MICHEL HORDIJK,

TECHNIQUE TRAINER FC UTRECHT

The Sense and

Nonsense of Juggling

Even though I was in a hurry, I could not help but watch Freddie Vork’s show, which eventually ended with fifteen succeeding ‘around the worlds’ as a finale. The control and ease at which he performs, as though he and the ball are one! It has however very little to do with football, or does it? I would bet that Freddie will not be able to pass through the zones in an 11V11 match on a full size pitch. Executing 300ball juggles using body parts like your shoulder and shin with a light ball that is only 75% filled with air, is very different from receiving a ball under pressure or delivering a pass or cross over fifty meters. It is just as impressive, but a very different kind of football. Or is it?

It can be compared to good singers; generally singers are very musical. But not everyone who is musical can sing. Good footballers can usually juggle quite well, but not all jugglers are good football players.

This may sound a bit Cruijffian, so let us take the ‘Old Master’ as an example. Johan Cruijff never juggled a ball during matches. But I once saw him juggle the ball in the most magical way, with my own eyes, when I was thirteen years old when Cruijff played for Feyenoord (1983-84). The way in which he could

spin the ball while juggling was fantastic, in fact it was as mesmerizing as watching him play. Especially the countless times he could let the ball do the turning for him, in all directions, which was fantastic. He actually juggled in the same way he would pass a ball, or score goals during a match; elegant, no unnecessary tricks and always with some kind of effect on the ball.

Back to juggling, the first top player who comes to mind for many football fanatics over the age of 30 think about juggling is Diego Maradona. To the tune and rhythm of the song, ‘Life is Life,’ Maradona delivered a fantastic show during the warming up before the European CupBayern Munich Vs Napoli (19 April 1989). He juggled with his famous left foot, his famous left thigh and his (still slim) thin head. No matter what way or how the Argentinean touched the ball; everything he did around the centre circle of the Olympic Stadium in Munich was magical. Magical because he must have known and felt that ten thousand people in the stadium and millions in front the television followed every one of his moves. Also magical because of the loose shoelaces, that hung carelessly on his shoes, and that way too short training jacket which he tied around his middle with a string.

The connoisseur recognized the artist in the professional on that night in Munich, and witnessed the aura of a World star that could have been warming up by walking, sprinting and stretching. The child in him just did not want to do anything else other than; play with that ball. I think the biggest marvel is the fact that; every footballer wants to at least touch the ball when it is near, and that is what Maradona did; he saw the ball and just wanted to play with it.

When it comes to football coaching, juggling is just like quick footwork training, a simple first exercise to get to know the ball as well as possible. We could see juggling as the foreplay of football training, or, in a wider perspective the start of a football education. It is experimental, in as, how many different ways can I touch that ball? How do I touch it so that it always stays with me, or at least always comes back to me?

Technically limited players most often leave the foreplay for what it is, and start to shoot wildly on the goal. The ball does not always like that, and as a punishment for the rough treatment he sends himself over the bar on a regular basis. When you look at from the reserve, jugglers and street performers can be compared to flawed lovers. They are great at the foreplay, but once the actions move to the bedroom, they do not score!?

A good footballer caresses the ball, warms it up, excites it and knocks Bayern Munich out of the European Cup. The above raises the question; in what way it is desirable to get all youth football players to start juggling? And also, what allocation should the juggling take in the development plan?

The starting point should be that juggling must have a connection with functional technique. As a youth coach of AjaxU13s, Frank de Boer once noticed that most of his pupils can do the craziest tricks, but an easy juggling pattern like ’left foot- right foot- left thigh- right thigh- head- right foot- etc. caused problems. As the technique trainer of FC Utrecht, one of Ajax’s biggest rivals, I will not make jokes about that, because I noticed that it is the same here. The most important question is of course; in what way we can stimulate our youth players to start juggling in a ’functional’ way, and with that develop their optimal feeling for the ball. And also, can juggling happen during the training, or not?

For me juggling is developing footwork, cutting and turning, and practicing feints; all areas that players can develop outside of the training sessions. By setting homework, and of course also checking it (which costs maximum 5 minutes of your training time), you as a coach can bring a specific progression into exercises. Another way is to include juggling in the warm-up, and for FC Utrecht U13s Sjors Ultee and Coordinating trainer Menno Roodenburg, they have developed warm ups that players have to perform as soon as they arrive. In their warm-ups, almost all exercises are done with ball, and ends by juggling the ball a hundred times, where by all body parts maybe used. Then, if the ball accidentally hits the ground you can continue counting without being penalized.

Progression

The juggling exercises that the players have to start with must, like with every learning process, be based on the start point of development for the youth players. For some, that could mean that the ball gets juggled from the hands half a meter in the air, and the ball may also be caught every time. If the players are more capable, they can try to kick the ball into the air with the feet, whereby the ball may hit the ground after every contact. When the ‘real’ juggling starts (without hitting the ground and not using the hands), it is important to work with a logical progression, but at the same time to realize that it does not have to be the same for every player. At first sight, it may look easier when you start juggling with your feet, to do this alternately with the right and left foot. That way you normally have the best ‘rest’ in between each juggle. However, experience learns that a lot of youth players prefer to begin juggling with one foot, and that is fine. Juggling is an aspect which players have to develop in their own way.

- As often as possible with the preferred foot, juggle the ball at hip height.

- As often as possible with the ‘weaker’ foot, juggle the ball at hip height.

- Alternately with the left- and right foot, as often as possible.

- Juggling in a rhythm: 2 x left, 2 x right, 2 x left, 2 x right, etc.

- Juggling in a rhythm: 2 x left, 1 x right, 2 x left, 1 x right. As often as possible, Of course also perform this the other way around.

- ‘Free’ exercise with the feet; the ball left and right through each other and juggle at hip height. Maximum 5 continuous touches with the same foot.

- Like the exercise above, but now juggle the ball alternately left and right 10-15 times to head height

- Free juggling exercise with the feet, alternate with ball contacts by:

1) outside footed

2) inside footed

3) heel

- Juggling with the upper legs; practice with one leg at the time.

- Like the exercise above, but not alternately with left and right.

- Combination feet/upper legs; 1 x left foot, 1 x right foot, 1 x left foot, 1 x right foot, 1x left thigh, 1 right thigh, 1 x left thigh, 1 x right thigh, 1 x left foot, etc.

- Like the exercise above, whereby every series now ends by receiving on the chest

Head juggling - Combination feet/upper legs/head; 5 x with the feet (may be done with both ),

5 x with the upper legs (may be done with both), 5 x with the head, 5 x with the upper legs, 5 x with the feet, etc.

Of course, all kinds of adjustments, variations and additions can be added to the basic progressions above. That depends on, like with almost all exercises, the mentality and creativity of the trainer, and especially the players.

Below you will find some possible ‘coaching moments’ when it comes to juggling:

- ‘Try to turn the ball a bit towards you’

- ‘Keep your upper body straightened, But relaxed and loose. Bend your knees a little.’

- ‘Try to find some kind of rhythm. If you have a rhythm you can stay in that rhythm, and it gets easier to control the ball.’

As with learning of all techniques it is an enormous advantage when you as a trainer can show a clear and appealing example of how to juggle. So this also means for the trainer: practice, practice and juggle till you are Maradona!