New Mitre training equipment and video plans

As some of you may already know I received a new Mitre Tensile ball to use in some of my videos.
I am planning some new videos and Mitre have kindly given me some new equipment to use as they liked what I had done.
When I got it, it felt like all my Christmas' had come at once! I would like to thank Mitre for everything so far. Hopefully this is the beginning of some really good things.
Here is what I was given.  Ultimatch balls, Futsal cosmos balls, mini skill balls, kit, goals, boots and bibs.
 All will be used in the videos. Just have lots of filming to do now!!!

I will be doing new videos based on when and where the skill needs to be used. This is a very important part of learning to make a better player.

If you want any feedback on products then please get in touch. email me on strsportscoaching@me.com

Cheers

Steve

Learn Rabona Fake Turn - Step by Step Tutorial

This is a very nice football skill and not often seen. A pllayer I played with when we were 18 used to do this. He was a very good player who never used "tricks" but strangely this was his only one. He went from non league and signed for a professional club at 18.

The ball in the video is a Mitre Tensile Matchball. If you like the ball and would like to win one for yourself then please visit www.facebook/mitre and go to the tensile competition tab.

Here is how to do the skill

First Thing you need to do is learn or understand how the Rabona works.

You need to pretend we are going to kick the ball like in the Rabona. The next thing is to drag the ball sideways behind your standing leg using the outside or top of your kicking foot.

Toe Stall - Step by Step tutorial

This is a very impressive skill once it is mastered. That was the key word "mastered".

The reason is, it takes a beginner a long time to balance the ball on their foot, but it takes a lot more practice to get to the next stage. Please watch the video and read the steps to help you.

Step 1.
Balance the ball on your foot.
Tips for beginners. Put it on your foot with your hands. Keep your foot under the ball and if the ball moves then move your foot under the ball.

Step 2.
Lift up your knee nice and high. This will help you achieve step 3.

Step 3.
This is also very tricky. With the ball still on your foot, you will need to extend and straighten your leg. Also your foot will need to be down and as straight as possible with the ball on the top of your toes.

Step 4.
This is where the magic happens. Very quickly you will need to pull your foot towards yourself so thief end of your toes are under the ball pointing to the sky.
This is very hard to do. Try and keep your foot under the ball. You will need lots and lots of practice. Don't just think this will come over night.

Any questions then please get in touch.

Mitre Tensile Football

Mitre kindly sent me this ball and it is very nice. Above is a video of the unboxing.

I'm not going to lie. It felt like Christmas and was so excited to open it. It took me back to my childhood from when I got the Mitre Delta football I wanted as a 9 year old.

Unfortunately due to my injury I can't hit the ball as well as I would like to, but the first thing I noticed is it travels faster in the air once it is kicked. I was amazed at how fast it did travel.
Strange as it sounds it is also really round! Some footballs are not perfectly spherical like this ball.

The ball is used by all 72 football clubs in the English football league. That's the championship, League 1 and League 2.

If you would like to win a Mitre Tensile ball worth £74.99 then please visit http://www.facebook.com/Mitre?ref=search#!/Mitre?v=app_4949752878

Also don't forget to join my facebook page.


Steve
STR Skill School

Hi all

Sorry I haven't updated this blog lately.

First news on my knee. I have sustained serious damage to the anterior cruciate ligament. So the real bad news is I won't be able to kick a ball for the next 9 months!

Update on YouTube videos. Some new videos are available on my channel. Please visit YouTube.com/strskillschool

Please visit my website www.strsportscoaching.co.uk for more info about me.

Steve

Maradona Zidane turn

This is a turn if practiced enough will come naturally when the moment arives.
I wouldn't recommend that you run at a player and use it. Instead if there is a 50 50 ball that you and a defender are after then this can be good.

Zidane in later years has been seen doing this move lots. And when he does it it is a real joy to watch.
This is a good read about probably the greatest footballer that ever walked on this planet

1 million youtube views!

Apologies for not posting anything on here for a while.

I was over the moon this week when I saw my total amount of uploaded YouTube views reach 1 million!

I started posting the videos in February 2010 and have been overwhelmed by the response by everyone who have left comments or subscribed.

In the last month alone I have had over 300,000 views so it is rising at a rapid rate.

Please visit my channel and subscribe if you haven't already.

Please visit youtube.com/STRskillSchool

Here's to the next million!

Steve

My Favourite Skill

This is my favourite skill to do. It makes me feel great when I manage all 3 steps without failing. It feels amazing and looks amazing.

The first player I saw do this was Ronaldinho of Brazil. You can even see on his face what it means to him when he does it. Amazing skill

Elastico - flip flap

This skill move was first made famous by Rivelino of Brazil. Many players have since used it, but he was a master of this trick. Here is a link for you to see Rivelino Elastico

Ronaldo Free kick - Knuckle ball

Ronaldo makes his free kicks look so easy, but believe me it's not. You would have to have many hours to practice not only score but to get it over the wall and past a keeper with power.
Ronaldo would have also stay behind after every training session to perfect it.

You will notice in my video that I kick it a little different. He has now modified what works for him but this is how to achieve the Power, dip or knuckle needed to replicate the skill.

Any questions then please ask

Learn a really cool trick

This is not something I would dare try in game as it is more for show. I have however done this in training an small sided games and feels great when you pull it off.
What do you think?

My Gear

These are the boots I choose to wear adidas adipure III White and Blue. They are really nice and come in lots of different colours. Also I picked up a pair of adidas adizero F50 boots and they they are the lightest boots i have ever picked up. They are so light weight it doesn't feel like you have anything in your hands.

STR Skill School

This video is an collection of Football skills that can be found on my YouTube Channel.

