The Hurt in the Words

12 - Limits don’t exist

Leaning against the stadium gate, the man with the white tuft wears a purple down jacket and carries a drum over his shoulder; next to him, a bald man with a beard manipulates his phone while holding a trumpet. A woman in a blue jacket and black bag holds the red whistle between her lips.

Excellent—that’s just what we need. “Thanks for coming.”

I open the gate; the players march in single file, like little ants looking for food. The green of the trees contrasts with the purple hue of the sky.

Riccardo adjusts his shin guards and scans the stands.

The fresh air, with a faint scent of damp earth and grass, is penetrated by sunlight filtering through the gray clouds.

The people I invited take their seats.

“Don’t worry, Riccardo. You’ll make it.” I clap a hand on his shoulder.

Matteo laces his boots. “I expect an interesting afternoon.”

Davide smiles. “At least it won’t be boring.”

The sharp whistle breaks the chatter. “Run slowly along the sides for five minutes.”

The sound of trumpets and drums echoes through the stadium; the deafening noise makes Riccardo start, stopping and clenching his fists.

“Riccardo, it’s just noise—don’t lose focus. Breathe deeply and concentrate.”

“Easy to say,” he says, restarting the run.

Whistle to catch the boys’ attention. “Run faster.”

Gabriele stops, bending at the knees: he’s already given up. “Come on Gabri, ten more seconds.” I can’t ask more of him. “Okay, slow down now.” Alessandro shows good speed and stamina. “Repeat the sprint sequence four times.”

Gabriele throws himself to the ground, Tommaso and Diego walk.

“Enough now, do your warm‑up.”

The ball comes to Riccardo. A drum suddenly thunders louder.

“Riccardo, relax and ignore the noise.”

“It’s not easy with all this chaos,” the youngster says.

With the board under my arm, I reach Tommaso. “Let’s begin the obstacle course. You must run it fast.”

Tommaso dashes toward the cones, his legs move quick but unsteady. He jumps the first cone, touches the second. He nears the low barriers, lifts his soles too early, grazing the top. He reaches the ground hoops and slips out.

His movements are awkward, his shoulders tight.

“Move smoothly, Tom! Don’t watch your shoes—look ahead.”

I beckon him. “After that you’ll go to coordination drills. You must dribble between the balls without losing control. Use both feet and keep your head up.”

I bring along a medicine ball and a wobble board. “Diego, today we work on your balance.”

Diego nods, staring at the board. He steps on, his legs trembling.

“Stay steady while I pass the ball.”

I throw the medicine ball. He extends his arms, the board tilts, he shifts weight to the other leg and catches it. He tries to stabilise.

“Focus, Diego. Keep your centre.”

His thigh muscles contract to keep balance.

“Come on, young man.”

A boy runs out, his jeans longer than his legs cause him to trip every step.

“You’re little Stefano’s brother, right?”

He jiggles his belly up and down. “Yes.”

“What’s your name?”

The boy lifts his pants, the frayed hem peeps under his shoes. “I’m Simone.”

“Great, Simone. Help Diego—pass him the ball, okay?”

I join Lorenzo. “We’ll focus on your endurance. Let’s start with low‑intensity sessions.”

“All right, Coach.”

“Run slowly keeping a steady pace.”

He starts, his steps light on the grass.

“Stop for a moment. Listen. Breathe with your diaphragm, not your chest. Inhale slowly through the nose, exhale through the mouth.”

“Matteo.” I point to the red mat laid on the grass.

The player lies down. “What do I have to do?”

“Training to strengthen your knee muscles.” I place a band around his legs. “Lift the right leg slowly, hold tension, then lower. Repeat ten times each.”

“Ale, we’re starting a new program. It’ll be intense, but I know you’ve got it. Weight‑lifting.”

Alessandro approaches the dumbbells and ties his hair back. “Where do I start?”

“Take these five‑kilo ones. Ten exercises per arm. Keep your back straight.”

The midfielder grips the weights, starts with one then the next. His arms shake under effort.

“One, two, three… Keep going, you can do it.”

“Stefano, come here please.”

The ball bounces on the turf, the boy stops it, pulls up his socks and runs over.

“Today we’ll work on your communication.”

Stefano crosses his arms, tight‑lipped. “I don’t understand why I have to do this—I just want to play football.”

“Okay, as you prefer.”

The young midfielder thinks a moment and exhales. “Alright, I’ll try.”

