Since 'Southpaw' Day 6 was cut short, I focused on juggling... with my left foot.
I arrived at the field a bit later than usual. The mornings here have been brisk, and while I never shied away from even the coldest of winter weather (as my friend and I used to pass the ball around & run drills regularly in the snow), I’m looking to avoid injury this time around.
I need to get to the November tryouts for FC Supra in good shape, and overall muscle health is very much a part of that. I’m staying hydrated, I’m resting throughout the day, and I’m avoiding cramping, injuries, etc. The cold has a way of toughing you up, and it’s a good workout for the lungs, but it’s easy to overdo it, too… so, I’m simply being cautious.
My underlying point with the above is that getting to the pitch at 3 PM or later is a bad idea. It’s warmer, and generally nicer (i.e., sunnier, etc), but there’s one big problem. The field essentially belongs to a local high school when used by their varsity teams… and the teams either practice or play competitive games directly following their regular education hours. Even on days when there isn’t a practice or game, there are several teens organizing scrimmages — so, it gets crowded.
Beginning tomorrow, therefore, I’m getting there early (at around 10 AM). I’ll likely be doing this on the weekend as well, because leaning down (aside from improving my skills & physical conditioning) is a priority for me.
But about today, it was alright. One of the coaches mentioned that I had about half an hour of playing time before their (American) football game started. I got right into it with straight-up shots on net, once again, with my left foot. I would normally use one of the nets perpendicular to the main field, since there’s a high fence directly behind it, but it wasn’t an option. Instead, I used a primary net with a huge area behind it. I currently have a single soccer ball, so you can imagine how disruptive to my flow it was when I missed. But in a way, it was great, because it kind of forced me to be accurate in my shooting. Did I hold back? Yup. But I was still glad to have performed well with my left foot.
Decades later, my left is still more powerful than my right. The difference, however, is that it’s nearly as effective at hitting targeted areas. But my 30 minutes were up. So, I proceeded to juggle the ball with my left foot (only), continuing along the theme of this Southpaw Tuesday. I did it right beside one of the field exits… and did so until the referee politely told me to leave the premises. It was time to go.
30 minutes isn’t enough. Neither is one ball only. So, as mentioned, I’m starting to train at about 10 AM (and for at least an hour and a half) tomorrow — and I’m buying four more soccer balls. It’s time to get serious!