and we all know how the 90s was, atari, nintendo, backstreet boys, Moffats, Hanson, Mara Clara, Dragon Ball, Ghost Fighter (Yu Yu Hakusho), Mik Mik powdered milk, Bazooka Joe gums, I can go on forever,
but what I did back in the 90s that I can never forget is the outdoor games, the tumbang preso, patintero, taguan, langit-lupa long before the Text card and pogs came.
Although there's this one game I was never good at nor I tried to be good at, the national game, the sipa, in case you have no idea what a sipa is here's a picture of it,
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| credits to the rightful owner of this picture |
The rules are very simple, it can be played either individually or with a team, the objective of the game is to not let the sipa touch the ground by continuously using different parts of the body to keep the sipa in mid-air for a certain amount of kicks depending on the level.
The usual body part that is used is the inside of the foot, skilled children also use other parts like the outside of the foot, elbow, shoulder, and even some can use the inside forearm, but for beginners and for the not-so-skilled kids (like I was) the palm of the hands is the norm.
Then there's this move we used to call the "black magic" where the move requires the use of the sole of the foot and kick the sipa behind the back with strength after the required number of kicks to pass to the next player.
So I just explained how the game is played
I was never good at this game so I just watch when my childhood friends play, upon observing I was amazed how they can keep that small piece of metal in the air.
Why it was something useful and I didn't see it
Fast forward to today, with the increasing popularity of football with that kind of talent children had back in the day, how come we never realized the possibility that we could have been good football players, we could have been part of a club, we could have played in the national team, we could have adopted the street style of learning the sport like the Brazilians with those flashy footworks and humiliating dribbling skills we could have been great by this time, too bad football wasn't that much appealing to the Filipino audience.
But rather complaining about what I wasn't able to realize back in the day, what I want to achieve now is to introduce and promote the game of football in a way that it will connect with the masses and the less privileged children as I am now working as a youth football coach and aiming to take a licensing course this year, I follow the Brazilian style of method which I teach to the kids that will make them good ball handlers and improve individual skills but not taking away the values and friendship needed to be developed in the sport, and I think it matches the lifestyle of Filipinos.
Just imagine the ability of the children to accurately kick a small piece of metal transferred into the field with a football and going past against defenders, wouldn't it be entertaining?
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| Imagine if we can create a lot of Neymars in this country? |
I know that talent is still inside there, it just needs development.
Street football I think will be entertaining, it will be something new to the eyes of the Filipino masses, it focuses more on skills and technique unlike in a regular fixture which focuses more on scoring goals.
It can also be used as a tool to develop children, encouraging them to play outdoors as well instead of spending time in front of computers, football can be played anywhere.
Some might ask, how this style can match the meticulous and systematic approach of a regular fixture? or simply, how it can be useful in a regular match?
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| Brazilian young superstar Neymar Jr |
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| Brazilian Legend Ronaldinho |
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| The face of Brazilian football Pele |
So, as a fan of the sport, I want to start a campaign of street football. If anyone can help me or share suggestions, please let me know so I can share the things will be needed in this campaign.
Thank you. the football community loves you.
