Top 10 Things Soccer Coaches Think Parents Should Do

While browsing around the internet, I came across this interesting article. It gives a list of the top 10 things coaches would like the parents to do. It is extremely important for the coaches to establish open lines of communication with the parents. However, in many occasions, this is not the case. For those parents who don’t have great communication with the coach of your kid, this is a great article to understand some of the things a coach might want you to say, but he/she is not saying.

Top Ten Things Soccer Parents Should Do

As the spring season approaches, I figured this would be a timely article. As both a soccer parent and coach, it has always been interesting watching the interactions (or lack thereof) of parents and coaches. Usually the interaction is good, but at times it can be strained, to the detriment of the team. We all have our pet peeves, so I figured I’d come up with a couple of lists that highlight what we all can do to make the beautiful game more enjoyable for our kids AND the adults.

Top Ten Things Soccer Coaches Wish Soccer Parents Would Do

1. Get the players to practice on time, fully equipped, and ready to go. While we understand some kids have back to back activities and account for that, there’s no reason for a player without a previous activity to arrive at the field the minute practice starts, in Croqs. Players should arrive 5-10 minutes early, ready to play, with cleats/shinguards on, with a properly inflated ball and a water bottle. Leave the toys at home – no balloons, skateboards, GameBoys, etc.
   
2. Let us know more than 6 hours in advance if your child won’t be able to make practice or a match. Based on the number of players who can’t make a given event, it can affect how we plan to run things. You don’t need to ask permission – just let us know a couple days in advance if you can.
   
3. Pay attention at practices. If you have a child that can be, er, a handful – stick around at practice at least once a week and watch. If your child starts to become a distraction to the team during practice, ask the coach if they want you to step in and take care of it. Some may, some may not. But don’t just drop your child off and run away, knowing they may be disruptive. It’s not fair to the rest of the team. And don’t ignore the obvious because it’s your child. We coaches want EVERY child to have a chance to play and enjoy the game, but disruptive children sometimes become too much for a coach to handle and a parent really needs to step in and handle things.
   
4. Refrain from coaching from the sidelines. I say this as someone who is as guilty as any. Being a coach AND a parent, it can often be impossible to keep my mouth shut. But coaches want the players to focus on the game and any instruction they may shout out from the team touchline. So stick to cheering and encouragement. If you find the urge to coach overbearing – ask the coach if they need an assistant!
   
5. Put your folding chairs at LEAST 2 yards away from the touchline. Many fields do not include ‘parent boundary lines’, so often parents are so close to the touchline that players can’t even take a step to throw the ball in. Plus it’s a danger to players trying to make sliding saves or who collide/trip/lose control near the parents.
   
6. Respect our decisions as coaches and if you have a problem, approach us about it. Don’t bottle it up inside, let it stew, and share it among the rest of the parents. We’re not perfect, but perhaps given some additional explanation you might understand what we did. If not, at least you know why we did what we did.
   
7. Try to have your paperwork, fees, and any other administrative stuff taken care of well in advance. Even teams with adept team managers can be affected by parents dragging their feet with paperwork. If you’re having financial trouble and need help, ask! Yes, it can be awkward, but many leagues have financial aid programs in place. We coaches just want the kids to play, have fun, and learn. The less that paperwork intrudes on that, the better.
   
8. Don’t scream at your kids on or off the field if they make mistakes. That’s how they learn. As a coach, I tell my players ALL the time that I’d rather see them take a risk by trying out a soccer move and losing the ball, than taking the safe route using the inside of their foot all the time or passing the ball as soon as they get it. Too many players are afraid of making mistakes at a young age on the field. Risk taking and creativity should be encouraged.
   
9. Volunteer to help your league. Every single one of you. While a few top coaches do get paid, most do not and most of the league volunteers do not. They donate tons of time ensuring the league operates smoothly. So when they ask for help doing concessions, paperwork, field maintenance, fund raising, etc., offer to help. While top level competitive soccer can be expensive, most recreational programs are dirt cheap, primarily because they are run by volunteers. Where else can you get 2-3 hours a week of healthy activity for your child for $25-$100 a season? Too many leagues rely on a core group of committed but overworked volunteers to run things because parents aren’t willing to donate an hour or two during the season. They aren’t asking you to commit to multiple hours every week for the entire season (though they’d love it if you could!). Just an hour or two a month.
   
