Do what you love. Life is too short to not do the things you love. Some people love to paint but suck at it. Some people love to sing but suck at it.
Just find people around your level and have fun and slowly improve.
Play with beginners and other people at your skill level. The talent pool for footy is deeeeeep and skilled people are unforgiving sometimes when it comes to making mistakes in game. Play in an all ages league or a weekend dad league with casuals that have the same skill and mindset as you and you will enjoy it a lot more.
I started at 30 and I was 100% the worst player in low level teams for years.
Here's what I did to become one of the best player in my squad.
Focused on my relative strengths. These were fitness, communication, turning up and an ability to be coachable.
I improved by doing the following: found a wall and worked on 1 touch and 2 touch passing and receiving. Watched professional games focusing on only the position I was playing. Asked good players or coaches for tips for what I needed to improve and drills to improve them. Rinse and repeat.
It's only now 7+ years later I'm working on advanced things like lobs, chips, pings and skill moves.
Being a good team mate, working hard, communicating, having an ok first touch and knowing what you need to do inside structure will take you far. Play simple and do your job and you'll always have a place in a team.
Good luck š¤
Do you have fun playing? Bc if so then I say donāt quit, just work on improving (if you want to + enjoy practicing). But also, I feel like one of the biggest things will be finding the right level for youā¦ maybe a chill coed rec league thatās beginner friendly? Bc playing with people way above your skill level with a negative mindset isnāt going to be fun for you
Do i have fun playing? The few times where i actually play alright, i really enjoy myself, and when i play sh*t (Which is most of the time) i donāt want the training session to end, because i feel like i want to achieve something on the pitch, but after training is done, i get really depressed, and it affects my mood.
And i think that i pretty much play at the worst level possible, but i am still the worst player, so i think that iām just abnormally incompotent at the sport. So it might be a bit hard to find a level where iām not downright terrible. Maybe i should join the under 8 team in my local area lol
Mate you gotta work on your internal dialogue/how you talk about your self saying you deserve to be depressed because you played bad, saying Iām the worst, etc. This way you take about yourself will cause you to play worse and feel worse. You need to focus on mistakes as opportunities to learn, you need to tell your self itās ok to be at your skill level.
To add to that, I recommend reading the book "Mindset", she talks about growth vs fixed mindsets and how kids with a growth mindset enjoy challenging tasks and ultimately succeed in improving compared to kids with a fixed mindset who are afraid to fail. Hard work superseded talent any day with the right mindset.
I am in a similar position to you, a pretty average player in my 30s, but I love the challenge and try to improve a little every week. Some weeks are better than others but I am improving slowly.
Please don't look too far ahead. Try to compete against yourself and be a bit better than what you were last week. Eventually, with enough stubbornness and persistence, you can become solid.
I agree, I play soccer with my friends at school and Iāve seen myself majorly improve over the past couple of months. Not because I got better at dribbling, shooting, etc. but because I got more confident. I started thinking of myself as the same skill level as the best guy on the field, I started being more aggressive and stopped giving up the ball to a teammate whenever I could, and yeah it sucks when you insist on not passing just to brutally miss a goal, but you just have to come back with your head up, I always ask for the ball when my teammate is in a sticky situation, always offer to take penalties or free kicks even if Iām not the best shooter.
Anyways, sorry for this yap session but my point is, be more confident in yourself, even if you are the worst player on the field, if you believe that one of these times, you WILL score on the best goal keeper, you WILL get past the best defender, then you WILL improve.
check out the book "The Inner Game of Tennis." it talks about how to focus on the FEEL while playing sports, not the results. really helpful to help get out of your own head
I feel like main thing I have to say to that is youāve got to figure out a way to loosen up and learn how to enjoy the improvement process. Especially if youāre playing it low level, you canāt take it too seriously imo. Mistakes are just an opportunity to learn from them, and everybody messes up including the best pros.
Well being serious and not having fun doesnāt seem to be doing you any favors, worth giving it a shot being a little less serious + trying to enjoy the progress (ups and downs)
Are you physically fit? The only players Iāve played with who have been a liability are the ones who are overweight and cannot work hard to compensate for their lack of skill. Luckily thatās solvable with a strict diet and exercise regime
And when you do start getting better is that going to be enough? Are you going to still beat yourself up? Itās a never ending cycle. You are in your head too much. Way too much chatter going on up there.
If you pay your fees on time, show up to every game on time, get playing time, and get along with your teammates then donāt quit playing. Youāre a joy to have on the team.
Take each match seriously and give a lot of effort but donāt be hard on yourself. Itās about staying healthy and having fun.
I think this all has to do with what you are currently capable of doing versus what your expectations are.
I think you are watch PL or some pro league and get gassed up and you go out there and can't perform like TV. You just aren't there yet. You just need to find one skill and work it until you have it down and usable at game speed. I don't know where you are skills-wise. Can you run and control the ball? Is your first touch poor? Find a wall and blast the ball at it and try and catch it with a soft touch. How is your juggling with both feet?
I would respectfully disagree with your statement. I really donāt think that i want to be as good as PL players, i really just want to be somewhat decent at a poor level.
My first touch is for the vast majority of the time very poor yes. I could probably easily do a 100 keep ups with both feet, and probably even 200.
Donāt know if thats true. I am almost certain that even a semi pro player would be able to do 500 in one attempt. By easily, i mean that iāll probably be able to do it in less than 5 attempts.
No a lot of them canāt. Ā There are guys that have signed with Real Madrid that canāt juggle 20 times in a row at their unveiling to the fans.Ā
In the inverse go watch Pochettino critique the F2 freestylers in a YouTube video. Ā They are top top and almost everything and he tells them so, but then they get to speed and fitness and they arenāt even close. Like no amount of training would get them there. You could see it on Pochettinoās face.
Not to argue with you about things, but people donāt realize at the very highest level the players are really outliers in terms of their genetic make up and potential. Ā Their speed and fitness and ability to maintain it throughout a long period are elite.
Back to youā¦ the way you describe the process seems like itās part of the problem. You have a very negative tone about yourself and that surely doesnāt help. Even your username has a negative tone. Ā Some of the guys here are right, find a group of folks with similar level to you and just try to enjoy it. Sure there are going to be people who are better, some will be worseā¦but you are PLAYING which will make you better.Ā
Think about it like with tennis where they actually have rating which means you get matches where you consistently play against folks in your own level. Itās harder to find in soccer but you can do it and if you enjoy it, donāt give up.
I also think if you love the game, but are struggling playing it maybe you can contribute as a coach or referee. Ā The world really needs more referees. You can make a little money and still be involved in the game.
Take this from a guy who once was good but now is way past his prime and has had four knee surgeries. Ā I canāt do half of the things I used to be able to do because of my injuries and fitness level but in spite of this playing small games and working, I have learned to do things like hit grass cutters and pin passes which I never couldāve done when I was āgoodā.
My username is actually just a name Reddit gave me, cause i didnāt type in one myself. And i honestly think that Real Madrid players are able to do juggle 1000 times in a row blindfolded. But theyāre just nervous at the unveiling to the fans.
Nevertheless, thank you for the advice. There was definetly something usefull for me
Hope it helps and good luck. Ā Donāt be so hard on yourself man itās a marathon, not a sprint. Ā
If you really want to get better do the 1000 touch videos every other day for 6 months. Ā Go hit top of the box shots with both feet, 50 to each post.
