Of all the dumb things that get yelled to members of a sports team from the sideline the most excruciatingly brain free is “come on… talk it up!” When did “talk among yourselves” become a thing? This is particularly so in soccer. Oh, soccer coaches have an array of stupid things that they bellow throughout a match (such as “give her an option” or “come on… let’s win those … [Read more...]
The secret to sublime soccer – great players see and create “Ma”
One of the most unheralded and beautiful elements of sport… well, of good sport, anyway… is the thing that the Japanese call Ma. Ma, or negative space, as it is sometimes called, is well-known in the spheres of art, design, architecture, drama, dance and music but, when used properly, is also one of the most powerful tools available to an athlete or sports team. This is … [Read more...]
Sport 2021 – Sports philosopher No 1. Peter Fitzsimons
Some day the virus will be gone, and our sporting lives will return to normal. Manly and Melbourne will again battle it out for the honour of being the NRL’s most hated club. Collingwood supporters will still be the butt of jokes of their fellow AFL fans. Multitudes will again, cruelly and not completely accurately, complain about how crap the A League is. But will things … [Read more...]
Whats wrong with the Matildas?
Socrates is worried! Here is a lament from the idiot sports philosopher who has coached multiple sports for multiple years but has recently forsaken his earlier loves for Rugby, Rugby League and Basketball for “the beautiful game.” Some people who have only ever loved soccer will argue that he is not a real football person and that he doesn’t know what he is talking about. They … [Read more...]
Aivi Luik interview – Matilda unsung hero
It is difficult to summarize the career of Matilda’s mid-fielder, Aivi Luik. She has done so much, achieved so much and had so many successes in so many footballing spheres that it is hard to get your head around it all. One of her most astounding achievements was the way in which she forced her way back into the Matildas team in 2018 after spending many years (and two world … [Read more...]