Soccer: a game of the Mind?

Enjoythis469 · Post 19 Apr 2006, 14:54

I know people say the smartest athletes in the world play soccer and soccer is a game of thinking/the mind...but what makes it so? This probably sounds like a dumber question, but i would just like to see what others believe makes it like this. thank you in advance

jonas Vanden Broecke · Post 19 Apr 2006, 15:29

there are so many way's in how a player must think , how to handle the ball . You have to know when to pass the ball ,when to keep it with you, or when to shoot it . you have to think about your position and the position of your team members and the positions of the other team . So it's much more than you think .

peace and say no to racism

Enjoythis469 · Post 19 Apr 2006, 15:48

I understand what your saying but im looking for more reasons that separate it from other sports such as basketball/hockey/baseball... etc

cfrealmadrid · Post 20 Apr 2006, 20:47

for one thing, the field is bigger than in most other sports. this gives the players more space to move around, and thus more potential good and bad positions, and thus more decisions to make. the game time is longer than in basketball, hockey, and sometimes baseball. there is more time for the opposing team to tie the game, and more defensive tactics needed by your team. also, there are more players on the field at a time than in (most) other sports. there are more potential choices for your team, and more potential threats playing against you. those are just some of the main points i can think of, i hope that answers your question.

fir_nev · Post 22 Apr 2006, 17:07

Football is said to be closely related to chess....

Well, alot of tactics I must say.

*~El Maestro~* · Post 22 Apr 2006, 22:41

fir_nev wrote:
Well, alot of tactics I must say.

yes thats true there are alot of tactics but i would say that basketball has more tactics and is more a game of the mind.

cfrealmadrid · Post 23 Apr 2006, 04:06

basketball is probably second on my list. there is less space, and less players, which is my main reason for putting it lower than football.

sgfresh13 · Post 23 Apr 2006, 04:19

cfrealmadrid wrote:basketball is probably second on my list. there is less space, and less players, which is my main reason for putting it lower than football.

not making assumptions or anything, but you probaly havent played high school football or anything, but it takes waay more thinking in basketball. For basketball as long as you know how to shoot good and play your fine. Football you always have to know where the ball is and anticipate thigns the other team might do...making ou think way more than basketball...Though they are might seem clso football is way more of a thinking game.

soccerdynamite · Post 23 Apr 2006, 04:32

very hard thinking topic...i hav a book called how soccer explains the world. u might want 2 check it out and c.

jdefoe · Post 23 Apr 2006, 13:12

NO LINE CHANGES, NO TIMEOUTS, NO STOPPAGES....enough said

fir_nev · Post 28 Apr 2006, 11:01

I played football just now in my military camp as a sweeper.

Guess what? I spent 90 mins analysing how my team and the opponents played. Well, most of the time, when a player got away from my defenders, I'd dash and slid for the ball. Well, talking about determination....

cfrealmadrid · Post 30 Apr 2006, 04:32

sgfresh13 wrote:
cfrealmadrid wrote:basketball is probably second on my list. there is less space, and less players, which is my main reason for putting it lower than football.
not making assumptions or anything, but you probaly havent played high school football or anything, but it takes waay more thinking in basketball. For basketball as long as you know how to shoot good and play your fine. Football you always have to know where the ball is and anticipate thigns the other team might do...making ou think way more than basketball...Though they are might seem clso football is way more of a thinking game.

i didn't play a lot of varsity or anything, but i did play high school this year. i ended up with 3 goals, so i did get a pretty fair amount of time for a freshman. anyway, i think they're pretty close to being equal. i think there's really no absolute right answer.

The_Majestic · Post 01 May 2006, 20:20

I've played baseball, basketball, football, and of course soccer. All of these sports require thinking and I would place basketball and soccer at the top of the list. Basketball is very quick and compact. It is back-and-forth, up and down, etc. Soccer is quick and open. Both sports require more endurance which means that you have to be "tougher" minded then other sports. Football has a break every 5-15 seconds while basketball and soccer are much different. But I'm not meaning to discredit baseball and football because strategy is a must to becoming victorious. I just believe that basketball and soccer take more mental aspects then others.