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The moment you train for

DonJulio — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:08:49 GMT

Lassana Diarra is used to defying the odds. Not the tallest, the largest or the strongest, he’s carved a role for himself in Les Blues midfield, from sheer determination and committed training.

Every second of his preparation will be tested, if he gets his chance to show what he can do against the Irish. There’s a spot in South Africa at stake.

Watch the video to see Lassana in training.

Super Mario smashes it

DonJulio — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:41:20 GMT

Sometimes you witness the precise moment a promising talent moves up several gears into the major league.

For the man they call Super Mario, it happened in just 48 minutes. Last night, Balotelli scored two, created one and won the penalty for another. He even had to be dragged away from taking the spot kick by the regular penalty taker. Balotelli is not lacking confidence.

Watch the video to see how Balotelli hones his touch and dribbling.

Will his skills and growing confidence be enough to book him a ticket to South Africa?

SEE MARIO BALOTELLI'S PAGE

SEE THE INTER MILAN PAGE

How to enter your code to access Elite Training

DonJulio — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 08:24:52 GMT

Nike Football+ is a killer combination of our premium boots, pro training programs and access to the world’s top coaches and footballers. It’s simple - buy the boot and you get a code. Follow the instructions below to enter your code and unlock Elite football training and a year of improvement.

Step 1: Go to the Nike Football+ landing page. You can also enter your code from any other part of the site which prompts you to 'GO ELITE'.

Step 2: From the Nike Football+ landing page, select 'ENTER YOUR CODE', located on the right hand-side of the page.

Step 3: You will then be presented with a LOGIN screen. Please login using your Nike Profile details. If you have not yet registered, you can register for a Nike Profile at the bottom of this screen.

Step 4: Once you have logged-in or registered, you will then be taken to your 'MY TRAINING' page. From this page you can edit your profile and training settings. Enter your 12-digit Elite Training Code on the right-hand side under 'GOT AN ELITE CODE?' then select, 'UPDATE YOUR DETAILS'.

Step 5: You will then be presented with the below screen. Select 'CONTINUE TRAINING'.

Step 6: You will then be taken to the Master Control intro with Pep Guardiola, where you can begin your Master Control training and become the complete player.

In total control

DonJulio — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 13:15:55 GMT

The CTR360 is the ultimate control boot. Developed for players who pull the midfield strings. Players who specialise in killer through-balls. Players like Cesc.

On Sunday, Cesc wore the CTR360 for the first time, getting a chance to see how the boot would improve his game.

Over 90 minutes Cesc gave a stunning masterclass in the art of midfield play – setting up four of Arsenal’s six goals and netting one himself. No arguments who made the difference.

Want to dominate the game like Cesc?

Explore the CTR360

Start training now

Own the ball

DonJulio — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 13:13:31 GMT

You spend hours training, fighting for the ball. But what about once you get it?

Pierre Barrieu, fitness coach for the US national team has helped his players improve their control and move up the world rankings. Now they’re a team to be feared.

Watch how he teaches the team to improve ball control in tight spaces, find a pass and get on the end of it for a crisp finish.

Transform your game.

Time to progress your training

DonJulio — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 13:10:49 GMT

So you nailed your SPARQ training. Built a body to face the fiercest of local derbies. Now work on your ball skills with the coach of one of the world’s fastest rising teams.

Pierre Barrieu is the fitness coach for the US national team. He’s part of the reason they beat the reigning European champions.

So when he shares his expertise on spotting runs, picking out teammates and playing a game-changing pass, you pay attention.

Watch the video.

Master the ball

DonJulio — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 11:58:54 GMT

Great players want the ball. They demand it. Constantly. Any situation, no matter the pressure, no matter the occasion.

Man Utd legend Brian McClair and Academy Coach John Cook talk about the importance of confidence in wanting the ball all the time. And there’s only one way to get it.

24-7 football.

The last week of training on Facebook starts today. Get involved.

Victorious from the start

DonJulio — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 19:11:22 GMT

From the training pitch to their first trophy, the season has yet to kick off and Barca have already claimed the Spanish Super Cup.

Zlatan's arrival and Guardiola's intensive pre-season training has so far proved lethal. The pride of Barcelona knows exactly what it takes to win and they’ll stop at nothing to win it all.

A Hero in Training

DonJulio — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 08:18:58 GMT

The preseason is all about putting in the work, training hard to get ready for the season, but still people were worried when Milan lost eight consecutive games in the process. But their Brazilian duo, who have promised to be the difference makers in offense this season, came through for their team right when it mattered most.

A tumultuous off season in which leaders left has energized and empowered wunderkind Pato, who in the process of taking the offensive reigns up top for Milan has helped revitalize his countryman, Ronaldinho. Both have been killing it this off season and appear set to carry Milan. It didn’t take long for the duo’s hard work to pay off. Just about 30 minutes.

Ronaldinho played a knifing ball out front of the charging Pato who quickly caught up and coolly slipped the ball into corner of the net; 1-0

Twenty minutes later, after Milan conceded a goal, the magical duo were back at it again, with Ronaldinho carving up the midfield again before the ball found Pato again in the middle of the box with a point-blank shot on goal. You can’t stop that: 2-1.

It looks so easy, but don’t mistake the hard earned skill for some Brazilian birthright. The amount of practice Pato puts in is the difference between heroes and the merely talented. The 20-year-old now has 29 goals in 63 games for Milan, and this season is set the make the biggest difference yet. Grabbing two goals in the first game is a nice start.

