It’s a soccer ball.
The Players appear to be the same as in “normal” FutBol with cleats and shin guards and colorful jerseys.
The field has 2 goals with goal boxes, boundary and center lines.
But something’s different . . . EVERYTHING is smaller.
The field, the goals, the number of players (3 per team – no goalie), and the time (24 minute games) . . . all shrunk from normal.
AND . . . everything is FASTER!
What worked in “normal” games of soccer is irrelevant on these fields.
Strategies must be different.
Shooting on goal happens frequently from long range . . . and orchestration of assists becomes essential . . . 100th of a second determines success or miss of virtually every shot.
This is the strange world of “3v3 Kickit” which manifests in the form of 2 day tournaments organized throughout the country/world.
Our coach invited our team of 10 year old girls to participate for the first time this past weekend in Nashville. We are a “Rec Team” (which means that we play seasonally and recreationally with the intent to have fun and learn the game).
When we arrived on the fields Saturday morning, we realized that most (if not all) of the other teams are “Travel Soccer clubs” . . . Year-round competitors who take this game of Futbol VERY seriously.
We did OK.
The first half of the first game, our players were stunned – Deer in the headlights looks – sluggish uncertainty – Shock and awe as the other team amazed us with their dexterity and unusual strategies.
We held the score to 6-0 by defending our goal with passion (Many of the scores in these game are double-digit).
What was obvious was that this was the same ball not NOT the same game . . . our players must rewire their brains or get clobbered.
We played 4 games on Saturday VS teams that were all Nationally ranked . . . Each game was better than the one before . . . We scored in each of the remaining games . . . and didn’t have a single game in which the other team hit double-digit score.
Those girls adapted pretty darn well in this very familiar but oh-so-strange territory.
Shift this notion to the “real World” . . .
Are we not in very familiar territory . . . yet our fields (boundaries), teams, time seem smaller . . . more compressed . . . and FASTER PACED?
What can we do about it?
Either shut down and get CLOBBERED . . .
or circle the wagons, re-wire our brains, and adapt with new strategy.
How does this apply in your world?
Just sayin’
Best,
b