Well, I decided to give St Xavier High School football a shot. First, I signed up for the school’s football team. I was super excited but also a bit nervous as I had no idea what was ahead.
When the training started, the coach told us some basic stuff. We began with simple warm – up exercises. I jogged around the field, did some stretching, like bending down to touch my toes and swinging my arms around. It felt kind of silly at first, but I knew it was important to avoid getting hurt.
Then came the ball – control practice. I had to dribble the ball with my feet. At the beginning, the ball kept running away from me. I chased after it like a crazy person, but I kept at it. I tried to use the inside and outside of my feet to control the ball’s direction. After a few days of practice, I could dribble the ball more steadily.
Next, we learned how to pass the ball. The coach showed us different ways to pass, like short passes and long passes. I practiced passing the ball to my teammates. Sometimes, my passes were way off – target, and my teammates had to run like mad to get the ball. But with more practice, I got better at judging the distance and the strength needed for a good pass.
For shooting, it was a whole new challenge. I had to aim at the goal and kick the ball with enough power. The first few times, I either missed the goal completely or the ball went too weakly. I watched the more experienced players and noticed how they positioned their bodies before shooting. I copied their moves and gradually improved my shooting skills.
Defense was also crucial. I learned how to tackle the opponents without fouling. It was hard not to get too aggressive at first. I had to keep my eyes on the ball and the opponent’s movements. Once, I made a really bad tackle and got a warning from the coach. But I learned from that mistake and became more careful.
As the practices went on, I started to see some real progress. I could play a more complete game, using different skills at the right time. I realized that to play well in St Xavier High School football, you need a combination of skills. You need good ball – control to keep the ball with you, accurate passing to work with your teammates, powerful shooting to score goals, and solid defense to stop the opponents.
And now, I’m still on this football journey, always looking for ways to improve my skills and be a better player on the field.
