in my size. I was freaking out, thinking that they had flubbed up, sent me through an hour of driving torture to get to a store that again did not have the shoes in my size. AGGRAVATION #1 6
 
Looking at her I was thinking of the times I had as a college grad applied to the kinds of stores she was working in. AGGRAVATION #1 7
 
On the way back I made a wrong turn, because there were insufficient signs at the big gigantic rotary. AGGRAVATION #1 8
 
Then I found Rte 60 which I wanted to take to get home. On Rte 60 there was a sign pointing away from Rte 60 saying due to construction this is the detour. I was going to follow the detour sign when I saw another car plow ahead on Rte 60 ignoring the detour sign and followed it. Turns out I did not need to take the lengthy time consuming, mental-driving-energy-consuming detour. AGGRAVATION #1 9
 
Further on down Rte 60, there were three more of these big detour signs that made it seemed I needed to follow a detour, as it turned out I did not need to follow the detour. AGGRAVATION #20 AGGRAVATION #21 AGGRAVATION #22
 
The entire time I had to deal with a few overly timid drivers. AGGRAVATION #23 AGGRAVATION #24 AGGRAVATION #25
 
I also encountered a few reckless drivers. Seems there are too many reckless drivers, and also too many timid drivers. AGGRAVATION #26 AGGRAVATION #27 AGGRAVATION #28
 
The whole project of buying the shoes took about four hours when it should have taken one hour. AGGRAVATION #29
 
I was appalled at all the aggravations I had to endure while buying the shoes. AGGRAVATION #30
 
I kept imagining these nice white feminine Massachusetts bureaucrats who I imagined responsible for many of these aggravations, as well as the aggravation of having to play on a bumpy field; AGGRAVATION #31 I could not help imagining taking them by throat and strangling them.
 
The whole traffic system seemed crazy, incredibly congested roads and intersections. AGGRAVATION #32 AGGRAVATION #33 AGGRAVATION #34

Honda Element
















 
Thursday
10/19/06
 
Lowell Field Playground
 
525-545 PM chip drills
 
545-640 PM game


CHIPPING PRACTICE
 
GAME
 
FIRST DAY WITH THE NEW ADIDAS BRACARA CLEATS
 
UP TILL NOW FLAT SOLED SHOES HAVE BEEN USED

I got to the field wearing the Adidas Bracara cleats and started chipping the ball against the fence as I had day before yesterday. I was not counting, but the accuracy was not  as good as with the Puma Captain Nemo indoor soccer shoes that I used Oct 17 for the scored chip practice. The Captain Nemos were not made for outdoors use, they were falling apart before the Oct 17 practice which killed them (the cobbler said they are not worth repairing), but I had practiced many times using them. An "improvement" in equipment, does not always produce immediate improvement in play, when you are used to the old 'inferior' equipment.
 
Compared to the Puma Captain Nemo indoors shoes and the Adidas powerpoint cross-trainers, the Adidas Bracara cleated soccer shoes are narrower in the area where the right toe and the base of the right toe is; and the soles of the Bracara cleats have much stiffer soles, plastic soles as opposed to rubber.
 
As soon as I began chipping the ball with the Bracara cleats I realized that: you can get more power into your shot for a given amount of effort with the cleats compared to flat soled shoes when outdoors; you begin to kick more like a typical soccer player when you wear cleats; you approach the ball more from the side when you wear cleats.
 
The game with the Latin Ams started, I joined it. This time there was a white North european type guy playing with us. Right away, I felt like half the progress I had made in terms of developing endurance which reduced the pains I would feel in my calves and in my feet, had disappeared--I think this is because I was not used to the new shoes.
 
In the first five minutes of the game, this Latin Am guy ran my direction chasing a ball that was rolling in front of him. I kicked the ball to his right, ran forward to his left, joined up with the ball again in so doing beating him, and chipped the ball at least 25 yds downfield accurately to an open team-mate. This is the second time I have beaten one of them on the dribble.
 
Generally speaking I was today able to chip the ball much better than I was using the Adidas Cross training Powerpoints, but not as well as I did using the indoors Puma Capt Nemo shoes out on the grass a couple of days ago.
 
The worst embarrasment of the evening came as I kicked a ball an opponent was dribbling, but it bounced right back to him and he shot and scored. They never get by me, but sometimes when I kick the ball as they are dribbling it, the ball luckily bounces back to them.
 