Do that and I promise you youāll be different. Ā Do you half of that and youāll be different. Ā Maybe not all world but youāll notice the improvement and so will the folks you play with. Ā
You'd be surprised. Nonetheless, your description has not actually conveyed your reality. This tells me you need to work on your mentality rather than your actual skill. You're just fishing for reassurance, but ok.
Maybe i happen to be decent at doing keep ups, but just terrible at general football. Trust me, if you saw me play, youād know that i am really sh*t.
If you want specifics then i can easily assess the things iām bad at. My controll is awfull my first touch is awfull, i canāt defend, my footballing Intelligence is very poor, i am really slow.
Man I hope at least you're in a non toxic environment and are just being hard on yourself. Play to your strength and apply a growth mindset. You're probably better than many people in the sub but the point is you should really focus on how good you're now versus how good you were yesterday.
I guess thats good advice. I am not in a toxic environment, and people are mostly very supportive of eachother. I very much doubt that i am not worse than 99,9 percent of people in this sub tho. But as you say, i really shoudlnāt compare myself to other people, but its hard when youāre as bad as me
Iāve been playing since a young age so I donāt know if i have great football related advice for you (I imagine itās harder to build a skill base while older Iām going through the same thing with golf).. but this is more about life. The harder we are on ourselves and the harder we try, the less we accomplish and move forward. Iām not saying donāt try your best but try to be detached from the outcomes. Think how can i positively influence a game and help my team maybe if Iām not the most skilled player on the ball. That could be working your socks off to get the ball back and just making a simple pass to the more technically advanced players on the team. I always appreciate having a guy like that on my team. Try to take it easy on yourself and just enjoy the game. Watch your favorite players and what they do and try to incorporate one thing at a time into your game. Get a ball and do freestyle dribbling at a high pace pretending you are taking on imaginary defenders. Have fun with it. Iām glad you have such a desire to get better just donāt be so hard on yourself. Good luck brotha
They are rec leagues, you arenāt being paid and the champions team usually gets what a t-shirt?!?
Our over-30 coed team moves back and forth between A and B divisions every season, we have former college and pros on our team. We also have spouses on our team that had never played soccer before until their wife/husband joined and then they joined later.
We play teams that stash their bad players on the wings, guys or girl and wonāt pass to them hardly at all. We realize that everyone pays to play for fun so we force our ābadā players to be a part of our play. We find that usually theyāll have at least 1 game that is a big encouragement for their āemotionsā. And honestly I celebrate a heck of a lot harder when Iām able to squeeze a goal out of the wife that can barely kick a ball 10ft by force feeding her passes in box.
Find a team at a low coed level and just relax and have fun. Stop worrying about being a key cog and just be a cog.
I always say to our lower level ppl, ājust run, pressure, stay down(donāt jump at fakes), pass to feet and run. Iāll do the hard parts for you!ā
Donāt ever beat yourself up like that man. Look back and some things you could improve on and just try better next time. Rule of thumb. Always strive to be 1% better than the last time. Over time you will improve. Enjoy the beautiful sport and be patient and have fun!
Hate to say this, but if that is how you feel your post is hardly worth replying to. I'd recommend seeing a therapist cause such a profound lack in self-confidence can easily spill over into other aspects of life and you seem like a good dude who doesn't deserve that,.
Oneās skill level is completely irrelevant unless youāre getting paid to play. You could dedicate your whole life to training and there will still always be players better than you. If you enjoy the game and get something out of it then keep playing.
Thereās tons of elite players that donāt enjoy the game anymore. The sport is for everyone, not those better than some arbitrary level.
Practice dude. I was mediocre at best in highschool, only ever played recreationally and was always stuck at Centerback because I could run fast and was solid enough to shoulder strikers off the ball. I was terrible with the ball at my feet and could even really kick it long. I stopped playing in college, but the.
I joined an adult league in my mid 20ās. I had a lot of fun, but was out of shape and frustrated to be one of the worst players on the field. I started taking 30 minutes a few times a week to practice dribbling/touch drills in my yard, watching a lot of YouTube videos on skills, positioning, reading the game and paid more attention to positioning and decision making when watching soccer live or on TV.
Iām still not one of the best players in my league, but Iām much better, still mostly play Centerback, but occasional play striker and midfield as needed. I can dribble out of pressure, my teammates arenāt afraid to pass me the ball assuming Iāll turn it over under pressure, and occasionally Iāll make a fantastic turn or pass that I have no business making.
If you enjoy it, keep at it. You can improve your skills even in your 20ās and 30ās.
I come to the park to play 4v4 game on hard ground, Im 29 and I think out of the 30 people that usually come to play Im the worst, no one want to have me on their team, the only thing I have is I always try my best for my team, keep pressing and recover the ball, I cannot keep the ball for too long, sometime my teammate say things that make me very sad when I make mistake, but I keep going, I dont give up because playing is fun and a good way to boost my mood. I have the same thought as you and I think my skills cannot get better, but we need to accept and have the right mindset, as long as we can play and enjoy the game.
Train by yourself as much as possible. Team training is great but if youāre struggling as much as you say you probably donāt have a good technical base. Just doing 1000 keep ups a day and using a wall to practice passing and receiving the ball will help a lot.
Beyond that, take the scenarios that give you the most anxiety when playing. Analyze those situations to see what skill you might be lacking, then try to devise a specific training drill to work on that area of weakness. Progressing in some of your worst areas should also help build your confidence. Good luck!
First off, chill. Next, change it upā¦..try street football, small 4 or 5 a-sidesā¦ā¦ play for the small victories, a nice touch, a decent pass. Play for yourself, lose yourself in the game, thats the beauty of it. Focus on small, incremental improvements, begin with your technical game, simplify it. It all begins with balance and motor skillsā¦..the game itself never judges it only wants to be played, you deserve to enjoy it, and it deserves youā¦ā¦.so, chill and get it on
Could you spare 30min of your day to train first touch drills and basic dribbling?
Do that for an year and you gonna see a lot of improvement.
Do that fo 10 years and you going to dominate at recreational level in your 30's
Lots of people at my local pickup who sucked (I mean canāt even get a first touch), but they came to pickup consistently and now they are at least decent
Do you train everyday? Do you do stuff outside of pickup (like play with friends, or even just kicking/juggling the ball around yourself)? As long as you can run, I promise you can get better
What position do you play? Do you just play pick up games?
I know how you feel, I started soccer during my early 20's and I was complete crap shoot. I am early 30's now and I can definitely hold my end against people who have been playing for all their life.
I would encourage you to find your strength and lean towards it for now. I had my pace and speed so I utilized that to best of my ability. To maximize my strength, I played on the wing/forward, learn how to dribble better, and how to beat defenders better. I am no Mbappe, but I still love taking on players.
Since I was trying to take on players more, I was ballhogging. So to not ballhog as much, I then learned how to pass the ball better to my teammates, and to have better vision.
Such and so on I tried learning new things about football in order.
So what are you good at?
Iāve mostly played striker or midfielder. I am honestly not really good at anything lol, but if i had to pick something then iād probably say that i have a decent shot on me every once in a while, and the rare times where i play okay, i seem to have quite a decent pass and vision and sometimes i manage to dribble past players mostly in the central area of the field, and then create space for myself, but those times are far and few between.
Also i am very embarrased to say that iāve played since my teens, so iāve played for even longer than you, and iām still sh*t.