10. Have fun. Youth soccer should be fun for kids AND adults alike. By keeping a level head and a positive attitude, you can have about as much fun as your child does. So keep things in perspective and have fun!
    

What would you add to this list? And parents, rest assured I have a post listing the Top Ten Things Coaches Should Do in the eyes of the parents!

http://onthepitch.org/2008/01/19/top-ten-things-soccer-parents-should-do/

7 Speed Secrets for Soccer Players

I found this article and I thought you might find it very interesting. It simplifies several different elements of a training program. Hope you enjoy this article by Gary Christopher where he reveals the 7 speed secrets to become a faster, more agile soccer player. I couldn’t agree more on these 7 secrets.

Learn These 7 Speed Secrets to Become a Faster, More Agile Soccer Player
By Gary Christopher

There are seven soccer secrets that any player can do that will increase their speed and agility and help them get stronger too. These Secrets should be learned by all soccer coaches. Speed kills on the soccer field and these seven secrets will help you race past your opponent.

 The first secret is linear speed. In order to put fear into a defense a player and a team needs to be fast. In order to be fast, there are two factors that can help increase speed for any player. The first factor is stride frequency. The faster a player moves his arms the faster his feet will move. The second factor is stride length. When running, a player should have her knee lift almost to belly button height.

 The second secret is lateral speed. Here a player is working on changing direction quickly. A player should be able to move in any direction and be able to do that at any speed…slow or fast. Important lateral movements include shuffles and side runs.

 The third secret is stopping quickly and then exploding in a new direction Many soccer players stop too upright putting a lot of stress on the knee plus when they do this they are not in a good position to explode into a new direction. Stopping quickly and safely requires players to drop their hips, bend their knees and take smaller steps as they attempt to stop.

 The fourth secret is lower body strength Getting stronger in their lower body will help all soccer players get faster and increase their speed through strength training. Lower body strength training should include strengthening a soccer players lower back, glutes, hamstrings and calf muscles.

 The fifth secret is anaerobic fitness Training soccer players to be anaerobically fit will enhance many aspects of your teams soccer speed and skill performance. To train anaerobically, soccer players should work on many explosive 15-25 yards burst. In addition, these movements should include both linear (north/south) movements and lateral (east/west) movements.

 The sixth secret is flexibility The more flexible a soccer player is the less likely that they could get injured plus flexibility enhances speed and agility.

 The seventh secret is nutrition For soccer players to run fast and be explosive, they need to be properly fueled and hydrated. Helping your players with their nutrition will pay excellent dividends for you players.

I have found that these seven secrets of soccer speed and agility help make all soccer players more athletic and thus more dangerous on the soccer field.

Have a great day!

Gary Christopher http://www.soccerandspeedcoach.com To get free weekly insider coaching tips delivered right to your inbox, go to my website http://www.soccerandspeedcoach.com and register. Every week I’ll send you players and coaches reports and insights on developing soccer skills and speed skills along with some great audio interviews you can download for free.

Performance Nutrition Tv: Cooking With Giber & Lulu

Hello everyone!

Hosts of Performance Nutrition: Gigi & Lulu

We are adding this important and essential component of nutrition to our SPR Performance Tv videos.  I always receive requests from people like you about nutritional recipes.  So Lulu, my fiance, and I decided to do something different and do a cooking show for you guys.

Since we are fans of the food network, we thought it would be fun to do our own cooking show and practice what we’ve learned by watching the shows. We’re putting our own little twist to our show by preparing foods geared towards performance nutrition foods.  We will do our best at providing simple, yet effective recipes to keep your body going, even with a busy schedule like ours.

Although the video is not of the highest quality, the content included in this episode is fantastic.   Also, the hosts of this show are phenomenal.  Hahaha! Not bad for two people who’ve never taking acting classes.

