Friday, June 3, 2016

How can I be good at playing football if I can't play well?

5 Answers

If you are a defender, like I was, you can try a few things to make yourself more useful to the team:
  • If you can't slide tackle, don't try. A man on the ground is less useful than one standing in the way being a blocking post.
  • If you can't block tackle, don't square up to an attacker, especially a pacy winger. Stand off and let them run at you, then use your body to steer them away from the danger zones.
  • Deny space. If the action is nowhere near you, you're still able to influence things by occupying an area the attackers might want to use. Learn to read their attack and adapt.
  • Work on your interception skills. I used to play at a time when tackling was prioritised, and I sucked, mostly because I didn't follow my own advice above. These days I think I'd be pretty good, because tackling is disappearing from the game, and being replaced by interceptions, which I happen to be pretty decent at. To be a good defender in the modern game, you have to become an expert observer and be able to predict the ball's path. If you can do that, and get there in time, you can win the ball back for your team, then give it to a better player to do something with.
  • Be a distraction. Any player in any position can occupy the attentions of an opponent, simply by being there. A defender can pop up front during a corner and give the defence someone else to mark or keep an eye on. This can enable stronger players to do what they do. Shane Long is doing a very effective job of this at Southampton this season, running in behind defenders, peeling them away from a less obvious threat. (see: Jack Cork's goal in the 8-0 win at Sunderland. Long completely took the defender with him, giving Cork acres of space to ghost in at the back post and sidefoot home.)
  • Be a leader. Learn to watch and understand the game, and become a team commentator from the back. Call out where people are, whether an attacker is closing in from an unseen angle, who your fellow defenders should mark at a free kick, etc. Giving instructions is invaluable.

Ramon Ce
Ramon Ce
2.8k Views
1. Run, run, run.

If you dont have the technical skills, you can still be a weapon for your team through your determination to be everywhere on the pitch.
I have played football over the past two years with a player on my team who literally couldn hit one ball straight. But he became a weapon by simply running after every ball and going into every tackle, even though he knew he might lose the ball.

2. Use your body.

It's legit, if you cant dribble. Just put your body between the ball and your opponent. Try to keep one foot on the ball and bump your opponent away with your back - not your arms.

3. Play often.

Match practice is key. You get a feeling for how the ball moves only through experience. Try to play as often as you can, take a ball with you whereever you go and kick it.

4. Pass the ball.

Don't try anything tricky. Just play the easiest pass possible, e.g. to your closest teammate. Long passes are more likely to be intercepted. And (1) run, run, run!

5. Play as a forward.

You can play without the pressure of costing your team a goal if you play mostly at the upper end of the pitch. Try to challenge the opponents defenders. Get on their nerves. And (1) run, run, run!

That should help.


Vishnu Kamisetty
Vishnu Kamisetty, Love this sport, prefer playing to watching
1.1k Views
Few simple steps you could follow to improve your game
  1. Choose a position: I always knew I was a defender, I prefer to play defensive mid-fielder because I'm good at counter attacks. But I often step back when I know my team has good attackers who can score. Also, choose winger positions if you know you can run fast and always choose the side of your weaker foot.
  2. Play often: Sometimes, the only player you can find is yourself, do not lose motivation - go to a nearby park and start kicking it. You might be able to find someone who'd like to join you. If nothing, atleast you'll burn a few calories. Try Find your people - Meetup, and try to play a few pick-up games.
  3. Pass often: The more you pass, the more you receive. Don't be afraid to ask for the ball or steal it from the opponent. Look for gaps, exploit them and walk tall!
  4. Run: If you are a defender, that is your best weapon. Surprise the player who possesses the ball. If you are an attacker, run with the ball!


Amulya Shekhar
Amulya Shekhar, Watching football since I was 6. Writer on Sportskeeda. Arsenal and Real Madrid.
1.3k ViewsMost Viewed Writer in Football (Soccer) with 390+ answers
There are a few things you should keep in mind:
1. The moving ball is much more dangerous than a stagnant ball, as in, if the ball stays with one player for long, it becomes much easier for opponents to judge how the attack will run. Besides, you're not very good at football anyway. Both of these are reason enough for you to be motivated to not keep the ball with you for long. Don't dally - look for a free teammate in an advantageous position and pass it. As you get better, you will be able to time your passes so that the opponent does not get the opportunity to track you when you've released the ball, so you can run into space to call back for the ball at a better position.

If you can't find free teammates, dribble a bit, draw some defender toward yourself and keep creating space till you find someone free - at some point or the other, a teammate will be in position.

2. Learn to fake body movements. It doesn't take too much effort to develop pass and shot fakes. Feinting while receiving a pass also helps throw off an opposing defender.

3. Develop your first touch so that you are already taking the ball in your desired direction of movement.

4. When not in possession, guarding an opponent in a one-on-one, make your opponent dribble in the direction advantageous to you, depending on the scenario. Also, while defending off-the-ball, keep narrowing the field of play (whatever the size) by coming infield. This cuts the attackers' angles and proves advantageous. If the ball goes wide, you as a team can shift to that side of the pitch.