“I want you to take a deep breath. Imagine speaking from your gut, not your throat. Let’s try with a simple ‘mine’.”

Stefano inhales and exhales. “Mine,” he says, his voice low and unsure.

“Stronger—let’s try again.”

“Mine!” he shouts.

“Much better. Every time you want the ball, you must call it with decisiveness.”

“Gabriele, today we’re working on rhythm and recovery. Let’s start with a light run. Keep a steady pace—do not force.” I point to the stadium track. He starts to run, his steps slow, measured.

“After you’ve done five laps, give yourself a minute of rest—breathe deeply. Then walk slowly around the perimeter. Then resume the run.”

Davide juggles the ball on the centre‑line.

I approach him. “Let’s begin with dribbling.” I show a line of cones arranged in a zig‑zag.

The youngster grabs the ball and sets off dribbling through the obstacles, his movements fast and precise.

“Excellent—keep that control.”

Davide zigzags between cones, bending his body slightly with each change of direction.

Where did Dom… ah, there he is.

“Domenico, we’ll strengthen the weakest areas.” I show him bands, light weights and stability balls. “Place the bands around your ankles. Take side‑steps, hold the tension.”

The full‑back performs the exercise, his leg muscles tense with each step.

“Good, keep it up. Ten steps right, then left.”

“Massimo, we’ll do some simulations of complex game situations.”

Massimo tilts his head. “Okay, I’m ready.”

I set up some cones and mark positions. “We begin with passing drills. I want you to imagine the opponents’ movements and make quick decisions. Receive the ball, look, and pass

Massimo takes position.

“Check right, serve left, don’t stop—always look for the best solution.”

“Don’t give up, Riccardo!” I shout. “Focus only on movement.”

“Go Ricky, you’ve got this!” Davide yells.

Riccardo shoots and hits the net.

“Good, Tommaso, those two will try to beat you. You must hold your position, read their moves and intervene with conviction.”

The defender positions himself centrally, ready to face the attackers. The first duel begins; his hesitation costs him the challenge.

“Don’t hesitate—focus and anticipate their moves.”

They restart. This time Tommaso moves with greater confidence. He anticipates the attacker, intervenes precisely and recovers the ball. His posture is secure, his movements measured.

“Perfect—keep it up! One more time.”

Diego manages to stay stable longer—excellent.

“Diego, let’s move on to coordination movements.” I signal a row of hurdles. “Go over these without losing balance.”

The midfielder lifts a leg and places it over the first hurdle, repeats with the other, eyes fixed on the finish line.

“Very good. Now run through the course and stop at the last hurdle.”

The youngster nods and takes off. He jumps the first hurdles with agility, trips on the last, but stops without falling.

“Good—but we can do better.”

The player repeats the exercise, his movements smoother.

“Now move between the cones, keeping your balance. If you can do this without falling, we’ll have made a big step forward.”

He takes the ball, focused on the cones. He dribbles, his left foot slips, he recovers swiftly. He reaches the last cone, stops and raises his thumb. “Great work—keep it up.”

Lorenzo inhales through his nose and exhales through his mouth.

“Much better. Start running again—keep that rhythm.”

Lap after lap, the gasping eases.

“Stop. Now we’ll do sprints—ten‑metres at a time. Ready?”

The midfielder positions himself on the start line.

I raise my arm. “Go!”

The athlete bursts forward with his head down, arms tight by his sides, studs digging into the turf, kicking up clods of earth.

At the end of the sprint his face is red and he gasps for air, his breath racing.

“Breathe deeply—like I taught you.”

His breathing steadies and he resumes the drill.

“Now rest a bit—soon we’ll do another light run. Meanwhile, lie on your back, put one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach. Inhale slowly—feel your diaphragm move?”

“This is useful for…”

“For improving your lung capacity and managing oxygenation during intense activity.”

I pick up a ball. “Now we’ll do a series of passes.”

We exchange the ball. “Great work today. Keep practicing these techniques even off the field.”

I return to Matteo, who massages his knees.

“Let’s move on to weights. Lift slowly and do light squats.” I hand him two small dumbbells. “Bend only to the point where you feel no pain, then rise. Ten times.”

Every movement is marked by a slight grimace.

“Good—keep going. You’re doing great.”

Sweat drips down his forehead. “I feel a little better.”

“Good. Now we’ll move to low‑impact activity.” I lead him to a small rebound trampoline. “Jump lightly on this—it’ll help build muscle without too much stress.”

