The Marseille Turn is a beautiful 360 soccer turn trick, unique to the game of soccer, which involves the player spinning 360 degrees on the field while trying to avoid an opponent and retaining control of the ball.

The trick is sometimes referred to as the Zidane Spin or the 360 turn. The trick was popularized by Diego Maradona and perfected by Zinadine Zidane, although it has been used by many other soccer players including Cristiano Ronaldo, Michael Laudrup, Franck Ribry, Lionel Messi, and Ronaldinho.

The Marseille Turn is the most effective when the opposing player is approaching head on first or from the side of the trick performers master foot.

Before starting to practice this move, you will either need another player or a box on the ground to simulate another player. This will help you visualize the trick easier, than trying to practice against thin air.

Step 1: Push the ball in front of you, about one step in front of you.

Step 2: Try to lure your opponent to go after the ball.

Step 3: When the ball is just outside your opponent’s reach, you stop it by putting your left foot on the ball.

Step 4: Pull the ball backward and turn your body 90 degrees to the right simultaneously.

Step 5: You should receive the ball with your right foot and your back to your opponent. Place your right foot on the ball and continue your rotation to the right.

Step 6: Place you right foot over the ball and slide it past your opponent.

Soccer is a game of individual skills that is then integrated into a team strategy. Coaches have to be the providers of the strategy, but it should be up to each individual player to master his or her skills.

With soccer shooting drills, you could be talking about individual skills or strategy drills. Shooting is the glamour skill of soccer and every player should be an excellent shooter. But there are many elements to shooting that can be broken down into individual skills that must be mastered before moving on to more complex drills.

For instance, the top players can use the many different quadrants of the ball to create many different shots. There are slicing shots, David Beckham benders, Cristiano Ronaldo knuckleballs and many more. Every player has his or her particular strengths and weaknesses. For instance, some players are not planting their non-shooting foot properly and need to drill that.

As a coach you need to ensure that fundamental shooting technique is mastered before moving on to the fancy shots. Kids always want to imitate the fancy shots of their heroes, and they’re all going to want to learn how to make it bend like Beckham as soon as possible. That’s just fine, but you as a coach should be ensuring that they are doing the fundamentals correctly before working on the trick shots.

The simpler soccer shooting drills will be best for determining how much work each of your players needs on his or her shooting. For instance, have your players each take a ball and line up at midfield. You stand at the 18 yard mark and have them one at a time pass the ball to you, come running at you as you pass the ball back either left or right, and have them shoot. This drill is very simple, but exposes weaknesses in many potential areas and will allow you to see close-up where your shooter needs practice.

#1. It’s football (futebol) or soccer. Brazil has won the most world cup soccer tournaments then any other country on earth. When it comes to soccer, Brazil makes everything seem easy. Every other country in the world has to scratch and claw their way just to make it into the world cup, but ever four years, the Brazilian team makes it to this world class tournament without even breaking a sweat. Soccer stars such as Pele, Ronaldo, and Ronaldinho, as well as the countries entire soccer culture have made Brazil synonymous with the sport.

#2. It’s women. Brazilian models are some of the most sought after models in the world. Very few countries have more top models then Brazil. I’m sure you’ve heard of Giselle Bundchen, Adriana Lima, Alessandra Ambrosio, Isabeli Fontana, Raica Oliveira, Jeisa Chiminazzo, Ana Claudia Michels, Ana Beatriz Barros, Fernanda Tavares, Fernanda Motta, Ana Paula Araujo, and Aline Nakashima, just to name few, but it’s not just the super models that make Brazilian women famous the world over. The beautiful women that take part in Carnival, as well as the beach bunnies that line the beaches of Brazil with their amazingly skimpy bikinis have drawn the attention of men from all corners of the globe.

#3. It’s Carnival. Brazilian Carnival is famous all around the world as the worlds largest and most festive parties anywhere in the world. In Brazil carnival is the most popular Brazilian festivity, far beyond Christmas, Easter or New Year celebrations. Only the Rio de Janeiro New Year’s Eve rivals with Carnival. It is said that you must attend the Brazilian carnival at least once in your life.

