Santics soccer / fitness journal

[Marcobrah]

Good luck bro! Keep working hard!

[santic121]

Been a while since the last update

1/07/12
Didnt do much today, went for a quick jog and that was it

2/07/12
Just worked today and didnt do much

3/07/12
Had training tonight and played a full field game against the reserves. was the ultimate tester for my groin going into the weekend and it pulled up fantastic and didnt have any problems with it, so im very happy about that.

4/07/12
Just rested today, bit of stretching but not much else.

05/07/12
Had training tonight and we again played a full field game. i played well and im starting to get the quickness back from the legs with a few more miles under them.

06/07/12
Just worked and stretched today

07/07/12
Helped the parents out with yard today and ended up chopping down quite a few tree's for them.

08/07/12
Game Day! Due to all the washouts we had slipped to second, however a win here would jump us straight back to the top with a couple of games in hand as well. We where playing last years grand final winners and the team was coming third so it was a big test for us. We started very poorly in the first half and where lucky to not be a goal down after 20minutes. there wasn't much communication going on and we just couldn't hold onto the ball. The opponents then had a freekick 22 yards out and buried it into the top corner and we where down 1-0 playing horribly. We bounced back after the goal and started to get a bit more fired up. We had a 1v1 and the shot was tipped around the post for a corner. However with the resulting kick, we then scored off the corner and tied the score up at 1-1. That was half time score as we went into the sheds. The coach tore strips off us about our lack of commitment and heart out there and it was mostly true. In the second half we fired up again and started playing some quality football. We had another break down the line, our striker rounded the keeper and slotted it calmly to make it 2-1 with 20minutes to go. From there we dug in and held strong. I played well in the second half and made a couple of important tackles and blocks. Copped quite a few knocks but kept going and we eventually won the game 2-1. Was a fairly poor game football wise, but we showed a bit of heart and that we can win ugly. which is always great.

09/07/12
Woke up and did nothing as i am very sore. left leg is still corked and my right shoulder is in a bit of pain. still happy about the weekends result though.

[sjambo]

Hey again
I'm a central defender, but I would like to move into a defensive midfield role next season. I like to play it short and simple.

Any tips?

I am going for 5 km jogs 2-3 times a week at the moment for pre season. I have quite a bit of fat, always have had it, but I'm wondering if I should lose it. I have always been strong and I don't really want to lose too much strenght. (I can't lift weights)

I think losing weight would make me faster and I would also quite like to see my abs.

What do you think?

[santic121]

If you cant lift weights, do as much body weight and core work as you can. the 5km jogs are great to set yourself up for a decent stamina threshold. but try and add some sprints in there as well. As you get closer to the season and your stamina gets better, move more towards the sprints / HIIT methods to get better prepared for an actually soccer match.

Being quicker always helps, will help you jump higher and will make running easier. If you want to move into the defensive mid position i would lose the weight. If your tackling is sound you wont have to worry to much about the drop in weight, especially as a defensive mid. would be a little bit different if you stayed as a Centre back and lost weight but didn't gain any muscle. As that cant affect your game depepnding on the opponents.

[santic121]

10/07/12
Still quite a bit sore from the weekend especially playing on a heavy pitch. just had a light session as quite a few boys are carrying little niggles

11/07/12
Just recovered and did some stretching

12/07/12
Had another light session due to the game being played on saturday. knocked the ball around but didnt get to physical.

13/07/12
Didnt do much today, just had work and took it easy

14/07/12
Game Day! The pitch had taken even more water and the ground was very heavy underfoot. we knocked it around well in the first half at the back, but created nothing going forward. Our midfield struggled to get hold of the ball on the horrible pitch and was a bit scrappy. 30mins, and a soft free kick was awarded to the opposing team, and for the second straight week they scored from a set piece. We continued to play and blundered a few opportunities before finally leveling the scores just before halftime. The second half saw us lift our game and we took control and created chance after chance, however we could not get past some decent keeping and horrible shooting. was a pretty pathetic display by our strikers today as the full time whistle sounded at 1-1

15/07/12
Went out that night with the boys and had a huge one. ended up walking home around 5am and pretty much sleeping all day.

16/07/12
Didnt do anything, took a knock on my right leg and its proving to be annoying.

17/07/12
Had training today, the forwards where sent with our goalkeepers to have a couple hours of shooting practice while the rest of us played some possession football. the ground was still quite boggy and heavy underfoot so we took it easy.