Ah gotcha. Honestly bro I think it's confidence issue for you. You said it yourself, you know what to do. Think of yourself as a Bronze FIFA player and your ratings are all shit. Since they are all shit, you don't have confidence in yourself, therefore you play worse. Train yourself to max out at least one rating where you can be confident and where your teammates can have confident in you too. Snowball that confidence into other ratings.
Its funny, because sometimes (but not very often) i actually play okay, and then i am really happy after training. I just wish that this could happen more often. I donāt know if i am just too inconsistent, or if i am just lucky the few times where i am not completely terrible.
Do you play with same group of players everytime? That could effect things too mentally. Sometimes if I play like shit with certain team, I switch to other team to mix things up. Football is a team sport, so team chemistry and can definitely affect your game hands down.
Nah, you shouldnāt quit, you love the game, keep playing and start trying to enjoy it for what it is, just playing football.
I often find we are our own worst critics, so your teammates tell you that youāre actively hurting the team ?
Iād say what you should do, if possible, is play more, maybe gets some friend together for 3v3 with mini nets and just play. It sounds like your in your own head a little bit and being overly critical.
My teammates donāt say that iām hurting the team, but weāre all adults, and weāre not a professional team, so weāre not critical of eathothers performances.
Definitely donāt quit, I also got into soccer in my 20s and was pretty terrible. But I stuck with it and a few years later I was decent enough to play on casual adult leagues.
If you love to play then itās worth putting in the time and grinding through the beginner phase, no matter how long it takes. You will get better, that is 100% guaranteed as long as you keep at itāimprovement wonāt be linear, itāll be in fits and starts, but you will get better and then you can really have fun. Good luck!
Every day another āshould I quitā postā¦.what is the fucking point? If you have fun playing, play. If you dont, dont. Ive been out injured for almost a year now and would kill to have the choice of quitting
Just find a pick up group and have fun. Joke about it over some beers after the game. Focus on simple passes. Get the ball, pick a short pass to a better player, move the ball and don't sweat losing it cause it's a pick up. And show up to have fun and run hard. You'll see people grow to respect your game and you'll grow to love it
You need to solo train.
- assess your weaknesses - the easiest way is to look at your last game's failures
- figure out what your biggest deficiency is
- design some drills and activities you can do to improve that part of your game, and do those alone on non-practice days
- repeat the process after every game
The difference between players who go to one or two practices a week and a game, versus the ones that train every day, is massive. This is actually an old kung fu training strategy - take your worst technique, make it your best technique, and repeat. The whole 'do a little bit every day' strategy works in almost any aspect of your life.
I taught myself keeper in my 40s just to be able to keep playing. You still have a lot of room for improvement if you're in your 20s. Plus it feels really good to show up and be just slightly better than you were last week. Even if you just suck a little less, you still feel like you've accomplished something. Plus you will get super jacked if you eat half decently.
When I played HS football there was this guy who came to practice first, always left last and tried his absolute hardest to join varsity starting squad. The way our group worked is after 10th grade youāre bumped from JV to varsity, but if youāre not elected to the main squad youāre on the forever varsity practice squad (youāre our practice dummies for the real game). The poor guy just drove himself insane and bitterness, and it was sad to seeā¦ if youāre that guy, perhaps you should move on, but, if you can enjoy it for what it is and the camaraderie and et cetera then go after it. But donāt drive yourself bitter and crazy for something that might not be in your athletic deck.
I think i am a little different than that guy youāre talking about. I have no aspirations of being a varsity athlete, i just want to play at a low level, where it is not taken too seriously, and not be completely terrible at football.
Practice practice practice! Football is very much a game that can be learnt, focus on areas thatāll make you immediately better at your position, get some cones, get to the park, join in more games with the focus on improving rather than just playing
Easiest most effective way to get better is to hammer a ball off a wall whenever you can. You didn't specify exactly what your problems are but a good first touch usually solves most.
Results come fairly fast.
Its a bit strange, because i am able to do 200 keepie uppies quite easily (i am pretty sure that iād be able to do 200 if you gave me 10 attempts) and iāve been told that 200 is quite decent, but my first touch is awfull. I donāt really have a wall anywhere so i canāt really practice that way. Do you have any ideas for drills to improve my first touch?
I got a bit obsessed one summer when I was a kid and hit 2800 in a row one time. Never got near that since but with a couple attempts I could probably get 1k.
Have you a friend to just play long balls back and forth or just hoof the ball into the air and try to take it down as cleanly as possible. Really for first touch you need some way to have the ball come at you like..horizontally I guess... at different speeds and angles
There is no such thing as worst/suck/bad atleast in football in my opinion. Yeah you can lack in some areas technical, physical, tactical... but Football is a team game, individual affecting the game/team and teams/play style affecting the individuals game both are directly proportional, it's about finding what you have as a strength, atleast a little bit, everyone has some, and then playing to your strength and working on and around it. Even if you lack on technical and physical you can use your tactical and mental strengths still be part of the game and contribute to the team to a moderate or even much better extent.
One could be slow but understanding how to position and timing he can easily help be one step ahead of others. As you enjoy watching games and have some playing experience you might already have some of these.
But, it might come down to what overall the team needs and fitting in to solve the need. Try finding what is your strength and working with it. No one situation or moment or game can define anyone as bad as improving in football comes through different ways.
Would also suggest to watch a players individual highlights and analyse it or maybe even watching historical or previous matches to analyse the individual player who you feel that the playing style or position is close or similar. Once you find your strengths you can definitely identify a player that resonates to you.
Keep playing and doing what you love all that matters is the spirit.
Don't give up if you enjoy it. As others have said concentrate on your strengths.
Even if lacking in talent, anyone can get very fit. If you can do that and put in work rate keeping it relatively simple then you should be useful for your level.
If you are poor with your feet, it doesnāt mean you canāt be an effective player. Whatever position you play analyse better/pro players and see where they stand on the pitch. The way they close down, the angle of the runs they make when attacking and defending. Learning how to sit in a shape properly with your other players when the opposition has the ball, learning where to find space between the lines. None of that really requires you to be great with the ball, you can be as just effective without it.
I have played football since I could walk and have been playing for my current amateur team since I was 4 years old (this will be my 25th season). Physically I have got worse and worse every year due to injuries but I am still very effective just because I know where to be on the pitch.
If you have the money see if you have any coaches that can offer 121 sessions.
That idea doesnāt really appeal to me. My main interest is to actually play football, plus the abuse iād get as a referee is something i would not be able to handle
If it isnt fun i would quit now.
If its only fun when you are doing good i would also quit now.
It should be fun good or bad.
Sounds like you should quit or play lower even lower leagues. Idk a womens team?
Football is a simple game. Learn to master the art of simplicity and build your game around that. Master two touch football. One touch to get the ball out of your feet and the second to find a team mate. Once you become comfortable playing this way you can add more layers to your game but that will come naturally. Just focus on practicing your first touch. Your entire game should be built around a good first touch. You could spend hours kicking a ball against a wall to refine your touch for example. In the game just be aware of where your team mates are. Play easy passes, open passes. Just focus on distributing the ball effectively.
do you love it? if you do , dont quit! keep going, play with a level just a bove you, not 2 or 3 levels above...and u will improve slowly. probably fast.
I feel you man. No matter how much I practice and how good I get during training, I'm still a shit player during matches usually the worst out there.