Sudipto Roy
Sudipto Roy, The Fact Machine
948 Views
Here are some tips that might help you to become a better football player:

1. Stamina : Few sports need the stamina that is required to excel in football. You have to be at your physical best for 90 minutes which is not easy. So follow a healthy diet and establish an intensive workout routine and stick to it. Even if you technical skills are not the best, your stamina can make you a very effective player. Especially the players who are not technically very sound will be tricked often by those who are. In that case your stamina will help you to track back and re-capture the ball.

2. Skills : To develop the basic skills like dribbling, passing, free kicks etc. you will have undergo skills training, preferably under a coach. But you can always watch training videos on YouTube and try them yourselves. Skills tend to take some time to be grasped so you will need to be patient.

3. Practice :  Last but not the least, you will have to keep practicing. No matter how good you are in training, you will need some match practice to test your skills and figure out what are you good at. Every position requires some specific skill sets which can only be sharpened by repeated match practice. Remember the old saying, "Practice makes a man perfect."


Good luck. Stay healthy.

10 ways How Technology has changed the Face Of Education

Living in the 21st century, can you escape the purview of technology? Technology has invested our lives in a million different ways. We are dependent upon it to fulfill every single insignificant need of ours. Can we think of our lives without technology? Can we recall a single day where we haven’t used technology in some form or the other? If technology has permeated each and every aspect of our life, why should we leave education out of it? In this rapidly changing world, education too cannot escape the impact of technology. The presence of internet itself has revolutionized the process through we access and disseminate information. From laptops, educational apps to online courses, technology has changed the face of education today. Looking back at this change, here’s a list of ten ways through which technology has affected education.
1. Creating A Global Platform

No longer confined to a single platform, education aided by technology has crossed borders and continents. Several institutions are now offering online courses that can be accessed by students across the globe. Video conferences and applications like Skype have created a global platform of teachers and students who can share knowledge in an easy and convenient manner.
2. Efficient Assessment
More and more institutions have now digitalized their assessment process. Students now take online tests that allow them to immediately assess their knowledge base. E-assessments are flexible and impartial. A student can take an online test, based on his or her availability. This has specially helped students who pursue distance or correspondence courses. Removing the human element, e-assessments are impartial and more reliable than traditional tests.
3. Improved Student-Teacher Interaction
More and more teachers are now using technological aids to keep in touch with their students. Teachers remain in constant touch with their students through e-mails and services like dropbox that allows you to upload and share content with a large number of people.
4. Instant Access to Information
Information is now in the palm of our hand. No longer confined to textbooks, anyone can now have access to a gamut of information within seconds.
5. E-books
Online libraries and e-books are now in vogue. We can take the Google Library Project as an example. Google has been working with publishers and libraries to create a unique online library that is comprehensive, versatile and virtual. Features like Google Books, provide snippets of a large number of books, thus bringing together new books and publishers to the readers. Thanks to the Internet, publishers and readers can now discover each other with the help of a click!
6. Video Games
Simulating real life problems, video games can bring about behavioral changes in the students by making them more goal-oriented. Gaming models not only provide a wide range of information but also initiate students to be problem-solvers. While solving hypothetical problems, students are allowed to orchestrate their skills while simultaneously garnering information. While the ill-effects of an obsessive indulgence in video games have been addressed countless times, one cannot refute the fact that video games, when played under proper guidance can indeed be a great source of ‘edutainment’.
7. Use of Multimedia
Technology and media have positively impacted the field of education. Use of animation, videos, multimedia aids has transformed traditional learning methods by making it more engaging, fun and entertaining.





8. Educational Mobile Applications
M-learning or mobile learning is the newest avatar of modern education. A large number of mobile applications have already become popular means of education because of their innovative take on traditional learning methods.





9. Addressing Students’ Diversity
An assortment of various educational tools, audio/visual stimulus and animations, e-learning modules appeal to students with different learning styles. Some students do not respond to classroom learning which has often been termed as ‘boring’ and ‘unimaginative’. Such students are effectively lured into studying through digital aids which provide a perfect blend of fun and learning.
10. Students with Special Needs
It has been observed that students with special needs do not respond to traditional classroom environment. Keeping them in mind, a number of mobile applications have come up in the market that seek to initiate such students into the mainstream by facilitating and enabling them with digital educational aids. Computer technology and e-learning activities have greatly helped in bridging the gap between differently-abled students and the regular ones by making education more accessible.
Get all kinds of apps from Chifro at Google play Store and Apple Store.
Click here to see more!

