IQ Football makes soccer sense

On any typical afternoon, one might find the Craighall Sports Club fields abuzz with children playing soccer.

Or more accurately, the youngsters spend half the time playing soccer, and the other half working on specific drills that improve concentration, technique and hand-eye coordination.

It has only been a year and a half and already IQ Football sees roughly 40 children between the ages of four and 16 take part in group and individual lessons held throughout the week.

Holiday clubs are also growing in popularity at the soccer club during school holidays.

Six months after IQ Football celebrated its year-end with some fun matches attended by parents, coach Sean Szabo reiterated the goals and core values of the club.

Also read: Soccer action in Craighall Park 

“What we do improves concentration and technique, and we do this by repetition,” he said.

“It is said it takes 10 000 hours to master a skill, well in football 10 000 touches can make you so much more efficient.”

He explained that if a ball is attached to a string that is held by hand on the other end, a player can kick the ball about 500 times in just a few minutes. During such a drill, players practise kicking the ball with their eyes closed, trapping and kicking with different feet, or kicking with the foot their teammates call out or the opposite of what they call out.

This drill, among others, teaches young players to concentrate well so that playing efficiently eventually becomes instinctive, hence ‘IQ Football’.

And all this without taking the fun out of the game.

Another secret weapon in the club’s arsenal is the encouragement Szabo offers to players when they do well. Soccer matches are actually stopped after a goal is scored, so players can give their coach a high five before continuing.

This ensures there are always smiles on the youngsters’ eager faces.

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