  Other Goals i've been trying to improve my soccer performance even without the help of a team. it sucks to practice alone. I practice half an hour by myself in soccer. I usually work on my accuracy, my dribling, my speed and my tactics... RJ is not the only one who dreams of being able to play professinaly. I guess you would have to take my word if you don't know me that i was one of the best defenders in high school. When Southridge took on Ateneo de Naga I was the defender that mattered the most. I don't know why actually... Noel Castro could outrun me in a sprint but when it came to chasing a ball i could out run anyone. I was highschool and the underdog. We had a game with atenoe de naga and i expected to be on the team.
I wasnt a varsity member but everyone (my firends) at least knew i was one of the best defenders of the school (and possibly one of the best in the country given that we were the #1 highschool varsity team and the country's representatives). They didnt put me in the defending roster. I was the president of the sci-fi club what would i know about soccer?
I dont know what changed the coach's mind but they put me on the second half. Naga already had 2 points lead. I was raring to go. In that half I prevented 2 goals... why do i solely attribute it to myself (other than those who witnessed it) cause it was only me and a lone attack who broke through our defense. It happened twice. now when i get to thinking about those days that deniro move comes to mind " i could have been a contender" a night game accident left my righ leg with a numb spot so it was easy for me to get over shin hits. I eventually stoped using shin gaurds. I was the track and field rep of the school for 100m, 200m dash, longjumps, highjumps (all the leg related sports) but what dibilitated me was the fact that I lived in san juan and it was the equivalent of going to mercer county from jersey city every day for school. Thats relatively how far and how long it took me to go to school. It was a 1+ hour drive to and fro school (total 2) DONT FORGET THAT WE HAD A STUPID CURICULUM AND I WAS TRYING TO CATCH UP with my latin and math.
Peer presure also helped kick me out of soccer. The "sigas" or jocks were not fun to play with given that they never appriciated the support they got from the defense. Given the hiearchy, geeks weren't that imporant enough to be worth keeping. I dont blame them... too many things to do at one time stopped me from kick ass in soccer. NOw at 25 i can't find a team to join. I cant find a field. All i can do is play by my self every other day hoping that another soccer player sees me and invites me. I've been posting on the internet soccer boards but a rusty asian isnt what they have in mind to play with... I cant play with the 30+ guys cause I still have my health and youth... and I"M IN AMERICA soccer is a kids sport (its near impossible to find a soccer legue that is greater than U23). Not to mention i dont have a home yet. The movie "the Rookie" keeps cycling in my head thta I can still make it.
Even back home i can still outrun anybody on the field (and these guys were once varisty) I kick stronger now, nearly doubling the range i can make since i came out of "retirement". I know speed and strength are not the only factors. I been drilling in fast dribbles, feints, and hard turns. I practice when i can even if only some of the field is available. I guess this is sounding more like a prayer. I'm in the middle between being good enough and being amature I just need the chance to train, to drill on a professional level.
I'm not a thai or a brazilian... i am a philippino... i come from a coutnry who looks up to america too much that they should be playing soccer instead of basketball given how short we are. But soccer is not a popular sport back home niether was it in the culture. In my family my lolo played soccer in his childhood in ust and ilo ilo.
thats it nothing great can be expected but i somehow havent seen in myself the ability to fail given the chance to improve. Arnis Here in america they call it Kali... JKD teaches so of it... but if you ask me what they teach is really just the tip of the ice burg. thanks to arma dispite dissing kali/escrima in their article (even if none of them are experts of it) i learned enoough about western sword arts to understand the principles behind the techniques they teach us in the school of doce pares. 1- Contrary to the beliefs of ARMA (Association of Raniasance marital arts) alot of cultures use 2-w fighting and our ancestors did not learn it from the SPanish... it is simply that 2 swords are better than one. How much science can there be... WHat pisses me off is that they critisize japanese martial arts and swell us ours without any expertise on it.
NOw thats plain dumb! 2- Its hard working on sayaw... so i have to practice in the park when there arent any people around. Of course in AMERICA one should not find it strange for a japanese practicing karate or kendo, neither a chinese guy praciticing taichi or kung fu, so as to see a filipino practice kali. In the city i get JKD and a big happy hi! from fellow practicioners. WHile here in the south... well its a bit of a WTF i hear more often. 3-thanks to padded sticks i wont brake my fingers which i neeed for my profession... BUT i need to buy supplies to fix them soon. Improving slowly... working on the same problems as before though. 
