Pitch Perfect!

Well my new Futsal Fanatics, the grass may be greener on the other side, but you've been watching the World Cup so you also know that grass is wet, and it's sticky, and it's submerged at times, comes apart at the seams, and just may have piranhas swimming around it at the stadium situated in the middle of the freaking Amazon. Oh yeah, and in the off chance its lustrous green pigment fades in the 100 degree weather, no worries, they just spray paint it...

Ah Braaaaziiiil.

Pictured above is the aforementioned venue in tropical Manaus. If I were this guy I would go with the John Deer Green or Satin Apple, only $22.56 at Home Depot.

While the Brazilian grounds crew work hard at feeding their white elephants, I will take this time to introduce you to a pitch that always stays true, and more importantly, always stays blue, (at least the really cool ones do).

Ladies and Gentleman, The Futsal court -

One of the Seven Wonders of The World, and how cool are those spiky things in the back??

Since the sport of Futsal is so relatively young in the U.S., you can only imagine the varied surfaces you may whiteness the game being played on. Cement, wood, turf, grass. However, the only courts that FIFA truly sanctions are the style that are pictured above. Most of which are made from PP plastic, Polypropylene to you gifted sort, and the same material you make thermal underwear with for those of us who sat in the back.

In the interest of staying interesting I will not pound everyone with measurements and specs. I have included an edited version of the FIFA Futsal Laws so you can read up on the exact size and lining of a true Futsal court. However, please remember what I said in my first blog.  You will whiteness all aspects of my journey building this league. Therefore, one thing I am learning how to do is Blog, and quite frankly I have no idea if this PDF will look to you the way it looks to me. To be safe, below is a link that will lead you to the full law book. Just skip to page 6, and don't read ahead or you'll ruin my fun.

FIFA FUTSAL LAWS

FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game Edit Court Specs.pdf

In all seriousness though, think about the material of the court, smooth hard plastic. Can you imagine how the ball races from one end of the court to the other? Now take into account the dimensions. A full size pitch for international Futball play is 105 m long by 68 m wide. A Futsal court for international play is only 38 m long by 25 m wide. Place ten players on that plastic court at 5 a side with a size 4 Futsal ball and my friends, you have pace. The exact skill that is essential to the young player of today.

I recently read a FIFA article published in 2012 that truly captures the intensity of developing your skills in a compact Futsal environment:

"Playing Futball in (Futsal) conditions corresponds to playing 37v37 on a full sized pitch. It is obvious that better technical skills are required to get past defenders standing so much closer together."

  - FIFA

I feel the need, the need for speed!.................. and touch.

Nick Martinez

N.Martinez@socalfutsal5.com

Ready to Sink My Teeth Into This! Sorry Suarez, No Pun Intended.

The Bite Heard 'Round The World!!

And a walk down the Hall of Fang... sorry, couldn't resist.

Now that we're hungry, I want to sink our teeth deeper into the understanding of Futsal. What is it? I asked in our last post,  not attempting to be snide, but to shed light on how little is truly known of  such an important sport. 

Simply put, Futsal is Futball, or Soccer for the unassuming american, fielding only 5 a side.  

More Importantly, it is the official UEFA and FIFA version of 5 v 5. That's right homies, Globe Cred.

Seriously though, this is Futball in its purest form, no additives, no preservatives. It is the essential precursor to the outdoor game of Soccer. Touch, Passing, Vision, Speed, Striking, the sport of Futsal is widely viewed as the ideal skill building environment for producing technically excellent Futball players.

Ever heard of this guy? 

Me neither, lets move on.

As the only internationally recognized small sided Futball game, "Futsal" comes from the Portugese phrase "futebol de salao" or the Spanish "futbol de sala" which basically means indoor Futball. The game originated in the 1930's and is attributed to the natural skills and playing style associated with Brazilian Futball specifically. To put the age of this game in perspective, lets look at what else was going on during the birth of this fabulous sport:

1. The Great Depression... not so fabulous, sorry for the downer.

So we're clear, this is a sport in its own right, enriching the outdoor game, but an event in and of itself. Futsal is played professionally in countries throughout the world and the Futsal players are revered just as much as the outdoor players you are watching in the World Cup.

Know this guy?

I do, Falcao. 

You can draw direct lines from Futsal playing countries to the world Futball giants ranked highest in the world such as Brazil, Spain and Argentina. Unfortunately, the global understanding is that the United States is behind when it comes to developing its Futball talent. Therefore, it is imperative that we introduce the benefits of Futsal to our youth so we too can develop the quality and spirit that is favored at the highest level of "The Beautiful Game". 

What else should we introduce? Good sportsmanship perhaps? 

In that vein, let us turn this message over to the man of the hour, Mr Luis Suarez!!! (Applause)

"I Vont To Suck Ala"

You'll get it in future posts, hang in there.

Nick Martinez

N.Martinez@SOCALfutsal.com