Matteo steps on, bouncing small and steady. “This isn’t bad,” he says, half‑smile.

“See? We’ll find a way to get better.”

Alessandro drops the weights. “These are heavy!”

“I know—but it’s only the beginning. Now we’ll move to high‑intensity circuits: one‑minute jumps, crunches, followed by burpees.”

The midfielder grabs the rope and starts skipping. The first jumps are slow and awkward, then he improves quickly.

“Ten seconds—keep going.”

The youngster drops into push‑ups, arms trembling; he finishes and rises.

“Burpees—now.”

The boy braces: squat, hands to the ground, legs extend, back to squat, then jump.

“Great work. Rest one minute and repeat.”

He sits on the grass and wipes sweat from his brow.

“This is tough.”

“I know—but you’ll see improvements. You have the potential—you just have to work at it.” I tap his shoulder. “Ready for the next round?”

Alessandro resumes skipping. His moves and jumps are more confident.

“Last exercise.” I smile. “Individual session—serves and shots on goal. Stay focused.”

The player takes position. I set up quick passes and he responds with a powerful shot on goal.

“Good job, Ale! Keep it up!”

The teammates take turns shooting on goal. “Leonardo, are you ready?” says Massimo, raising the orange ball.

Number One sets himself. “Whenever you want!”

The colored sphere hurtles toward the goal. The keeper dives and grabs it.

The green flies to the top corner. Leonardo dives, brushes its tip, deflects it out.

“Nice save!”

“Next!” shouts Davide, using the red ball.

Leonardo tracks the movement and dives, catching it on his chest.

“You did a great job today. Keep training and you’ll keep getting better.”

Stefano is served. “Mine!” he shouts, his voice lost amid the others’ chatter.

“Louder, Stefano! Try again.”

The ball comes back to Stefano. “Mine!” he yells, this time stronger.

The simulation continues, voice growing more confident. “Right! Left! Mine!” Every command now is intense, clearer.

“Now, we’ll work on some projection techniques. Imagine launching your voice beyond your teammates.”

Stefano practices the drills. “Mine! Mark! Free!” He repeats phrases and commands—the voice stronger and certain. Every word rumbles.

“Good, Gabriele—let’s focus on passing. Find your rhythm and stick with it.”

The attacker positions himself and begins juggling with teammates. The touches are measured and precise, avoiding wasted effort.

“Nice—keep managing it like that.”

Now a tactical drill. “I want you to work on positioning. Move to save energy. Think before you sprint flat out.”

Gabriele shifts, watching teammates move closely.

“Davide, let’s move to speed drills. Start here.” I mark the starting point. “And run to the white line as fast as you can. Rest and repeat five times.”

Our winger takes position, breathes deep and goes. His legs move fast on the grass until the white line.

“Now we’ll work on strength.” I lead him to light weights. “Fast lifts—ten reps each arm.”

Davide grips the dumbbells.

“Okay, Domenico—shoulder drills. Raise slowly, then lower.”

Every rep gets more confident.

“Perfect—now to stability balls.” I set a large blue ball before Domenico. “Lie on your back and put your feet on the ball. Raise your hips high, hold five seconds, then lower. Ten times.”

The full‑back lies down. “One, two, three, four, five...”

He counts out loud while lowering hips. He repeats the exercise, breathing heavy and steady.

“Now we’ll stretch the muscles to prevent injury. Hold each position for twenty seconds.”

Domenico performs the stretching, each muscle relaxing. “This really helps.”

“Prevention is key, Domenico. With these drills we’ll reduce injury risk.”

Massimo receives, looks, and releases. The pace speeds up, so does his ability to read the game.

“Guys—great work. That’s enough for today.”

Massimo pulls at the collar and blows into it. “Thanks, Coach,” he says, heading to the locker room.

The other players follow, chatting and laughing among themselves.

“You were fantastic. I’m proud of your progress—and if you keep this up, you’ll absolutely become a strong team.”

Lorenzo pushes back his brown hair. “Thanks—any other advice?”

“Keep playing everywhere; on the street, with friends, even against a wall. Every time you can.”

Edoardo twists the red‑and‑blue bead bracelet on his wrist. “See you tomorrow for the match, Coach?”

“Certainly.” I tousle his hair. “Promise—I wouldn’t miss it for anything.”

Please note: I'm not a native English speaker. If you spot any mistakes or have suggestions, feel free to email me at p.rubiu@tiscali.it