The Euro 2012 memory challenge

                                         
A big problem that faces many footballers trying to make it in the beautiful game but still do well academically, is juggling the two worlds. Now, there are two solutions to this problem. You could gather a group of volunteers, give yourselves a menacing name and travel the world battling schools and teachers in an attempt to modify the amount of work students have to do. Or you could read this article, and change the way you memorize your schoolwork forever. I would recommend the second option since it’s a lot easier, but, if you have the resources, the first option is a pretty good one.

Can you imagine being able to recall 368 facts in order? Would that not help you with your school work? It is possible and we are challenge you to develop this skill by seeing how many names of the 368 players at the Euro 2012 you can memorize.

You may think that some people are gifted with a great memory and that they therefore find studying easy (we call these people nerds, just like they call us jocks.) By now you should know that talent and special gifts are a myth.  High performance (in sport or academics) is based on two things: a superior system and practice. Check out our Bounce article if you doubt it. Better still listen to or read the whole book.

The good news is you can remember hundreds and hundreds of facts without even having to put in the thousands of hours of practice you would need to develop a sporting skill.

You can master your memory in a short time because the system we have to show you is so good.

This method is called the “method of place” and has been used for thousands of years.  It reached its height in the Middle ages. Books were expensive and so students had to remember the content of their textbooks.  One of the greatest masters of memory was the medieval philosopher St. Thomas Aquinas . He explained that the basics of a good memory system are

• 1     Having a place to attach the memory to.
• 2     Using a humorous image or association.
• 3     You’ve got to want to learn the material . That can be a problem with a lot of schoolwork but try your best.
• 4     You must practice.

 The best part about this system is you will want to practice as much as you practice football because it is fun. Well maybe not as much as footie but you will still find learning fun and easy. But it also doesn’t take a lot of practice so don’t be put off.

We will show you exactly how to use this system and give you all the tools you need.

First you will need to download the list of all 368 players names from our website. Our goal is to show you that you can remember 368 facts in order.

Extremely useful for those tricky times when a mythical creature is blocking the bridge you need to cross and you have to recall by heart 368 obscure facts in order to pass… it could happen!

But if you just want to use this for one of those nasty upcoming exams send us a list of facts that you have to remember, we will choose a few of your submissions and make a video to show you how to use this method.

Then download the three rooms, The Changing Room, The Gym and The Fan Store and that will be enough for you to remember a list of thirty facts in order.   We will be adding more rooms soon.

You will also need to download the list that has the humorous images or associations listed in a short way. We call these memory hooks.

Now you are ready to watch the video and see how it all fits together. You can also listen to the audio. We have included an audio only so that you don’t have to have expensive equipment to use this method.  The audio can also be a good way of developing your memory while you are doing something else.

We have listed the teams in FIFA ranking order and started with Spain. OK, you have caught us we actually love Spain and most probably started with them anyway. ¡Viva España!.

But you can vote for the team you want us to do next. Go to either our blog or website and vote and we will add a video for the team that gets the most votes. We will continue (as long as you keep voting) until we have gone through all the teams and met the 368 challenge.

So, download everything you need now and take up the challenge.

Don’t forget to use our Twitter, Facebook, or Blog links to let us know how you’re doing.

Good luck or rather as we say here at Joga 11. Good Practicing.

Believe it or not, a working brain will be a necessary tool for using this powerful
method, which is something we forgot to mention in the above article- sincerest apologies.

Joga11-Brains and ball skills


You can check out our Youtube page at:
Joga11youth

joga11.net memory challenge room 1-the changing room

joga.net memory challenge room 2-the gym

joga11.net memory challenge room 3-the fan store.

Booty is in the eye of the budget beholder.

If you are a young footballer who doesn't get enough pocket money in exchange for the back-breaking chores he does around the house (the official term is slave labour), you will know that football boots don't come cheap and are rarely in your budget. (I hope you're reading this, dear parents of mine).

While we are waiting for the UN to deal with this pressing matter, the bottom line is you need football boots. And I mean good football boots.

So how can you get good boots but still have a few cents over to hire that much needed social worker?

The answer is be willing to wait until the boots you have your eye on turn up on sale in your local Adidas, Nike, Puma etc. outlet store.

Using this cunning strategy, your favourite cash-strapped young footballer purchased a pair of Adidas Predator X boots at the Adidas Outlet store in the WorldWear shopping centre for R499. Not bad when you consider that the original retail price was over R2000. 

When looking for a good deal, be sure to ask the staff to check in the back what boots they have in your size. A shout out to the Adidas Outlet staff, who spent a lot of time rummaging in the storeroom to find me a pair of boots.

In the end they didn't have the colour that I wanted but I decided to choose features over style. After all, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

The aforementioned 'bootiful' bargain basement Predators

A Joga 11 promise:

We will keep an eye out for killer deals like this and keep you posted, follow us on Twitter to make sure you don't miss out.     

If you are in the Fairland area or driving along Beyers Naudé you can check out the Adidas Outlet store at WorldWear shopping centre.

Adidas Outlet

Shop 15, World Wear Shopping Centre, Corner of Beyers Naude and Wilson Avenue, Fairlands,