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Finally, the off-season is about to come to an end for me. Every year I spend the time between seasons at home in White Rock, BC, which is always an enjoyable time. After being away, many things I used to take for granted, I now appreciate more than ever. It’s great to be surrounded by family and friends who I don’t get to see much when I’m away playing. I love my home and really do miss it when I’m away. Being away is one of the biggest sacrifices that comes along with what I do. It’s certainly nice to see those familiar faces in person on a daily basis, rather than through Skype. There are also the little things, like being surrounded by a language I can understand and navigating familiar territory.
As happy as I have been to spend time at home, I’m now ready to continue my journey as a footballer. The last 4.5 years have been a whirlwind. Playing the game I love has taken me to many different corners of the world. From travelling around to many different grounds in the UK, living North of the Arctic Circle in Norway, playing in front of packed crowds in Guatemala City, and many places in between; its been an interesting time to say the least. I can’t wait to get back to doing what I love the most – playing. I really do miss playing when it’s the off-season. I miss training with the guys everyday. I miss waking up on game day. I miss the feeling of standing in the tunnel before kick-off and the excitement of scoring a goal. It’s very easy to get bored when I’m not playing and I have to keep myself constantly busy.
Every year when I arrive home following the season, I need some time to recharge and rest. Mentally and physically, it’s very important for me to take a bit of time off from playing and training. However, it doesn’t usually take long for my drive and determination to kick in. Usually after about a week, I’m desperate to start training again. I love to play and I’m always happiest when a ball is at my feet.
After a short time off to rest when I returned home, I was fully back into the swing of things with an intense off-season training regime. This off-season has been the hardest I’ve ever pushed myself. I’m always looking at ways I can improve and become a better player. My training program this year has been very strict and the results are showing. I set some goals for myself and I’m glad I have achieved them. Mainly I’ve been working to add some size and strength. The off-season is a perfect time to work on these kinds of things. It’s very difficult to put on weight during the season with the amount of running required during training. Reaching my goals has taken a lot of dedication and I’m happy to say, I’ve put on a decent amount of weight for this period of time and I’m feeling stronger than ever.
I’ve been playing a great deal of Futsal this year. As well as being fun to play, it’s a great way to get touches in and maintain my fitness. I’ve also been training with my former home club on a weekly basis. Every year that I’m home, I spend time training with them. I also train on my own quite a bit and enjoy doing things like taking a bag of balls to the field and working on finishing and footwork. I really enjoy running and have been extending the intensity and duration of runs the closer I get to pre-season.
I love to train and I find it fun to create a fitness or training program. When there’s no set routine for training, I find that it’s important to continue to change things up in order to keep it interesting. There isn’t anyone requiring me to train right now, so it’s up to me to work hard and push myself and be ready for next season.
Outside of my own training, I’ve been very busy coaching in the local community. I’ve spent time this year working with boys and girls aged anywhere from 4 to 18 years old. I have been coaching at home during my off-seasons every year since I started playing overseas. It’s great being out on the field with the kids and I really enjoy having a chance to pass on what I’ve learned over the years. Between training and coaching, I have been logging some serious hours on the soccer field these past couple of months.
I’m excited to announce that I have been invited to the 2013 NASL Combine in Fort Lauderdale, Florida from February 1-3, and will be attending. There has been interest from quite a few clubs in North America and I’m looking forward to pursuing these opportunities. The combine will provide me with the opportunity to play in front of all of the NASL coaches at one venue. There are also opportunities overseas, as I have been in contact with some European clubs. It’s an exciting time and I’m looking forward to finding the right club quickly.
I feel recharged and ready to go. I can’t wait to see where I end up this year. Bring on 2013!
See Also
In these Boots: Putting on the Red and White
In These Boots: Passing tests and reach goals
In These Boots: The Trials of Canadians in Europe
In These Boots: An Introduction
Robbie Tice can be found writing about his career, life home and abroad at Robbie Tice - Canadian Footballer, and can be followed on Twitter at @robbietice90.
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