Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Anjali - Lessons from a soccer game

Not really a soccer game, but me and Anjali, kicked one plastic Mickey Mouse ball around yesterday afternoon. Nothing goes by without the deepest involvement with children her age and I watched the intense involvement that Anjali brought into the game - constantly changing rules, improvising her own techniques and most importantly, not forgetting to give me some gyan.
When you do something, give it everything you got

To begin with we had our own goals at either end and we were kicking at the other's goals. (I was warned that she was the one to win, so I made sure I stuck to her rules.) Noticing that she had more goals than me after a while and noticing my slightly wayward kicks, she stopped the game and told me the first. 'Nanna, you should aim and kick. Otherwise it will go here and there. Aim at the goal and then it will go there.' So true my dear and thanks for the 1st principle.

We were at the game for a while longer and she was scrapping hard with the ball and kicking it with lots of gusto. She finally got time to tell me what she was doing right (obviously she was even higher on points by now). 'Nanna, see why I am getting more points. I am kicking and kicking and kicking and kicking. You should also keep kicking'. Okay, never stop the action and keep at it in a scrap.
Remember to chill and pose for pics

In a while we got to the phase when she heard me appreciating a strong kick that she had executed. 'Stop cheering me Nanna,' she admonished me. 'Cheer yourself. Otherwise you will never win.' Oops. Keep the focus on yourself and keep motivating yourself instead of getting distracted by others.

But I could not resist saying that she really was putting a lot of effort in her kick and that was why I appreciated it and she nodded, thinking that perhaps I was now ready to imbibe the secret behind kicking the ball well. 'Just keep looking at the ball and kick at it. Look closely at the ball. Don't look here and there.' There was a bit of technical input of how I should take a small run up and kick the ball hard as well.

And then came this as I stood waiting for the ball to come my way. 'While waiting for the ball don't simply stand there,' she said. 'Keep moving.' Sound advise I thought.

And then she gave me, the willing listener and the eager learner the last of her words of wisdom from the football game. 'And think Nanna. It is a thinking game.'
Attack the opponent with all you have

And then she smiled and gave me credit for the last one. 'You told me remember, when I was crying when I lost in chess that it is all a thinking game! I am just telling you what you told me.'

I smiled at the teacher, happy that she gave me credit where due. And with that, we wound up after a hard game of football where I, as usual, ended up on the losing side in the game, but gained a lot of wisdom from a willing and spontaneous teacher. But enough there, for anyone who is competing for something, to get an extra advantage - aim at the goal, keep scrapping and don't be complacent, cheer yourself, look closely at the ball, keep moving and keep thinking.

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