The #1 Rule for Watching Soccer – Don’t Watch the Ball
The beautiful game is often found where the ball is not.
In a 90 minute game an average soccer player will get 4.6% of the total touches. So, the #1 rule for watching soccer – don’t watch the ball.
4.6%
4.6% equates to roughly 60 touches per game. If my math is right, that leaves about 86 minutes of a 90 minute game most players are without the ball.
As fans, we’re taught to watch the ball and the player who possesses it because that’s where the action is. Duh, that’s the most obvious and entertaining choice.
86 Minutes
However, the ball and the player possessing it is just the tip of the iceberg. For the remaining 86 minutes that an average player isn’t possessing the ball, they aren’t just standing still.
They are moving, pressing, marking, and re-positioning themselves. In other words, they are affecting the game!
The Beautiful Game
It is in these moments when soccer mostly happens. Yet, as spectators we miss almost ALL OF IT.
So remember, the #1 rule for watching soccer – don’t watch the ball.
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