Korean Job Discussion Forums

[cisco kid]

I've never played soccer, but I'm apparently on the team because one of the guys ripped a ligament in his knee and I'm the only able bodied male in the office that is in good enough shape to play. My company has eight or nine teams, so my team ordered me a uniform today and wants me to come up to speed on rules and how to play, etc.

So, before I spend a few days reading and trying to memorize soccer rules (during working hours, of course) - what should I know about the psychology of the Korean soccer player? Any advice? Do they generally play fair?

Thanks in advance all you soccer gurus.

[Dome Vans]

They do play fair, but they don't really think when they play. They'll run all day but don't really pass to each other.

I advise you to stick back in defence, right back is probably the least hassle. When they pass the ball to you. Put your foot on it and then pass it to the nearest person on your team. When you don't have the ball, just hover around the nearest player from their team, so technically you're 'marking' him. Don't dive in. You're fit so just keep up with them without diving in. Shepherd them around but not in the direction of your goal.

[cisco kid]

Thanks for the help brother DV. I've been watching youtube videos about the basics. Any good sites that anyone can recommend would be of great help to me.

[Otherside]

Wow, you must the be first guy I've heard of who has no idea how to play footbal (soccer).

Ye, they will play within the rules..and from what you've said, there should be a ref too, so they'll be enforced. Dome's advice is solid... but as right back...if you have the ball and you don't have a CLEAR pass to one of your teamies...just hoof the ball downfield.. (this is your "when in doubt" move). A missed pass which is intercepted is about the worst thing that can happen

Good luck and most of all...have fun!

[Ya-ta Boy]

A piece of advice from another poster who has absolutely no idea how to play soccer:

I've watched Koreans play jok-koo almost every day for 5 years. Only once have I seen ANYONE get upset/angry. From what I can tell, Koreans play for fun, entertainment and exercise. Leave your temper and bad sportsmanship at home.

[Dome Vans]

With the scores delicately poised at 0-0. The time is entering the 89th minute and your team is on the attack, break from your right back position and drift into the middle of the opposition's penalty area at which point the left midfielder will send in a peach of cross around about head height to you. You gracefully execute an overhead bicycle kick:



At which point the ball smashes off the underside of the crossbar and into the net. The final whistle goes. The joy and elation that can be felt from team mates as they hold you aloft their shoulders and chant your name.



I hope you'll be able to handle the limelight.

Ditto ya-ta boys comment, they, IMO, play with a very good spirit and play very fairly, this should be reciprocated by you.

[gwhitey09]

I play soccer every week against korean teams. They may all look like old men. The ones I play against can run all day and all night.
The most important thing I would say relates to tackling. If I even make slight physical contact with them, they whine and moan. Just don't touch them. They don't like to use their bodies.

[Julius]

The school staff had a footy game and invited an american esl teache I used to know here to join them.

However after 90 minutes they still had not passed the ball to him once, and he left the field humiliated.

He left korea soon after.

[the ireland]

beware of the offside rule, i play soccer with koreans, we don't have a ref but we call offside ourselves, it's all done with honesty.

I found it easy to settle into the game, the language thing is not a problem, my tae kwon do master is the only one who speaks english although the others just speak korean to me and laugh when i utter one korean word....usually "Nae" just to pretend like i have a clue what the hell they are talking about

as for the no physical thing, it's fun to be physical, i don't know if they give free kicks against you if you're a bit rough, i have kicked loads of them, they get a bit annoyed when you kick them in the shin, but they toughened up and started to give it back after a while.....then again i had to be quite careful cos i was playing with and against tae kwon do masters.

[cisco kid]

[Rob'sdad]

I played on the teachers team at two schools. Each disputed call was solved by a shouting match or one of the older teachers would yell shut up and play.

At half time it was "smoke 'em if you got 'em."

[Binch Lover]

[Leslie Cheswyck]

Another reason you don't have much slide tackling is the field. Those sandy, gravelly road rash factories. I did it once or twice before adapting. Other than that, I stuck to my usually aggressive defensive play... minus my most dangerous tactic of course.

What another poster said about shepherding is right on. But if you can't, just attack! Don't worry about being "schooled" by the dribbler; it is often enough to disrupt his rhythm. You shepherd to buy time for your teammates to get in better position. You attack mainly to force him into making a mistake, like a bad pass or something.

What I do is the shepherding bit until I feel my teammates are set up, then I make my move.

[cisco kid]

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=xI4JleEhCLE&NR=1


Those exercises seem like a good place to start. I need to learn how to handle the ball...

Can anyone list the most important exercises to learn ball handling?

[the ireland]

if you handle the ball it's a free kick, unless your the keeper

seriously don't worry about those skills to control the ball, just kick it ahead of you and run after it, after a while it will get a bit easier.....i really have never met anyone who doesn't know anything about soccer.....you should try gaelic football or rugby next!!