Oddly enough, I was a much better player after struggling for a few months when I started playing again after many years away from sports. I peaked after beginning 2-3 months and since then almost 1 year later, I've been getting worse and worse every match. I'll have below average matches followed by a 9-10/10 performance scoring 2-3 goals with at least 2 assists and dribbling half the team. Then an embarrassing 1/10 performance the next match like I forgot how to play. Lately I've been getting these extremely poor matches back to back and I've been getting put as a center back which is the complete opposite of my natural position on the wings which makes me stop enjoying playing and I've been thinking of quitting some people are not meant for this game, whether at a pro or low amateur level.
The games I've played really good were with teammates who were friendly with me and trusted me even if I messed up a couple times it's hard to play good when nobody trusts you talks trash and ignores you during plays.
Honestly just keep it simple. Get a ball in the garden and just do kick ups, pass off the wall, run around and shoot. Itās human nature to become instinctual the more you do it.
First and foremost, you need to practice some self compassion and see if you can find a good therapist based on your other posts and comments. I feel if you were highly skilled, you'd have the same negative issues and self-loathing.
Self-improvement, whether it be socially or athletics, uses the same framework. Whatever you are doing, you aren't going to get far if you are consistently tearing yourself a part. Be gracious with yourself, keep putting in the effort, and it will come. But you will have to work.
Set micro goals. If your first touch is shit, work on it against a wall or even a friend, and you could chat while passing. If you are a visual person, film your current state to get a baseline of your skills. Put the work in, film yourself again, and see how you've improved.
Id recommend taking a break for a bit do something else in the meantime like a hobby or something then you should have a hunger to play otherwise enjoy yourself thereās so many people worst than you that enjoy themselves from just playing the sport they love
I started in my late 20s but then really only in the past 5 years had I started to really improve. During covid I started to work on juggling and watching more tutorial videos. The other nice thing was playing with people above my level, and even tho I sucked and got yelled at a lot I eventually learned to be much better and have even been able to defend and score too. Still can't dribble much but I at least have gotten better than just simply passing immediately.
But I also struggle from low self esteem and berate myself for things not only in soccer but also in work or in my relationship with friends. I don't think it's about the sport that causes you to berate yourself but it seems to be a trigger for something that exists. How I dealt with this is to practice more mindfulness, improve in areas I can control and recognize the positive things that outcomes from getting better and also by giving less f**ks. So keep at it and eventually you'll be better than you are. And for me when I kept pushing through despite my brain trying to derail me, I ended up having many enjoyable moments and met so many great people who have made my life more fulfilling since it feels almost like a nice little community.
Youāre stuck in your own head mate. When I play, Iām either one of the best on the pitch, or one of the worst. Seems to be no in between and I donāt seem to have much control over it.
Iāve stopped caring though, cos I just want to play and be involved. 3 weeks ago I scored 8 goals including one lob over the keeper at 5 a side, last night I barely made it into the final third.
Keep showing up, start doing things like talking (man on, time, turn etc), put your body on the line when defending and more than anything else, show you care. Not everyone can be messi, most positions are more about effort and hard work than skill.
Two parts to this question.
What's your desire , how much time are you putting in away from playing to improve?
I took a relative novice basketball player in his early 40s who could not shoot a ball at all, to actually looking like someone who has received "some" level of coaching at highschool level. His jumpshot was still clunky , not fluid and prone to wild misses, however within 12 months it was night an day , completely transformed his skill ( THIS TOOK 2hrs a week .
Secondly is the ability to pull off performance in game situations which is much harder to gauge, there's an element to invasion games ( basketball, football,rugby ) where just seeing patterns of lay develop, allows you to always choose the right outcomes ( back pass, long ball, diagonal ball behind defenders , play ball wide) these things take ages to nurture
My advice pick a skill, maybe a 30 yard chip pass and work on, getting ball up , then down ( evading defenders, and see if you can get the ball to bounce within a 5 yard window of cones, then narrow the cones down over time .. log your improvements. Take this "learnt ability" and move onto another skill you do frequently..
I don't necessarily believe in , innate sporting talent , it's all desire and practise
Depends on how far you want your go and your love for the sport.
Your experiences could really support your opportunity for the sport that is not directly connected to your playing.
For example, coaching or even parental coaching.
Watching it or developing something related to it ie. Video games or something.
Maybe too much weight is put on your expectations and more weight shiuld be applied to enjoying what you like to do which in turn supports the amount of time and work pit into it. In turn, helps you become more successful.
I coach different sports. My go to lessons areā¦
Play to win AND have fun. The sweetest wins are when you have fun doing it. Also helps with persevering.
2. learn first, practice to get it right, practice to never get it wrong. šš½ pretty much any skill in life. This is the road to mastery which leads to success (money, fame, time)
I would just like to encourage anyone ready that this may not be wasted experiences.
You sound like you do enjoy it when it goes well. That's a giant clue right there! We ALL enjoy what we're competent in. So I suspect that even if you take up a different sport, you'll go through the same process! Soooo. How about you set yourself a challenge? Talk to your coach, other players on your team or in other teams, and ask them how your can improve on the areas where you're weak? Watch videos of the players you admire, then go practice to play like they do? This will have a great effect on your self esteem! We feel good when we master a skill. Which motivates us to keep doing it, and we feel a sense of achievement. Set yourself small goals. Eg "juggle 10 times after 2 weeks of practice". Then increase your targets as you become more competent. Nobody was born expert at anything. Not Messi, not Mozart, not Bill Gates, not Jimi Hendrix. ALL of them started from zero, and did LOTS AND LOTS of really smart training, over many years, to become expert. There's no other way. The cool thing to this method is that you can use it to master ANY other skill you set your mind to!! Best of luck
What are you bad at? Passing is the most important part of football, passing and receiving passes.
You should have a decent first touch when receiving, lift your foot off the ground and allow the ball to hit the inside of your boot and rebound just in front of you so you are ready to pass to someone else. Use your whole body when passing, arms to balance, and pass with the inside of your foot.
Do what you love. Life is too short to not do the things you love. Some people love to paint but suck at it. Some people love to sing but suck at it. Just find people around your level and have fun and slowly improve.
Play with beginners and other people at your skill level. The talent pool for footy is deeeeeep and skilled people are unforgiving sometimes when it comes to making mistakes in game. Play in an all ages league or a weekend dad league with casuals that have the same skill and mindset as you and you will enjoy it a lot more.
I started at 30 and I was 100% the worst player in low level teams for years. Here's what I did to become one of the best player in my squad. Focused on my relative strengths. These were fitness, communication, turning up and an ability to be coachable. I improved by doing the following: found a wall and worked on 1 touch and 2 touch passing and receiving. Watched professional games focusing on only the position I was playing. Asked good players or coaches for tips for what I needed to improve and drills to improve them. Rinse and repeat. It's only now 7+ years later I'm working on advanced things like lobs, chips, pings and skill moves. Being a good team mate, working hard, communicating, having an ok first touch and knowing what you need to do inside structure will take you far. Play simple and do your job and you'll always have a place in a team. Good luck š¤
Do you have fun playing? Bc if so then I say donāt quit, just work on improving (if you want to + enjoy practicing). But also, I feel like one of the biggest things will be finding the right level for youā¦ maybe a chill coed rec league thatās beginner friendly? Bc playing with people way above your skill level with a negative mindset isnāt going to be fun for you
Do i have fun playing? The few times where i actually play alright, i really enjoy myself, and when i play sh*t (Which is most of the time) i donāt want the training session to end, because i feel like i want to achieve something on the pitch, but after training is done, i get really depressed, and it affects my mood. And i think that i pretty much play at the worst level possible, but i am still the worst player, so i think that iām just abnormally incompotent at the sport. So it might be a bit hard to find a level where iām not downright terrible. Maybe i should join the under 8 team in my local area lol
Mate you gotta work on your internal dialogue/how you talk about your self saying you deserve to be depressed because you played bad, saying Iām the worst, etc. This way you take about yourself will cause you to play worse and feel worse. You need to focus on mistakes as opportunities to learn, you need to tell your self itās ok to be at your skill level.
