Many questions...

[Bodmanza]

Heres the long and skinny of it:
1. How much should i be spending on a good ball? For just training/d1ckin around with?
2. How much/what kind for boots?
3. What is the best part of the foot to hit the ball with when shooting w/o curve? It seems when ppl curve it, they use more of their inside part of the foot and follow through less, is this right?
4. What are the most vital and advantageous skills to have, in your opinion?

Thanks to any and all answers :D

[nvan_football]

Heres the long and skinny of it:
1. How much should i be spending on a good ball? For just training/d1ckin around with?
2. How much/what kind for boots?
3. What is the best part of the foot to hit the ball with when shooting w/o curve? It seems when ppl curve it, they use more of their inside part of the foot and follow through less, is this right?
4. What are the most vital and advantageous skills to have, in your opinion?

Thanks to any and all answers :D
1. I have 2 soccerballs I bring everywhere I play soccer (team practices, pick-up games, just kicking around with a friend). The first one is Nike T90 white/black - $30 CND, the second one is adidas Finale Sportivo Replica white/red - about $ 40 CND. I think this is perfect choice for these purposes.
2. Obviously, if you have enough money, you'd better buy high end boots. What brand? I prefer umbro, because practically all of their boots are very comfortable. My all time favourite boot is umbro Elite X, it's very comfy and has a good touch.
3. Does w/o mean without? You can shoot without any spin with your both inside and laces, it's just a matter of practise. Moreover, my inside and instep drives are equally powerful, so I see no difference.
4. Speed, no matter what position. --> Stamina, cause no matter how good your ball skills are, if you don't have stamina, you will just suck. And vice versa. --> Ball control, dribbling. --> Shooting.

[Bodmanza]

1. I have 2 soccerballs I bring everywhere I play soccer (team practices, pick-up games, just kicking around with a friend). The first one is Nike T90 white/black - $30 CND, the second one is adidas Finale Sportivo Replica white/red - about $ 40 CND. I think this is perfect choice for these purposes.
Well I have an Umbro Match Pro so far, and was actually looking at the Nike t90's...
2. Obviously, if you have enough money, you'd better buy high end boots. What brand? I prefer umbro, because practically all of their boots are very comfortable. My all time favourite boot is umbro Elite X, it's very comfy and has a good touch.
When you say high end we are talking...100 bucks? 150? 200?
3. Does w/o mean without? You can shoot without any spin with your both inside and laces, it's just a matter of practise. Moreover, my inside and instep drives are equally powerful, so I see no difference.
Hmm what i mean is when players shoot like they pass. At the middle of the foot at the base of the ankle. And now that I think of it,I havent tried to shoot properly much with my right because i have an ingrown toenail that kills. My left isn't bad though.
4. Speed, no matter what position. --> Stamina, cause no matter how good your ball skills are, if you don't have stamina, you will just suck. And vice versa. --> Ball control, dribbling. --> Shooting.
1. speed- good.
2. stamina- not so sure, i play ball hockey but is soccer more demanding?
3. ball control, dribbling- poor. definitely needs work
4. shooting- poor, again needs work(plus toenail resection :p )

[nvan_football]

-I think high end might be everything over 150$ CND, unless there's a sale.
-Hmm, sorry mate, but I just don't get how an ingrown toe nail can hinder your shot :confused: . Unless you toe punt, but I'm really hoping you don't.

[Bodmanza]

-I think high end might be everything over 150$ CND, unless there's a sale.
-Hmm, sorry mate, but I just don't get how an ingrown toe nail can hinder your shot :confused: . Unless you toe punt, but I'm really hoping you don't.
Well, when you shoot with your instep, your toe sort of bounces of the ground, no?
edit: and no i dont toe punt

[i07m]

1. Depends how new you are to the game. I bring a Soccer ball EVERYWHERE I go. Put it in the trunk or backseat of your car. You should play consistently, for a few minutes when your just messing with the ball. You can teach yourself many, many tricks with the ball, then.

2. Again, it depends. How much are you willing to spend? A lot of players will pay $150-$200 for a boot. Nike Mercurial Vapors, Adidas F50+'s, and the New Umbro X-boot (Not sure if that's the real name of it) are all boots you can get, people have beef with different brands and all that, pick which is best for you. I LOVE the Adidas Predator Series, and the New Umbro Boot is nice as well. If you don't want to spend a whole-lot on it, Nike Total 90s can be found for a good price. If you look for them enough, you can find them starting at $35-$40, but this is just what I have heard, never seen.

