Making FSM Players

The Development Model - 4 Areas of Skills Development
Our Model Player
Characteristics of #10
Play Like #10
The Point
One-A-Day Soccer Vitamins

Here is exactly how we do it.

We have established a model of the type of player we wished to create: #10. We identified the characteristics and elements of that model player, and then developed a systhematic and methodical process to teach those elements to our players. we devised a way to quantitatively measure each player's ability, so that we could follow and chart a player's development through time. Though quantitative, this measure gives a very objective and real indication of a player's ball-handling ability, as well as their speed and quickness with the ball. Over time they develop the unique elements of our model player "#10". Soccer Magic players have a distinctive expression on a soccer field as they go about getting their job done. This innovative method has changed player's attitude toward their development by making them more involved, and holding themselves accountable for their progress. Success is virtually a guarantee.

The Development Model

FSM player’s skills development is divided into 4 areas:

Passing Ground Receiving Ground Striking Ground Passing Air Receiving Air Volleys	Speed Juggling Technique Juggling March Juggling Pattern Juggling Spin Juggling Run-n-Juggle Creative Juggling	Carrying the ball Turning with the ball Stopping the ball The 15 Skills
Technique Speed	Speed Juggling	Fastleg Skills

1. Technical skills - Comprising the coach’s game, these are the individual elements essential for teamwork. They are the elements that make it possible for individual players on a team to connect successfully with each other. If the Technical Director's (Coach's) primary responsibility is to establish understanding and teamwork among players, then the players must have the technical ability to make UPS home delivered (accurate) passes, receive balls flawlessly, play one and two touch, both on the ground and in the air.. Good technical skills not only helps an individual to be effective on the team, but also allows the team to play quickly in advancing the ball up the field.

2. Ball Control - Handling of the ball in the air- Juggling is the most important daily habit that accompany the game of soccer. Juggling helps a good soccer player to become a better player because they develop greater understanding of ball control. This is an area that our players lack expertise because many coaches and players fail to recognize the direct and immediate of juggling. Imagine the game of a twelve year old who understands how to make the ball spin, not spin, spin backwards only or sideways only. Imagine the touch of a player who can juggle over 90 times in 30 seconds consistently below the knee. FSM teaches 7 different juggling techniques for breathtaking ball-control.

3. Ball-handling skills - is defined as how comfortable a player is expressing themselves with the ball on the ground. The more comfortable a player becomes in handling the ball on the ground the greater their individual expression. We teach 15 different habits for greater comfort and expression making a player more skillful, more confident and eager to attack. These habits form the basis of all 1v1 skills used in soccer.

4. Speed and Quickness - Speed is the ultimate element of success in sport. To gain speed you need to make speed a developmental habit. Fastleg skills and Speed juggling are activities conceived by Ferdie Adoboe and fast gaining national and international recognition. Speed Juggling and Fastleg skills intensify a player's relationship with the ball by speeding up their touches. This helps players master the ball better in a shorter period of time, but most importantly, improves a player's balance, coordination, rhythm and control, teaching them to handle the ball comfortably, efficiently and quickly. With soccer's increasing popularity and growth in the new millennium, a good player is no longer one with skills, but one with skill, speed and quickness. It is with such foresight that we introduce kids (at an early age,) to sophisticated habits of the future. Habits that make their skills Y2K compliant. In 1999, the Guinness Book of World Records endorsed Speed Juggling and it's developmental benefits to the game, by establishing the record in the Guinness Records database. Boys and girls around the world can now be engaged in this highly beneficial activity to compete, and at the same time improve their game. Henceforth, it is not how many you can juggle, but how fast you can juggle. You will not find such innovative ideas toward skills development anywhere else. Ferdie's Soccer Magic programs are thriving throughout the country because players and coaches love it, it is different, and it works.

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Our Model Player

Ferdie's Soccer Magic Player is modeled to wear #10. Number 10s exhibit the highest combination of technical, ball-handling and ball-control skills. They understand and accept the responsibility for winning a match, but most importantly, they recognize the importance of teammates in their efforts to do so. FSM player looks to be under control and calm under pressure, while probing the defense looking for the right moments to strike quickly with the ball. They love and enjoy the ball at their feet.

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Characteristics of # 10

The job of #10 is to win matches. This is different from that of #9 who is to score goals. If #10 scores two goals but the team loses the match 4-2, he or she did not do their job. If the same scenario happened with #9, they would have accomplished their objective even though the team did not win.

To succeed at being #10 requires wit, intelligence and the ability to manage your time and energy throughout a match. They must be very comfortable in expressing themselves with the ball. They must possess exceptional technical skills to be able to receive and thread balls through traffic to specific targets. They must be able to play and or think quickly, and have an uncanny ability to finish- not shoot, but FINISH. They must have the ability to monitor the chemistry of their players and that of the game.

#10 controls the tempo of the game by taking balls from backs, playing wide players to open opposing defenses, while finding the right moments to penetrate for a scoring opportunity either by dribbling, combining with forwards, or playing a killer pass.

#10 demonstrates patience but recognizes the need to attack quickly when the opportunity arises. They go about accomplishing their job from midfield, setting up teammates for early goals while finishing any opportunities that come their way. Most of their time is spent in the middle and attacking thirds of the field. With the job done early, they can control the game and put on a clinic - one touch, two touch, a dribble, and a cheeky back heel every now and then, while avoiding any kind of contact from opponents if possible. You will not last long in soccer if you allow yourself to get beat up. Get the job done, be injury free so that you can live to play another day. Now you are enjoying futbol.