Tuesday, May 31, 2016

8 Ways Smart People Use Failure To Their Advantage

One of the biggest roadblocks to success is the fear of failure. Fear of failure is worse than failure itself because it condemns you to a life of unrealized potential.
A successful response to failure is all in your approach. In a study recently published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, researchers found that success in the face of failure comes from focusing on results (what you hope to achieve), rather than trying not to fail. While it’s tempting to try and avoid failure, people who do this fail far more often than those who optimistically focus on their goals.
“Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.”   – Winston Churchill
This sounds rather easy and intuitive, but it’s very hard to do when the consequences of failure are severe. The researchers also found that positive feedback increased people’s chances of success because it fueled the same optimism you experience when focusing solely on your goals.
The people who make history—true innovators—take things a step further and see failure as a mere stepping stone to success. Thomas Edison is a great example. It took him 1,000 tries to develop a light bulb that actually worked. When someone asked him how it felt to fail 1,000 times, he said, “I didn’t fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps.” That attitude is what separates the successes from the failures, and developing it requires emotional intelligence.
Thomas Edison isn’t the only one. J. K. Rowling’s manuscript for Harry Potter was only accepted after 12 publishers denied it, and even then she was only paid a nominal advance. Oprah Winfrey lost her job as a Baltimore news anchor for becoming too emotionally involved in her stories, a quality that became her trademark. Henry Ford lost his financial backers twice before he was able to produce a workable prototype of an automobile. The list goes on and on.
“If you think you can do a thing or think you can’t do a thing, you’re right.”   – Henry Ford
So, what separates the people who let their failures derail them from those who use failure to their advantage? Some of it comes down to what you do, and the rest comes down to what you think.
The actions you take in the face of failure are critical to your ability to recover from it, and they have huge implications for how others view you and your mistakes. There are five actions you must take when you fail that will enable you to succeed in the future and allow others to see you positively in spite of your failure.

1. Break the bad news yourself. 

 If you’ve made a mistake, don’t cross your fingers and hope that no one will notice, because someone is going to—it’s inevitable. When someone else points out your failure, that one failure turns into two. If you stay quiet, people are going to wonder why you didn’t say something, and they’re likely to attribute this to either cowardice or ignorance. Have the emotional intelligence to speak up.

2. Offer an explanation, but don’t make excuses.

 Owning your mistakes can actually enhance your image. It shows confidence, accountability and integrity. Just be sure to stick to the facts. “We lost the account because I missed the deadline” is a reason. “We lost the account because my dog was sick all weekend and that made me miss the deadline” is an excuse.

3. Have a plan for fixing things. 

 Owning up to a mistake is one thing, but you can’t end it there. What you do next is critical and the real test. Instead of standing there, waiting for someone else to clean up your mess, offer your own solutions. It’s even better if you can tell your boss (or whomever) the specific steps that you’ve already taken to get things back on track.

4. Have a plan for prevention. 

In addition to having a plan for fixing things, you should also have a plan for how you’ll avoid making the same mistake in the future. That’s the best way to reassure people that good things will come out of your failure.

5. Get back on the horse. 

 It’s important that you don’t let failure make you timid. That’s a mindset that sucks you in and handicaps you every time you slip up. Take enough time to absorb the lessons of your failure, and as soon as you’ve done that, get right back out there and try again. Waiting only prolongs bad feelings and increases the chance that you’ll lose your nerve.
Your attitude when facing failure is just as important as the actions you take. Using failure to your advantage requires resilience and mental strength, both hallmarks of emotional intelligence. If you’re curious how much emotional intelligence you have, you can try an emotional intelligence test.
When you fail, there are three attitudes you want to maintain:

6. Perspective is the most important factor in handling failure.

 People who are skilled at rebounding after failure are more likely to blame the failure on something that they did—the wrong course of action or a specific oversight—rather than something that they are. People who are bad at handling failure tend to blame failure on their laziness, lack of intelligence or some other personal quality, which implies that they had no control over the situation. That makes them more likely to avoid future risk-taking.

7. Optimism is another characteristic of people who bounce back from failure. 

One British study of 576 serial entrepreneurs found that they were much more likely to expect success than entrepreneurs who gave up after their first failure. That sense of optimism is what keeps people from feeling like failure is a permanent condition. Instead, they tend to see each failure as a building block to their ultimate success because of the learning it provides.

8. Persistence. 

Optimism is a feeling of positivity; persistence is what you do with it. It’s optimism in action. When everybody else says, “Enough is enough” and decides to quit and go home, persistent people shake off those failures and keep going. Persistent people are special because their optimism never dies. This makes them great at rising from failure.

Contributor

Follow Travis Bradberry

I cover emotional intelligence and leadership performance.
Full Bio
I am the author of the best-selling book Emotional Intelligence 2.0 and the cofounder of TalentSmart, a consultancy that serves more than 75% of Fortune 500 companies and is the world’s leading provider of emotional intelligence tests and training (www.TalentSmart.com). My books have been translated into 25 languages and are available in more than 150 countries. I’ve written for, or been covered by, Newsweek, BusinessWeek, Fortune, Forbes, Fast Company, Inc., USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and The Harvard Business Review. I’m a world-renowned expert in emotional intelligence who speaks regularly in corporate and public settings. Example engagements include Intel, Coca-Cola, Microsoft, Fortune Brands, the Fortune Growth Summit, The Conference Board: Learning from Legends, and Excellence in Government. I hold a dual Ph.D. in clinical and industrial-organizational psychology. I received my bachelor of science in clinical psychology from the University of California – San Diego.


9 Things That Make Good Employees Quit


It’s pretty incredible how often you hear managers complaining about their best employees leaving, and they really do have something to complain about—few things are as costly and disruptive as good people walking out the door.
Managers tend to blame their turnover problems on everything under the sun, while ignoring the crux of the matter: people don’t leave jobs; they leave managers.
The sad thing is that this can easily be avoided. All that’s required is a new perspective and some extra effort on the manager’s part.
First, we need to understand the nine worst things that managers do that send good people packing.