3. You have a great example of curving the ball with Mr. Beckham as your Avatar. If you can see any clip or picture of him taking a free-kick, look at what part of the boot he uses. I fancy myself as a pretty good free-kick taker, I use my instep, as said before in this thread, I don't follow through towards my target though, I follow through to the direction of the ball. I don't know how clear of a picture that is, but I hope it helps somewhat. If you need more help, the BBC Academy Masterclasses are a good help. Beckham Free-Kick Masterclass (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sportacademy/hi/sa/football/video_masterclasses/newsid_3491000/3491867.stm)

4. There's an older thread on this, and you can read opinions of many more players, but if I can remember ... Speed, you have to be quick in everything you do on the pitch. You can't always buy yourself time, so you have to be fast at what you do. Endurance, you have to be able to keep going for the entire match, and be as good, if not better than you were at the start of the game, or you'll be taken advantage of everytime you step onto the pitch. Creativity, you need that flair to keep you going, this goes hand in hand with the intangibles. If you can do everything, but you can't do anything well, you aren't going to help your team as much as you could. Intangibles, the Dribbling, Shooting, Defending, the things positions specialize at. Whatever position you want to play, you should focus on that specific skill-set. This is just my opinion. Many people will tell you its better to be good at everything than great at a few things. I disagree with that.

Good Luck, hope I helped.

[Bodmanza]

2. Again, it depends. How much are you willing to spend? A lot of players will pay $150-$200 for a boot. Nike Mercurial Vapors, Adidas F50+'s, and the New Umbro X-boot (Not sure if that's the real name of it) are all boots you can get, people have beef with different brands and all that, pick which is best for you. I LOVE the Adidas Predator Series, and the New Umbro Boot is nice as well. If you don't want to spend a whole-lot on it, Nike Total 90s can be found for a good price. If you look for them enough, you can find them starting at $35-$40, but this is just what I have heard, never seen.
Well I found some Adidas Predators that i really liked, not too stiff a price, so I went for them... glad you told me! :)

3. You have a great example of curving the ball with Mr. Beckham as your Avatar. If you can see any clip or picture of him taking a free-kick, look at what part of the boot he uses. I fancy myself as a pretty good free-kick taker, I use my instep, as said before in this thread, I don't follow through towards my target though, I follow through to the direction of the ball. I don't know how clear of a picture that is, but I hope it helps somewhat. If you need more help, the BBC Academy Masterclasses are a good help. Beckham Free-Kick Masterclass (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sportacademy/hi/sa/football/video_masterclasses/newsid_3491000/3491867.stm)
I thought so! It looks like his foot is almost parallel with the goal line when he shoots. But if you decent power on it I assume you hit it with the laces, no?

4. There's an older thread on this, and you can read opinions of many more players, but if I can remember ... Speed, you have to be quick in everything you do on the pitch. You can't always buy yourself time, so you have to be fast at what you do. Endurance, you have to be able to keep going for the entire match, and be as good, if not better than you were at the start of the game, or you'll be taken advantage of everytime you step onto the pitch. Creativity, you need that flair to keep you going, this goes hand in hand with the intangibles. If you can do everything, but you can't do anything well, you aren't going to help your team as much as you could. Intangibles, the Dribbling, Shooting, Defending, the things positions specialize at. Whatever position you want to play, you should focus on that specific skill-set. This is just my opinion. Many people will tell you its better to be good at everything than great at a few things. I disagree with that.

Good Luck, hope I helped.
Sure did! Thanks mate

[pingorenj]

wow..

just by reading the posts on this thread has helped me..

thanx Bodmanza for starting this thread! cheers :D

[barefoot33]

Be careful when shopping for the right boots, because i found a nice pair of Puma's for about $50 and after a couple of games they began to fall apart(not horribly, but my sole began seperating from the rest of the shoe, slightly'). Later i took them to a nice shoe store and asked about them and showed them to the store assistant and he told me that they were fake/copycats made in some asian country...I was so dissapointed..so all im saying is just because you find a good price on ur boots, take a closer look and see if your getting ur moneys worth' as for a ball, i play with whatever i can find, i find that they all seem to kick fairly the same even though it probably would be smart to invest in a nice ball'

[jvillefreelance]

-I think high end might be everything over 150$ CND, unless there's a sale.
-Hmm, sorry mate, but I just don't get how an ingrown toe nail can hinder your shot :confused: . Unless you toe punt, but I'm really hoping you don't.
trust me, ingrown toenails make a big difference in how you play, unless youre willing to feel pain similar to that of a nail going throught your foor, you will probably not be striking the ball w/ and ingrown toenail...

And i'd say that a pair of high end boots range from $100 - $200, with some exceptions past $200. But some boots like the copas, world cups, nike legends, and totti's are less than $150, but pretty good boots...