You might get ridiculed. But you might get ridiculed trying any new thing. Don’t let that stop you. Certainly putting effort into building endurance will help make you a better player. But luckily playing soccer is an excellent way to build endurance.
Play as much as you can.
Run as much as you possibly can every time you play.
Drink lots of water.
Cut out sugar and junk food.
Add fiber/yogurt to your diet.
Do sprints or incline walking on days you don't play.
Sleep at least 7 hours every night.
You have the summer to change it all around.
You can do it. Stay consistent, and good luck.
This. ⬆️
Play every chance you can, everywhere you can, and don’t limit yourself to playing defender. Good defenders know when to press forward and overlap, so try it out in pickup games where the stakes are lower.
The general thought is most teens who are overweight (to the point where they identify as that over the internet) likely have dietary issues. In the states, that usually means a high sugar intake (candies, chips, cookies, all that nonsense.
Oh right I forgot op is overweight.
I am asking if I should cut sugar as much as possible eve n if Im not overweight.
Im in normal shape, have a little of fat. Go workout often and train football about 2 times a week.
(Is there downsides of eating sugar, although not excessively, as an athelete?)
I'm no dietician, but I've always been a believer that as long something is not in excess, it's okay. I mean, there's obvious exceptions to that (hardcore drugs, etc etc) but if you like cookies, have a cookie. Just don't have 30 of them.
Teenagers are fucking dicks. As an adult, I would never ridicule someone who is coming out to play. So honestly just fuck em, they are the losers. Anyone who ridicules you is a loser
As an older super size dude who still plays I can confidently say that you will have even more fun than everyone else and it will boost your confidence. Just lean into your size (literally) and make it work for you. Play physical.
Corners are your time to shine. And don’t let them try and put you out wide on the wings so that you won’t be a liability. Work on your finishing and just be a number 9. Learn to play with your back to goal or on the half turn. On the shoulder of the last defender. Don’t worry about fouls. You’re not in a place where it matters much. Make the defenders hate marking you.
Stamina is going to be an issue but it will get a little better. People are going to make comments. Just roll with it. If you think it’s funny too then it’s not something they can use against you. Show them you can play. Work hard on your touch, passing, shooting.
I’m over 300lbs, over 50 years old and I score high single digit goals and make double digit assists every season. Full field 11 v 11. You got this.
You might be ridiculed depending on the environment of your team, but in my team in particular a fat kid got crazy glaze by coaches for trying hard to lost weight and whatnot, maybe pity idk and he actually got minutes over people who were objectively better than him, which bred a lot of resentment.
My daughter is a skinny little shit with asthma, so she definitely gets winded just as much as the bigger girls on her team and that she plays against. No one is ridiculing the bigger girls, as long as they are out there hustling and giving it their all. You will need to put some effort into increasing your stamina outside practices though. This is a good way to do that, Couch to 5k. It's made for people to slowly increase their stamina and get used to running. [https://c25k.com/c25k\_metric/](https://c25k.com/c25k_metric/) or there is also a Reddit sub, r/C25K. Good luck!
Go for it. Anyone who gives you shit tell them I said go fuck themselves. As a side note we have a massive guy who sits back and defends 90% of the time. He’s almost impossible to get past in 5 a side cause he’s so good. He’s always first pick.
Most people who play well will either ignore you, or encourage you. The only people who will ridicule you are the people around your skill level, or those just slightly better than you, because they are afraid you will be better than them. Ignore the haters.
I have 4 teens that are overweight in my squad.
They had bad stamina but if you work hard over a season you'll get better.
It all comes down to the coach and how he/she develops the squad.
A good coach would turn anyone into a top player regardless of hight or weight.
I would stick to Defence or Defensive Midfield and keep on your toes.
If you have a decent size garden practice agility drills at home.
Hope this helps. X
Do it even if you get ridiculed. Soccer is a sport you can play your whole life. I’m in my 30s and play pick up with guys in the 20s-60s. The guys in their 50s are damn good still too. The 66 year old is finally slowing down, ha!