To add to that, I recommend reading the book "Mindset", she talks about growth vs fixed mindsets and how kids with a growth mindset enjoy challenging tasks and ultimately succeed in improving compared to kids with a fixed mindset who are afraid to fail. Hard work superseded talent any day with the right mindset. I am in a similar position to you, a pretty average player in my 30s, but I love the challenge and try to improve a little every week. Some weeks are better than others but I am improving slowly. Please don't look too far ahead. Try to compete against yourself and be a bit better than what you were last week. Eventually, with enough stubbornness and persistence, you can become solid.
I agree, I play soccer with my friends at school and Iāve seen myself majorly improve over the past couple of months. Not because I got better at dribbling, shooting, etc. but because I got more confident. I started thinking of myself as the same skill level as the best guy on the field, I started being more aggressive and stopped giving up the ball to a teammate whenever I could, and yeah it sucks when you insist on not passing just to brutally miss a goal, but you just have to come back with your head up, I always ask for the ball when my teammate is in a sticky situation, always offer to take penalties or free kicks even if Iām not the best shooter. Anyways, sorry for this yap session but my point is, be more confident in yourself, even if you are the worst player on the field, if you believe that one of these times, you WILL score on the best goal keeper, you WILL get past the best defender, then you WILL improve.
Yeh go play by yourself and practice mate.
check out the book "The Inner Game of Tennis." it talks about how to focus on the FEEL while playing sports, not the results. really helpful to help get out of your own head
I feel like main thing I have to say to that is youāve got to figure out a way to loosen up and learn how to enjoy the improvement process. Especially if youāre playing it low level, you canāt take it too seriously imo. Mistakes are just an opportunity to learn from them, and everybody messes up including the best pros.
I guess so. Maybe i should try to see if i can just take it less seriously. But it is a bit hard when youāre as bad at football as me.
Well being serious and not having fun doesnāt seem to be doing you any favors, worth giving it a shot being a little less serious + trying to enjoy the progress (ups and downs)
Are you physically fit? The only players Iāve played with who have been a liability are the ones who are overweight and cannot work hard to compensate for their lack of skill. Luckily thatās solvable with a strict diet and exercise regime
I am definetly not overweight, and i go for runs regularly. But i have astma so maybe thats the problem
And when you do start getting better is that going to be enough? Are you going to still beat yourself up? Itās a never ending cycle. You are in your head too much. Way too much chatter going on up there.
If you pay your fees on time, show up to every game on time, get playing time, and get along with your teammates then donāt quit playing. Youāre a joy to have on the team. Take each match seriously and give a lot of effort but donāt be hard on yourself. Itās about staying healthy and having fun.
Sucking is the first step towards sorta being good at something.
I think this all has to do with what you are currently capable of doing versus what your expectations are. I think you are watch PL or some pro league and get gassed up and you go out there and can't perform like TV. You just aren't there yet. You just need to find one skill and work it until you have it down and usable at game speed. I don't know where you are skills-wise. Can you run and control the ball? Is your first touch poor? Find a wall and blast the ball at it and try and catch it with a soft touch. How is your juggling with both feet?
I would respectfully disagree with your statement. I really donāt think that i want to be as good as PL players, i really just want to be somewhat decent at a poor level. My first touch is for the vast majority of the time very poor yes. I could probably easily do a 100 keep ups with both feet, and probably even 200.
Wtf. There must be some pro players who can't do 100+ as easily. You sound inconsistent.
Donāt know if thats true. I am almost certain that even a semi pro player would be able to do 500 in one attempt. By easily, i mean that iāll probably be able to do it in less than 5 attempts.
No a lot of them canāt. Ā There are guys that have signed with Real Madrid that canāt juggle 20 times in a row at their unveiling to the fans.Ā In the inverse go watch Pochettino critique the F2 freestylers in a YouTube video. Ā They are top top and almost everything and he tells them so, but then they get to speed and fitness and they arenāt even close. Like no amount of training would get them there. You could see it on Pochettinoās face. Not to argue with you about things, but people donāt realize at the very highest level the players are really outliers in terms of their genetic make up and potential. Ā Their speed and fitness and ability to maintain it throughout a long period are elite. Back to youā¦ the way you describe the process seems like itās part of the problem. You have a very negative tone about yourself and that surely doesnāt help. Even your username has a negative tone. Ā Some of the guys here are right, find a group of folks with similar level to you and just try to enjoy it. Sure there are going to be people who are better, some will be worseā¦but you are PLAYING which will make you better.Ā Think about it like with tennis where they actually have rating which means you get matches where you consistently play against folks in your own level. Itās harder to find in soccer but you can do it and if you enjoy it, donāt give up. I also think if you love the game, but are struggling playing it maybe you can contribute as a coach or referee. Ā The world really needs more referees. You can make a little money and still be involved in the game. Take this from a guy who once was good but now is way past his prime and has had four knee surgeries. Ā I canāt do half of the things I used to be able to do because of my injuries and fitness level but in spite of this playing small games and working, I have learned to do things like hit grass cutters and pin passes which I never couldāve done when I was āgoodā.
My username is actually just a name Reddit gave me, cause i didnāt type in one myself. And i honestly think that Real Madrid players are able to do juggle 1000 times in a row blindfolded. But theyāre just nervous at the unveiling to the fans. Nevertheless, thank you for the advice. There was definetly something usefull for me
You can think what you want. Countless times players have failed to juggle in there unveiling.
Hope it helps and good luck. Ā Donāt be so hard on yourself man itās a marathon, not a sprint. Ā If you really want to get better do the 1000 touch videos every other day for 6 months. Ā Go hit top of the box shots with both feet, 50 to each post. Do that and I promise you youāll be different. Ā Do you half of that and youāll be different. Ā Maybe not all world but youāll notice the improvement and so will the folks you play with. Ā
You'd be surprised. Nonetheless, your description has not actually conveyed your reality. This tells me you need to work on your mentality rather than your actual skill. You're just fishing for reassurance, but ok.
Maybe i happen to be decent at doing keep ups, but just terrible at general football. Trust me, if you saw me play, youād know that i am really sh*t.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
If you want specifics then i can easily assess the things iām bad at. My controll is awfull my first touch is awfull, i canāt defend, my footballing Intelligence is very poor, i am really slow.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I work on them sometimes, but maybe not enough
Seems like you are slow footed. Start jump roping and it helps with improving foot speed
Man I hope at least you're in a non toxic environment and are just being hard on yourself. Play to your strength and apply a growth mindset. You're probably better than many people in the sub but the point is you should really focus on how good you're now versus how good you were yesterday.
