Day 4 was a holiday rest day, substituting soccer for family, food, and fun. I feel bloated, but even if I didn’t follow much of a diet over the weekend, I may need the extra calories for what’s to come.
Southpaw
Like most soccer players, I’m a righty. But that doesn’t mean I have a (literally) weak left foot, let alone can’t kick with it, in general. In fact, I kick harder (and relatively accurately) with my left, as awkward as it sometimes feels. But it’s obviously necessary, especially at an elite level.
While Roberto Baggio was my idol during my teen years (as well as before and after), I always admired Alessandro Del Piero for his resolve to use both feet almost equally. I remember one particular game when he played the left wing (as a midfielder), crossing the ball repeatedly with his left foot… even though there were several occasions where he could have more easily cut in (to shift the ball to his right foot). The latter would have been logical since he was a righty as well. It was something I (and I believe the commentator) noticed, and afterwards, he mentioned when interviewed that it was done on purpose to improve his playing overall in preparation for the upcoming World Cup.
This mentality of balancing out the ball distribution made him a more dynamic player. It’s what brought him closer to ‘Roberto Baggio’ status. Of course, winning the 2006 helped a bit, too. But if Alessandro (i.e., Alex) tried to just master his right foot playing, he would have been limited to the point of potentially remaining in Roberto’s shadow… because we all know what Roby was capable of with his right foot (which was unrivaled by virtually any other player in the history of the sport). In other words, instead of equating to an Enrico Chiesa or Filippo Inzaghi in status, he was elevated somewhere in between them and Baggio, allowing Alessandro Del Piero to be recognized as a star forward (that could also play the midfield, on either side).
This is why tomorrow, I’m going to use my left foot almost exclusively during my training session. Focusing on both feet equally is a choice (with me as it was for Del Piero) that carries risk. In Alex’s case, it worked out. It might not for me because, like Baggio, my right foot is considerably more natural at passing/playmaking, it’s more accurate as far as kicking goes (i.e., in terms of placing the ball on a specific target), and I’m more fleet of foot (i.e., able to deke & dribble past players) with it in general.
So, today was a simple post; one that’s mainly serving to assist me in remaining accountable with what needs to be done to rectify my weak points on the field/pitch.