1. Get to know famous poems and
Articles from your favorite
soccer players.
Read the poem as
you play on the field. Play freely, join the emotion

7. BRYAN
A Boy Juggling a Soccer Ball by Christopher Merrill
after practice: right foot to left foot, stepping forward and back, to right foot and left foot,
and left foot up to his thigh, holding it on his thigh as he twists around in a circle, until it
rolls down the inside of his leg, like a tickle of sweat, not catching and tapping on the soft
side of his foot, and juggling once, twice, three times, hopping on one foot like a jump-
roper in the gym, now trapping and holding the ball in midair, balancing it on the instep of
his weak left foot, stepping forward and forward and back, then lifting it overhead until it
hangs there; and squaring off his body, he keeps the ball aloft with a nudge of his neck,
heading it from side to side, softer and softer, like a dying refrain, until the ball, slowing,
balances itself on his hairline, the hot sun and sweat filling his eyes as he jiggles this way
and that, then flicking it up gently, hunching his shoulders and tilting his head back, he traps
it in the hollow of his neck, and bending at the waist, sees his shadow, his dangling T-shirt,
the bent blades of brown grass in summer heat; and relaxing, the ball slipping down his
back. . .and missing his foot. He wheels around, he marches over the ball, as if it were a
rock he stumbled into, and pressing his left foot against it, he pushes it against the inside of
his right until it pops into the air, is heeled over his head--the rainbow!-- and settles on his
extended thigh before rolling over his knee and down his shin, so he can juggle it again
from his left foot to his right foot --and right foot to left foot to thigh-- as he wanders, on
the last day of summer, around the empty field.

8. GEORGE HELIUM.COM
Soccer is the game
My life
Soccer gives my fame
It gives my life
Soccer is what makes me live
Soccer is what makes me give
Soccer is the start of it all
Soccer is way better than the mall
Courtney Sycowski

9. ROBERTO VOICENET.COM
Lee Emmett, Australia
Poem SOCCER
what is this game called soccer
it's nothing like Aussie rules
players only use head and feet
if handle ball, treated like fools
only goalie can defend with hands
using gloves and body padded up
no touching, grabbing, man-handling
game's tamer than lap-poodle or pup

10. FOOTY4KIDS.COM
1. During the very first international football match between Scotland and
England in 1872, players not only wore “knickerbockers” or long pants but bobble
hats or caps too. The head dresses were a normal part of the footballing attire at
the time and lasted well into the 20th century.
2. Balls were not exactly round when the first club and country matches took
place. A pig’s bladder was blown up like a balloon, tied at the ends and placed
inside a leather case, affording it an egg shape. The discovery of Indian rubber in
the 1860s gave the ball greater roundness.
3. While it is true footballs of yesteryear gained weight in wet conditions, they
were in fact lighter than today’s ball. In 1889, the spherical object used had to be
between 12-15 ounces (340 – 425 grams) but this increased to 14-16 ounces (397 -
454 grams) in 1937.
4. In the FA rules of 1863, there was no mention of a crossbar. As in rugby today,
a goal could be scored at any height as long as the ball went between the sticks or
posts. A tape was used to close the goal during the first internationals before a
crossbar replaced it in 1875.

11. ARTICLE BRYAN ACTIVE.COM
Indoor soccer--and specifically, the walls surrounding the playing field--make for all new quirks in the world's favorite
sport.
How do you prepare for the unique challenges of indoor? By incorporating drills into your practice that are indoor -
specific.
Here are two such drills, provided by eteamz.com. It works on improving the attackers' instincts when it comes to
playing rebounds off the walls.
Basic Attack
Form two lines, A and B, inside the midfield, 15 yards apart.
Line B starts by passing ball to space ahead of Player A, and makes run toward far post. Player A runs onto the ball
and plays ball with authority into wall three feet left of near post. Ball will rebound in front of goal. Player B will have
made looping run and one-touch rebound into goal. A goes to line B and B goes to A. Two times through and switch
beginning to line A. Make sure to have your player's use one-touch shots with either foot!
Advanced Attack
Form three lines, A, B and C, inside the midfield, 10 yards apart. Line B begins by playing ball ahead of player A. A
receives and carries toward middle third while B overlaps to outside. A passes to C, who is moving down the wing and
C shoots into wall three feet right of near post. Ball rebounds to B who has looped in for a one -touch shot on goal.
Player A holds the center position for a drop or another rebound. A goes to B line, B to C, and C to A. Two times
through then start by playing to C to start.
Other Indoor Tips
We use nets above the field and if ball is played too high then play is stopped and the restart is a direct free kick from
a center spot at the quarter line. If you have this same scenario, you definitely want to teach your players to take a
quick restart. Don't give the defense a chance to form a wall. Always have one player place the ball while another
trailing player takes the shot. It takes too long to set the ball, back up, and take the shot. Indoor is fast!
Depending on the number of players, sub every five minutes, five players at a time at a stoppage of play (which you
can create yourselves at times). Keepers play halves. Keep fresh legs on the pitch as much as possible. Sub on the fly if
you can't get an advantageous stoppage.
The formation many teams use is a 2-1-2. An athletic keeper can play keeper/sweeper position.