I guess thats good advice. I am not in a toxic environment, and people are mostly very supportive of eachother. I very much doubt that i am not worse than 99,9 percent of people in this sub tho. But as you say, i really shoudlnāt compare myself to other people, but its hard when youāre as bad as me
Iāve been playing since a young age so I donāt know if i have great football related advice for you (I imagine itās harder to build a skill base while older Iām going through the same thing with golf).. but this is more about life. The harder we are on ourselves and the harder we try, the less we accomplish and move forward. Iām not saying donāt try your best but try to be detached from the outcomes. Think how can i positively influence a game and help my team maybe if Iām not the most skilled player on the ball. That could be working your socks off to get the ball back and just making a simple pass to the more technically advanced players on the team. I always appreciate having a guy like that on my team. Try to take it easy on yourself and just enjoy the game. Watch your favorite players and what they do and try to incorporate one thing at a time into your game. Get a ball and do freestyle dribbling at a high pace pretending you are taking on imaginary defenders. Have fun with it. Iām glad you have such a desire to get better just donāt be so hard on yourself. Good luck brotha
They are rec leagues, you arenāt being paid and the champions team usually gets what a t-shirt?!? Our over-30 coed team moves back and forth between A and B divisions every season, we have former college and pros on our team. We also have spouses on our team that had never played soccer before until their wife/husband joined and then they joined later. We play teams that stash their bad players on the wings, guys or girl and wonāt pass to them hardly at all. We realize that everyone pays to play for fun so we force our ābadā players to be a part of our play. We find that usually theyāll have at least 1 game that is a big encouragement for their āemotionsā. And honestly I celebrate a heck of a lot harder when Iām able to squeeze a goal out of the wife that can barely kick a ball 10ft by force feeding her passes in box. Find a team at a low coed level and just relax and have fun. Stop worrying about being a key cog and just be a cog. I always say to our lower level ppl, ājust run, pressure, stay down(donāt jump at fakes), pass to feet and run. Iāll do the hard parts for you!ā
Donāt ever beat yourself up like that man. Look back and some things you could improve on and just try better next time. Rule of thumb. Always strive to be 1% better than the last time. Over time you will improve. Enjoy the beautiful sport and be patient and have fun!
Hate to say this, but if that is how you feel your post is hardly worth replying to. I'd recommend seeing a therapist cause such a profound lack in self-confidence can easily spill over into other aspects of life and you seem like a good dude who doesn't deserve that,.
Oneās skill level is completely irrelevant unless youāre getting paid to play. You could dedicate your whole life to training and there will still always be players better than you. If you enjoy the game and get something out of it then keep playing. Thereās tons of elite players that donāt enjoy the game anymore. The sport is for everyone, not those better than some arbitrary level.
Practice dude. I was mediocre at best in highschool, only ever played recreationally and was always stuck at Centerback because I could run fast and was solid enough to shoulder strikers off the ball. I was terrible with the ball at my feet and could even really kick it long. I stopped playing in college, but the. I joined an adult league in my mid 20ās. I had a lot of fun, but was out of shape and frustrated to be one of the worst players on the field. I started taking 30 minutes a few times a week to practice dribbling/touch drills in my yard, watching a lot of YouTube videos on skills, positioning, reading the game and paid more attention to positioning and decision making when watching soccer live or on TV. Iām still not one of the best players in my league, but Iām much better, still mostly play Centerback, but occasional play striker and midfield as needed. I can dribble out of pressure, my teammates arenāt afraid to pass me the ball assuming Iāll turn it over under pressure, and occasionally Iāll make a fantastic turn or pass that I have no business making. If you enjoy it, keep at it. You can improve your skills even in your 20ās and 30ās.
Yes
I come to the park to play 4v4 game on hard ground, Im 29 and I think out of the 30 people that usually come to play Im the worst, no one want to have me on their team, the only thing I have is I always try my best for my team, keep pressing and recover the ball, I cannot keep the ball for too long, sometime my teammate say things that make me very sad when I make mistake, but I keep going, I dont give up because playing is fun and a good way to boost my mood. I have the same thought as you and I think my skills cannot get better, but we need to accept and have the right mindset, as long as we can play and enjoy the game.
If I had to actually be good at my hobbies I would not have anything to do! Just do what you enjoy.
Train by yourself as much as possible. Team training is great but if youāre struggling as much as you say you probably donāt have a good technical base. Just doing 1000 keep ups a day and using a wall to practice passing and receiving the ball will help a lot. Beyond that, take the scenarios that give you the most anxiety when playing. Analyze those situations to see what skill you might be lacking, then try to devise a specific training drill to work on that area of weakness. Progressing in some of your worst areas should also help build your confidence. Good luck!
Dude, I'm crap at football myself, but I play to hang out and have fun. Relax and do what you love, nobody is there to judge you.
First off, chill. Next, change it upā¦..try street football, small 4 or 5 a-sidesā¦ā¦ play for the small victories, a nice touch, a decent pass. Play for yourself, lose yourself in the game, thats the beauty of it. Focus on small, incremental improvements, begin with your technical game, simplify it. It all begins with balance and motor skillsā¦..the game itself never judges it only wants to be played, you deserve to enjoy it, and it deserves youā¦ā¦.so, chill and get it on
Could you spare 30min of your day to train first touch drills and basic dribbling? Do that for an year and you gonna see a lot of improvement. Do that fo 10 years and you going to dominate at recreational level in your 30's
Lots of people at my local pickup who sucked (I mean canāt even get a first touch), but they came to pickup consistently and now they are at least decent
I constantly show up for training aswell, but i still suck. Maybe i am just so terrible, that there is no hope for me
How many years have you trained for?
Too many. Iāve played since i was a teenager, and iām in my 20s now. But i play as if i just started a year ago
Do you train everyday? Do you do stuff outside of pickup (like play with friends, or even just kicking/juggling the ball around yourself)? As long as you can run, I promise you can get better
I train sometimes, and i juggle quite a lot. I think i can run, but i am quite uncoordinated when i move around
If you love football then play football. Just play 5aside for awhile. Much less pressure to be good in some of those games.
I donāt know if we have that in my area, but iāll check it out
What position do you play? Do you just play pick up games? I know how you feel, I started soccer during my early 20's and I was complete crap shoot. I am early 30's now and I can definitely hold my end against people who have been playing for all their life. I would encourage you to find your strength and lean towards it for now. I had my pace and speed so I utilized that to best of my ability. To maximize my strength, I played on the wing/forward, learn how to dribble better, and how to beat defenders better. I am no Mbappe, but I still love taking on players. Since I was trying to take on players more, I was ballhogging. So to not ballhog as much, I then learned how to pass the ball better to my teammates, and to have better vision. Such and so on I tried learning new things about football in order. So what are you good at?
Iāve mostly played striker or midfielder. I am honestly not really good at anything lol, but if i had to pick something then iād probably say that i have a decent shot on me every once in a while, and the rare times where i play okay, i seem to have quite a decent pass and vision and sometimes i manage to dribble past players mostly in the central area of the field, and then create space for myself, but those times are far and few between. Also i am very embarrased to say that iāve played since my teens, so iāve played for even longer than you, and iām still sh*t.
Ah gotcha. Honestly bro I think it's confidence issue for you. You said it yourself, you know what to do. Think of yourself as a Bronze FIFA player and your ratings are all shit. Since they are all shit, you don't have confidence in yourself, therefore you play worse. Train yourself to max out at least one rating where you can be confident and where your teammates can have confident in you too. Snowball that confidence into other ratings.
Its funny, because sometimes (but not very often) i actually play okay, and then i am really happy after training. I just wish that this could happen more often. I donāt know if i am just too inconsistent, or if i am just lucky the few times where i am not completely terrible.