18/07/12
Woke up feeling great and went for a 6k run, felt good and was nice to be moving well again. did some stretching afterwards and that was about it for the day

[ItsNever2Late]

hey mate great workout log right here ! keep working hard ! i hope i can make it in a team this season

[santic121]

19/07/12
Had a good training session a couple of days before we play the only team that has beaten us this year. looking forward to the match.

20/07/12
Didnt do much today, just worked and did some stretching

21/07/12
Game Day! We started very poorly, after they had the kick off they ran through pretty much the entire team, crossed the ball across the face of the goal and tapped it in after just 30seconds. however the guy was well offside and play resumed at 0-0. from there we took control of the match and knocked it around well. playing some good football we where unlucky not to convert a couple of great chances. with 5 mins left in the half we finally took the lead 1-0. Halftime talk was brief and we where told to go out and keep playing our game and thats what we did. 15mins into the half and we scored again. however we failed to capitalize on more opportunities in the second half. The opposition then pegged one back making for a tense final 10minutes. but we hung on and secured the points away from home.

22/07/12
Hurt my groin again towards the end of the game and was in a bit of pain today at work. just rested and put some ice on it at home.

23/07/12
Groin is still flareing up and im struggling from a cold, not in the best of health at the moment

24/07/12
Groin and cold still frustrating me

25/07/12
Where meant to have a game today but it was called off due to the rain, which is fortunate as i wouldnt have been able to play.

26/07/12
Trained tonight and had a decent hit out. will be in reserves on the weekend as the manager doesnt want to risk me injuring myself in first grade again. hopefully i stay injury free and take my spot back in first grade.

[santic121]

hey mate great workout log right here ! keep working hard ! i hope i can make it in a team this season

Thanks mate, working hard but injuries are starting to effect my confidence a little bit. ill keep trying my best though

[ItsNever2Late]

do you have any tips about endurance ? i have trials in a month i want to do my best .

[santic121]

do you have any tips about endurance ? i have trials in a month i want to do my best .

I would do 10k runs three times a week. three HIIT sessions three times a week, chuck in a bit of ball work as well if you want on the longer run days

This should give you a good base line of stamina plus get you used to the sprinting involved in a match

[santic121]

27/07/12
Just worked today

28/07/12
Still trying to overcome this troublesome groin injury. just plenty of resting and ice

29/07/12
Game Day! Today was my first match playing in the reserves as the first grade coach didnt want to risk me being injured early in an important match for first grade. We started the game well and 20mins where denied a goal by a blatant hand ball on the line. We where awarded a penalty and the guy was sent off. I stepped up and scored my first league goal of the campaign and we took the lead. From there we played the rest of the game on cruise control. i had to make 3 or 4 tackles and that was about it, we eventually won the match 4-0. Was a good hit out and the groin felt fine so hopefully its a sign of things to come.

30/07/12
Back to uni and stretching, got a slight knock on my shin but nothing overly bad.

31/07/12
Found out ill be moving houses as the lease is not being re signed at my current address. been running around crazily sorting it out.

1/07/12
Just worked today, not much else to it.

[santic121]

2/07/12
Had a really good training session tonight. had a quick chat then played an 8v8 possession with some goals. everyone played quickly and sharply, lots of communication and was a fantastic hit out.

3/07/12
Didnt do a lot today, just prepared my stuff for moving

4/07/12
Moved all of my stuff, was somewhat physical as i was by myself.

5/07/12
Game Day. We started the game very poorly today as our left side fell to pieces, and i normally dependable partner at the back was having a shocker of a game. i was playing well and making good passes and tackles but we where struggling with the pitch. They scored from a corner which is always frustrating. but the guy was the tallest on the field by a far distance and finished it well. We went into halftime trailing 1-0. But we turned it around and started to create chances and play decent football. We eventually tied level with a goal in the 55th minute. from there we took charge and it was just a matter of time untill we hit the lead. and with 10minutes to go we did that. Was a tough end to the game and they did get close to equalising. but we eventually ran out 2-1 winners to shoot us back to the top of the table with 2 games in hand over 2nd place.

[santic121]

06/08/12
Hit up the gym today and had a good session, didnt focus too much on the weight i was moving but on the technique as it has been awhile since my last gym visit. Keen to get back into it though.

07/08/12
Didnt do much today, just uni and the like.

[santic121]

08/08/12
Hit the gym today, had a good workout focusing on my upper body, feeling good. We had a game tonight however i was out injured. we won 3-0 and played well against the team coming second last, and we go 3 points clear on the table with a game in hand

09/08/12
No training as we watched our reserve and thirds play. both teams secured easy wins.

10/08/12
Didnt do alot today, just uni work.