1. They Overwork People

Nothing burns good employees out quite like overworking them. It’s so tempting to work your best people hard that managers frequently fall into this trap. Overworking good employees is perplexing; it makes them feel as if they’re being punished for great performance. Overworking employees is also counterproductive. New research from Stanford shows that productivity per hour declines sharply when the workweek exceeds 50 hours, and productivity drops off so much after 55 hours that you don’t get anything out of working more.
If you must increase how much work your talented employees are doing, you’d better increase their status as well. Talented employees will take on a bigger workload, but they won’t stay if their job suffocates them in the process. Raises, promotions, and title-changes are all acceptable ways to increase workload. If you simply increase workload because people are talented, without changing a thing, they will seek another job that gives them what they deserve.

2. They Don’t Recognize Contributions and Reward Good Work

It’s easy to underestimate the power of a pat on the back, especially with top performers who are intrinsically motivated. Everyone likes kudos, none more so than those who work hard and give their all. Managers need to communicate with their people to find out what makes them feel good (for some, it’s a raise; for others, it’s public recognition) and then to reward them for a job well done. With top performers, this will happen often if you’re doing it right.

3. They Don’t Care about Their Employees

More than half of people who leave their jobs do so because of their relationship with their boss. Smart companies make certain their managers know how to balance being professional with being human. These are the bosses who celebrate an employee’s success, empathize with those going through hard times, and challenge people, even when it hurts. Bosses who fail to really care will always have high turnover rates. It’s impossible to work for someone eight-plus hours a day when they aren’t personally involved and don’t care about anything other than your production yield.

4. They Don’t Honor Their Commitments

Making promises to people places you on the fine line that lies between making them very happy and watching them walk out the door. When you uphold a commitment, you grow in the eyes of your employees because you prove yourself to be trustworthy and honorable (two very important qualities in a boss). But when you disregard your commitment, you come across as slimy, uncaring, and disrespectful. After all, if the boss doesn’t honor his or her commitments, why should everyone else?

5. They Hire and Promote the Wrong People

Good, hard-working employees want to work with like-minded professionals. When managers don’t do the hard work of hiring good people, it’s a major demotivator for those stuck working alongside them. Promoting the wrong people is even worse. When you work your tail off only to get passed over for a promotion that’s given to someone who glad-handed their way to the top, it’s a massive insult. No wonder it makes good people leave.

6. They Don’t Let People Pursue Their Passions

Talented employees are passionate. Providing opportunities for them to pursue their passions improves their productivity and job satisfaction. But many managers want people to work within a little box. These managers fear that productivity will decline if they let people expand their focus and pursue their passions. This fear is unfounded. Studies show that people who are able to pursue their passions at work experience flow, a euphoric state of mind that is five times more productive than the norm.

7. They Fail to Develop People’s Skills

When managers are asked about their inattention to employees, they try to excuse themselves, using words such as “trust,” “autonomy,” and “empowerment.” This is complete nonsense. Good managers manage, no matter how talented the employee. They pay attention and are constantly listening and giving feedback.
Management may have a beginning, but it certainly has no end. When you have a talented employee, it’s up to you to keep finding areas in which they can improve to expand their skill set. The most talented employees want feedback—more so than the less talented ones—and it’s your job to keep it coming. If you don’t, your best people will grow bored and complacent.

8. They Fail to Engage Their Creativity

The most talented employees seek to improve everything they touch. If you take away their ability to change and improve things because you’re only comfortable with the status quo, this makes them hate their jobs. Caging up this innate desire to create not only limits them, it limits you.

9. They Fail to Challenge People Intellectually

Great bosses challenge their employees to accomplish things that seem inconceivable at first. Instead of setting mundane, incremental goals, they set lofty goals that push people out of their comfort zones. Then, good managers do everything in their power to help them succeed. When talented and intelligent people find themselves doing things that are too easy or boring, they seek other jobs that will challenge their intellects.
Bringing It All Together
If you want your best people to stay, you need to think carefully about how you treat them. While good employees are as tough as nails, their talent gives them an abundance of options. You need to make them want to work for you.
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Sunday, May 29, 2016

Inventory Basics - Inventory Management


The Elements of a Pretty Good Inventory System

We like our Clearly Inventory software. We think it’s easy to use, and we know that it will help you become more productive. But no matter how good we think it is, it will fail to help you if you don’t do some very basic things.
The purpose of this section of the Inventory Basics Guide is to walk you through the absolute basic attributes of a pretty good inventory management system and to instruct you in detail about how to implement our recommendations.
We say “pretty good” because there are no perfect ways to create the elements of an inventory management system, but there are lots of bad ways. You may be able to improve on our recommendations or your enterprise may have to do things differently, but if you follow our recommendations, you’ll wind up with a pretty good system.

The Critical Elements of a Pretty Good Inventory System

  • Well-organized location names
  • Location labels that are easy to read and unambiguous
  • Unique, short, and unmistakable item numbers
  • Units of measure
  • A good starting count
  • Software that tracks all inventory activity
  • Good policies
  • Most important: people who know and follow good policies
Before we get into each of the above elements in more detail, let’s take a moment to explain why these elements are so important.