The entire game, it was like 3 on 2, 4 on 2, 5 on 2, the opposing team on offense coming at us always had us outnumbered. Latin Ams hate playing defense almost as much as they hate playing goalie.
 
Early on my fellow defender said to me, "Ya, you're good!". And he said, "Ya, I'm defense", in a macho deep decisive tone of voice, as if he was noting that I had settled into developing an identity, playing defense. And the goalie of our team, who was short but white in the face with a black beard and who looked like a classic Spanish Conquistador--I think he said, "I like you".
 
Relatively speaking, my good-play/mistake-failure ratio is higher than most anyone out there, even if the folks out there score more goals, do more flashy things.
 
As soon as the game started my team sort of allowed me the left fullback position--maybe they saw me practicing chips with my left foot before the game. Throughout the game, the area where I was playing was sort of empty of players; seems a good fullback, which I already am, sort of acts as a kind of insect repellant, the insects being the players on the other team. Such good fullbacks also act as in insect disturber so to speak, they have a psychologically disruptive impact beyond the radius in which they are physically effective.
 
Throughout the game I kicked the ball away innumerable times, blocked many shots, intercepted many passes. Many times I hit team-mates with accurate long passes. Never did I attempt to take someone on the dribble and fail. As a matter of fact throughout all the games I have never failed attempting to dribble by someone. Score on dribbling by so far this season: me 2, Latin Ams 0.
 
Seemed that wearing the soccer shoes with the cleats, somehow helped nrutre  the process whereinmy soccer instincts that I developed through years of playing in my youth return to me.  Significantly more than 50 percent of the time, when I kicked away the ball without having any chance to assess where my team-mates were, or having had only a tiny fraction of a second to look and see where the team-mates were, when I kicked the ball, the ball went to a team-mate as opposed to a defender. That is instinct.
 
I was moving more like a soccer player this evening, kicking more like a soccer player, falling and sliding more like a soccer player--I think it had to do with wearing cleats, which I wore when playing in high school and college--the cleats seemed to help revive the spirit of the game in me, they seemed to help my body and my mind to remember all the soccer lessons I had learned when I played the game alot more than I did for years after those soccer-filled days.
 
Several times I intercepted the ball, and then immediately executed an accurate long pass to a team-mate. Today I stole the ball less from offensive players than is usual though.
 
In the end the score of the game was 3-3, a tie.
 
One of the two or three best guys out on the field, the "Guateenprince", must have had the ball stolen from him a dozen times, 90 percent of his attempts to dribble by the defense failed today. But he just kept on trying to beat the defenders on the dribble--and nobody criticized him. Guateenprince is one of the tallest of the Latin Ams at five feet nine inches. He is athletic and young and wears a baseball cap backwards. He is the guy who is the world champ around where I play aside from me when it comes to air dribbling the ball; I mentioned him in an earlier post on this page.
 
I was positioning myself well--the Latin Ams, as unpredictable as they can be when they are individual attacking offensive dribblers, are quite predictable when it comes to their teamwork.
 
The weakness I noted in myself, was that the Latin Ams are ahead of me when it comes to shielding the ball from the defense when they dribble it. See, throughout high school and college nobody every taught me how to shield the ball. This produces a certain lack of confidence in me, when I am in possession of the ball--I can appear to be trigger happy re passing off or shooting. 
 
 When the Latin Ams shield the ball from the defender, they do alot of: changes of direction; fake changes of direction involving stepping over the ball, stop and goes involving stopping the ball and then proceeding on in the direction they were going to begin with.
 
I hit a ball that had traveled high and far as it came in my direction before it hit the ground, air-volleyed it, it was a reasonably accurate volley, better than when I did this once approx three days ago.
 
I am still getting somewhat winded by these games.
 
Getting better at taking into account that balls that bounce or roll at you on these bumpy grass fields, have to be treated with special care because of the eccentric nature of the movement of the ball.
 
About 635 PM it was so dark I was the first one to leave. Then when I drove around the field after leaving, I noticed that all of a sudden they had left too. It made me feel like a leader.
 
Seems getting some of the long socks with shin pads, would help me to win some of the scuffles for the ball--because, the entire area of the leg from the ankle on up to the knee, becomes a much thicker cylinder when the long socks and the shin pads they contain are worn. This results in victories in stealing the ball.
 
Actually today it did seem this evening that the guys who wore the long socks with the shin pads had an advantage, and the guys like me with must normal basketball socks no shin-pads a disadvantage, in situations such as: scuffles for the ball, one player attempting to dribble by another player.
 