#4. The Amazon. Brazil contains approximately 60% of the Amazon rainforest. The Amazon represents over half of the planet’s remaining rainforests, and it comprises the largest and most species-rich tract of tropical rainforest in the world. The Amazon rainforest was short-listed in 2008 as a candidate to one of the New7Wonders of Nature by the New Seven Wonders of the World Foundation.

#5. Samba and Capoeira. Brazil is a country of mixed ethnicities however, it seems the African influenced parts of the culture such as Capoeira and the Samba have reached more notoriety on an international basis. Capoeira is an Afro-Brazilian art form that combines elements of martial arts, music, and dance. It was created in Brazil by slaves brought from Africa. It, as well as the Samba music and dance have made their way into various movies, documentaries, music videos, and other main stream media.

History of soccer in Brazil began during the late 19th century when the game of soccer was introduced to the country. Since its introduction, it has never wavered as the nation’s top sport of all time. The Brazilians fell in love with the game and the rest is history as they say. During 1888, in the city of Sau Paulo, the very first sports club was formed. It was named as the Sau Paulo Athletics Club and then soccer was thoroughly introduced to people. After some years, 1914 to be exact, the Brazilian Football Confederation was established and soccer became a popular and nationwide sport that displayed fun for the Brazilians.

When one talks of Brazil, one of the most common things that come to mind is soccer. The sea of yellow among the crowd in the World Cup has almost been a constant reminder of Brazil’s greatness and historical richness when it comes to the sport. Today’s players like Ronaldo, Rivario. Rivaldo and Ronaldinho emerged from the inspirations of their country’s all-time greats. Their goal for today is to match the greatness that their predecessors have created throughout the years.

Soccer’s impact on Brazil reflected on their culture. The majority of children in Brazil grew up playing with a soccer ball and idolizing soccer superstars from their own backyard. One of these superstars is Pele. Pele is arguably the best soccer player to have ever played the game and the most recognizable soccer figure during his prime and even after it. Pele helped Brazil to win World Cups and soccer definitely put Brazil on the world map. The history of soccer in Brazil summarizes the people’s passion, dedication and love for the sport, more than any other country in the world.

European soccer is one of the first groups of organization who joined the World Cup. They have the most popular clubs and players and they are the 2nd most watched in Europe and the world. Here are the four teams who have the most wins.

Manchester United – This club is one of the most successful in the Premiere League. They won the title 10 times. They have also the most number of great players like Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo, Edwin Van Der Sar, Ryan Giggs, Wes Brown, Rio Ferdinand and many others.

AC Milan – AC Milan is definitely one of the best; they have also won various titles in the European Super Cup, the Cup Winners Cup and have reached the UEFA Cup finals. Popular players include Kaka, Dida, Cafu, Alessandro Nesta and Gennaro Gattuso.

Chelsea – Chelsea is the strongest team in the Premiere League. They have the best line-up of players and they have also won various titles in leagues and made it to the World Cup UEFA Champions League finals.

Real Madrid – It is known to be the richest club in the world. They are very well-known and they also have a strong line-up of players which includes Casillas, Raul, Robinho, Van Nestilroy and many more. They have 31 league titles and have gain big number of fans all over the world.

Indeed European soccer is at its best. They have gained so much popularity and they are very successful. Clubs under them are very successful as well and keep rising to the top.

Saving money on essential overheads such as energy has always been an important issue for business, no more so than now! The current climate has created an environment where customers are coming to the market to review their business electricity and gas costs. When considering your company’s position with its current supplier there are some important questions that have to be asked. Are we getting the best possible rates for our business electricity and business gas or could we do better? What are the terms of our current contracts? Do we have to deal direct or can we find an intermediary who can negotiate better?

In the first instance are you getting the best possible rate for your business electricity or business gas the answer is not always that easy to find out but first establish what you’re paying and to whom and on what tariff. It’s certainly worth searching online for business energy tariffs to see who’s charging what but don’t treat these as ‘gospel’ as there is a lot of variants to take into account. This is where it is important to understand exactly what you commitment is under your current agreement, how long it’s for and when it’s due for renewal.

Out of all theses points knowing when your current business electricity or business gas contract is due for renewal, is probably the most important. Why? You may ask but quite often the major companies will roll you into a new contract without advising you and potentially this will be a higher tariff than you’re already on. This could so easily be a fixed contract with no get out leaving you and your business with even higher energy bills just as the weathers’ getting colder and you need to maximise production!