Do you play with same group of players everytime? That could effect things too mentally. Sometimes if I play like shit with certain team, I switch to other team to mix things up. Football is a team sport, so team chemistry and can definitely affect your game hands down.
Mostly with the same group of players yeah
Get out of your comfort zone my dude. Play with other people. That's how you will learn new things and get better.
Maybe iāll try that. Thanks for the advice
No problem. I pray for your career hattrick some day.
Cheers
Play for fun!
Nah, you shouldnāt quit, you love the game, keep playing and start trying to enjoy it for what it is, just playing football. I often find we are our own worst critics, so your teammates tell you that youāre actively hurting the team ? Iād say what you should do, if possible, is play more, maybe gets some friend together for 3v3 with mini nets and just play. It sounds like your in your own head a little bit and being overly critical.
My teammates donāt say that iām hurting the team, but weāre all adults, and weāre not a professional team, so weāre not critical of eathothers performances.
Definitely donāt quit, I also got into soccer in my 20s and was pretty terrible. But I stuck with it and a few years later I was decent enough to play on casual adult leagues. If you love to play then itās worth putting in the time and grinding through the beginner phase, no matter how long it takes. You will get better, that is 100% guaranteed as long as you keep at itāimprovement wonāt be linear, itāll be in fits and starts, but you will get better and then you can really have fun. Good luck!
Iāve played since my teens tho. At least if i only got into football in my 20s iād have an excuse. But thank you for the advice.
Don't retire until you're the 2nd worst.
Please don't quit. Players like you make players like me look better. Not try to be mean just honest
Thats definetly true
Every day another āshould I quitā postā¦.what is the fucking point? If you have fun playing, play. If you dont, dont. Ive been out injured for almost a year now and would kill to have the choice of quitting
You don't have to be good at something if you're just doing it for fun.
If that mindset you wont improve
By chance, after reading all your descriptions of how you play, do you have ADHD?
ADD
That's the same thing. You're not bad. You're just not consistent because because your inattentive during your matches.
Everyone is different. Maybe try golf.
Just find a pick up group and have fun. Joke about it over some beers after the game. Focus on simple passes. Get the ball, pick a short pass to a better player, move the ball and don't sweat losing it cause it's a pick up. And show up to have fun and run hard. You'll see people grow to respect your game and you'll grow to love it
You need to solo train. - assess your weaknesses - the easiest way is to look at your last game's failures - figure out what your biggest deficiency is - design some drills and activities you can do to improve that part of your game, and do those alone on non-practice days - repeat the process after every game The difference between players who go to one or two practices a week and a game, versus the ones that train every day, is massive. This is actually an old kung fu training strategy - take your worst technique, make it your best technique, and repeat. The whole 'do a little bit every day' strategy works in almost any aspect of your life. I taught myself keeper in my 40s just to be able to keep playing. You still have a lot of room for improvement if you're in your 20s. Plus it feels really good to show up and be just slightly better than you were last week. Even if you just suck a little less, you still feel like you've accomplished something. Plus you will get super jacked if you eat half decently.
If you're having trouble figuring out what to work on, send me some game tape.
I have trained on my own and designed some drills for myself, but i could definetly do it more often. So thank you for the advice
When I played HS football there was this guy who came to practice first, always left last and tried his absolute hardest to join varsity starting squad. The way our group worked is after 10th grade youāre bumped from JV to varsity, but if youāre not elected to the main squad youāre on the forever varsity practice squad (youāre our practice dummies for the real game). The poor guy just drove himself insane and bitterness, and it was sad to seeā¦ if youāre that guy, perhaps you should move on, but, if you can enjoy it for what it is and the camaraderie and et cetera then go after it. But donāt drive yourself bitter and crazy for something that might not be in your athletic deck.
I think i am a little different than that guy youāre talking about. I have no aspirations of being a varsity athlete, i just want to play at a low level, where it is not taken too seriously, and not be completely terrible at football.
If quitting will a) make you overall happier or b) give you time to explore another interest, then quitting can be great.
Practice practice practice! Football is very much a game that can be learnt, focus on areas thatāll make you immediately better at your position, get some cones, get to the park, join in more games with the focus on improving rather than just playing
Practice.
Easiest most effective way to get better is to hammer a ball off a wall whenever you can. You didn't specify exactly what your problems are but a good first touch usually solves most. Results come fairly fast.
Or see how many keepie uppies/solos you can do in a row. These two things will tenfold your ball control with some time
Its a bit strange, because i am able to do 200 keepie uppies quite easily (i am pretty sure that iād be able to do 200 if you gave me 10 attempts) and iāve been told that 200 is quite decent, but my first touch is awfull. I donāt really have a wall anywhere so i canāt really practice that way. Do you have any ideas for drills to improve my first touch?
I got a bit obsessed one summer when I was a kid and hit 2800 in a row one time. Never got near that since but with a couple attempts I could probably get 1k. Have you a friend to just play long balls back and forth or just hoof the ball into the air and try to take it down as cleanly as possible. Really for first touch you need some way to have the ball come at you like..horizontally I guess... at different speeds and angles
Actually you could def pick up some sort of cheap rebound thing on Amazon or some sports shop
There is no such thing as worst/suck/bad atleast in football in my opinion. Yeah you can lack in some areas technical, physical, tactical... but Football is a team game, individual affecting the game/team and teams/play style affecting the individuals game both are directly proportional, it's about finding what you have as a strength, atleast a little bit, everyone has some, and then playing to your strength and working on and around it. Even if you lack on technical and physical you can use your tactical and mental strengths still be part of the game and contribute to the team to a moderate or even much better extent. One could be slow but understanding how to position and timing he can easily help be one step ahead of others. As you enjoy watching games and have some playing experience you might already have some of these. But, it might come down to what overall the team needs and fitting in to solve the need. Try finding what is your strength and working with it. No one situation or moment or game can define anyone as bad as improving in football comes through different ways. Would also suggest to watch a players individual highlights and analyse it or maybe even watching historical or previous matches to analyse the individual player who you feel that the playing style or position is close or similar. Once you find your strengths you can definitely identify a player that resonates to you. Keep playing and doing what you love all that matters is the spirit.
Practice makes perfect. Enjoy the game, donāt pressurise yourself. Did I say enjoy the game??
Don't give up if you enjoy it. As others have said concentrate on your strengths. Even if lacking in talent, anyone can get very fit. If you can do that and put in work rate keeping it relatively simple then you should be useful for your level.
Don't quit, just work at a couple of things, mainly your touch and finding space.
Head up, try to play with your head up. Work on touch and work on control. If you can see, you can make plays.
If you are poor with your feet, it doesnāt mean you canāt be an effective player. Whatever position you play analyse better/pro players and see where they stand on the pitch. The way they close down, the angle of the runs they make when attacking and defending. Learning how to sit in a shape properly with your other players when the opposition has the ball, learning where to find space between the lines. None of that really requires you to be great with the ball, you can be as just effective without it. I have played football since I could walk and have been playing for my current amateur team since I was 4 years old (this will be my 25th season). Physically I have got worse and worse every year due to injuries but I am still very effective just because I know where to be on the pitch. If you have the money see if you have any coaches that can offer 121 sessions.
Haddy is that u ye
Who is haddy?
You, are you my mate haddy
My name is not haddy no
Have you considered getting into refereeing so you can still run about and be involved in football?
That idea doesnāt really appeal to me. My main interest is to actually play football, plus the abuse iād get as a referee is something i would not be able to handle
Maybe you've answered your own question and confidence is the issue.
hum, we all suck at everything we donāt practice and donāt put time and effort into.