I believe this socks and shin pads advantage was not due the wearers of the socks/shin-pads being braver in the game, but rather to the enhanced diameter of the cylinder constituting the area between the ankle and the knee.
 
Guateenprince was not wearing long-socks/shin-pads and he repeatedly had the ball taken from him when attempting to dribble by a shorter Latin Am who wore long soccer-socks containing shin pads.
 
I think I have to get better at preventing the stresses of life such as cantankerous trust fund trustees, from tiring me out so that I practice less. Seems athletes underestimate the effect such non-sports abilities have on their performance in sports.
 
 
 

Nike T90 Radiant in practice
 
??? in game

6.5 psi















Friday
10/20/06
 
Lowell Field Playground
 
440-615 PM shielding, chip drills
 
 



SHIELDING BALL-CHIP DRILLS
 
Last night I had this dream in which I faked kicking the ball, then pushed the ball outwards in the direction opposite from which my foot would swing to when I kicked it. I read about this move studying soccer moves on the internet. The point of it is, I suppose, that if for example I am kicking the ball with my left foot to my right, then when I kick the ball the ball will go to my right and if I use the same motion to dribble instead the ball will go to my right so after faking such a kick I should push the ball out to my left.
 
This dream influenced my choice of drill today. Today the drill was to dribble as if  shielding the ball from the defense 4 dribbles to the left, then 4 dribbles to the right, then 4 dribbles to the left, then 4 dribbles to the right, then fake a shot, then push the ball outwards to the side opposite to the side my foot would follow through to if I shot the ball, and then after one dribble immediately, quickly, shoot with my right foot at a pole chosen for a target on the fence. I reversed this half the time to end up shooting at the fence pole with my left. This was on bumpy ground. I varied between shooting at the fence from approx 5 yds, shooting at the fence from approx 10 yds, shooting at the fence from approx 15 yds. I would aim to shoot from 5 10 or 15 but sometimes the shot would get off from a little closer to the fence.
 
I have come to realize that one must never  cease to be inventive thoughtful and  clever when it comes to devising drills. Seems part of this war on drugs thing, which involves somewhat of a battle against marijuana, is that people become weak in the areas they are strong in when they consume marijuana--people become sort of stupidly thoughtless.
 
I call this drill the S-FC-C for shield-fake chip-chip; in the following notation, L5 means I would end up chipping at the pole on the fence from 5 yds after doing the zig zag dribble shileding the ball, R10 means I would end up shooting from 10 yds with my right after doing the zig zag. When trying to chip at the pole on the fence from 5 yds I would start 20 yds from the fence, when trying to chip from 10 I would start 25 yds from the fence.
 
I kept track of how many times I hit the fence pole I was aiming for at a heioght higher than six feet.
 
The results were (drill and yds from which fence pole was hit, for every time fence pole was hit):
 
Drill   20 minutes each segment unless noted                     
S-FC-C L5 -- no hits
S-FC-C R5 -- no hits
S-FC-C L10 -- 9
S-FC-C R10 -- 9, 8
S-FC-C L15 --  (15 minutes only)
S-FC-C R15 --  not done
 
The entire time it was raining hard, windy, and cold. I had to call it quits before doing the chips from 15 yds with my right, seemed I might damage my health if I kept going. After the workout I went home and, even though this was not a workout involving much running, felt more exhausted than I have ever felt in years, I think because of the rain, the cold, the wind. I went home, lied down in bed for 2.5 hours, utterly exhausted.  I think it was about 50 degrees outside--frustrating how a few hours after practice it is so hard to find out what the weather was during practice.
 
I hit the fence pole I targeted alot less this time than I did in the previous chipping drill. The weather was  much worse today, the shoes were the new cleats, there were less attempts per hour because the dribbling preceded each chip attempt, there was today a rush about chipping at the fence as opposed to taking my time, today the balls that were chipped were rolling not stationary, which is especially a problem on bumpy ground like the ground practiced on today.
 
I noted today, that when it comes to changing direction while shielding the ball, for various reasons, when changing direction the best move seems to be to move the dribbling foot towards the ball but not completely over it; then retreat the dribbling foot behind the ball (in between body and ball); then cut in the opposite direction with the other foot. When dribbling the ball, seems the non-dribbling foot should hit the ground the way it hits the ground when there is a change of direction so as to confuse the defense. I realize the move involving the dribbling foot going over the ball and landing on the other side of the ball as a fake is a hip thing these days but such when shielding the ball, momentarily leaves the ball open to be stolen.
 
