Padiham Saints J.F.C

After a comment in Toms u12's match report it got me reminiscing about my own youth. Now I know I'm a knackered cranky old man, daughter tells me often, but I was young and fit once, honest I was.

Again this isn't intended to have a pop at anyone but just an insight into how lifestyles have changed over a relatively short space of time. At a young age of five or six footballers were the pop stars of their day, Stanley Mathews, Tom Finney, Duncan Edwards and the like were the people you aspired to see play let alone meet. The hardest drug they used was a 'fag' at half time and an asprin from heading that old leather ball which was wet through, too many times. Yes, a lot of footballers did smoke in those days as it wasn't seen as harmful.

All your food was prepared by mum, the veg was probably still in the field three days ago and your meat walking around two days ago or even yesterday. Cling film and plastic packaging was a science fiction thing and everything was brought from the shop in a brown paper bag. The most unhealthy food in those days was fish and chips but you only went to the 'chippy' in an emergency not as a matter of course.
Chocolate was a real treat, something you got a fair amount of at Christmas in your selection box but was a real treat if you had it at any other time. It certainly never appeared on your lunch menu.

My first introduction to football came at primary schooll, probably the tender age of about five and I was stood watching the bigger lads play. One of the bigger lads asked if I wanted to join in and he didn't have to ask twice. From that day on it was football football football wherever and whenever I could. The type of ball didn't matter sometimes it was just a tennis ball, sometimes it was one of the new plastic balls, so light that if you blew on it you could score a goal. Believe it or not we once made one up made of newspaper old rags and string. Half time was when the ball needed retying. Activity, activity activity, all the time.

At around ten years old I'd reached the dizzy heights of being selected for the then Town Team trials at Barden and the headmaster of St Peters a Mr Francis said before I went 'Fight like a tiger', that was his favourite saying, it was his only saying as I remember.
Off I toddled with my ankle high football boots polished black by my grandad, he'd got me the boots. all my friends were so envious saying I'd got continental boots. My strip, also supplied by grandad, was a Celtic top or so I was reliably informed by an older lad.
Anyway, the trial went well as far as I was concerned but I didn't make the team. I did make a few enemies though and I hope he reads this. I was very nippy in those days and could outpace most defenders (fitness lads) anyway I got a breakaway and let fly from the edge of the box with the keeper coming out on about the penalty spot. He pulled off a flying save that I can see as if it was yesterday and then he said to me 'If you score against me today I'm going to get you'. Minutes later I did slot one home from close range and yes he was true to his word and three of them were waiting for me outside the changing room. To cut it short I got a teacher to hold them up for a minute while I escaped, that's probably one of the reasons I was pretty quick, I was never a fighter. Just as a footnote, his last name was 'Effin', don't any smart --- say effin what, so if you read this Mr Effin, I'm here and waiting for you.......with my stick.

At Junior school football and all sports took priority for me, every school report had on it 'Too many outside activities'. We had as I can remember two gym lessons per week, one football lesson and one swimming lesson, all double periods. That was about for and a half hours per week built into the cylabus. Wonder how that compares to today?
Getting into the House team and school team was not a problem, the only disappointment being that the Headmaster only let us play for the sport and we were never allowed to play in the inter schools cup matches, that's maybe why St Theodores always seemed to be in the final which in those days were played on the Turf.
Athletics, cross country, golf, tennis were all eventually games you could partake in, again the emphasis on physical activity and I became a fairly decent tennis player.

At 13 to 16 my weekend went like this, Saturday morning playing football for the school, Saturday afternoon playing football for the youth club and Sunday afternoon playing football for the local side in the Sunday school league. Now I know it wouldn't be allowed these days but it does say something about the general fitness of lads then and lads today. I know there are lads today who could and maybe do play two or three times a weekend but how many? Then it was almost the norm.
Blowing my own trumpet, I was a fairly good player both in goal and as a forward and Dad always wanted me to trial for Burnley but I wouldn't, I don't think I had the belief in my ability, our coach's weren't like todays coach's who can and do instill belief into players.
How did I get to the games? I walked. Fitness, fitness fitness.

I played into my early 20's, 23 to be exact in the Sunday leagues and then had to give up mainly through an illness (arthritis) but partly because the 17yr olds were suddenly half a yard quicker. I probably could have carried on for another year or two but not being on the pace didn't cut it with me. Show me a player that's a second quicker over ten yards and I'll show you a good footballer whatever the position. Moral here lads, train, train train.
After giving up football cricket became my first sport playing in the works league, not a pinnacle by any standards but I enjoyed it. Lost count of the number of players I 'ran out' arthritis or not because I was still pretty nippy between the sticks. Fitness, fitness fitness.

That's a brief ouline of my sporting life but I am trying to make a serious point to the lads at Saints today. I'm aware you can overdo the training but most will not do enough.
Training can and sometimes is extremely boring when all you want to do is get a ball at your feet but in the long run it will pay off, big time. If you are the one that's a second quicker over ten yards you're the lad that's going to score the breakaway one on one goals or the defender who crucialy gets his tackle in just as the forward is about to pull it or the midfielder who gets to the ball first to send the winger away.
PC games for most lads are fun and do have a part to play in your lives but don't let that take priority over your personal fitness. Put fitness as a priority in your lives then no matter what's thrown at you later in life you may be able to cope with it.

There you go lads, the reverand Jon is now down off his soap box treat your fitness as a personal challenge, listen to your coach's and buckle down to hard training no matter how unsavoury it seems at the time, the winner will be you and your team.

I agree fitness is key when playing football and in training. But what I find is, that it is just as equally important to install 'mental fitness'.

We have built in a philosophy in my under 10s since the New Year that a game of football is all about 5 yards. Sounds weird. All about mental strength and a psychological belief that anything is possible.

The faster you cover that 5 yards, the better chance you will win the ball, you will win a header, you will get to the ball 1st to score a goal or even the 5 yards to get into a position you think you need to be in.

All I need to do in team talks is to mention 5 yards and the lads know what they have to do.

And since doing the 5 yards our results have got better. The lads now fight, well compete more for the ball, show more awareness of positions they are in and need to be in. Know when they can't win a tackle not just to slide in.

So like I said its great to be fit to run around a field kicking a ball, but with the added mental training, they can combine this with physical fitness which will make them stronger people both on and on the pitch.

Agreed there Darren, don't have any arguement against that philosophy. It sounds like the lads have something to hang on to that they believe in and that's great. Especially if you notice positive results from it.
Having vision to read the game and get into good positions is something that's normally learned over a long period of time and if they're picking it up at 10 yrs old well that's just great.

I agree with you both on that both mental and physical fitness contributes to the game. I know it's so easy with some kids of today to just sit in front of the telly on their computer games something they wouldn't have been able to do even in my younger days.

Like you said Jon training may be boring at times but perserveer as the training session is all done to help you out and improve your game.