Well-Organized Location Names & Location Labels That Are Easy to Read and Unambiguous

If an item can be stored somewhere, that "somewhere" must have a name, and it should be labeled with that name. If it doesn’t, time will be wasted looking for things, people will stock things in the wrong place, locations will get referred to by more than one name, and your inventory will be in constant drift toward disorganization.
Remember, any open space can potentially store stuff, so label ALL of your storage locations, not just the ones that currently have stock. An open aisle? Name it, label it. An empty corner? Name it, label it. The tiny water heater closet? Name it, label it.
And don't pick just any name. You must have some logic to your location naming scheme. If you don't, you're setting yourself up for frustration down the road in ways that are difficult to anticipate. We’ll give you some advice on a naming scheme later in this guide, but no matter what you decide to call your locations, make sure they’re all labeled and all the names are unique.
Labels that are easy to read help everyone work faster. For example, if the letters on your labels are so small that you have to be two feet away to read them, or if the labels blend in with rack colors, etc., you'll be slowing down your operations and opening up yourself to mistakes.
Labels that don't clearly state which location they're referring to (i.e., labels with no arrows on shelves that have items above and below) will cause the same delays and errors as poorly printed labels.
A name tag that says

Item Descriptions

All of your items should have well-defined unique descriptions, for many of the same reasons that apply to locations. Without good descriptions, people can become confused about whether or not they have stock on an item or what item needs to be ordered. It can also be hard to search for items in reports or find similar items when searching your inventory system. Our opinions about creating good descriptions for your items are a little more firm, and we’ll explain it in greater detail later.
Colored plastic cups are use to illustrate the hazards of poor inventory item descriptions.

Item Numbers

Item numbers also help uniquely identify items, but one of their greatest benefits is lost on people who haven’t used a software system to track their inventory: they serve as a shorthand, or abbreviated item description. When you are searching your inventory, making transactions, filling orders, filtering or searching reports, item numbers really come in handy. Instead of typing descriptions that can be hundreds of characters long and hard to distinguish at a glance, most companies can use item numbers of only five or six characters or numbers in length. It makes it easier to use your inventory software, and anything that makes something easier improves the chances that it will get done.
A group of inventory item numbers in a

Units of Measure

Units of measure, things like “pcs”, “ea”, “lbs”, or “bags”, give meaning to quantities, and they belong in their own separate place, outside of descriptions and the numeric quantity fields. Using well-created and consistent units of measure will make stock levels, shipping quantities, and ordering quantities easier to understand.
Packaged eggs illustrate the hazards units of measure can bring to an inventory tracking application.

A Good Starting Count

Loading data into a new inventory software program is an excellent time to get a good count of your stock levels. Once you have labeled your locations, cleaned up your descriptions, created item numbers, and used consistent units of measure, getting a good stock level count will be much easier, faster, and better organized.
A counting toy to illustrate the idea of performing inventory counts.

A Software System That Tracks All Inventory Activity

If you’re reading this, you probably realize that keeping your inventory data with pen and paper, or on a spreadsheet, just won’t cut it. Good inventory software will make it easier for you to to track your inventory, allow many users access to it, offer you insight into your inventory activity, and keep an accurate historical record of what’s happened.

Creating Policies and Training People About the Entire Inventory System

The people who work with your stock and use your inventory system are the most critical element in establishing a pretty good inventory management system. You must make sure that these people know what to do with items that are received, taken from stock, reserved for future use, and required for production. They should also know who is responsible for making certain transactions, etc. In some cases, this may be only one or two people, but there’s nothing wrong with writing down your policies and making sure they get followed. If you or the people you work with aren’t consistent about the way inventory is handled, it won’t matter what software you use; you will only experience frustration and failure.
Next: How to Name Your Inventory Locations

8 Steps To Learn How To Play Soccer, And Why?


Want to learn how to play soccer as quickly as possible?
If so you’ve found the right article. Follow these 8 steps to learn how to play the beautiful game:

8 Steps To Learn How To Play Soccer


1. Study the basics

Learn soccer’s basic rules and understand each position.
The basics aren’t fun but they’re important. You can start playing once you understand them.

2. Start practicing

We recommend practicing before jumping into a game or tryout. You need to become familiar with the basic skills in order to enjoy playing.
Start with these four skills:
  1. Ball control
  2. Dribbling
  3. Passing
  4. Shooting

Look at our guides on each skill then start practicing proper technique. Use the information on this website and you will improve faster than other players.
Focus on ball control. It’s not as fun as learning soccer moves or blasting a ball into the net, but it’s a vital skill. Most beginners have trouble controlling the ball, making them completely ineffective on the pitch.

3. Focus on one skill at a time

Has this ever happened to you?
You intend to complete a task such as a homework assignment. It should take you about an hour.
You switch between the assignment and other activities such as social media. It takes you three hours to do the assignment because you multitasked.
The same principal applies when learning how to play soccer.
Focus on one skill at a time and you will improve more in one hour than another player who multitasks for three hours.
Set a time limit. Focus on one skill for at least 30 minutes before moving onto the next.

4. Play pickup games

Pickup games are unorganized games of soccer. They’re often played on smaller fields with less than 11 players on each side.
Use pickup games to practice skills in game-like situations.
Seek out as many pickup games as you can. They are essential to your development as a player.

5. Improve your fitness

You won’t be effective on the pitch if you’re not physically fit.
Training your fitness is hard work but it will greatly improve your ability as a player.
Start jogging and doing sprints 3-4 days a week.