11/08/12
Where meant to have a game however it was called off due to poor weather. also starting to have a bad cough which is annoying.

12/08/12
This cough has been affecting me all day and really quite annoying, feeling pretty lethargic today.

[sjambo]

Hey it's me again. I was wondering if you have any suggestions on which ploys are good for improving short sprints?
Thanks

[dagame04]

Hey whats going on man im loving the Journal. I start my first Adult football league this Sunday. Do you have any recommendations for me on getting better football wise? Im 6'5 225.

[santic121]

Hey it's me again. I was wondering if you have any suggestions on which ploys are good for improving short sprints?
Thanks

Any form of explosive movments in regards to weight lifting (Cleans, snatchs even DL and Squats) will work wonders for the initial explosive power.

You can also try small rolling starts as well. From a designated baseline, set up cones 5m, 15m and 20m from the baseline. slow jog to the first, transition to a sprint then slow jog after the 2nd marker. Do this quite a few times and mix up the distances if you want. gives you more of an in game feel.

[santic121]

Hey whats going on man im loving the Journal. I start my first Adult football league this Sunday. Do you have any recommendations for me on getting better football wise? Im 6'5 225.

If you havn't done much cardio recently i would focus on building a good base with that first. Try and hit around 30-40km a week (not including your soccer match) and work on some basic technical skills in your spare time. Just finding a wall and doing some one/two touch passes to the wall will help build some technical skills if you havn't played in awhile.

[dagame04]

I had that first practice today mate and it was pretty good. I need to work on passing and one on one a bit more but i think it was pretty productive. Thanks for the advice as well.

[santic121]

I had that first practice today mate and it was pretty good. I need to work on passing and one on one a bit more but i think it was pretty productive. Thanks for the advice as well.

Good to hear mate, if you want anymore advice just ask

[santic121]

13/08/12
Today was monday, didn't do a lot, just uni work

14/08/12
Went for a light jog today but still being affected by this chest infection. hard to breath at night so had to skip training which i hate doing

15/08/12
Went for another light jog and had work. that was about it

16/08/12
Catch up GAME! We played the team coming fifth, and with a win tonight and on the weekend we would become premiers. it helped a lot that our in form striker scored two gems after 10minutes into the game. we knocked it around well and where up 4-0 at half time. We just played simple football in the second half and ended up running away winners 5-1. Was good to get some minutes under the belt but i played fairly conservatively with my injury and may be rested on the weekend.

17/08/12
Was a bit sore, had a maths test and some pracs for uni and that was about it.

18/08/12
Went and watched a couple of games of soccer with my old boy today, watched a semi between the grade above us, and im confident that if we keep the same team we will be in the mixer with these guys next season.

19/08/12
GAME DAY! Not playing first grade today as the coach didn't want to risk me, But did get to play in third grade and reserves.
Third grade: i played in the middle of the park today and it was a bit frustrating playing with lesser players. we didnt hit simple passes at times and the frustration was starting to mount. luckily with 10minutes left in the half we strung 4 passes together and scored a goal. After the half time talk i was moved into an attacking midfield position and we started to pass the ball around a lot better. 10minutes in we had a corner and i scored off it which was great. I was then moved back into the defensive line and consolidated the team and communicated really well. We eventually ran out 4-0 winners
Reserves: Got to play the last 30minutes at right back which was good fun as it was 4-1 when i came on. we knocked it around well and i even scored another goal which was fantastic. We eventually won 7-1 and wrapped up the minor premiership for our reserve grade as well.
First grade: The confidence was high with the boys and it led to some good football being played, we won 8-1 and was the easiest game we have played in a long time. This secured us the minor premiership for first grade, and all of the squad went into the sheds and sang the song, had a beer and sprayed champagne everywhere. was good to see all the boys come together and hopfully we keep getting the same results in the finals

20/08/12
Woke up quite sore, had uni, a long soak in the bath and walked around with a bit of a limp from being hit, but we are champions and it feels fantastic

[santic121]

21/8/12
Had training today. Not many people showed up and it was a pretty poor effort.

22/8/12
Just worked today and did some Uni work

23/8/12
It poured down for awhile today, we trained for a half hour then Called it quits

24/8/12
Big day at Uni and worked as well, bit of stretching and that was about it

25/8/12
Went and watched a couple games of soccer and just relaxed today

26/8/12
Game day! Got to play third grade again as they needed another win to qualify and we got off to a cracking start as I scored a header from 18 out. Fifth goal of the year which was great. We then played some good footy and ended up winning 5-1. Great result as they secured 2nd place after a tough season

I backed up straight away for reserve grade and we also played some great football, we lead 1-0 at half time but came out firing in the second half and knocked in 3 unanswered goals. I was then subbed with 10mins left as we had won the game.

