Okay, so I was scrolling through some old football clips the other day, you know how it is. Stumbled upon some Harry Kewell magic from his Leeds days, and then that crazy volley for Liverpool. Remember that one? Outside of the boot, absolute rocket. It just got stuck in my head.
I thought, why not give it a try myself? Haven’t really kicked a ball properly in ages, but the weather was decent over the weekend, so I figured, what the heck. Found my old football in the garage – needed a bit of air, but it did the job. Headed down to that patch of grass behind the community centre where nobody really goes.
Getting Started
Didn’t have a proper goal, obviously. Just chucked my jacket down as a marker. The plan was simple: toss the ball up, let it bounce once, and try to hit that Kewell-style volley with the outside of my right foot. Easy, right? Wrong.
First few tries were just embarrassing. Ball went sideways, ball went backwards, one almost hit a grumpy-looking pigeon minding its own business. It’s amazing how your mind knows what it wants to do, but your feet just completely ignore the instructions. Felt like my leg was made of wood.
I kept at it though. Tried to really focus on the technique I remembered from the clips. Keep the ankle locked, hit it sweet on the outside laces, follow through. It’s a lot to think about when the ball’s dropping.
- Attempt number, I don’t know, seven maybe? Connected okay, but sliced it way off target. Still, better than hitting myself.
- Around attempt fifteen: Got a bit of air under it, but zero power. It sort of floated sadly towards my jacket. Progress? Maybe.
- Maybe twenty-something tries in: Okay, this one felt different! I actually hit it clean. It wasn’t a thunderbolt like Harry’s, not even close, but it flew relatively straight, with decent pace, and ended up near the jacket. A small victory!
Lessons Learned (the hard way)
Man, it makes you appreciate how incredibly skilled these professional players are. Seeing it on TV versus doing it are two vastly different universes. That technique requires insane timing and coordination. You have to judge the bounce, position your body, swing your leg just right, and connect perfectly – all in a split second.
My technique was, let’s be honest, pretty clumsy. And my fitness? Let’s just say I felt it in my hip and knee the next day. Definitely not Premier League material here.
But you know what? Despite the terrible shots and the aching leg, it was actually really fun. Just being out there, trying something challenging, messing about with a football. It’s been too long. Didn’t replicate the goal, not by a long shot, but hitting that one half-decent volley felt surprisingly satisfying.
So, that was my little adventure trying to be Harry Kewell for an afternoon. Mostly failed, but enjoyed the process. Maybe next weekend I’ll try a simple pass instead.