6. Join a team

Joining a team will help you hone your ability as a player. You will play games against competitive teams and improve during practices.
There are three types of teams – recreational, select, and school teams. Recreational teams will accept anyone, but you must tryout for select and school teams.
Choosing the right team is important. Check out our choosing a soccer club guide to learn more.
If you want to increase your chances of making a team, check out our soccer tryout guide

7. Find a training partner

A training partner will help you learn how to play soccer fast.
Practice passing and play one vs one to develop your dribbling and defensive abilities. A good training partner will motivate you to train harder and make practicing more fun.
Choose a training partner that is near your skill level or better than you. He or she should be serious about learning how to play soccer.

8. Practice consistently

Don’t worry about training for long periods of time. Many players burn themselves out by practicing too much. It’s better to limit your training sessions so you are eager to practice the next day.
It’s better to train for 30 minutes a day for 4-5 days than 2 hours once a week.
Consistent practice is the best way to learn how to play soccer.

Learning Without A Teacher

What is the main purpose of eLearning? Is it to supplement the activities of a teacher or is it to replace them? I'm afraid that if you think it is to replace a teacher (or the facilitator if you love your business jargon), we are not doing a very good job.The reason I say this, is because I have found throughout my 8 years of teaching English as a second language, the majority of online material or courses that I have used with my students has been sadly lacking in replacing the need for me. Although very useful in some respects, countless times I have had to explain things which my students have not understood or been confused with. Another issue I have noticed is that they quickly forgot what they learnt. So why is this?In my opinion, the reason why a lot of eLearning material isn't really working at the moment has nothing to do with the technology or the learners and everything to do with its execution. When I talk of execution, I don't mean how beautiful it looks, the instructions or how well the user interface works. It's failing because it doesn't take into account how people learn, understand and remember things.




Instructional learning

Probably ever since people have started to attend some form of schooling, the main way people have been taught has been through instructional learning (where people are taught by 'this is how you do it' or 'this is what happens/happened'). Like when you are being taught to drive a car, you learn through instructions and memorising (copying and repetition).Although not necessary a bad way to learn for some people (especially for young children) or for somethings (like how to use an application), it isn't an ideal way for making people understand things. You normally find in this type of learning method, the material or exercise gives the learner everything (the process of what to do or the reason why something happens etc...). The one thing that it doesn't do, is to encourage the learner to have to think for themselves, to find the solution/reason themselves or to come up with their own conclusions.I normally find when teaching if I use this type of method with my students three things happen. The first is that most students just copy down and replicate it, but seldom understand it and quickly forget it. The second thing is that my students quickly get bored because they are not engaged in the class or with the material, they are more observing rather than participating in the class. The third thing is that I need to spend time trying to explain what I have just taught to the few students who openly admit they don't understand it.It isn't an ideal method of learning (from either the students' or teacher's perspective). But at least in a classroom environment, there is a teacher present to try to motivate or help the students. In an online eLearning environment, who is going to do this?




Learning through discovery

Maybe it is a reflection of my own (special) needs, but I've never really learnt well through following instructions or being told things. It normally goes in one ear and out the other. I've found that I understand things better if I can discover myself the reason why something works, or why something is necessary or what the meaning of something is.The process of having to think yourself (rather than being told) to find the reason or solution means that you are more engaged in what you are learning. By connecting the dots together in your own mind, not only makes it easier to understand something better, but also easier to remember it. This method of learning, is what I call 'learning through discovery', because the learner learns through discovering things themselves, not being told.eLearning material should be focused on making the learner think. Very much like solving a puzzle or assembling a jigsaw, the exercise should provide the means for the learner to easily discover themselves and understand the knowledge or skills that you are trying to pass to them. You provide the learner with all the pieces they need to understand something and let them do the rest.I use this learning method myself on my website to teach people business English vocabulary and concepts. The way I do it is through using context. I introduce in a simple text around ten new English words or phrases (which are in bold in the text) that I want the people doing the exercise to learn. From using the context in which the word or phrase is in (carefully constructed to help the learner), the learner is able to (and has to) work out the meaning of the words/phrases themselves. At the end, they have to do a test to check if they understand the meaning by matching the words/phrases to definitions (Click HERE to see an example).From doing testing with my own students (with no interference from myself), I have been pleasantly surprised how well this method works in not only the students understanding the words/phrases (of course they still make mistakes), but in also how long they remember them.As creators of eLearning material, this process of learning through discovery is something we must take into account when designing courses or exercises. This is especially important if the material is for a teacherless environment, where there is no immediate way for the learner to ask for help if they are confused or don’t understand.
The problemThe only real problem I have found in using this 'learning through discovery' method, is the amount of time it takes to create exercises/material using it. Everything you do in the exercise has to be focused on helping the learner discover and understand themselves the concept and/or meaning of what you are trying to teach them. It unfortunately takes a lot longer to plan and create this type of material than writing material which simply tells them things or gives them instructions (that's probably one of the main reasons why much eLearning content today on the web still uses the instructional learning method). In conclusionAlthough 'instructional learning' does have its uses in eLearning (especially when showing people how to perform some tasks on applications), I feel that using 'learning through discovery' is far more successful in making people learn and remember concepts, theories and meanings.If you want people to be able to learn more easily, understand and remember the things you are trying to teach them, I recommend that you design your courses and material using the 'learning through discovery' method. This is especially important if your eLearning material is teacherless, because there is nothing more likely to make somebody frustrated than getting confused with no-one to ask for help. Although the simple method I use to teach on my website (using context) is very successful for teaching languages, it may not work so well for others subjects. By all means try it. But you really should think of other ways that you can get your learners to discover and understand the knowledge or skills you are passing to them (e.g. a problem solving exercise, with a game etc...).