Was a great day as our first grade won as well and we clean swept then. Great momentum to take into the finals

[santic121]

27/8/12
Was very sore from playing two games of soccer, just did some stretching and recovery exercises

28/8/12
We had training tonight and again, was still extremely sore. training was ok, nothing to write home about

29/8/12
Had a 12 hour shift at work which took it out of me a bit

30/8/12
Had training tonight and it was a great session, played some small sided games then set up a complex shooting / crossing routine which worked really well.

31/8/12
Had uni all day and worked a 6 hour shift at night. i am exhausted.

[santic121]

1/09/12
Semi Final Day: The away leg.
Today our first and reserves played the away leg of our first semi final. i played reserves today and look set to stay here as the coach doesnt have faith in my injuries to not come back and bite me which is a massive shame, would have loved to have played first grade at the pointy end of the season.

Reserves: We started out well and knocked the ball around fantastically. after 15mins we knocked in our first goal but then we slowed the tempo down a bit. The opposition received a very very soft penalty on the stroke of half time and converted it. We went into the sheds and consolidated our plan and came out firing. After 10mins we received our own penalty which yours truly calmly slotted into the side netting to take the lead 2-1. From there the game was pretty much over, one of our wingers was away on goal and was brought down illegally by the defender and he was sent off. We had a shot from the ensuing free kick, the keeper dropped it and i got a big toe to the ball and knocked into the net for a double. 10mins later we knocked in another goal to make the score 4-1 and looked set to romp it home but where quite wasteful in front of goals. Full time sounded and the final score was 4-1. as long as we dont concede over 4 goals at home next week. we go to the grand final

Firsts: Despite the coach not having faith in my injuries, i was still on the bench and got to watch a superb half of football from the boys. they didnt defend, but rather attacked with menace and the half time score was 3-0 due to some lovely finishing. We got a little bit cocky in the second half and they clawed one back to make it a ball game at 3-1. however we kicked into gear again and eventually ran out 5-2 winners.

2/09/12
Today was the away leg for our third grade. i got to play in this game as well which was always fun. however i recieved my first yellow card of the season and have to be carefull next week and not get another one.
both teams where pretty poor in the first half, the second rolled around and we played well for the first 15minutes. and we managed to grab the opening goal which I managed to score from 18 yards out. however after some poor defending we eventually lost the match 2-1. still well and truely in with a chance to go through to the Grand final, but will be a testing day next sunday for the boys.

[santic121]

3/09/12
Today i pretty much spent 9 hours doing uni work and a bit of light stretching

4/09/12
Had training today which was fairly good. got to play with the first grade team in a 7v7 and played very well, may still be in with a chance to play in the grand final for first grade which would be awesome.

5/09/12
Today i went out with the boys and got absolutely wrecked, stumbled home around 4am and was a mess. had a fantastic night but will definitely pay for it the next couple of days

6/09/12
Had training and was still feeling a bit hung over, trained well and did pretty much everything right so thats a bonus.

7/09/12
Just uni and some stretching today and getting ready for the second leg of the semi final

[santic121]

08/09/12
Game day! Was the second leg of the semi finals for reserves and first grade, both of us where taking in a large lead to the game and where quietly confident. I started for ressies and we hit the lead very early with a nice goal which pretty much killed the match from our perspective. we played very poorly and couldn't get hold of the ball and play our game. we eventually won 4-2 but it was a disappointing performance.

I was on the bench for first grade and got to play the final 15 minutes. however it was the worst i think i have ever played and was very frustrated with myself. nothing seemed to go right today for me, but we still won 2-1 and progress through to the grand final in both grades.

09/09/12
Today was the second leg for the third grade and i got to play a full game in that as well. Unfortunately for the guys, we just couldn't put together the final pass, and despite a valiant effort we had a 1-1 draw which wasn't enough to progress through to the grand final.

[santic121]

10/09/12
today i spent most of my time recovering, not a lot to write about

11/09/12
Had a good training session today, knocked the ball around fantasticly and played some good football.

12/09/12
Didnt do much today, just work and uni.

13/09/12
Last training session of the year. had a decent hit out doing some ball work and a bit of shooting practice.

14/09/12
Just uni today, counting down the hours till the grand final

15/09/12
last day before the grand final. had to work and then just relaxed after it.