Searching online for business electricity comparison sites could pay dividends as you will find a number of companies offering their services to manage and maintain your energy requirements. Check these companies out carefully to make sure they are not one of the larger utility companies operating under a different guise. If they’re not then you could find yourself in a position not only to reduce your energy bills but someone will take care of the switch and ensure that you never miss a renewal again and who will always be looking out for your best interests.

These companies are often paid a fee or commission by the major corporations but because they manage so many smaller independent businesses they are able to negotiate excellent rates without passing any additional costs onto you the consumer. This ‘win win’ scenario helps the smaller companies and a lot of larger companies to manage their costs and ensure that they survive the economic downturn.

Some of these companies have tailored themselves as consumer champions of the business energy market, believing that everyone should be entitled to clear, trustworthy and impartial advice about their business energy bills.

Often with an in-house team of specialists they can assist customers with any information or queries they may have, in the first instance though it is worth visiting their web site or calling them to see what they can offer – it could be time and money well spent that should return a cozy feeling of profitability.

Vintage insurance leads, also known as aged leads, are insurance leads that have not been produced in real time. These leads are folks who have requested quotes days or weeks ago. Though they are not as sharp as fresh leads, which are delivered as soon as they finished filling out the form, they are, however, light on the budget, particularly if you get them wholesale. It would not contribute as much success ratio in contrast to new leads, but they can be cost-effective if you use them together with your other marketing tools, such as auto responders.

Vintage leads are generated using the same method as regular online leads that have the same curiosity for insurance. The only difference is that they were not sold the moment they were generated.

So, why buy vintage leads if it is quite obvious that fresh leads produce more sales? Who in their right mind would opt for something old when they come have something new? Well actually, an increasing number of agencies are discovering that the most lucrative way to train their rookies is by letting them use vintage leads. With their very low price, trainees will have a blast in pursuing an extremely large number of leads to accelerate the improvement of their abilities to make sales. Aged leads will let them be on the core of the action with a very small amount of risk compared to the high-priced fresh leads.

When you train new brokers, one of the biggest investments is trying to advance their progress. That is why agencies with rookies on board are getting vintage leads. New agents can sink their teeth in an enormous batch of leads, and you do not have to bear massive costs.

With a more affordable charge, even experienced agents resort to vintage leads to closely associate with their new leads. A greater extent of agents are becoming aware of the fact that they can still draw in sales through aged leads, helping them avoid over spending. As it turns out, some salespeople are getting more favorable outcomes than they have anticipated with the assistance of their lead management plan. They are able to continuously package and sell insurance without too much worry.

With the application of auto responders, you can transmit personalized emails right away, where you can add an updated quote for them. If your lead checks out anew for an online quote, you would receive an email alert. This time, the situation has been reversed and you have fresh new leads, ready to be checked out. It is a smart insurance marketing approach where you do not have to wait with expectation just to be in the lead of your prospects.

The big kick-off is upon us again and those experts in the know from the world of TV and press have been busy telling us how it all ends, even before it has begun! As usual fixed odds in focus have joined in via their e-zine service Tipped at the Post.

In the Premiership, although Liverpool have spent big, they are not quite there yet and consequently are likely to fall short of Man Utd and Chelsea again. The Blues will be keen to regain their crown, but United still appear to have the edge. Arsenal are perhaps, one season away from being genuine challengers again; however, in Van Persie they do have a player capable giving the likes of Rooney, Ronaldo, Gerrard and Drogba a run for their money, with regards to player of the season. Spurs are getting closer to the big 4, but they are still not close enough and are more likely to be battling for the UEFA spots with Portsmouth, Villa, West Ham and Newcastle.

The likes of Reading, Everton, Sunderland and maybe surprisingly Derby can all make mid-table finishes. Most people will have the Rams as certainties to make an instant return to the Championship, but in Billy Davies they have a talented manager capable of keeping their heads above water. At the bottom Blackburn and Man City can stay out of trouble – just; with the rest in a real battle. Wigan have signed a lot of players, but too many of them have a lot to prove and Middlesbrough – with some un-inspiring signings – could join them in the bottom two. Of the remaining 3 teams, Bolton might struggle to cope post Allardyce and slip out at the death, leaving Birmingham and Fulham breathing huge sighs of relief.

