The Goal That Can Do Self-Defence
With 90 Minutes Online being a public platform, our humble website does occasionally receive approaches from companies wanting to utilise us for commercial reasons. Yet in all honesty a lot of these tend to be concerning products that have little relevance to football, thus inducing a Bill Hicks style rant from yours truly.
However, on this occasion the product in question is not only attached to our subject matter, but it is actually of some interest. With the name ‘Kickster Combo’, the marketing team have done their best to allude to what value it has, namely that it is something to do with kicking and combinations(!)
Never one to turn down the opportunity to offer an opinion, I was therefore intrigued enough to accept the proposal of one being sent to us. Besides, it is far more palatable than the typical marketing choices made by UEFA at Euro 2012- namely an unhealthy fast-food outlet or a diabetic-inducing soft drink.
Anyway, I’m glad to report that my ‘astute detective skills’ were indeed correct in determining what the Kickster Combo is for (I know, I know- you’re impressed!). And after considering everything, I can give it my thumbs up.
Positively, the initial reaction was simply to unpack it and then behave like any kid in the park with a ball- a perfectly natural reaction and not at all regressive behaviour. However, I did have to remember that some discipline would be required on our part, in other words- actually reviewing the product and the claims that come with it.
So, simply put, the Kickster Combo is a football goal. It comes in its own handy kit bag, rather like a tent, and it is surprisingly large (8' x 5'). It comes with two nets, and this appears to be the unique selling point. One is your standard net, but the other is more elastic and stretches across the goal face itself, rather like a spider’s web.
This features a red ‘sweet spot’ in the middle, which one assumes is for targeting purposes, and clearly the whole aim of this exercise is to improve ball skills. Happily, when put into practice and based upon my own shoddy technical ability, it does work.
The major claim put forward by the manufacturer Quickplay, is that the goal can be assembled in 90 seconds. Obviously the first time this is attempted things take rather longer to figure out, but on reflection it is a simple thing to put together- even if it does take slightly more than a minute and a half.
The frame is connected through a type of internal bungee chord, similar to that found when assembling tent poles. And as that is the second such comparison I’ve made, I guess that makes the Kickster Combo the football equivalent of camping.
It would be interesting to know if any of the professional clubs are utilising this particular tool, you’d assume that some of them would be. With England due to play Italy in the quarter-finals of Euro 2012 on Sunday, the question is can someone quickly develop something similar to help with penalty shoot-outs?!
However, on this occasion the product in question is not only attached to our subject matter, but it is actually of some interest. With the name ‘Kickster Combo’, the marketing team have done their best to allude to what value it has, namely that it is something to do with kicking and combinations(!)
Never one to turn down the opportunity to offer an opinion, I was therefore intrigued enough to accept the proposal of one being sent to us. Besides, it is far more palatable than the typical marketing choices made by UEFA at Euro 2012- namely an unhealthy fast-food outlet or a diabetic-inducing soft drink.
Anyway, I’m glad to report that my ‘astute detective skills’ were indeed correct in determining what the Kickster Combo is for (I know, I know- you’re impressed!). And after considering everything, I can give it my thumbs up.
Positively, the initial reaction was simply to unpack it and then behave like any kid in the park with a ball- a perfectly natural reaction and not at all regressive behaviour. However, I did have to remember that some discipline would be required on our part, in other words- actually reviewing the product and the claims that come with it.
So, simply put, the Kickster Combo is a football goal. It comes in its own handy kit bag, rather like a tent, and it is surprisingly large (8' x 5'). It comes with two nets, and this appears to be the unique selling point. One is your standard net, but the other is more elastic and stretches across the goal face itself, rather like a spider’s web.
This features a red ‘sweet spot’ in the middle, which one assumes is for targeting purposes, and clearly the whole aim of this exercise is to improve ball skills. Happily, when put into practice and based upon my own shoddy technical ability, it does work.
The major claim put forward by the manufacturer Quickplay, is that the goal can be assembled in 90 seconds. Obviously the first time this is attempted things take rather longer to figure out, but on reflection it is a simple thing to put together- even if it does take slightly more than a minute and a half.
The frame is connected through a type of internal bungee chord, similar to that found when assembling tent poles. And as that is the second such comparison I’ve made, I guess that makes the Kickster Combo the football equivalent of camping.
It would be interesting to know if any of the professional clubs are utilising this particular tool, you’d assume that some of them would be. With England due to play Italy in the quarter-finals of Euro 2012 on Sunday, the question is can someone quickly develop something similar to help with penalty shoot-outs?!
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