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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.

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.

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.

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

T-90 Ascente Testing – Man Utd

DonJulio — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 08:24:49 GMT

Date: 05.02.09
Location: Carrington
Weather conditions: Very cold and windy. Conditions ranged between cloudy, snowing and sunny. Temperature range 0-1C without wind chill. Well below freezing with wind chill. 0-20 mph winds throughout.
Pitch conditions: Good, short grass.
Players and staff: Full first team, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Paul Scholes, Wayne Rooney, Ryan Giggs, Darren Fletcher, Wes Brown, Edwin Van der Sar, Ben Foster, Rafael da Silva, Tomasz Kuszczak.

Tester’s notes:

Freezing cold. And more snow. Balls topped off to 12.5psi.

Team session: 15-mins shots on goal from 20 yards. 8 vs. 2 one-touch keep-ball drill. Fast, one-touch session.

Shooting session: Players hammer the ball, Rooney hits hardest – like a sledgehammer: “Feels nice to strike. Especially when you strike it true.” More finishing drills. Shooting from 3 different spots. Players love shooting with it. All-around accuracy improvements.

Get yours at Nikestore

T-90 Ascente Testing – Arsenal

DonJulio — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 08:22:03 GMT

Date: 04.02.09
Location: London Colney
Weather conditions: Extremely cold. Temperature range from -5C to +5C. Conditions changed from sunny, blue skies to cloudy with snow and rain.
Pitch conditions: Ploughed snow. Ground soggy but firm.
Players and staff: Abou Diaby, Nicklas Bendtner, Jack Wilshere, William Gallas, Denilson, Eduardo, Mikael Sylvestre, Carlos Vela, Alexandre Song, Lukas Fabianski, Manuel Almunia, Arsene Wenger.

Tester’s notes

Freezing conditions. Heaviest snowfall in 18 yrs. Balls inflated to 12.5 psi exactly. Arsene had a juggle & some one-touches w Paul Johnson. “It’s good, it’s lively.” The keepers... Almunia worried. “Not good for goalkeepers. Again!” Sorry Manuel. (Great for fans though.)

Team session. Wilshere : “Yeah, it feels good on the touch.”

Shooting session: Ball flight and rotation were true. Some spectacular long-range shots. Get ready Premier League – spectacular goals are coming.

Next stop Juventus.

Get the T90 Ascente from NikeStore

T-90 Ascente Testing – Barcelona

DonJulio — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 08:19:16 GMT

Date: 28.01.09
Location: Ciutat Esportiva
Weather conditions: Clear blue skies, no wind, sunny. Temperature of 15C.
Pitch conditions: Short grass (1.5cm). Good conditions. Pitch was sprayed 10 minutes before training.
Players and staff: The full squad took part, except Gai Yigaal Assulin. Head Coach Luis Enrique led the session.

Tester’s notes:

Warm, clear skies. Perfect conditions. Balls filled to 11psi.

Team session: Running with ball in pairs. Short passes. Headers, chests, volleys. Busquets, coached the keepers: “The touch is perfect.”

Accuracy contest: all players on 16 metre line. Who can land the ball in the centre circle? Puyol took it. Who can hit the cross bar, repeatedly? Iniesta walked away with this one. They say he always does. I like to think the ball helped. Massip: “There’s no wobble, the ball goes straight at its target.”

Shooting session: led by Assistant Coach Joan Barbara Mata: “The ball bends nicely when you shoot.” Next stop Arsenal.

Get the T90 Ascente from NikeStore

Master close control

DonJulio — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 12:58:22 GMT

Make the pitch your playground with magnetic touch.

Watch the video to see how Carlos Tevez, Robinho and Ronaldinho keep the ball stuck to their feet and tie defenders in knots.

Nail your close control with Tevez

DonJulio — Fri, 15 May 2009 12:01:53 GMT

Nail your close control with Tevez

The player that can’t be penned in, can’t be stopped. Get killer close control and devastate defenders.

Watch top European coach Jens Bangsbo put Carlos Tevez through his paces, giving him everything he needs to dribble his way round dogged markers.

Blood, Sweat and Tears: Whatever it Takes

DonJulio — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 15:04:09 GMT

“Some people believe football is a matter of life and death… It is much, much more important than that.” Bill Shankly’s words have been repeated so often they almost feel like a cliché these days. But when you see the sweat pouring off the likes of Park Ji Sung, Clint Dempsey and Lucas Neill, Shankly’s words feel as fresh as the day they were first spoken.

Becoming a pro footballer is one of the most competitive careers in the world – that’s why the average time aspiring pros spend training every year is 1248 hours.

1248 hours. 74 880 Minutes. 4 492 800 Seconds. Translate those numbers into words and you’ve got the simple motto of Nike’s Blood Sweat and Tears athletes: Whatever It Takes.

Frings hits Bootcamp

DonJulio — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 12:42:46 GMT

You can’t be a top player until you’re in the right physical condition. Fact.

With a trophy cabinet already stuffed with professional honours, Midfield enforcer Torsten Frings certainly knows the value of being an athlete on the pitch – and a winner when the final whistle blows.

His number one tip? Hit Bootcamp.

Bootcamp Drill of the Week: Running Volley

ryangriffin — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 12:50:10 GMT

You run. You volley. It sounds like the most natural thing in the world. But perfecting your finishing on the move calls for hours of training before you’re skilled enough to send the ball crashing into the top corner instead of row Z.

Outfield players, sit up and take note. Keepers, get low and take cover: Bootcamp's clinical Dutch striker Klaas Jan Huntelaar is about to bring the latest drill of the week to life.

Bootcamp Drill of the Week: High Gears

ryangriffin — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 08:20:18 GMT

Who would you back in a race between a push bike and a sports car? And which would you rather be driving?

Changing speed is at the heart of top-level football performance, so every player needs a smooth-changing gearbox to win the races that matter over ninety minutes.

Bootcamp's High Gears drill gives you the tune-up you need to shift up and down the gears with ease when that match-winning sprint is on – for the loose ball, the last-ditch tackle, or that glimmer of a goalscoring chance.

Show how much you want it.

Threeo Walcott makes his mark

ryangriffin — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 08:22:43 GMT

We knew he was lightning. We knew he had promise. But the whole world learned the lesson in Zagreb last night that Theo Walcott has the attitude and the ammo to blow holes through the tightest defences out there.

Croatia had never lost at home until Theo shot from the hip, with three unstoppable bullets into the heart of his opponents’ defence – the first competitive hat-trick by an England player for seven years.

When you’re playing in the world’s toughest competitions, you’ve got no choice but to grow up quickly. Bootcamp's drills will help you show a clean pair of heels to opposition defenders, and – as Theo knows so well – training isn’t a part-time pursuit.

Press play to see how England’s hottest young talent takes nineteen years of pure footballing potential onto the practice ground every day, and turns them into match-winning magic.

Bootcamp Drill of the Week: Go Long

ryangriffin — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 09:03:31 GMT

It’s that laser-guided pass in the dying seconds of a game that can make the difference between ninety deadlocked minutes and three vital points.

Watch Klaas Jan Huntelaar’s masterclass in grasscutting distribution and you’ll soon learn one of Bootcamp’s most valuable lessons: master Go Long, and you’ll go far.