Football skills

[snaw]

I play football once a week with some mates. Nothing serious, but I'm getting annoyed with my lack of basic skills. I never played as a child and am so bad it's embarrassing.
I know practice is key, but I was wondering are there any sites which might have some real basics - the kind of thing you'd teach an 8-year-old, like where to stand when marking someone, what to look at (ball/player) when in goal, how to avoid missing the ball altogether when you try to collect a pass (yes really!)...

Help me

Not saying don't try, because practice is everything.

But bottom line is, if you haven't grown up playing you're not going to noticeably improve that much. I've played my whole life, and it's easy to spot the guys who didn't really play as kids - sometimes they make up for it with sheer energy, but generally speaking you're pretty much at the level you're at.

And btw - always be goalside of the player when marking someone. And relax on the pitch, enjoy it for what it is - if they'r letting you play with them then they're nto that worried about you're level of skill, to be honest.

[thelace]

The Michael Owen videos used to be good, you could probably get them off ebay?

And don't worry about it, every team has to have one duffer and you've manly stepped up for that role, it takes a lot of pressure off your team mates!

[ThomasSoerensen]

I play football once a week with some mates. Nothing serious, but I'm getting annoyed with my lack of basic skills. I never played as a child and am so bad it's embarrassing.
I know practice is key, but I was wondering are there any sites which might have some real basics - the kind of thing you'd teach an 8-year-old, like where to stand when marking someone, what to look at (ball/player) when in goal, how to avoid missing the ball altogether when you try to collect a pass (yes really!)...

Help me

take up golf in stead

[lukemg]

Bottom line is that you aren't going to get much better. Poor players need to keep it very simple, control it and make a pass.
Also, when you start the game make sure the very first thing you do is done well, simple pass, getting a tackle in, don't be too ambitious, it makes a big difference to the rest of the game.

[d000hg]

Bottom line is that you aren't going to get much better.

I don' know that's true. People often take up new sports even in middle age and can become competent (if not spectacular).
I'm not horrifically uncoordinated generally, which makes me think I could at least progress to below-average rather than embarrassing dismal

[Pondlife]

1. buy a football
2. find a wall
3, kick ball against wall
4. repeat
5. enjoy

control comes with practice.

[d000hg]

The only thing is I feel a little silly as a grown man playing by myself in the garden

[snaw]

The only thing is I feel a little silly as a grown man playing by myself in the garden

Yes. FFS at least stay inside and close the blinds ...

[d000hg]

I said BY not WITH

[Ruse]

Keeping Possession

Good point. I view our Sunday kick-about with ambivalence, it's good exercise and I try to get into a positive frame of mind before-hand. I spend the first few minutes optimistically trying to get stuck in, but then it doesn't work and a)people stop passing the ball to me (not in a nasty way, I understandably just become the last resort to pass to) & b) I start to feel embarrassed and stop trying to get the ball since I know I'll stuff it up every time.

IMHO what you need to concentrate on are two basic skills. What most will irritate your team mates is if you keep losing possesion of the ball to the other team.

1) Controlling the ball i.e. when receiving a pass.
2) Learning to pass the ball accurately to your team mates.

Sounds easy but it isn't. You only really need one other person to help you practice these skills.

And as already suggested by others above try to relax during the game and to enjoy it. I wouldn't get hung up about your skill levels too much I have been playing pretty much all my life and I'm still pretty crap.