Against tougher opponents however, #10 would look to play a more technical game than a skillful one, This allows them to conserve energy while creating opportunities for teammates to win the match. If the job is still not done after 80 minutes, he or she can now pull out the Magic wand to get it done. Players of such caliber are so rare that even popular soccer nations can only produce a handful out of a generation. They are a special breed. Some examples: Most famous is Pele (Brazil) who actually standardized that role. Diego Maradona (Argentina), arguably the best #10 since Pele. Johan Kruyff (Holland), Michelle Platini (France), Ruud Gullit (Holland), Zico (Brazil) Roger Milla (Cameroun), Roberto Baggio(Italy), Georghe Hagi (Rumania),and Abedi Pele (Ghana), to mention a few. In today's game Rivaldo (Brazil), Zidane (France), Larson (Sweden), Totti (Italia), Ortega (Argentina), Kanu and Okocha (Nigeria), Nakata (Japan), Rui Costa (Portugal) and England's David Beckham are exciting to watch. On the Women's side, Brazil's Sissi and China's Sun Wen are a class above and Rumania's Irina is quite a delight. On the college scene, Former Harvard standout Emily Stouffer, Virginia's Claudio Reyna, Duke's Robbie Russell, and Dartmouth's Mary McVeigh have demonstrated such characteristics. Modeling your game after such players is bound to put you in a class above.

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You want to play like a #10? Start here:

1. You are Bruce Lee. You have arrived at the temple of the people who killed your entire family. You are the only one left to defend your clan. They have 30 members in their Shaolin temple and then the master himself. The toughest man (the master) will sit and watch you battle through 30 people before getting to him. Just close your eyes and imagine how you will survive. This is exactly how #10 approaches a match or a season.

2. A #10 is a THIEF. To succeed you need to steal goals. What are your chances of success if you try stealing in broad daylight when everyone is awake? And... hey hey hey,- what are those bells doing around your ankles?

3. You are a Cheetah in the Serengeti Plain in Africa. (You with me? This is National Geographic). You have not eaten for three days. Down the hill, a herd of wildebeest treks across. You are 2.8 miles away. How will you get there before they all disappear in 15 minutes, making sure you can still hunt when you arrive?

4. What will happen to the Ninja who attacks another Ninja and allows his sword to be knocked out of his hands ? Did I hear you say "mincemeat"? Good! So, where is the ball?

5. A soccer player without skills is like a carpenter without tools. You might as well stay home. And, if you ever see a carpenter coming back from work with bloody hands, please spare him or her the grief, and don't ask "what happened". Duuuhhhh!

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The point is this. Soccer is a very intelligent game and you must approach it as such, especially if you intend to be influential in it. Think of the match as a performance. You play to entertain while being effective. Win or lose you want to give spectators their money's worth. When you play with love you will have magic, and people will always pay to watch you play, this is the best feeling in the world for a soccer player.

So here are some very effective tips or words of wisdom for the person who wants to know how great players approach a game. Think of them as your daily soccer vitamins for a healthy game.

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One-a-Day Soccer Vitamins. If you are really feeling bad then take 3 two times daily:

1. Without the ball we have to run, with the ball the ball runs.
   
2. Want the ball, get the ball, and keep the ball.
   
3. Get to understand the ball. The game is so much more fun when you are good with the ball.
   
4. Just like a video game or an instrument, the more you play with the ball the better you get with it.
   
5. When carrying the ball don't hit it or kick it, push it.
   
6. Put your foot on the ball a lot to control it, stop it, and change direction.
   
7. Stop and go is a good rule, but stop, lie and go is a better rule
   
8. Don't attack players, attack spaces between players.
   
9. Keep the ball moving and defenders will halt their approach towards the ball. Also,
   
10. When you stop the ball, always look like you are looking to make a long pass.
    
11. Try and execute as many decisions as possible under control. This will increase your success ratio.
    
12. Make decisions early and play quickly to avoid rush, because 90% of rushed plays are not successful.
    
13. Look to attack but not all the time.
    
14. Keeping the ball on your team should be your #1 priority, so go when you can but come back (with the ball) when the going gets tough.
    
15. Use players near you to get from one point to another, particularly forward, this way you arrive without too much pressure.
    
16. Clever players do not allow opponents to get too close to them.
    
17. To be a good player, you need to be a very very good liar, especially with the ball. lie by pretending to run, or by pretending to strike the ball. LIE, LIE, LIE , AND LIE.
    
18. Understand that- principles that make for individual success also govern team success and vice versa
    
19. Good players are always looking for space and time to make good decisions.
    
20. Skill is what lets you find space so that you have time to make a good decision.
    
21. A good decision is giving a ball to a teammate who has space and time to make another good decision. Not always forward.
    
22. A series of good decisions helps a team advance the ball up the field.
    
23. You don't kick, you pass or strike the ball. This separates you from non-soccer players who play soccer.
    
24. 50/50 balls require aggression which always lead to injuries. So,
    
25. You make UPS home delivered passes to avoid 50/50 balls, thus injuries.
    
26. Use your brain to not abuse your body.
    
27. Know who you are, where you are, and what you are doing there.
    
28. Having fun means "I am confident", which means "I know what I am doing", which means "I have skills" which means "sorry if I make you look stupid".
    
29. Manage your energy over 90 minutes- You can only win the match in the final ten minutes if you plan for it.
    
30. When you hear "nice try Jen" or "Good effort Bob" - it means you did not get it done. Don't just do it... Get it done!

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