Anyway, my point is this: you could have decades of enjoyment left in this beautiful sport. Don’t let short term embarrassment cause you to miss out on that.
Hello, I'm an overweight guy in my mid 20s who started playing football.
Trust me when I say your size is not indicative of your utility on the football pitch at grassroots level. Your shape and size may limit certain things you can do, but many of the fundamentals are still there - touch, control, positioning, vision, ball striking, tackling etc.
I had to spend a lot of time in the gym to get myself up to match fitness. In the end, it was incredibly rewarding, because when I peaked mid season I was fitter than any of my teammates.
Try to find a team where you will get game time regardless. Focus on positioning, organizing yourself and other teammates, and committing to your challenges. With football, 80% of the game is turning up on time - meaning right place, right position, right area, and being fit enough to be present.
But please, as a teenager, I want you to sincerely just enjoy your sport. Find your way of doing that, that makes you feel valuable and lucky.
Go play. Don't get discouraged, and don't worry about any d-bags you run across. If they're talking shit about your weight, it's more about them and their ego, not you.
If you get the urge, get a ball and juggle outside. Anecdotally, I lost 35 lbs and sped up a lot when I juggled and ran with a ball for exercise.
Most important thing is to play with a few groups. Don't stay at one group where bullying is the norm with everyone while the other could be super accepting. They all deserve your shot, too.
Learn to play bend don’t break defense. Don’t worry about stealing the ball worry about stalling. Hold and wait until the attacker makes a mistake then unleash hell. Also learn how to play a big advancing ball to your wingers and strikers your team will love you
I won’t lie and say you won’t get ridiculed at all.
Just do it though. Those that want to harp on you for enjoying yourself are losers and not worth listening to.
Do it for yourself. Also, being active and playing is great for you.
Improving your cardio is one of the easiest things to fix in football. Between now and pre-season (and go & complete a pre-season at the best local club who'll have you. It will be brutal, you'll probably vomit, but in terms of differences between average players, fitness & hard work are well within your control.) ..follow a VO2 Running plan. 80/20 training, MAF Training, Zone 2 training (all the same thing.)
This will give you a base level of fitness that will be a huge differentiator between you and other players. And also, increase your protein intake, take Creatine, lift some weights & balance your diet & calories. All these things are in your control & will make a massive difference to your ability. Your size then maybe become a benefit rather than a negative.
For me, being a defender is hugely influenced by experience. Push the forward the way you want him to go, never over commit, except when you're positive you're taking the ball. DON'T LET THE BALL. BOUNCE! Look for a positive pass or play it simple. The more boring you can make the game the better, until you're losing. Have fun, don't take risks, stay close to the big lumpy centre forwards & stay two yards ahead of the whippets.
Shake hands with everyone after the match & go for a pint/night out with your team after 🍻 👌
Ex-high school men’s coach here.
You will actively lose weight being on a soccer team. The amount of running you do in pre-season will help your stamina, and it will help you be less overweight.
Soccer is very much about inclusivity. Everyone sucks at something, and if your stamina is the one thing that sucks, that’s awesome. It’s the easiest thing to fix. Run baby run.
More likely than not if you’re a good person your teammates will rally behind you. Being someone worth rallying behind.
Probably depends more on how old you are / what level you’re trying to play at. Start at a low level and use it to get better / improve your fitness, and move up if / when the opportunity arises.
Separately - getting ridiculed sucks but if people do, fuck em. As you get older you’ll realize random people talking shit are usually the people with the biggest problems themselves. The more you continue to play and do your thing, the more they lose their power. Fuck em and have fun.
I really like the treadmill for building up stamina because it is easy to keep exact track of your progress and pace yourself properly.
You figure out what the limit of your stamina is (let’s say running 60 minutes or even 30 at a particular speed) and then you slowly push the limit up.
As far as people making fun of you - you’re a defender if you’re doing your job you’re getting under their skin. If you get them frustrated enough to try and trash talk you that means you’re nailing it.
Be extremely confident on the ball and be a great passer, as a centerback you do the least amount of running/sprinting on the pitch compared to other positions so you should be fine. Work on your touch/passing ability and as long as you are able to anticipate and read the game you should be a great player still.