As for further thoughts re yesterday: I hit my team-mates as opposed to the other team with passes more often after everyone on our team took off their shirts. I was whiter than 90 percent of the Latin Ams out there. I am a shade browner than lily-white. The locals have punished me enormously for this sin of being a shade darker than lily-white, though they seem to enjoy coddling blacks, who the apparently look on as icons of nationalism. Those who revel in coddling the townies probably dismiss such as nationalism, as they tolerate townies being abusive the way some tolerate the weirdness in finger-paintings produced by monkeys, but, I aver, nationalism, patriotism, should have nothing to do with color of skin in a multi-ethnic nation such as ours.
 
The nation should face reality, without punishing innocent blacks. The percentage of blacks who vote is low. Black crime results in public transportation being avoided which means large expenditures on imported gasoline. Black crime in white urban neighborhoods has resulted in "white flight", whites fleeing to the suburbs, where the quality of community life is lower than in their former splendid urban neighborhoods, with the result of whites spending lots of time on commuting, spending lots of money on imported gasoline commuting. There has been an evil de-emphasis of criteria whites score relatively high in. Whites of worth and quality have been denied jobs due to quotas. Society, pre-occupied with coddling blacks, has forgotten about the importance of giving talented whites, convenient access to higher education.
 
Once I saw these two whites playing on the field, they were doing a pathetic job of attempting to kick the ball at the goal. When the Latin Ams showed up they hanged their heads and left. Another time there was this black bald guy on the field, all dressed up in matching slick sweatshirt and sweatpants, when the Latin Ams showed up, he left.
 
Idiotas, there are 555 million people in Latin America, and 222 million of them are white!
 
As for the Latin Am guy who looked like a Spanish Conquistador who said he liked me, he reminded me of the Roualt painting of "the Old King". Such  is sort of what he looked  like, although his nose was less hawkish looking than in the Roualt painting of "the old king", his face was less bony, and he was whiter. But he reminded me of the Roualt painting because his beard was the same as in this Roualt painting:
 
 
Roualt the Old King
 
 
As for the new soccer shoes, they are narrow not just on the big toe side, but also on the little toe side, compared to the Puma Capt Nemo indoor shoes; they are less flat on the top of the front of the shoe; the shoe-lace holes in then curve off to the outside of the foot; and they have these flaps to go over the shoe-laces. I do not know how much such will effect the air-dribbling. They have cleats on the bottom which changes the way the ball is flipped up when it is rolled back with the sole of the foot and then flipped up.
 
Getting used to strange new shoes is a real problem. How is the mind/body trained to forget the old shoes? My idea is to take a lot of shots at a fence pole 5 yds away, as a way of training my mind/body to get used to the new shoes.
 
Lately my peace of mind has been returning to me. It is hard to describe, but it is like the peace of mind you get when you are a white in India, and you are at some modern white looking place with a modern white looking culture, where you can buy pastries or hamburgers. I think the peace of mind has to do with a combination of: getting up at approx the same time every day; exercising but not overexercising; and playing soccer with the Latin Ams, nice Christian humble folks. The white homosexualist American obsessed with his anti-immigrant sentiments and his distaste for Christianity clashing with homosexuality--such persons are not too Christian in reality, though they might profess to a pollster that they are a "Christian".

Nike T90 Radiant
6.5 psi















10/23/06
 
Lowell Field Playground
 
Willow & Grove
 
Waltham MA
 
501-640 PM

 
CHIP DRILLS,
 
GAME
 
ADIDAS BRACARA CLEATS USED

 
Dream I had about soccer night before last:
 
There was a white circle, the line that formed the circle was somewhat irregular. This circle represented certain of my interactions with the ball on a soccer field. The circle was about the width of a standing human body. It represented things like the ball coming in to me and being trapped by me when passed to me or intercepted by me.  I suppose you could say the circle represented what happens to the ball when I am in control of the ball or taking control of the ball and the ball is near me and I am basically stationary.
 
The irregularity of the line that formed the circle represented a certain roughness in my play when it comes to the stationary ball close to the body aspects of play the circle represented, a roughness that is  due to a lack of practice playing with other people. Nevertheless society for once was not foolish, and I made the pros in soccer. About three quarters of the pros were worse than me, and about one quarter of the pros were better than me, as I started out my pro career.
 
