This document discusses the concept of "GINGA" in soccer, which refers to a player's fluidity, rhythm, and ability to play beautifully. It notes that developing GINGA requires freedom to express oneself. The Texas Football Club aims to offer an environment for players to develop their GINGA through small-sided pickup games that promote creativity over structured training. These informal "GINGA games" are proposed as a way to reintroduce the type of unstructured play that world-class players credit with helping them develop their improvisational skills and GINGA.

1. GINGA („Jhinga‟)
at
Texas Football Club (TFC)

2. GINGA
Is the mystical quality of movement and
attitude possessed by the great footballers;
The fluidity and rhythm that enables the
player to „joga bonito‟ – play beautifully
“GINGA flows with the rhythm of life. It
comes into football with ball control and
with dribbles. With intelligence and change
of movements you go on creating a different
GINGA. Everybody‟s got a different way to
dance and move so this GINGA with the
football you develop given time and the
freedom to express yourself.” Ronaldinho

3. Why GINGA at TFC?
 A goal at TFC is to offer options to create a
well rounded player and to provide the
environment needed to maximize the
development of our players
 TFC is always striving to create the best
environment possible so the players learn
to own their game and develop their GINGA

4. What has happened?
 World class players credit their GINGA to
games played in the streets and in vacant lots
with uneven numbers and mixed ages
 In the United States most of the streets are
too busy, the vacant lot does not exist, and the
current generation does not know how to start
backyard games. Hence, our players do not
habitually play the unstructured pick-up soccer
and small sided games needed to promote the
acquisition of GINGA

5.  As a result most of us need to re-learn how to
be creative on the field. The master of the ball
with magical improvisational skill has given
way to:
 Structured only training
 “Don‟t think, just run and kick”
 Just-do-by-rehearsed-rote type of player
 You can break from the mold and add this
missing ingredient to your level of play with
GINGA games

6. GINGA games at TFC
 Small sided games with street
soccer fair play rules
• Bring your brother, sister, friend
• You set the rules for your game
• Just play and have fun
 Wear shin-guards covered by socks
 No refs – street rules, work out your
own disputes
 On-site coordinator will help you get
started

7. Ideas for GINGA games
 Play friends and make friends, boys only, girls only,
mixed gender, same age, mixed age, etc…
 Work out who goes in for whom and when
 1v1, 3v3, 4v5…does not need to be even numbers
 Have special goals that count more points: Mixed
gender games girls‟ goals count for two points,
volley or header goals count for two points, bicycle
kick goal for three points, nutmeg with possession
for one point, etc…
 Get loud - “got megged”, “got schooled”, “wow”,
“gnarly”, “give-n-go”, “pressure”, “mark her”, “I‟m
stoked”,”gooooal”, etc…

8. GINGA at TFC
 Own your game…dance and prance,
play rough and laugh your way to
expressing your GINGA
 Sunday afternoons
At TFC Plano 4:30 – 6:00 p.m.