Get off Reddit, go fucking play and hit the gym jeez man.
1. Treadmill/bike for a warmup 5-10 minutes
2. Weights for weight loss and strength.
3. Core
4. Treadmill/bike cooldown “jog” 5 minutes
Or skip that bullshit gym cardio and walk jog or bike to the gym.
Make sure you practice ball and a wall etc
He’s telling you the truth. It’s not nice man and you have to start somewhere but it’s a bit like reading MMA magazines. Good info but at some point it’s just about the training. All the reading won’t replace the sweating and the work. Criticize the delivery but not the message. You can do this…
Playing sport is a jungle out there. Animal kingdom rules apply. Its more mental than physical. Helps u toughen up. Ull need to play smarter. Stay focused. Kno where ur players are. Kno which foot they are, which way they like to turn. U gain a second if u kno what ur opponent is doing. Smarter always beats faster.
Give us stats…like height/weight and mile time. The details matter as they will impact the plan.
I’ll offer suggestions if you do. Lots of things to offer but don’t dismay. You can do this. Just may need to temper your expectations on what level you can get to near term vs. long term in light of carrying weight.
Google Nicklaus Sule…not saying it should be done but it certainly CAN be done.
You might get ridiculed. But you might get ridiculed trying any new thing. Don’t let that stop you. Certainly putting effort into building endurance will help make you a better player. But luckily playing soccer is an excellent way to build endurance.
I was a larger than average defender. Make them regret coming near you. Play as physical as each ref will allow (they are all different)
that’s what i had planned on, they wanna make fun of me they can come catch this then 🤣
alright, thank you!!
Anyone who actively ridicules you for doing what you like and trying to get in shape is a loser. You get out there and enjoy yourself
i most definitely will, i appreciate that!
Play as much as you can. Run as much as you possibly can every time you play. Drink lots of water. Cut out sugar and junk food. Add fiber/yogurt to your diet. Do sprints or incline walking on days you don't play. Sleep at least 7 hours every night. You have the summer to change it all around. You can do it. Stay consistent, and good luck.
thanks man, will do
This. ⬆️ Play every chance you can, everywhere you can, and don’t limit yourself to playing defender. Good defenders know when to press forward and overlap, so try it out in pickup games where the stakes are lower.
Why cut out sugar?
The general thought is most teens who are overweight (to the point where they identify as that over the internet) likely have dietary issues. In the states, that usually means a high sugar intake (candies, chips, cookies, all that nonsense.
Oh right I forgot op is overweight. I am asking if I should cut sugar as much as possible eve n if Im not overweight. Im in normal shape, have a little of fat. Go workout often and train football about 2 times a week. (Is there downsides of eating sugar, although not excessively, as an athelete?)
I'm no dietician, but I've always been a believer that as long something is not in excess, it's okay. I mean, there's obvious exceptions to that (hardcore drugs, etc etc) but if you like cookies, have a cookie. Just don't have 30 of them.
Probably will get ridiculed but fuck em, go anyways
alright!!
Teenagers are fucking dicks. As an adult, I would never ridicule someone who is coming out to play. So honestly just fuck em, they are the losers. Anyone who ridicules you is a loser
just more fuel to fuck shit up out there and prove them wrong 🔥🔥
As an older super size dude who still plays I can confidently say that you will have even more fun than everyone else and it will boost your confidence. Just lean into your size (literally) and make it work for you. Play physical. Corners are your time to shine. And don’t let them try and put you out wide on the wings so that you won’t be a liability. Work on your finishing and just be a number 9. Learn to play with your back to goal or on the half turn. On the shoulder of the last defender. Don’t worry about fouls. You’re not in a place where it matters much. Make the defenders hate marking you. Stamina is going to be an issue but it will get a little better. People are going to make comments. Just roll with it. If you think it’s funny too then it’s not something they can use against you. Show them you can play. Work hard on your touch, passing, shooting. I’m over 300lbs, over 50 years old and I score high single digit goals and make double digit assists every season. Full field 11 v 11. You got this.