Charlton, with a good manager and plenty of cash, are more than capable of jumping straight back up from the Championship and taking Wolves along with them. Last season will have been a good experience for the black country outfit. Sheff U have an impressive forward line, but defence is a worry and the play-off’s look a more likely option together with Watford, Cardiff and one from Norwich, Coventry and Southampton. West Brom may well suffer a Wembley hang over and just miss out. Mid-table is probably the best Sheffield Wednesday, Ipswich and Palace; with Leicester, Hull and QPR improving on last term, but not significantly. Colchester did remarkably well in their first year up, but are likely to find it a great deal tougher second time around and Preston are likely to suffer from the loss of David Nugent. Bristol City and Blackpool are more than capable of consolidating, but the others look vulnerable. Barnsley can just about survive, likewise Plymouth; leaving Stoke Burnley and Scunthorpe fighting the drop.

In League One, Forest are everybody’s tip for promotion, but they look destined to miss out again. They have brought in Neil Lennon, but it’s a very tough division and you have to wonder about his legs. Tipped at the Post’s two for automatic promotion are Doncaster and Millwall. The Yorkshire club are very ambitious and James Hayter is a cracking signing at that level. The Lions young side finished well and Willie Donachie will have them spot on. Huddersfield, Oldham and Luton are taken to fill the play-off places with Forest; just ahead of Carlisle, Swansea, Yeovil and Southend. Bristol Rovers can have a brighter season than many are suggesting, as can Hartlepool and Walsall, all 3 coming up together. Brighton, Tranmere, Crewe and Port Vale seem set for pretty uninspiring seasons; and Gillingham and Leyton Orient look certain to be bottom half material. Leeds need some luck with their appeal against the 15 point penalty, otherwise they could slip straight through. Swindon can stay up at their expense, but Bournemouth, Northampton and Cheltenham look to have it all on to avoid the drop.

In League Two Paul Ince can get one over Fergie – Darren that is! MKD can just pip Peterborough at the top, with Shrewsbury joining them. Notts County, Darlington and Rotherham are taken to make the play-off’s along with surprise packages Bury. Chesterfield, Bradford and Rochdale should all go close; with Hereford, Wycombe and Mansfield not too far behind. Lincoln have probably missed their chances over the past 5 years and Terry Butcher will not find life easy at Brentford. The two newcomers can hold their own, but the rest might struggle with Chester and Accrington Stanley making way for the return of Torquay and Oxford, who are taken to make their League comebacks.

FC Barcelona started their 2010-11 season with the threat of the special one, Jose Mourinho as he eliminated Barcelona last year from Champions League Semi Final by his unprecedented tactics. But Barca have proved their superlative class once again by winning the Double–La Liga Crown–three times in a row with two games to spare and the big Champions League Crown–twice in three years by teaching their opponent a real good football lesson. Moreover, Barca made a spectacular record of 28 matches unbeaten and 16 consecutive league wins in 2010-2011 La Liga season. Barca is now all about”Dream Team.”

La Liga

Barca was dramatically beaten 2-0 at the Camp Nou in their second match against new comer Hercules CF! It was a shock not a fact Barca proved it in their following games. They managed to win the 3rd straight La Liga Crown with two games to spare.

Series of “El Clasicos”

Five “El Clasico” in a season and four of them took place in April-May only in time range of 18 days. In recent history only in 2001-02 both Giants met four times in a season and before that when they clashed more or as equal as this season I really don’t remember.

The 1st“El Clasico” of the season took place on 29th of November. New coach of Madrid, their outstanding performance in the league before this match, tiredness of Spanish players after the world cup etc was major issues before the game. But as soon as the referee whistled to start the battle it was again the beauty of football drawn by none other than Barca players. Barca gave their fans an unforgettable, Five Star performance a 5-0 win against their eternal rival at the Camp Nou on the 111th birthday of the best club in the world. Barca tops the table, 8 points ahead of Madrid with this win and the leading position was as stable as the Everest till the end of the season.

The 2nd“El Clasico” was a 1-1 draw at Santiago Bernabeu while both Messi for the first time scored against Mourinho so did Ronaldo against Barcelona after his arrival at the Santiago Bernabeu. After the match Barca was also eight points ahead of Madrid.