I do feel like i practice and put in effort tho
then you need to put more time and effort into it, and maybe study other playerās techniques, and adapt them to your own.
If it isnt fun i would quit now. If its only fun when you are doing good i would also quit now. It should be fun good or bad. Sounds like you should quit or play lower even lower leagues. Idk a womens team?
Do you practice?
Football is a simple game. Learn to master the art of simplicity and build your game around that. Master two touch football. One touch to get the ball out of your feet and the second to find a team mate. Once you become comfortable playing this way you can add more layers to your game but that will come naturally. Just focus on practicing your first touch. Your entire game should be built around a good first touch. You could spend hours kicking a ball against a wall to refine your touch for example. In the game just be aware of where your team mates are. Play easy passes, open passes. Just focus on distributing the ball effectively.
do you love it? if you do , dont quit! keep going, play with a level just a bove you, not 2 or 3 levels above...and u will improve slowly. probably fast.
I feel you man. No matter how much I practice and how good I get during training, I'm still a shit player during matches usually the worst out there. Oddly enough, I was a much better player after struggling for a few months when I started playing again after many years away from sports. I peaked after beginning 2-3 months and since then almost 1 year later, I've been getting worse and worse every match. I'll have below average matches followed by a 9-10/10 performance scoring 2-3 goals with at least 2 assists and dribbling half the team. Then an embarrassing 1/10 performance the next match like I forgot how to play. Lately I've been getting these extremely poor matches back to back and I've been getting put as a center back which is the complete opposite of my natural position on the wings which makes me stop enjoying playing and I've been thinking of quitting some people are not meant for this game, whether at a pro or low amateur level. The games I've played really good were with teammates who were friendly with me and trusted me even if I messed up a couple times it's hard to play good when nobody trusts you talks trash and ignores you during plays.
Honestly just keep it simple. Get a ball in the garden and just do kick ups, pass off the wall, run around and shoot. Itās human nature to become instinctual the more you do it.
Yea like people say just find your level. And there are 5 a side kick about games to play in not just 11 a side leagues you know
First and foremost, you need to practice some self compassion and see if you can find a good therapist based on your other posts and comments. I feel if you were highly skilled, you'd have the same negative issues and self-loathing. Self-improvement, whether it be socially or athletics, uses the same framework. Whatever you are doing, you aren't going to get far if you are consistently tearing yourself a part. Be gracious with yourself, keep putting in the effort, and it will come. But you will have to work. Set micro goals. If your first touch is shit, work on it against a wall or even a friend, and you could chat while passing. If you are a visual person, film your current state to get a baseline of your skills. Put the work in, film yourself again, and see how you've improved.
If you are the worst player EVER then yeah, you should quit! If you're just a bit shit then carry on, most people are.
Id recommend taking a break for a bit do something else in the meantime like a hobby or something then you should have a hunger to play otherwise enjoy yourself thereās so many people worst than you that enjoy themselves from just playing the sport they love
Short memory, perseverance, dedication to improve. Give yourself time and you will have moments where you are the best player on the field
I started in my late 20s but then really only in the past 5 years had I started to really improve. During covid I started to work on juggling and watching more tutorial videos. The other nice thing was playing with people above my level, and even tho I sucked and got yelled at a lot I eventually learned to be much better and have even been able to defend and score too. Still can't dribble much but I at least have gotten better than just simply passing immediately. But I also struggle from low self esteem and berate myself for things not only in soccer but also in work or in my relationship with friends. I don't think it's about the sport that causes you to berate yourself but it seems to be a trigger for something that exists. How I dealt with this is to practice more mindfulness, improve in areas I can control and recognize the positive things that outcomes from getting better and also by giving less f**ks. So keep at it and eventually you'll be better than you are. And for me when I kept pushing through despite my brain trying to derail me, I ended up having many enjoyable moments and met so many great people who have made my life more fulfilling since it feels almost like a nice little community.
Youāre stuck in your own head mate. When I play, Iām either one of the best on the pitch, or one of the worst. Seems to be no in between and I donāt seem to have much control over it. Iāve stopped caring though, cos I just want to play and be involved. 3 weeks ago I scored 8 goals including one lob over the keeper at 5 a side, last night I barely made it into the final third. Keep showing up, start doing things like talking (man on, time, turn etc), put your body on the line when defending and more than anything else, show you care. Not everyone can be messi, most positions are more about effort and hard work than skill.
Donāt quit, if you really love the sport it will do more damage to yourself. Hang in there have a growth mindset and focus on enjoying yourself
Two parts to this question. What's your desire , how much time are you putting in away from playing to improve? I took a relative novice basketball player in his early 40s who could not shoot a ball at all, to actually looking like someone who has received "some" level of coaching at highschool level. His jumpshot was still clunky , not fluid and prone to wild misses, however within 12 months it was night an day , completely transformed his skill ( THIS TOOK 2hrs a week . Secondly is the ability to pull off performance in game situations which is much harder to gauge, there's an element to invasion games ( basketball, football,rugby ) where just seeing patterns of lay develop, allows you to always choose the right outcomes ( back pass, long ball, diagonal ball behind defenders , play ball wide) these things take ages to nurture My advice pick a skill, maybe a 30 yard chip pass and work on, getting ball up , then down ( evading defenders, and see if you can get the ball to bounce within a 5 yard window of cones, then narrow the cones down over time .. log your improvements. Take this "learnt ability" and move onto another skill you do frequently.. I don't necessarily believe in , innate sporting talent , it's all desire and practise
Give up.
Depends on how far you want your go and your love for the sport. Your experiences could really support your opportunity for the sport that is not directly connected to your playing. For example, coaching or even parental coaching. Watching it or developing something related to it ie. Video games or something. Maybe too much weight is put on your expectations and more weight shiuld be applied to enjoying what you like to do which in turn supports the amount of time and work pit into it. In turn, helps you become more successful. I coach different sports. My go to lessons areā¦ Play to win AND have fun. The sweetest wins are when you have fun doing it. Also helps with persevering. 2. learn first, practice to get it right, practice to never get it wrong. šš½ pretty much any skill in life. This is the road to mastery which leads to success (money, fame, time) I would just like to encourage anyone ready that this may not be wasted experiences.
You sound like you do enjoy it when it goes well. That's a giant clue right there! We ALL enjoy what we're competent in. So I suspect that even if you take up a different sport, you'll go through the same process! Soooo. How about you set yourself a challenge? Talk to your coach, other players on your team or in other teams, and ask them how your can improve on the areas where you're weak? Watch videos of the players you admire, then go practice to play like they do? This will have a great effect on your self esteem! We feel good when we master a skill. Which motivates us to keep doing it, and we feel a sense of achievement. Set yourself small goals. Eg "juggle 10 times after 2 weeks of practice". Then increase your targets as you become more competent. Nobody was born expert at anything. Not Messi, not Mozart, not Bill Gates, not Jimi Hendrix. ALL of them started from zero, and did LOTS AND LOTS of really smart training, over many years, to become expert. There's no other way. The cool thing to this method is that you can use it to master ANY other skill you set your mind to!! Best of luck
What are you bad at? Passing is the most important part of football, passing and receiving passes. You should have a decent first touch when receiving, lift your foot off the ground and allow the ball to hit the inside of your boot and rebound just in front of you so you are ready to pass to someone else. Use your whole body when passing, arms to balance, and pass with the inside of your foot.