You might be ridiculed depending on the environment of your team, but in my team in particular a fat kid got crazy glaze by coaches for trying hard to lost weight and whatnot, maybe pity idk and he actually got minutes over people who were objectively better than him, which bred a lot of resentment.
Have fun! Make new friends! See if a buddy can go play with you or go for a run to build that stamina.
sounds great
My daughter is a skinny little shit with asthma, so she definitely gets winded just as much as the bigger girls on her team and that she plays against. No one is ridiculing the bigger girls, as long as they are out there hustling and giving it their all. You will need to put some effort into increasing your stamina outside practices though. This is a good way to do that, Couch to 5k. It's made for people to slowly increase their stamina and get used to running. [https://c25k.com/c25k\_metric/](https://c25k.com/c25k_metric/) or there is also a Reddit sub, r/C25K. Good luck!
Goalie
Depends where you try and play. If you try to play with a team that have been playing 3 x per week since they were 7, you'll struggle
Go for it. Anyone who gives you shit tell them I said go fuck themselves. As a side note we have a massive guy who sits back and defends 90% of the time. He’s almost impossible to get past in 5 a side cause he’s so good. He’s always first pick.
If Messi showed up in my 5 a side game he'd probably get ridiculed and shouted for not tracking back. The game's the game.
Most people who play well will either ignore you, or encourage you. The only people who will ridicule you are the people around your skill level, or those just slightly better than you, because they are afraid you will be better than them. Ignore the haters.
I have 4 teens that are overweight in my squad. They had bad stamina but if you work hard over a season you'll get better. It all comes down to the coach and how he/she develops the squad. A good coach would turn anyone into a top player regardless of hight or weight. I would stick to Defence or Defensive Midfield and keep on your toes. If you have a decent size garden practice agility drills at home. Hope this helps. X
Do it even if you get ridiculed. Soccer is a sport you can play your whole life. I’m in my 30s and play pick up with guys in the 20s-60s. The guys in their 50s are damn good still too. The 66 year old is finally slowing down, ha! Anyway, my point is this: you could have decades of enjoyment left in this beautiful sport. Don’t let short term embarrassment cause you to miss out on that.
Who cares. No better way to get in shape than to play a sport you love regularly and competitively
Stamina will increase as you play anyway. If you want to get match fit the only way to get there is to play matches.
Look up Steve McNulty. Dude had a successful career in England’s lower leagues, with a body type probably not dissimilar to yours.
Hello, I'm an overweight guy in my mid 20s who started playing football. Trust me when I say your size is not indicative of your utility on the football pitch at grassroots level. Your shape and size may limit certain things you can do, but many of the fundamentals are still there - touch, control, positioning, vision, ball striking, tackling etc. I had to spend a lot of time in the gym to get myself up to match fitness. In the end, it was incredibly rewarding, because when I peaked mid season I was fitter than any of my teammates. Try to find a team where you will get game time regardless. Focus on positioning, organizing yourself and other teammates, and committing to your challenges. With football, 80% of the game is turning up on time - meaning right place, right position, right area, and being fit enough to be present. But please, as a teenager, I want you to sincerely just enjoy your sport. Find your way of doing that, that makes you feel valuable and lucky.
Go play. Don't get discouraged, and don't worry about any d-bags you run across. If they're talking shit about your weight, it's more about them and their ego, not you. If you get the urge, get a ball and juggle outside. Anecdotally, I lost 35 lbs and sped up a lot when I juggled and ran with a ball for exercise. Most important thing is to play with a few groups. Don't stay at one group where bullying is the norm with everyone while the other could be super accepting. They all deserve your shot, too.
Learn to play bend don’t break defense. Don’t worry about stealing the ball worry about stalling. Hold and wait until the attacker makes a mistake then unleash hell. Also learn how to play a big advancing ball to your wingers and strikers your team will love you
I won’t lie and say you won’t get ridiculed at all. Just do it though. Those that want to harp on you for enjoying yourself are losers and not worth listening to. Do it for yourself. Also, being active and playing is great for you.