Inter’s Preseason Prep

DonJulio — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 15:59:58 GMT

After a global tour Inter Milan begins league play on Sunday in what will be the 78th season of the Italian top flight. It’s also number 78 for Inter—the only team in the country to never be relegated.

How do they do it? Any good coach will tell you its no mystery. The difference between Inter capturing a 5th straight Scudetto—last done by Juventus in the 1930’s—and finishing below the top spot is creating a team of unmatched, technical footballers.

Some say it’s luck, and the ball does bounce in mysterious ways at times, but if from training day one a unified Inter push themselves to the limits, destroying their bodies in practice to later glorify them at during a game, can anyone in Italy stop them? They have won the last four league trophies this way, making themselves bigger, stronger, faster, better each year. They know if they put in the work, there is no reason to think the Italian record books won’t eventually all be theirs.

Talent is never enough

DonJulio — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 15:36:37 GMT

Ability is good. Ability is necessary. But unless you work it and develop it, ability alone will fall short.

Guus Hiddink has worked with some of the game’s greatest players, so he knows what it takes to nurture ability.

Feeling the burn in your training regime? Listen to the wisdom of Guus, take a deep breath and get back out there.

Time to dig deep.

Train on Facebook

Training is The Difference

DonJulio — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 00:26:33 GMT

Want proof? Meet Kilian.

Kilian Jacquet is a 16 year old Belgian footballer. A good one. And, according to him, training with Nike Football has a lot to do with it. See what a potent mixture of serious commitment and SPARQ Training can achieve. In his own words.

“I did the Nike Football training drills at home, in the garden. When I didn't have the time to do it at home - because of school, or the 4-5 training sessions a week with my club - I did the drills after the training sessions.

There were a few drills that I really liked - 'High Gears', 'Star Run' and 'Rebound'. I downloaded the PDFs of the drills and printed all of them and i just took them to the pitch in my pocket.

I can still remember very well the ‘Star Run’ effect... I got a transfer to a better club! They said that they were positively surprised by my movement without the ball, and a big reason for that is the ‘Star-Run-drill!!

My volley got a lot better too. I scored a lot of goals last season, because I'm an attacking midfielder and when the ball gets headed back by an opponent, I can take the ball immediately on the volley, because I practiced it so often in the drill.

Last season I played with FC Dender, U19. I started at the U16, and when I started to train, my game went to such a high level, that they "upgraded" me to the U19, first U17, and then U19...so thanks a lot again! And next year -as I mentioned earlier in - I'll play with Zulte-Waregem.”

Good luck in the upcoming season, Kilian. But with focus like that, you won’t need much luck. The SPARQ training programme starts on the Nike Football Facebook page on August 17th.

Try it. It might just change your game.

Train to Make the Difference – week in, week out

DonJulio — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 12:29:14 GMT

Starting the season strong is essential for professional players. Fast out of the blocks means an early season advantage. That’s why top coaches put such emphasis on pre-season training. But what about you?

When are you planning to hit peak physical condition? The weekend before your first match? Start tuning your body now and get a physical edge that gets you noticed from kick-off to final whistle.

From August 17th we’re dropping the Nike Football SPARQ Training programme on Facebook. Three sessions a week of pro-level conditioning drills created by top international coaches, Jens Bangsbo and Paul Winsper, who will also be on hand to provide pro tips and advice throughout the four-week programme.

Just hit Facebook, watch stars like Andres Iniésta and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar demo the drills – then get out there and sharpen your edge.

Nike Football training helps you build your strength making you harder to shrug off the ball. Helps improve your speed, making you as fast in the last 20 minutes as the first 20. And toughens your core muscles, helping you avoid injury. All the drills are done with the ball at your feet, so you’ll improve your touch as you build your fitness.

This is your season. Own it.

Get training

Want proof? Read Kilian's story.

Make The Difference - Wayne Rooney

gareth.nettl — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 09:28:53 GMT

You could stop at enough.
Just another name on the teamsheet.
Happy just to turn up.

Or you could become their worst nightmare.

The one who turns a game in an instant.
Sees the pass no-one else sees.
Turns desperate defence into decisive attack.

Be the one that they worry about days before kick-off.
Who blurs the line between hate and respect.
Who can never be stopped,
Only feared.

Train for The Difference on Facebook

T-90 Ascente Testing – Juventus

DonJulio — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 08:27:29 GMT

Date: 09.02.09
Location: Vinovo, Italy
Weather conditions: Sunny, light wind. Perfect training conditions.
Pitch conditions: Wet. A few heavy patches of water and some sandy sections.
Players and staff: Christian Molinaro, Claudio Marchisio, Amauri Carvalho de Oliveira. Some of the team were away on international duty.

Tester’s notes:

Sunny day, soft breeze. Ideal. Long and short-range passing led by Coach Schincaglia.

Team session: keep ball lasted for over an hour. More than 100 touches on the ball. Schincaglia pleased with every one of them: “It’s great for tight control and one-two passes.”

Shooting session: finishing drills for the strikers. Ball flight is clean. Barbetti Luigi: “I like this. It’s great.” Goals look good with this ball. And so do the players. “Fans will love it. They’ll see great goals.” Molinaro’s right.

Get yours at Nikestore