Somehow society despite its stupidity realized that: how a person handles the ball when he is stationary and it is right near him, as in trapping and dribbling, is only part of the game; players improve their ball handling/trapping as they get experience with such in game/scrimmage situations; there is more to a game than the stationary ball handling/trapping--there is defense, there is passing, there is shooting, there is chasing down balls that are far away from you, there is moving the ball a long distance on the dribble.
 
What I did today:
 
501-511: chips with left foot at 3 inch wide pole on fence, aiming for six feet or higher vertically, from five yds away from pole: 2 hits
 
511-521: chips with right foot at 3 inch wide pole on fence, aiming for six feet or higher vertically, from five yds away from pole: 2 hits
 
525-555 PM: drill wherein ball is aimed using left foot (my natural foot) to hit 3 inch wide pole on fence at point six feet above ground or higher, with stationary ball shot from wherever it rebounds to and comes to rest, ball moved back to four yds from fence if it bounces less than four yds from fence. This drill was done on 10/17/06 with the Puma Captain Nemo Indoor soccer shoes. Each of the following numbers indicates a hit on the pole at a point six feet above ground, the number indicates from how far away in yards the pole was hit:
 
9, 4, 8, 11, 7, 6, 7, 7, 7, 7, 8
total 11 hits
11/89, 8.1 yds avg,  1 hit per 2.72 minutes.
 
Such is an improvement over the performance of October 17 using the Puma Captain Nemo Indoor soccer shoes, so I guess I have gotten to the point where I have overcome the newness of the Adidas Bracara cleats, as long as I have 20 minutes to warm up with  them. But I did not feel while doing the drill that I had improved. All I was aware of was my defects, my failures, this feeling of not being as good as last time.
 
Today during the chip at fence from where ball rebounds to drill: approx 3 times the ball was horizontally speaking placed to hit the pole,  but went over the fence by a few inches, these were not counted as hits; about six times the ball missed the pole by less than four inches; due to the better ability to gain elevation with the Bracara cleats as opposed to the Puma Capt nemo indoor shoes, the ball sailed over the fence and I had to waste more time retrieving it from the tennis court compared to Oct 17. Time spent retrieving the ball from the tennis courts is counted as part of the total time when I do this drill.
 
about 555 PM the Latin Ams started their game. It was about 45 degrees fahrenheit outside; so now I know that the Latin Ams will play in weather down to 45 degrees. I was thinking maybe these Latin Ams from the warm weather countries will just quit when the temperature gets below 50 degreees.
 
On the negative side today in the game:
 
-- I headed the other team's passes away a couple of times, but when I headed the ball the headers did not go where I wanted them to go they went too high--and I am someone who is expert at sprinting while keeping the ball off the ground and under control while heading it.
 
-- twice, this guy on the other team who was about five feet six inches tall and stocky, who was a tremendous dribbler, who I consider and call a 'Diego (Maradona) shot the ball by me, the fullback, and also by the goalie, into the goal.
 
-- once one of the guys on the other team, shot the ball through my legs, and past the goalie into the goal.  I had been spreading my legs while defending, daring them to try to put it through my legs; they did not dribble through my legs, but they shot it through my legs. The classic doctrine is not to spread your legs while facing the forward when defending but I have been ignoring classic doctrine, feeling quick enough to cut off any ball they attempt to put through my legs.
 
--  for the first time in these Lowell Field Latin Am games one of their guys dribbled by me. He was a white clean shaven Latin Am with longish black hair who was about five feet eight inches tall. As I approached him he reversed direction at a 45 degree angle for about five feet, I followed him, then he cut forward and by me!
 
-- I tried to dribble past this guy, he was facing towards the sideline and I was between him and the sideline with the ball, I turned to face him with the ball, and then pushed the ball towards their end-line; it was too predictable, he ran the ball down. When I did this I was feeling tired and the soles of my feet were hurting. Today I was not as winded as in previous games, the calves of the feet did not hurt much, but the soles of the feet hurt. The winded feeling and the pain in the soles of the feet make it hard to be a good dribbler.
 
On the positive side:
 
-- As usual I blocked a few of their shots, stole the ball a few times;  intercepted a few of their passes; on intercepting their passes, without first stopping the ball I fired off long accurate passes. I remember one of these instances involved me me making an accurate 25 yd pass forward off a bouncer (my goalie said, 'good!'); another instance involved me intercepting a ground ball and hitting it accurately forward without first stopping it to a team-mate 40 yds away (nobody said anything).
 
