Hi all, it has been long since i have last posted an entry, hence i will return with a burst of energy along with my newest(and probably the most popular) post of all--- 'Street Soccer'! Unlike football, street soccer is played in a constricted space or area,whereas football is played on a wide and spacious field(grass or synthetic) with no limitations.
The bad thing about soccer is that 'with more space, comes greater defending'. Since the opponent has more 'freedom' to dribble the ball around, he would be able to get past you with great ease. However, that does not mean that street soccer does not have any flaws. One of it's bad points is that the goal is more than twice as small than a normal goal, thus the strikers would find it hard to score past the keeper.
The above 2 videos show some dudes 'performing' soccer tricks, at the same time, showing off their stunts. The first video is realistic, as the tricks can be used in a street soccer court and they are quite easy to understand and practise. On the other hand, the second video is more on a complex and difficult side. Unless you have mastered the basics and some relavent skills or techniques, then will you be able to learn the advanced soccer 'moves' and put it to good use!
The rules of street soccer varies from size of the court to the number of players. It is also different from normal soccer. The number of players on one side depends on the size of the street soccer court, therefore it can be from 4 to six players. On every side, there is a semi-circle, called a penalty arch, surrounding each team's goal. Only the goalkeeper and his teammates are allowed to enter their own arch. When the ball is in the semi-circle, the opposite side would not be able to retrive the ball from inside. Similar to soccer, only the keeper can use his hands to pick the ball up(in the arch only).
If the number of offensive players are too little, the keeper may be allowed to come out of his restricted area. There is no space for a refree to run about hence the fowls would be decided by the players. There is also no freekick, penalty or extra time. A match ends when a team scores a certain number of goals. When a fowl is commited or a handball happens, the ball will be passed back to the "victim's" team keeper. If the ball goes out of the court, there is no throw-in, instead, one player from the other team will pass the ball to his teammates from the spot where the ball went out.
There are more things to street soccer that meets the eye. Important factors such as teamwork, bonding and friendships do play a part in in the sophisticated meaning of street soccer. Street soccer has mainly got to do with friendship. For example, take my friend and neighbour, Shubin, for example. Before we met, we did not even know that the other party existed. However, it is through the game of our passion which brought as together, hence making us good friends. It is somewhat like 'birds of the feather flock together', in this case, our love for soccer attracted us both together. We would also make friends when we go to the soccer court to play, as we have to know the players there in order to join their teams, hence there is a good and stable relationship between almost everyone. By following this 'practice' we would be forced to make friends in order to get the chance to play, and so broadening our network of friends.
Now i will tell you about the street soccer court near my house. It is a less than 5 minutes walk to the court. I go there every Tuesday, and sometimes on Thursday, as those are the days where not many poeple flock there to play. Just a word of advice, if you decide to go, stay away form Friday. That is the day where 85% of the regulars go there.
This is the street soccer court
Now it is the moment you all have been waiting for......'The Court of Fame'! I will introduce you the good and skillful players i have met so far, during my 2 and a half years of playing there.
See the guy wearing a white singlet, that is Ferros. From what i gather, he was an ex member of the Manchester United Youth Club, but for some mysterious reasons, he quited. He is an excellent dribbler and shooter, unfortunately he does not have a good amount of stamina, and can get tired quite easily. He has a loadful of tricks up his sleeve, and can get past almost anyone with great ease. The trick is to watch the ball, and not his moves or actions, then can you have a higher chance of gaining possession of the ball. However, like any other human being, he would also make mistakes.
A great player, is he not? He is the role model for most of the regulars there, and is often looked up upon as their mentor or senior. From soccer to life as a student, there is not much difference. We all should have an exemplary student in mind to look up to.With someone to follow, we would be more determined than usual to do our utmost best and to do even better than our role model. Our willpower will cause us to strive towards success and press onward no matter how tough the journey is. On the whole, i would encourage you to find a suitable person to be your leader which will guide you through your secondary life, giving you the strength within to be outstanding and unique.
Take note of the guy in a red and black singlet, he is a fast(really fast)dribbler. His shots are accurate too. That's Darwin! He was actually an amature player, only knowing the basics on how to play. Later on, he was trained by Ferros and turned into a suberb player with ball tricks at his 'toetips'. Bad news for him is that he can be tackled easily, and is not good in tackling others.
The boy in a Manchester United jersey is only in secondary 2 this year, yet he is appearing in the 'The Court of Fame'! The secret is that he his truly 'pro'(professional). Like Darwin, he was too, trained by Ferros. However, he did not start off being a beginer, but an average player. How did i know about this, you may ask. Well, he is an ex primary school friend of mine and frequently plays soccer during recess time. His name is Koon Seng, and is currently studdying in Anglican High. He now can shoot and dribble well, but makes even more mistakes than Darwin(which is normal for his age).
The next guy is Justin. He has the making of a defender, being able to snatchthe ball away from his opponents. He has more bad points than good ones, such as being demanding and 'uncool'. He keeps wanting to have the ball from his teammates, but loses it almost everytime he dribbles it towards the opponent goal. This is due to his lack of dribbling skill and his ability not to remain cool and collected. He too is very vulgar, cursing or swearing whenever he has the chance to do so.
I have now come to the end of 'The Court of Fame', hope you all have had a greater understanding of the making of a street soccer player. Now i will show you some pictures related to the soccer court.
Those who come to play at the soccer court will have their own way of transport, such as the above picture--a bicycle. In other case, it can be walking or by bus.
As you can see, there are drinks lying about. This shows that the players have had a drink or two after their match(es). They have bought the drinks from the convinence store nearby the soccer court. You may be wondering, how can one person finish a 1.5 litre bottle of drink on his own. Well, he does not. The drink is shared between his friends. However, they have a bad habit of littering, in this case, not throwing the empty bottles into the provided dustbins.
As singaporeans, we should do our part to not litter and throw our rubbish into any avaliable dustbin. If only the residents of our country could achieve a clean and green environment, Singapore would be a nice and rubbish-free country to live in. On the other hand, out of the majority of the population, there would still be some who do not even care about their country and expect the cleaners to do the cleaning up. Their lazy and disgraceful behaviour, brings shame to our repected country. We as citizens, should go the extra mile to watch out for litter-bugs and stop them from committing these 'crimes', at the same time remind them about the importance of a proper hygiene.
I have now come to the end of my second post. Wish all of you a Happy Chinese New Year and no matter what kind of sport you do, just keep in mind that it is for FUN and enjoyment, and certainly not just for winning!
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