The 3rd“El Clasico” was in “Copa Del Ray Final” so it was a big match for both of them. Mourinho stuck to his super defensive strategy and finally he got a win and a trophy while Ronaldo scored in 102th minutes at Mestalla. Barca possessed 70% of the first half but no real effort before the goal post took place. Barca improved second half, they created chances but all went in vein and it was 0-0 after the 90 minutes. Then Ronaldo scored in 102th minute and this was the decider as Barca failed to score but they kept pushing.

The 4th “El Clasico” was in the much awaited Champions League Semi Final. First leg one was at Santiago Bernabeu. Mourinho criticized Pep Guardiola harshly when Guardiola commented on disqualifying a goal during the Copa Del Rey Final. Right after Mourinho left the press conference Guardiola replied it fast and furiously like never before as he used the “F word.” This incident added an extra spice before the battle. At the battle field we saw the reflection of Guardiola’s anger while Barca players were rushing all together towards the referee as soon as any foul committed by any Madrid player. Barcelona were playing their natural attacking game and Madrid were stuck to their defensive plan. It was 0-0 after the half time. When two teams headed to the dressing room Pinto extra goal keeper of Barca got a red card and there was a clash between the some players of both team. On the hour mark Pepe committed a foul against Dani Alves and the referee booked him a straight red card–Barca’s plan did work. But from the replay we could easily saw that it was master piece acting from Dani Alves. Mourinho also got a red card when he gave an illegal gesture to the referee. Then Barca took the advantage of 10 men and Messi scored 76th minute and he doubled it by a pure magic in 87th minute and the later was undoubtedly one of the best goals of Champions League history. After full time it was a huge advantage of 2-0 and Barca was almost through to the final.

The 5th “El Clasico” was a cruel formality as it was like more than impossible to keep Barca away from Wembley when they had 2-0 away goal advantage. It was 1-1 draw at Camp Nou. Barca scored first and Madrid equalized. Mourinho was not even in the gallery during the match. Barca was off to Wembly.

Champions League

It would be an injustice to Barca if I don’t mention the game against Arsenal. Cesc Fabregas once again played for the losing side. Arsenal had 2-1 home advantage but they failed to utilize it at the Camp Nou where they were humiliated last year by 4-1and all goals scored by the little Argentine wizard Messi. This year Messi once again made the difference, his first goal showed the world that his skill is limitless. Arsenal made an incredible record breaking the record of more than one thousand matches in the Champions League. In this match they were unable to take a single shot in the target! The score line was 3-1 and the sole goal was an own goal scored by Sergio Busquets.

Champions League Final–Obviously it is considered to be the biggest match of a season. Barca players labeled the match as their last Champions League Final of their life as Guardiola did so back in 1992 at Wembley where Barca had won their first ever Champions League Final Trophy. Sir Alex Ferguson labeled it as the “Final of the Decade.” Some said it would be “Dj vu” of 2008-09 season others said ManU got better. When the match begun first ten minutes ManU gave Barca a real good challenge but then it was again the beauty of Football at his supreme level, Manu became the bus stander once again. The game ended 3-1 and it could have been worse a lot. The game is now considered the best ever Champions League Final in terms of the class of Football by any team.

Finally, It was another successful mission of FC Barcelona. They got the Double and created few team and individual records in this season. They are now the very close to the “Dream Team” while some people have already expressed that they are the”Dream Team” or better than that! But one thing is for sure that Lionel Messi is getting closer and closer to stop repeating the question “Who is the best player of all time Pele or Maradona?”

In a gathering of football enthusiast, discussing and debating over football issues; some relevant and some others irrelevant. A few about individual players and others about teams with great exploits, teams that have defiled all odds to achieve extra ordinary success, the debate got hotter, and the tempo was raised, then propped up this topic; “Who is the best striker in Europe”?

Silence there was, each sinking into himself. It was a topic that made me ponder, but there is another side to this controversy; what really makes a striker? What are the qualities of a striker? How do we distinguish strikers from strikers?

Pondering over the interesting topic, ideas sprung up; views of mine came alive. The fundamental question as stated above needed urgent answers to put the debate to rest. First, who is a striker? A striker is a front man in team football, whom the whole team look up to produce goals, that will bring victory, he’s that man who bangs the net with goals

Let’s review what really makes a striker?