-- my goalie said to me, 'you're a pro at that' (by 'that' he meant the defender (fullback)  I was playing). I remember after I switched from the left wing forward I played in high school to fullback in the Harvard freshman team scrimmages, I had a dream that I played fullback for the Dallas Texas pro team, but being taught (Freudian) that such dreams are merely wish fulfillment I paid the dream no attention.
 
Latin Ams remind me of the 'inscrutable' orientals. You make your best play of the night and there is silence. You make a relatively average play and they say, 'good!'. You suffer your worst evening of the night in terms of being beaten by forwards, and they say, 'you're a pro at that (defense)'.
 
I guess the thing was that today I was facing two excellent dribblers. One of them was especially good, a short white black haired clean shaven stocky Latin Am, who reminded me of Diego Maradona. he repeatedly dribbled through two or three or four Latin Am defenders. He would catch passes that came in the air at him and bring them under control like a baseball player catching a baseball with his glove. Still, he never dribbled by me, in fact at least once I stole the ball from him. He used alot of stepover moves, stepping over the ball with one or both feet, leaning over the ball, keeping his body low.
 
Lessons of the day: I need to continue working at the endurance drills, get rid of the pain in the soles of the feet, get rid of that winded feeling--it is hard to dribble by people even if you are a good dribbler, when the sole of your feet hurt and you feel winded; I need to when on defense pay more careful attention to where I am situated relative to my goal, otherwise, the other team will manage to fire on my goal, shooting the ball right past me; I need to be less cavalier about spreading my legs they can shoot the ball through my legs; I have the feeling that these Latin Am super-dribblers can be shut down even more if I am willing to slide-tackle; as opposed to obsessing over stopping them from dribbling by me, I need to pay some attention to the problem of blocking their shots on goal.
 
These Latin Ams might get beat by a good US college team on a full length full width field because of their lack of height, strength, and speed; but on a crowded miniature field they are like World-Cuppers representing entire nations, better than US college teams. They are great individual dribblers.
 
Weird how these Latin Ams talk and act as if they have been reading this hyar soccer blog.
 
No matter how good I do I am always down on myself. I hve to come to realize, that when they stop attempting to dribble by me because they respect my defensive ability, this means there will be less instances of me stealing the ball from them to feed my ego.
 
I do not know who won today. I could not see in the darkness if there was a goal when our team would shoot. The Latin Ams, rarely celebrate when a goal is scored by their team, they seem to be unaware of what the score is.
 

Nike T90 Radiant

6.5 psi















 
 
 
* A successful flight, means that the ball was kept in the air without touching the ground for 13 yards while I ran forward with it, always attempting to kick the ball with alternating left and right feet, always attempting to kick it every three paces, although if necessary I would kick the ball with a given foot twice or more in a row, and if necessary I would head the ball or hit it with some other legal part of my body such as the shoulder or the chest or the thigh, and if necessary I would run less than three steps or more than three steps before kicking the ball.  If the ball and a part of my body other than my hands or arms united with the ball beyond the 13 yard marker (black line running parallel to long side of  Waltham YMCA basketball court/gymnasium), and over the entire 13 yards the ball was kept off the ground, the flight was counted as a successful flight. The flights were started with the ball on the ground and me flipping the ball up with the left foot with the right foot no more than a foot in front of the start line (red line running parallel to long side of  YMCA basketball court/gymnasium) and then kicking it with the left foot. If the wall of the Waltham YMCA gym interfered with me getting to a ball that I would have gotten to were the wall not there, the flight was counted as a successful flight. It keeps my morale up to note that many of these flights traveled 20 yards as I was able to get that far before kicking the ball without the ball having touched the ground for 20 yards, despite the presence of the wall of the gym; and several of them would have gone on for 25 or 30 yards without the ball touching the ground, with me getting 25 or 30 yards from the start and then touching the ball without the ball having touched the ground.
 
Regarding the scorekeeping, the score is given in terms of number of succesful flights per minute. These are counted from the first attempted flight there is no time set aside for warmup.
 
What we are talking about here, what I have been talking about in all the entries,  is running fast while air dribbling the ball, running at a pace that varies somewhere between a jog and an all out sprint.
 
 

@2006 David Virgil Hobbs