Soccer: Throw- In

                                                                 

Soccer has been a very big source of happiness in my life for over 12 years now. Its been one of my biggest passions to be a very good player of soccer and to get better at the game every single day. A quote from one of the legends of soccer, Pele, is "Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, sacrifice and most of all, love for what you are doing or learning to do." I heard that quote years ago and I still have it locked in my brain and it drives me to get better each day that I train. So, I decided to pick a soccer book called "Soccer Strategies: The Top 100 Best Ways To Improve Your Soccer Game," by Ace McCloud, for the 2nd Quarter IRP Project to get better and gain more knowledge for the game that I have so much desire to get better at. For this blog, I chose to focus on throw-ins because I feel like that's a part of soccer that gets overlooked even though it is a crucial portion of the game. In the book on page 18 it says "Throwing in the ball can sometimes be just as important as any of the other steps," (McCloud 18). This shows how even though throw-ins don't seem important they are very important and you need to be able to perfect them without any errors 10 out of 10 times. 

In the book on page 21 it says "Always keep your feet on the ground when making the throw, use both hands, and throw with the arms going forward from the back of the head," (McCloud 21).

Here, I'm doing a couple things that are incorrect for a valid throw in and would result in a turnover to the other team. First, I lifted my foot while throwing the ball in which is definitely not allowed. Second, I didn't even come close to putting the ball behind my head and I was just throwing it from the top of my head which would also lead to a turnover.

This is the proper way to throw the ball in with no mistakes and wouldn't lead to a turnover because my feet were on the ground and I took the ball all the way behind my neck and then came forward and threw it in. By reading this book I was clearly shown all the necessities needed for a proper throw-in by Ace McCloud, and I was able to do it all, so I won't turn the ball over for a false throw-in ever. Again, I chose to focus on throw-ins for this blog because of the importance they hold, even though they seem easy to do, many players get lazy while performing this act. As a experienced soccer player I definitely know that this will lead you straight to the bench if you continue to do improper throw-ins. This book has really impacted my way of approaching throw-ins positively because all of those steps are locked in my brain now for a valid throw-in and each time I go in to take a throw-in I will have it down without making a mistake. 

QUESTIONS: WHY DO YOU THINK IT IS A RULE THAT YOU HAVE TO BRING THE BALL ALL THE WAY BEHIND YOUR HEAD BEFORE YOU THROW IT IN?

DO YOU THINK YOU ARE ALLOWED TO HAVE YOUR FEET TOUCH OR CROSS THE SIDELINES WHEN YOU ARE THROWING THE BALL IN?

McCloud, Ace. Soccer: Soccer Strategies- The Top 100 Best Ways To Improve Your Soccer Game (Soccer Strategies, Soccer Skills, Soccer Nutrition, Soccer Drills). N.p.: n.p., 2015. Print.