16/09/12
Grand Final Day! Started the match playing in reserve grade, we struggled with the heat and the tempo and didnt create a whole lot of chances, that being said neither did the other team. was a good tussle from both sides and we went into the sheds 0-0 at half time. Mid way through the second half, an absolute shocking decision from the ref allowed the other team to score a goal and put us behind. the amount of head scratching and puzzled looks from everyone just made us all wander how it had happened. We then through everything at them but couldnt get the goal and they scored on the counter with 5mins remaining. Was a terrible end to the reserve grades season with some appalling reffing.

I was on the bench for first grade and we played fantastic for the first ten and where unlucky not to get a goal. the next 20 the other team started to dominate a bit and we went down a goal. the last 15 belonged to us as we took control of the game again but failed to convert our chances. We made some changes after half time and we proceeded to throw everything we had into it. we should have equalized a couple of times but unfortunately it just wasnt our day. i got on the pitch for the last 10 but it was to no avail as we went down 1-0. Was a very dissappointing end to the season. but we still managed to be minor premiers, and make the grand final in two grades so was still a fantastic effort

[santic121]

17/09/12
Today was mostly a drunken blur. had a great time getting messy with the boys

18/09/12
Today was one of the worst hangovers i have ever had. i laid in bed/on the lounge all day and barely moved

19/09/12
Had work today, it was alright

20/09/12
Had work today and went for a brief 4km run. was good to get moving a bit again. did some stretching.

21/09/12
Played two games of night soccer today, probs ran around 16-18km. was a good hit out and was nice to have a bit of a laugh with some people i dont normally play with during the competitive season.

22/09/12
Just did some recovery stuff today. was a bit sore from the soccer last night so just chilled around the house and did a bit of cleaning, fixed the fence and went to work for a few hours. pretty cruisy day

23/09/12
Didnt do alot today. Starting the gym 3 times a week as of next week so making the most of being lazy. worked a short shift and just cruised around at the beach with the boys.

[santic121]

24/09/12
Didnt do alot today

25/09/12
Went to the gym for the first time in awhile.
dips 3x8
OHP 17.5kg DB PH 3x8
I/BP 20kg DB PH 3x8
BP 22.5kg DB PH 3x8

Was a good session to get back into the gym with.

26/09/12
Worked today, and went for a quick 5km run.

27/09/12
Not much happened today, was just doing a fair bit of study.

28/09/12
Was a very busy day. Hit up the gym in the morning
BP 70kg 3x8
DL increased by 10kg per set. started at 70kg and did reps of 5/3/3/2/2
Shrugs cant remember the weight 3x12
tricep pushdowns ss with curls. 3x12 at 68kg and 40kg

After that gym session, i chilled for a while and then played 2 games of soccer. played in midfield for the first game, and attacking midfield / winger for the second game. was a bit of a change and was fun playing in a different position. i played very well and scored quite a few goals. was a great session and was well and truly exhausted by the end of it.

29/09/12
Had our presentation tonight and was great to catch up and have a laugh with the boys again. we got a little bit sloppy by the end of the night as we downed many drinks, was good fun.

30/09/12
Had a slight hangover today at work. but went out later that night for the last time for awhile as it was the long weekend. had some good fun with quality mates

1/10/12
Got home around 8am this morning. i was completely shattered and slept pretty much all day.

2/10/12
Still not feeling 100% but a lot better then yesterday.

[santic121]

03/10/12
Worked today, still feeling the affects of a very hectic couple of weeks. went for a 5k jog and it hurt a lot more then it should have. was good to get the body moving. After that, a mate came over saying he had broken up with his long standing girlfriend. so we hit up a bar for a bit, and ended up dragging ourselves home around 5am.

04/10/12
mostly slept today as i again recovered from another large night out.

05/10/12
Went fishing for quite a few hours. Caught lots of fish but no keepers which was a bit depressing. after that i played two games of soccer. Ran really well in the first game and absolutely destroyed the opposition team. the second game i was quite tired and didnt make as many runs as i normally do, but still played well and was happy with my performance.

06/10/12
Went fishing again today, was a bit of a hike to try a new fishing location and it didnt really pay off. caught two decent sized fish and was good fun.

07/10/12
Was a fantastic day outside. so me and a mate went to go find a new rock fishing place around a couple of headlands we normally go. involved a lot of rock climbing and was a decent workout. found a decent looking place which seemed to be a good location for some fish and hopefully it will prove to be.

08/10/12
Went down to the oval and practiced some basic soccer skills for 2 hours. did around 5-7km of running as well as some ball control and set piece taking. was a good hit out.