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Blood, Sweat & Tears

ryangriffin — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 11:53:27 GMT

If you ever thought the life of a pro was easy, prepare yourself for the true tales of Blood Sweat and Tears. It’s what footballers are made of.

After competing in Beijing this summer, Sergio Aguero, Ji Sung Park, Clint Dempsey, Lucas Neill, Ryan Babel, Sho Ito – along with Mexico’s Giovani dos Santos – dish it on the challenges they overcame to make it to the top of the tree.

The mental strain. The physical challenge. The sacrifices. The sting of defeat. And enduring all this for the right to wear their national shirt with pride.

If you think it’s hard, you’re just too soft. Take a look at the teasers below.

Blood Sweat and Tears – coming soon to Nikefootball.com.

Organise football with Playmaker

ryangriffin — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 16:44:59 GMT

Running a team is hard work. You’ve got countless players and a season of fixtures to manage.

There are players who can’t find the pitch (let alone their touch), players you’ve never seen before, latecomers, last-minute no-shows, holidays. And a world of pain.

Take the hassle out of organising football by managing your fixtures and teams online with Nike Playmaker.

Start by creating a fixture, finding a pitch with Google Maps and inviting the team. Playmaker automatically invites your players by email (and text if you’re based in the UK). No more endless email chains or unreturned calls.

When teammates reply your fixture is automatically updated so you can see who’s playing. And if you need to change any details, Playmaker sends the whole team a message.

Playmaker keeps all your players’ contact details in one place. So you can add individual email addresses or import groups of contacts from a single page.

Join Nike Playmaker and manage your team from one online clubhouse.

Watch the video to see how it’s done

Get started at nike.com/playmaker

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.

Asia tour:10R

ryangriffin — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 09:34:56 GMT

Ronaldinho is truly a once-in-a-generation talent. He possesses a rare mix of speed and technique, resulting in defense-smashing runs and stunning free kicks that can silence a stadium full of 80,000 opposing fans.

Before joining mighty AC Milan this season, 10R went on a tour of Japan, China, and South Korea. See how his deadly combination of tenacity and skill sends his adoring fans into a football frenzy.

Bootcamp Drill of the Week: Shoot

ryangriffin — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 14:06:59 GMT

A ball. A 60 metre course. Nets at either end. And an instinctive hunger for goals.

That’s all you’ll need for ‘Shoot’ – the latest Bootcamp Drill of the Week.

Watch a maestro at work, as Barcelona’s Andrés Iniesta shows how to shake off those tired legs and fire your team to glory in the dying seconds of a crucial match.

Work on it. It’ll make the difference.

How to build a great player

ryangriffin — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 13:05:49 GMT

Having earned a reputation for unearthing and nurturing some of the most exciting young players in the world, Arsene Wenger knows a thing or two about what makes a player great.

Watch the Arsenal manager’s expert opinion on how great players are built, not born. Find out how the perfect balance of talent, intelligence and motivation can mean the difference between a few promising performances and a glittering career in football’s upper echelons.

Dutch Master

ryangriffin — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 11:08:01 GMT

The whistle blows for a free kick just outside the box. You’re handed the ball. So what’s it going to be? Power or placement?

For Wesley Sneijder, the answer is easy. Don’t choose between the two when you can deliver a killer combination of both.

Give Sneijder a set piece and his brain’s already whirring. How far out is it? How hard is the ball? What’s the angle? The wind speed? What boots is he wearing?

Being one of Europe’s dead ball masters isn’t easy. But when free kick magic happens this often, you know it’s not coincidence anymore. It’s next level skill.

Bootcamp Drill of the week: Change up

ryangriffin — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 07:54:31 GMT

A footballer changes speed 1300 times in a game. That’s a whole lot of variation to build into your training if you want to leave your opponents kicking air.

With Bootcamp's Change Up drill, you’ll be changing speed every 20 seconds. So get set. Get psyched. And get ready for a whole new world of acceleration on the pitch.

Next Level: Behind the scenes

ryangriffin — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:51:38 GMT

You’ve seen the TV ad as it followed the evolution of a non-league player into a European star. Now watch the banter flow behind the scenes as the likes of Cesc Fabregas, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Wesley Sneijder give their advice on how to make next season your best.

Nike Live: The Fabio Cannavaro Show

ryangriffin — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 09:57:57 GMT

Ever since Cesc Fabregas took all the plaudits with his very own TV show, fans across Europe have been wondering who’ll be next to hit the silver screen.

Now the wait is over, as the lovely Giorgia Surina and comic trio The Three Medusas kick off part one of The Fabio Cannavaro Show. First up, Il Capitano himself reveals the pre-match rituals that have brought him so much success. His top tip? Don’t wind up Gennaro Gattuso…

Juve legend Ciro Ferrara rolls up to discuss Fabio’s early days in part two, while celebrity ballboy Fulvio Varnacano gets the crowd on his side with the hilarious story of his career on the sidelines.

Part three sees Fabio, Marco Materazzi and co. take part in a studio strength challenge. With the crowd baying for more, even Giorgia flexes her muscles.

Gianluca Zambrotta crashes part four to explain what it takes to be a Captain Marvel like his compatriot Fabio, and three young hopefuls compete to prove that they’ve got what it takes to be the next Cannavaro.

Finally, world-conquering Italian coach Marcello Lippi joins the part five party to discuss that penalty shoot out and relive Fabio’s finest hour in front of the studio audience…

It’s what you’ve been waiting for. It’s Nike Live: The Fabio Cannavaro Show.

Press play for part one.

Bootcamp Drill of the Week: Chest and go

ryangriffin — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 14:21:36 GMT

Stopping the ball with your chest is a skill. Controlling it is an art.

See how Barcelona hero Andrés Iniesta hones his touch with ‘Chest and Go’ – the latest Bootcamp Drill of the Week.

Keep the ball close as you drive forward, then flick it up, control it with a deft chest trap, and spank it into the waiting net.

Speed, balance, and explosive finishing – it’s the killer combination that only Bootcamp delivers.

Bootcamp Drill of the Week: Dual Goals

ryangriffin — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 11:56:37 GMT

Running and scoring. Two things you can never get enough of.

It’s a simple formula: grab one ball, two goals and four cones. Add a combination of electric pace and razor sharp finishing. What do you get? Dual Goals: this week’s featured Bootcamp drill.