Please visit www.YouTube.com/STRskillSchool

Rainbow Kick

This was the first trick I learnt to get the ball in the air.
It was the world cup in USA '94 where I first saw a basic form of this skill.
Freestyle football certainly wasn't around back then and skills are now seen on tv, shared with friends and even used on games like FIFA or Pro Evolution.

This wasn't my favorite world Cup as England didn't qualify. But I did take something from it, not from the games but from a tv ad by McDonalds! It was a young lad juggling the ball with different parts of his body. Not amazing but at the end of it he flicks the ball up from the ground in a way I had never seen before. It was basically the foundations of the Rainbow kick.

What is interesting is the boy in the video was Scott Parker from West Ham United FC, who plays in the English Premier League. Here is the link Scott Parker McDonalds ad USA 1994

If you have any further questions on how to do the Rainbow Kick then please ask

Steve

Shooting with power and dip

This is such a hard skill to master as you may not be used to striking the ball in this way.
The advantages to shooting like this are:
Achieving more power
Creating top spin so the ball will dip at the end of the shot
Allow your body to move forwards to be ready for a rebound

Try practicing without the ball first, skimming the ground/grass with you foot. Try to use the instep top of your foot.
My advice is also have a strong stable foot/ankle so its not wobbly.
Any questions then get in touch

I'm a Youtuber

If you haven't seen my videos already then please visit my YouTube channel www.YouTube.com/strskillschool if you have then please watch more.

I get money for every ad next to my video you click on or any ad on my blog. So if you like them them please feel free to click away!

Keep practicing

Steve

Bad news on my injury

Went to the hospital today to see the surgeon about my knee.
After an assessment it was worse news than hoped as after thinking it was just medial ligament damage and possible cartilage damage, it turns out they are major concerns over my anterior cruciate ligament(ACL).
As they are knee specialist they say they are 80% sure on the diagnosis. I am booked in for an MRI scan and then they can assess the real damage. Hopefully it's not as bad as they say but I have to prepare myself for it as it will involve surgery and a long recovery.
It could well be 9 months before I can kick a ball!
After that news and the fact I can not drive as well has got me down for the time being. It is devastating news as It is going to affect my work and financial income.

I do need to try to be positive and focus on recovery but it is a bit difficult at the moment.

Will try to make more videos with other players and will be able to coach verbally instead of demonstrating the skill but it won't be the same.

Keep you updated on my rehab.

Steve

Building a future - England v Hungary 11th August 2010

Went to the England friendly vs Hungary last night. Had a good time but was a bit disappointed with all the booing.

I can totally see why the fans would be upset and want to boo the team after a poor world cup. I just cant understand why you would go all the way to see a new England side and boo probably the best player in the world cup for England.
Ashley Cole is not very liked for cheating on his wife and pop star Cheryl, but surely it shouldn't have anything to do with his football. He is a great player and probably the best left back in the world. Most people just wanted to boo him and John Terry.

The players who didn't deserve to be there and have had their chances over the years are Frank Lampard and Gareth Barry. If Fabio Capello wants to make a statement he should leave them out of the team.

I couldn't wait to see a couple of players play. Adam Johnson was the main one and looks like a very special player. He is one of the only one who uses skill moves to beat players or gain that bit of space to dribble pass, shoot or Cross the ball.

Also wanted to see Jack Wilshere play on the night and was disappointed he didn't get very long.

However I do think Kieran Gibbs will be a good player and can certainly be very good cover for Ashley Cole.

My view on the England set up is that we should be building a team for the future. With the players coming though I don't think they will be ready to win a major tournament in Euro 2012.

What Capello and The FA should do is be straight with the public and say they are going to build a team for the 2014 World Cup. Drop all the old players apart from maybe Steven Gerrard and Ashley Cole and build a team that would have had the match practice and experience needed to compete in a major Tournament.

I honestly think the English public would respect that and wouldn't be so upset if we don't qualify for Euro 2012, knowing we are building for 2014

Day 2 at the Skill School

Just finished the 2nd day on the 5 - 12 year old skill school.
Had a great day with all the kids. All the players seemed to improve over the 2 days and I certainly saw a big difference from when they started with us.
The first day is mainly about technique coaching but the 2nd day is focused on where and when to use those skills.
It is great to teach skills but it's only worth it if they know the importance of why we do them and how to use them in the most effective way.

We also focused on the shooting and passing techniques, as end product to the skill is key. There is no point being able to beat players if you can't pass, cross or shoot. I see so many teams that get into key areas of the pitch but can't deliver.
Prime example was watching England this summer. Theo Walcott was included in all the friendly games. He has amazing pace but when in the key areas he could deliver a good cross or should have shot in front of goal. Instead we saw I'm pass the ball in an area where a confident player would have shot. I feel he will be a good player but he needs that killer end product to his game to become one of the best. As he had many chances to prove himself (more than any other) he should have taken his chance to impress but didn't take it as there wasn't the end product needed.

I did see a couple of special players on the course. I had 2 7 year olds playing with 10 - 12 year olds. I certainly think they will go a long way. 1 lad in particular I have been coaching since he was 5. Makes me feel good that I have been his only coach in his life. Hopefully good things will happen for him.

Anyway keep practicing

Steve

Summer Holiday Skill School

Hi everyone.

Had another successful day on our Summer Skill School Course Ages (5-12 years old). We had nearly 60 kids booked on, which keeps us all busy. Some of the kids as young as 5 were learning how to get the ball on the back of their necks! Still a bit young to catch it but the basics of correct body shape were achieved.
Also teaching how to dribble like Lionel Messi went down really well. Kids need to understand when and where they need to do things. Also highlighting players names to a skill helps to familiarize the skill and makes the kids want to watch the player to see it in practice.

Will try to keep this up to date now. If there is anything you would like to see on here then please get in touch.

Keep Practicing

Steve Roberts