12. GEORGE
exercise in the cold presents a smaller risk for injury than exercise in extreme heat due to brief exposure, nearby
shelter, protective clothing and the heat generated during exercise. There is more risk to exercising in the heat because
we operate much closer to our boiling point.
Spectators at cold-weather events have more of a problem than the athletes. Cross-county skiing races have been
contested at temperatures approaching minus-30 degrees F with no trouble for the athletes--not so for race officials
and spectators.
In the cold, the body tries to preserve heat. Blood vessels in the skin narrow, diverting blood from the cool skin to the
warmer depths of the body. Shivering--alternate coordinated contractions of opposing muscles to generate heat--is a
protective mechanism. Hormones that elevate the metabolic rate--and thereby body heat--may be released. The most
obvious response, Goosebumps (piloerection), produces insignificant amounts of heat.
Layering clothing can help control heat when it comes to exercise. The closest layer to the skin should wick sweat away
from the skin. Each additional layer traps a little air that is warmed by the body and helps keep us comfortable.
The layers nearest the skin should be as dry as possible. Any trapped moisture exposed to the cold will make us colder.
As for the spectators, I am always amazed that news programs tell spectators to "layer up'" before going to watch a
game in the cold. Any hunter knows that when you sit in the cold, wear a wicking garment next to the skin, then bulk
up. A spectator who layers clothing like the athletes will get cold.
Athletes rarely need more than four layers on their torso and two on their legs, then gloves and a hat. If possible, the
outer garment should have a zipper or button front. Adding or removing hats, gloves and opening or closing the outer
shirt can control body temperature quite well. As a rule of thumb, dress for exercise as though the outside temperature
was 10 degrees warmer than it really is.
Some common questions about cold-weather exercise:
Can the lungs ever freeze when exercising in the cold? No. The air warms very quickly on its way to the lungs.
How much heat is lost through the head? The lower the temperature, the greater the heat loss through the scalp. At
rest, about 30 percent of body heat is lost through the head. During exercise, about 19 percent of heat loss is through
the scalp. When out training or jogging, use a hat to keep heat in, and carry it as you get warm.

13. ROBERTO
While growing up in Attleboro, Mass., Geoff Cameron would often go to school with a backpack strapped
over his shoulders and a soccer ball in his hands.
"After school," he said, "I'd just juggle the ball on the playground."
There's a lot more to his story, but these two points are linked: Geoff Cameron spent a lot of his childhood
juggling a soccer ball. And Geoff Cameron now plays professional soccer.
A rising star for the Houston Dynamo of Major League Soccer, Cameron preaches about the importance of
juggling for any young soccer player. Like many professionals, Cameron doesn't see a downside to youths
spending a significant amount of free time juggling a soccer ball on their own. Even if juggling isn't a
necessary skill when the games start, it directly spills over to other game -used skills.
"If you're comfortable on the ball, it's because you grew up playing with the ball at your feet and you have
confidence with the ball at your feet that you can do anything," Cameron said. "I think juggling and dribbling
and that kind of stuff helps your technique with passing and shooting and taking a pass and first touch in the
right direction."
Cameron was a standout youth player who played collegiately at the University of Rhode Island before being
drafted by the Dynamo. He was a finalist for MLS Rookie of the Year in 2008 before becoming a regular
starter on Houston, one of the league's top teams.
To this day, he works on his juggling.
"It gives you touches," Cameron said. "You're always touching the ball. You can learn to juggle in so many
different ways. You can do it with spin, inside of the foot, sole of the foot, top of the foot.
"When you leave college and go to professional soccer, there's a big difference in speed of play and first
touch. When you have guys aiming 20 yards and lacing them in, you need to have a good first touch to put the
ball down. I think juggling and dribbling, when you're younger, you can do that in the back yard. You can do
that anywhere."
Cameron's travels to Europe are all the proof he needs.
"You go to Europe and see all these basketball courts, but they're not basketball courts. They're soccer courts,
but they're concrete," Cameron said. "You see all these kids dribbling and juggling and doing all these moves.
If they're doing it on concrete, there's no excuse for kids who say 'I don't have a backyard.' Well, you have a
street, right? You can juggle anywhere."
Which is why, when he took off for school, he grabbed his soccer ball on the way out the door.

14. Cuauhtémoc Blanco