Some of the qualities, which I can deduce of a competent striker, are: height, speed, skills, strength, wits, calculation and the ability to tear apart opposing defenses single-handedly and most important of all, good finishing.

The rave making strikers in Europe presently, do possess some, if not all, of the above-mentioned qualities of a striker. Possessing of all the above-mentioned qualities makes a striker formidable. The greatest strikers in the footballing history possess all the qualities; the likes of Delima Ronaldo, The great Pele, Roberto Baggio, Romario, etc. which made them famous and deadly during their peak years, in the days of old.

Wayne Rooney, Didier Drogba, Fernando Torres, Lionel Messi, Samuel Eto’o, Cristiano Ronaldo, Diego Milito, Gonzalo Higuain, and the likes, are all proven goal scorers, who will bury any chance they get and will punish any defensive line up.

Analyzing each of the a fore-mentioned players, will bring to the fore the fact that all these are formidable strikers, who score on a regular basis. England has always being blessed with intelligent and proven strikers at different points in time. There was a time it was Andy Cole, one of the best players that ever wore the red and white England jersey, the first player in the history of Premier League to net five goals in a single match, amazing isn’t it? Well his time is past now, but really he mesmerized fans of the then EPL with his exceptional skills and goal scoring prowess.

There was Alan shearer, what do I have to say about this exceptionally good striker? He equaled Andy Cole’s record of five goals in a single match; he scored goals from different angles of the pitch, from different match situations: set pieces, counter-attack, open play and from even unlikely and remote angle of the pitch, as a result of his forceful style of play, some section s of the fans were not friendly with him, same made him one of the most-feared during his time in the Premier League. Although he has not been successful as a manager, failing to save Newcastle UTD from the relegation troubles, which caused its fall.

The English Footballing world woke to the 2009/2010 season to experience something different, an experience of goal banging, an all-round action experience; The Wayne Rooney Experience. Wayne Rooney as a player has grown to be very matured and confident. Watching the Rooney of five seasons ago in comparison to this season’s, one would clearly notice the improvement in his style of play, his conduct on the pitch, team coordinating brilliance and the likes. All these improvements in Wayne Rooney have made him to be a very formidable and fearful striker in the world football. One of the talents which Rooney possess that endeared him to me and the football fans in general, is his ability to terrorize opposing defenses single-handedly with sheer brilliance. Rooney has scored 38 goals so far this season, and most of them have through his individual brilliance, although with the help of team mates, who have mastered his play in recent games.

Team work is another of his talent which he puts on display in each match, he with his powerful and brilliant, has been able to foster unity in the team in terms of field play, he distributes accurate passes, he doesn’t hold on to the ball meaninglessly, positions himself in the best possible position to be spotted for pass release which on a good day results to goal.

Away from England, and unto the European scene, there is this player, who some have wrongly compared to a great football legend, the player who single-handedly destroy opposing teams, not only with his goals, but also with his passes, dribbles, speed, strength and all the rest.

The player, who is the current World Player of the Year, the most dangerous player on the planet presently; Lionel Messi! Some regard him as the “merciless”, some others say he’s the greatest player to walk the earth surface, but I strongly disagree to this notion. You run out of adjectives trying to describe him, no doubt he’s a good player, proven goal-scorer, intelligent destroyer of opposing teams and worst of all he causes night mare to defenders, especially in the Spanish La Liga and also the Champions League, the two competitions which he plays his best football.

The “merciless” truly shows no mercy to teams and players that stands on his way to victory. He has scored 40 goals this season; his finishing and goal build-up play clearly spells out his superiority in Europe. He is being criticized for not excelling in big games with high expectation from him; he silenced his critics against Arsenal, after his well taken four goals to send Arsenal crashing out of Europe’s elite club competition.

Resting the debate, I’ll say strikers should be rated with different stats, the inability of a striker to score plenty goals does not mean he’s not a good striker. Fernando Torres is a brilliant striker, but he has not been able to score lots of goals doesn’t mean he’s not a complete striker. A complete striker is one who scores goals, has the ability to turn the game around with individual skill, spaces himself in the right positions to be given the ball and buries it at the back of the net. A striker is a playmaker.