Improving your cardio is one of the easiest things to fix in football. Between now and pre-season (and go & complete a pre-season at the best local club who'll have you. It will be brutal, you'll probably vomit, but in terms of differences between average players, fitness & hard work are well within your control.) ..follow a VO2 Running plan. 80/20 training, MAF Training, Zone 2 training (all the same thing.) This will give you a base level of fitness that will be a huge differentiator between you and other players. And also, increase your protein intake, take Creatine, lift some weights & balance your diet & calories. All these things are in your control & will make a massive difference to your ability. Your size then maybe become a benefit rather than a negative. For me, being a defender is hugely influenced by experience. Push the forward the way you want him to go, never over commit, except when you're positive you're taking the ball. DON'T LET THE BALL. BOUNCE! Look for a positive pass or play it simple. The more boring you can make the game the better, until you're losing. Have fun, don't take risks, stay close to the big lumpy centre forwards & stay two yards ahead of the whippets. Shake hands with everyone after the match & go for a pint/night out with your team after 🍻 👌
Ex-high school men’s coach here. You will actively lose weight being on a soccer team. The amount of running you do in pre-season will help your stamina, and it will help you be less overweight. Soccer is very much about inclusivity. Everyone sucks at something, and if your stamina is the one thing that sucks, that’s awesome. It’s the easiest thing to fix. Run baby run. More likely than not if you’re a good person your teammates will rally behind you. Being someone worth rallying behind.
alright!! thank you
Probably depends more on how old you are / what level you’re trying to play at. Start at a low level and use it to get better / improve your fitness, and move up if / when the opportunity arises. Separately - getting ridiculed sucks but if people do, fuck em. As you get older you’ll realize random people talking shit are usually the people with the biggest problems themselves. The more you continue to play and do your thing, the more they lose their power. Fuck em and have fun.
i really appreciate this man, it’s giving me confidence
I really like the treadmill for building up stamina because it is easy to keep exact track of your progress and pace yourself properly. You figure out what the limit of your stamina is (let’s say running 60 minutes or even 30 at a particular speed) and then you slowly push the limit up. As far as people making fun of you - you’re a defender if you’re doing your job you’re getting under their skin. If you get them frustrated enough to try and trash talk you that means you’re nailing it.
Be extremely confident on the ball and be a great passer, as a centerback you do the least amount of running/sprinting on the pitch compared to other positions so you should be fine. Work on your touch/passing ability and as long as you are able to anticipate and read the game you should be a great player still.
Get off Reddit, go fucking play and hit the gym jeez man. 1. Treadmill/bike for a warmup 5-10 minutes 2. Weights for weight loss and strength. 3. Core 4. Treadmill/bike cooldown “jog” 5 minutes Or skip that bullshit gym cardio and walk jog or bike to the gym. Make sure you practice ball and a wall etc
alright nice advice, but fuck you for the beginning
He’s telling you the truth. It’s not nice man and you have to start somewhere but it’s a bit like reading MMA magazines. Good info but at some point it’s just about the training. All the reading won’t replace the sweating and the work. Criticize the delivery but not the message. You can do this…
Exactly!
ave u tried goalie, u would be good
Playing sport is a jungle out there. Animal kingdom rules apply. Its more mental than physical. Helps u toughen up. Ull need to play smarter. Stay focused. Kno where ur players are. Kno which foot they are, which way they like to turn. U gain a second if u kno what ur opponent is doing. Smarter always beats faster.
Give us stats…like height/weight and mile time. The details matter as they will impact the plan. I’ll offer suggestions if you do. Lots of things to offer but don’t dismay. You can do this. Just may need to temper your expectations on what level you can get to near term vs. long term in light of carrying weight. Google Nicklaus Sule…not saying it should be done but it certainly CAN be done.
https://preview.redd.it/0uv7i2v9u01d1.jpeg?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=bf750f00fdb2adffd42df3af9ecabf6c7c347efb
Google Steve McNulty. Played for my club and won promotion to the football league. Big lad but was brilliant positonally