I believe shooting is another of my strengths in football. I think my shots are accurate and have descent power behind them helping me beat the keeper and score plenty of goals. Whenever I have an opportunity to shoot, 9 times out of 10 I will. This has helped me get 6 goals so far this season, 2 of them being from outside the box. When I am in possession near the opposition goal, I am often encouraged to shoot by my coach and spectators as I have a strong shot so this also shows me shooting is one of the strong parts of my game. The coach encourages me to shoot by shouting at me during games and telling me to do so. He also tells me before games to shoot at every opportunity so I know in games I must do so. Spectators also shout “shoot” encouraging me to have a go at goal when possible.
Finally I have identified my first touch being a strength as well. I know this because by using match analysis I can see that almost every time the ball is in the air and falling in my direction, I get it under control instantly. This helps me and my team as we win possession of the ball and this helps us create opportunities to score. When the ball is passed to me, I can also turn and get past a defender effectively because of the quality of my touch. My first touch usually plays the ball behind or to the side of the defender, giving me an advantage when attacking. I am sometimes told to play up front by my coach in the later stages of a game, if we are losing because I have the ability turn a defender and have a go at goal with just two touches. One to turn and one to shoot. This has helped me create chances for myself this season and my goal tally shows exactly that.
The fitness components that are my strengths are: cardio-vascular endurance, timing, co-ordination and speed.
By having good cardio-vascular endurance, it allows me to perform at the best of my ability for the full 90 minutes as I don’t tire. This also allows me to meet the demand of my body during matches which is to provide oxygen to my muscles in order for them to make energy which they can use, so I am able to continue running meaning I am still able to attack and defend effectively even in the later stages of the match. This strength also helps me have that edge over opponents as I am still able to continue while my opponents begin to tire. This allows me to take advantage and create opportunities late on in games. I can tell my cardio-vascular endurance is good due to the fact that I am able to complete the full 90 minutes of matches, and this is further proved by my result in bleep test which was 12.6 showing I have a vo2 max level (the amount of oxygen, in millilitres that we are able to use in one minute for ever kilogram of our body weight) of around 56 which is above average. The bleep test involves running continuously between two points that are 20 m apart. These runs are synchronized with a pre-recorded audio tape or CD, which plays beeps at set intervals. As the test proceeds, the interval between each successive beep reduces, forcing the athlete to increase velocity over the course of the test, until it is impossible to keep in sync with the recording.
As I mentioned earlier, timing is also a strength in my game. Having good timing allows me to perform a skill in the right way at the right time, helping me both in attack and defence. In attack, it means I can create chances for my team if my pass is timed correctly. I am always able to pass at the correct moment helping the receivers maximize their chance of them scoring. My assists record proves to me my timing is effective and through match analysis I can see 8/10 of my passes end up in goals, showing I am passing at the right time. I am be able to judge my runs well in order to stay onside as I know exactly when to begin my run to get to the ball without being caught offside. It also helps my shooting, for example when I need to volley a ball. My timing means I am able to hit the ball at the right time and this combined with a good technique often leads to goals. I know this, because I rarely miss the ball when it comes to hitting a volley. As well as this my timing helps me defend. It allows to put in my foot in to tackle at the right time, usually when my opponent has least control of the ball leading to my high tackle success rate
My Co-ordination is also a big plus in my game, allowing me to combine body parts and produce required movements correctly and effectively. For example I can move my leg and arm at the same time helping me to strike the ball cleanly which improves my passing and shooting. This advantage helps my performance as it allows me to produce quality passes which my teammates receive. This also helps me get my body in the right position to control the ball and as well as this, it allows me to dribble past an opponent more easily as I am able to move my legs, torso and arms (for balance) all at the same time.
Finally, speed is another of my strengths. I can tell because I got quite a fast time in the sprint tests I did. I got 2.79seconds, which was the time it took me to run 20m which is quite fast compared to average results. This not only helps me get to the ball before an opponent helping me create chances for myself, it also allows me to sprint past oncoming defenders as they cannot catch up with me. This is useful when dribbling and when running off the ball into space or trying to beat the offside trap. By being fast, I can hold my run to stay on side and then sprint to the ball once it is played over. My speed allows me to run past the last defender, creating a chance on goal.
