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| Most coaches say they like recruits who play multiple sports and can apply those skills to football. It isn’t uncommon for college-football players to have experience in baseball, basketball or track and field. But soccer? “I think every American boy should play soccer till the eighth grade,” Harbaugh said. “Then they should play football. American football.” He explained to recruits that soccer can help them with their footwork, coordination, balance, conditioning and spatial awareness. Those traits are quite useful to a quarterback required to throw on the run while surveying the whole field as 300-pound linemen attempt to spear him. “It’s one of the best sports that a young person can play getting ready to play football,” said UCLA offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch, who worked under Harbaugh in his first two seasons at Michigan. |
It's definitely not in the same universe in terms of contact, but situations arise in soccer where you have to have some balls. There are players that made entire careers out of being dangerous. One guy from Spain, after he destroyed Diego Maradona's ankle ligaments, displayed the shoe he used to do it in a glass case in his home. He was nicknamed "The Butcher of Bilbao".
Yeah there's a lot of ridiculous diving and faking injury (though I recall big tough Giant players doing the same), but you've got to be tough to play soccer. Players take a beating.
Maybe sage advice for skill positions, but linemen, probably not so much.
Maybe sage advice for skill positions, but linemen, probably not so much.
I don't even like seeing him play football...
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that isn't developed through soccer.
It's definitely not in the same universe in terms of contact, but situations arise in soccer where you have to have some balls. There are players that made entire careers out of being dangerous. One guy from Spain, after he destroyed Diego Maradona's ankle ligaments, displayed the shoe he used to do it in a glass case in his home. He was nicknamed "The Butcher of Bilbao".
Yeah there's a lot of ridiculous diving and faking injury (though I recall big tough Giant players doing the same), but you've got to be tough to play soccer. Players take a beating.
I get it. In fact, the soccer till HS, then football route was mine.
There's a tradition of British 'Hard Men' in soccer too.
Maybe sage advice for skill positions, but linemen, probably not so much.
I played OL/DL and we were encouraged to play tennis. Unreal amount of conditioning for big ugly guys where the main equipment besides racquet and ball was the jump rope. Want fast feet? Play tennis.
True soccer doesn't have the physicality, but that's not the point of this cross training. It's for skills like balance, coordination, foot speed etc. Also, there's few other sports that are 'legs only' - or at least of the major sports
One other comment I've heard a few times for football cross-training is ballet, which has a somewhat similar lower body focus. They might replace it with yoga today, but I remember hearing different players went this route in the past, even lineman
As a bball kid, someone suggested soccer to improve footwork (used Pippen as an athlete from that time). Actually I'd bet this is a great way to cross-train for just about any sport on avg
- Chad Wheeler
I don't think the physical courage angle is important, especially since it entails a willingness to endure brain damage for the entertainment of others.
Courage is courage. Stepping up to big challenges, bouncing back from setbacks, and silencing doubters are what's compelling in sports. Soccer can build plenty of that and other good character traits in a person.
It is. There's a reason it's called the world game.
LT didn't play football until he was a junior in high school. Of course, there was only on IT.
Christian Okoye first played football when he was 23 years old.
My personal experience is that I was very good at it (injuries made my choice) and I started in the pop warner leagues. I think back at the early years and they are a waste. You learn the fundamentals of the game and how it is played, but that can easily be picked up in high school. The focus of weigh-ins forces some unhealthy practices endorsed by the coaching staff. 2 instances that I remember clearly: One was doing sit-ups with a trash bag over a sweatshirt in a suana to lose the last few pounds. Another was after missing the weigh-in the morning of a game was to wear the trash bag over the sweatshirt and run the hill in Abington Heights. I made weigh-in, but the idea of dehydrating yourself before playing a game is a dumb idea. I did find a huge benefit to playing JV. It was the first time where you truly begin to understand the game at a deeper level.