How to Control Your Temper

Losing your temper every now and then is common, but it is also something that can lead to further complications in your life. It is important to know how to control your temper in vulnerable moments before you react negatively, or say something hurtful, that can ruin your relationships and create destruction in your life.


Learning how to control your temper is an important skill that will help you in every aspect of your life - your relationships, your friendships and your career.


1.Take Your Time

The first rule of knowing how to control your temper is to stop yourself from reacting in anger. When you are angry with someone, the first reactions you are going to have would be negative - it can be some rash action that you are going to regret later, or something hurtful that you are going to say without thinking.
When angry, take your time before reacting; pause and take a few seconds before you do or say anything to the person you are angry with. If you don't react immediately after your first bout of anger, chances are that you are going to have the chance to calm down before taking the next step.

2.Remove Yourself from the Situation

The next step for you to take would be to, if you have the chance, remove yourself from the situation at hand and especially the person you are angry with, if you want to know how to control your temper.
Removing yourself from the source of anger will give you enough time to cool down instead of reacting negatively in your anger. If it is your partner that you are having a fight with, take a break and leave for an hour; if you are angry with your children, ask them to go to their room until you are calm enough to deal with the situation rationally. If you are angry with someone at work, take a break and leave the room or the building for an early (or late!) lunch and come back later.

3.Do Some Counting

If you have a quick temper, take a deep breath and start counting. Count down from 10 to 1, slowly and with each breath in your mind. By the time you have counted till the number 1, you will probably feel better; you will also feel your anger melting away. But if you are still not quite calm, then count again - start from 10 to 1 slowly and try to compose yourself. This is a great way of meditation which is also very important in knowing how to control your temper.

4.Take Deep Breaths

Close your eyes and take some deep breaths when angry; it will help you relax and control your anger in critical situations. Deep breathing also helps your heartbeat slow down, and your body will get extra oxygen - both actions help you feel relaxed when you are overexcited.
When you are extremely angry, take some time yourself and remove yourself from what's bothering you. Take deep breaths for a few moments alone, and then you will be calm enough to think about the whole thing rationally.

5.Think About the Situation

Take a few minutes to think about the situation, and especially of your reasons for being angry. Were you being reasonable in getting angry, or did you just overreact to a situation? Did something or someone offend you, or was it something that you couldn't control? Were you honestly angry, or just tired and exhausted?
In many situations, hunger and exhaustion is misinterpreted as anger, and people react excessively to a simple provocation. It is important that you take some time and think about what the situation is that is making you so angry, and you will be able to come to a proper conclusion.

6.Think of Yourself When Angry

Think back to the past when you have been similarly angry, and think of what your reactions had been. Perhaps in your anger, you have said some hurtful things to the people around you, things that you now regret. Perhaps you had taken a thoughtless step that you are unhappy about now. Think of yourself in extreme anger and of the harms you can do in your life, and use that to calm yourself down.

7.Find Some Humor in Your Situation

The best way to diffuse anger is to find something funny; so, when angry, try and find some humor in your situation. Take a moment and think of something funny - a joke you heard recently, a comedy that you have seen lately, something interesting that your child did, or a cartoon that you enjoy. Try this simple trick: imagine yourself angry in a humorous way, like in a cartoon. Face all red, hair standing up, steam coming out of your ears - you get the picture! No matter how angry you are, you will be able to laugh immediately if you follow this tip.

8.Get In Touch with Nature

Take a few minutes to yourself and go out in nature. It could be a walk in the park, or just a few minutes to spend in your yard. Nature has a very calming effect on the human mind, and spending some quality time with nature - just looking and taking in everything that you see around yourself - can help you control your temper.
So, the next time you find yourself seething with anger, excuse yourself and take a stroll. Spend 5 minutes looking at trees, the clouds in the sky, or just feeling the breeze with your eyes closed. You will feel calmer and more in control with yourself, guaranteed!

Saturday, May 28, 2016

What to Do When You Are Bored

Boredom is one of the two enemies of happiness, the other one being pain. While to some people boredom can seem like a blessing, especially to those who are constantly in a hurry, after a while the free time becomes pure torture. So, how exactly can you fight the horror of having a lot of time with nothing to do? Here are a few things you can do when bored, both at home and when outside the house:

What to Do When You Are Bored: Things to Do at Home ?











1. Write

When you have a lot of time and nothing to do, it is a great time to channel your energy into some creativity. If you have a book or poetry, you would like to write, this is the best time to do so.

2. Organize Your Room 

When you are busy with work and other things, you hardly get time to clean up your room. Use your free time to tidy it up and make it look nice. Also, this time can be used to clean places that are hard to reach or that would take too much time cleaning. This is one of the ways to feel great about yourself and spend your free time. With a clean room, you can get the energy to do other things.

