>>>>>>>>David Beckham's soccer skills ...
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>http://video.nl.msn.com/watch/video/unbelievable-david-beckham-skills/1jh7hxof0
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>I have to say I am less than floored. Lots of guys can kick a ball a long way on a beach unopposed. I went to high school with a keeper who could kick it almost the length of the field.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Maybe it was the mounds of Philadelphia cream cheese on his fish that gave him the extra leg (pun intended).
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Yes you're quite right. The guys a moron with skills any fool can master.
>>>>>
>>>>>Never mind. I remember the biting wit of the English.
>>>>>
>>>>>Troubles of my own here, troubles of my own (old blues riff).
>>>>
>>>>I'm not English, but in England. Did you actually look properly at the video? He kicked 3 balls into 3 dustbins at some distance, in a row, barefoot, on a sandy beach. If you think that is less than impressive then you must have seen some truly mind-boggling feats and I would love to see those videos instead.
>>>
>>>Hi Jos
>>>
>>>I read at the time that it was a fake.
>>>
>>>What did you think
>>
>>I have no idea. But considering the number of times top ranked sports people practice every move, for decades, it must become totally second nature to do what to the layman seems impossibly difficult.
>
>Yes
>
>I never understand why they don't put more effort into refining their long distance shooting. Everyone loves to see goals hit in from some way.
>
>English football training always seems to revolve round physical effort and not ball skills.

That's probably true of many things.

One of the things that mystified me about my coaching "career" was that I was much better at coaching soccer, about which I knew little, than coaching basketball, about which I had some knowledge. Maybe I coached b-ball at a more advanced level than they were ready to process. With soccer my ignorance may have been an advantage. Fundamentals. Catch the ball, kick the ball, dribble the ball. One of the standard training drills was for the ball to be tossed out 10 yards or so in front of the goal. The kids were given one objective: kick it as hard as you can as fast as you can right into the goal. It worked often in games and we would all go nuts. There is nothing like the smile of a little kid.