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The game of football has become very technical and coaches device strategies to win their games. One such stratagem is �close marking� in which players stand close to their opponents to make it hard for them to receive a ball, control it, pass or score. This strategy works for some teams and some lovers are tempted to apply this �stra� in their relationship. Imagine two young graduates in a relationship. The woman loved the man beyond description and feared losing him. She was always over him and when he was away she demanded to know where he was, with whom and what he was doing. She stopped his friends and relatives from visiting and would search his pocket and phone to look for suspicious intruders. She fought all young women who came close to her man because they were seen as threats. The man feeling suffocated left the relationship. The danger of �close marking� Every individual is unique with strengths and weaknesses. We need to develop our interests to be on top of ourselves before we can be good lovers. Close marking does not give you the space to grow your identity. We all have to keep some areas of our lives strictly ours. Close marking does not give a lover the space to dream, create and explore his/her identity and find solutions to the challenges in their personal life. Close marking takes away this basic human right of your lover. Avoiding close marking Allow your lover to have his or her own interest. Your lover has the basic right to go where he or she wants and do what he or she enjoys doing. Allow him or her to spend time with his or her friends. This brings variety and freshness in your lover and you will benefit from it Trust your lover. Don�t check on him or her or figure out what he or she is up to every moment of the day. Do not search his or her pocket or mobile phone. Allow him or her to experiment with safe limits. You may ask him or her what is on the mind but do not demand immediate answers. If your lover does not want to talk about an issue, be patient and give him or her time. A woman must know that no matter how much a man loves you, he will occasionally �go into a cave,� a time when he appears to ignore you for no reason. He uses this time to examine his inner self and nurture his identity. During this time, communication, sex and attention may be poor but it does not mean he does not love you or you have done anything wrong. The more you demand answers, the deeper he goes into the cave. Your best option is to give him time. Once he feels better, he will come back to you refreshed and a better lover. No close marking Life is a balancing act. You need a good balance of distance and closeness with your lover. Too much time away from your lover may give a sense of losing intimacy. On the other hand, too much time with your lover may make him or her feel hemmed-in, bored, imprisoned and stifled. David Olsen, a marriage counsellor, believes partners who are neither too separate from one another nor overly involved with one another are in the best position to succeed. Love is not the same as possession. You can therefore not claim to love someone with �close marking.� If you really love your partner, avoid �close marking.� Do not spend all your time with him or her because you fear losing him or her. Do not let your relationship fill every area of your lover. Your relationship needs breathing space not close marking.