3.Make a Video

When bored, you can decide to use the time to make a video. You can call one of a few friends and ask them to come to your place to make a video. This can be a great way to pass time and create something worth watching. Here are some fun youtube video ideas.





4.Sing Your Heart Out

Singing can actually be a great way to boost your moods. Even if you have a horrible voice, this should not stop you from signing your lungs out to kill boredom.

5. Draw or Paint

This is also a great time to paint or draw what you have been planning to for the longest time. Simply get hold of a pen and paper or canvas and paintbrushes and let your imagination take control. You can also make homemade cards for family or friends for an upcoming event.

6. Make Crafts

This is the best time to learn a new skill. You can teach yourself how to sew or knit or even improve on a skill you already possess. Crafts are fantastic ways of passing time alone or in the company 0f others. You can make it more enjoyable by listening to your favorite music or watching your favorite movie.





7. Cook

The best thing about having more than enough time to cook is that you do not realize how fast time has gone by and you get to enjoy some tasty homemade food. This is the time to dust off your cookbook and try out those delicious recipes.

8. Read

This is one of the best ways to pass time. You can read a book you have been putting off because of work or you can simply read the latest edition of your favorite magazine. You can pick books from the local library or borrow from friends.



9. Enjoy a Relaxing Bath

Most of time, you get into the bathroom in a hurry since you have to be somewhere. When you have nothing to do or nowhere to go, taking a long relaxing bath would be a great idea. You can listen to some soft music and sip on some wine as you enjoy this.

10. Do Crossword Puzzles

This is a great way to take out hours out of your boring schedule. Puzzles have a funny way of keeping you entertained and occupied for the longest time.
Logic puzzles are also a great way to take out hours of your day. While you cannot do too many of them, a few can go a long way in killing boredom.




11. Surf the Internet

If you are fortunate enough to have a computer with you, this free time would be perfect for you to surf the internet. This is a great way to stay entertained and learn new things.

12. Chat with Others

Chatting with other people can be a great way to kill boredom. You can decide to talk to someone new and learn a thing or two about them. This can be a great way to make new friends.

13. Doodle

This is a great way to keep your hands and mind occupied. You can even hold doodling contests with your friends or co-workers. This can be a great way to find your creative inner self.

14. Pretend You Are a Robot

While this may only amuse you for a few minutes, it is bound to leave you in stitches especially when done with friends. You can walk down the street with mechanical movements and make the sound ‘zzzzzzt’, like a robot.

15. Do Your Laundry

While this may not seem like much fun, it has to be done. When you are bored, you can do a lot of laundry around the house. The sooner you do this task, the sooner you will have time for more pleasurable activities, and it is a good way of killing boredom.

16. Build Something

You can build just about anything you put your mind to. You can even build a fort where you can relax and enjoy your own company. Building a fort can be fun and can be done with a few blankets and pillows.

17. Get a Makeover

You can copy fashion statements from celebrities from various magazines. This will keep you entertained for a while and thus leave you with lesser time to be bored.

18. Organize the Garage Your garage holds a lot of things you probably forgot about. Cleaning out your garage can be a great way to kill boredom and you may come across something that can be of help in some way.

19. Video for girls: things to do when you are boredThis video shares exciting things to do when you are bored. All the ideas are fun ideas that can get your mind off the fact that you are bored.

20. Video for boys: things to do when you are bored

Learn twenty things to do when you are a bored teenage boy. It features some fun things to do with a friend.

What to Do When You Are Bored: Things to Do Outside


1-Do Sports

This is a great way to kill boredom and get in shape. You can choose to take part in different sporting activities like running, biking, taking walks, hula hoop and yoga among many others.

2-Go Biking, Hiking or Drive Somewhere

Going for an adventure can be a great way to kill boredom. You can bike all the way to a new town or city or you can take a bus to a new place.

3-Help at the Animal Shelter

Caring for animals in animal shelters is a great way to use your free time. Most animal shelters need volunteers to help in caring for the pets. This is a great way to spend time with animals and it is also a good way to be useful.

4-Climb Trees

If there was a certain tree you used to climb when you were young, you can try to see whether you can still conquer it.

5-Wash Your Car

Avoid driving it to the local car wash as this only takes minimal time to do. Instead, wash your own car and take as much time as possible.

6-Start a Vegetable Garden

This is probably the most rewarding thing to do when you are bored at home. You get to grow things you will be able to eat in a few months or you can opt to make money from them by selling them.

7-Camp in The Backyard

You can setup a tent and build a campfire in your backyard. You can even have a few friends over and enjoy hotdogs on a stick together.

8-Other Great Ideas on What to Do When You Are Bored

  • Wax the ceiling
  • Rearrange political campaign signs
  • Play Houdini with one of your siblings
  • Braid your dog's hair
  • Water your dog...see if he grows
  • Mow your lawn
  • Give your cat a mohawk
  • Play Pat Boone records backwards
  • Boil ice cream
  • Vacuum your carpet
  • Speak in acronyms
  • Run around in squares
  • Drink straight shots...of water
  • Calmly have a nervous breakdown
  • Play tag
  • Write a letter to Plato
  • Take your sofa for a walk
  • Play the piano...with mittens on
  • Sleepwalk without sleeping
  • Ask stupid questions
  • Teach your pet rock to play dead
  • Go bowling for small game

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