Enjoy this episode of performance nutrition!

Part 1:

Part 2:

Work + Rest = Success

Work + Rest = Success! Just like many of you, I sometimes get caught up on the day to day work activities. We even feel that we need an extra day or more hours to the day so we can keep working on what we are doing. I once in a while get my ears pulled by my fiancé in order to stop working.

Even though we can hypothetically produce more work in relation to the hours that we put in, we can accomplish higher quality of work if we sleep 6-8 hours. What good is it to keep working on something in a fatigued state? Are you producing quality work? We tend to become far more productive and creative if we schedule some time to relax and recharge. Taking days off (recovery days or vacations) increases our energy, boosts our immune system, and it is a great return in your investment when it comes down to your performance output in everyday life. So what is your regeneration plan? What do you do on your days off, holidays, vacations? Are you taking a proactive approach on this vital element of training?

Although taking time off will help your mind and body recover, I recommend you help your body recover faster by taking advantage of any recovery tools, such as the foam roll and massage stick for self massaging, or a stretch rope, to enhance your regeneration experience. These tools will help you expedite your recovery process and regenerate your body for optimal performance in everyday life.

For your convenience, I’ve included some pictures and instructions of some recovery exercise ideas. When should you implement some of these exercises into your routine? Great question! Whenever you get an opportunity. For optimal results, I recommend you apply these strategies after your workout or training sessions.

FOAM ROLL EXERCISES:

MOVEMENT EXECUTION KEYS:

You will let the foam roll “roll” under the different structures in your body as shown in these illustrations. As your tissues roll on the foam piece, you will identify tender areas in your muscle tissues. At times, when you have identified the tender spots, stop the foam rolling and hold it at that particular area for about one minute or when the tenderness has subsided.

YOU WILL FEEL:

Pressure and at times discomfort in certain areas being massaged. Ironically enough, the more discomfort that you feel, the more you need to be doing these type of exercises.

REPS OR TIME:

Perform each exercise for 1-2 minutes. Feel free to go longer if you need it.

MASSAGE STICK EXERCISES:

MOVEMENT EXECUTION KEYS:

Grab the massage stick as shown in these illustrations and apply pressure to the muscle tissues in a rolling motion. As you apply the massage stick, you will identify tender areas in your muscle tissues. At times, when you have identified the tender spots, stop and hold it at that particular area for about one minute or when the tenderness has subsided.

YOU WILL FEEL:

Pressure and at times discomfort in certain areas being massaged. Ironically enough, the more discomfort that you feel, the more you need to be doing these type of exercises.

REPS OR TIME:

Perform each exercise for 1-2 minutes. Feel free to go longer if you need it.

STRETCH ROPE EXERCISES:

MOVEMENT EXECUTION KEYS:

Grab a stretch rope and apply the exercises as the illustration shown above. Each exercise is performed not by holding the stretch, but by going through a dynamic and continuous movement through the exercise. Going from the starting position and going towards the end range of the stretch. (Please note that the stretch should not be uncomfortable).

YOU WILL FEEL:

A stretch without feeling discomfort in the areas being stretched.

REPS OR TIME:

Perform each exercise for 1 minute or for 10 repetitions. Feel free to go longer if you need it.

Getting Close to Fulfilling a Dream!

Hello Everyone!

Just wanted to let you know that I’m in the final stages of writing my book, “12-Week Performance Training Program.” Where you will learn how to easily enhance your performance, lose body fat, increase lean muscle, and increase your energy levels while having fun in just a few weeks.

While I wasn’t the best English student and my writing isn’t still great, my desire to write a book has overcome all of those “limitations.” I’m actually getting to do what most people say they want to do and never GET IT DONE! Writing a book has been one of my greatest goals in life and I’m about to realize this in just a few weeks. Finalizing this book has taken a while. However, it will be very much worth it. Through this book, I’ll have the opportunity to touch not thousands, but hopefully millions of people across the globe.

Inside this book, you will find a wide variety of exercises with great pictures and detailed explanations on how to get the most out of your workouts and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. This book is designed to help you improve your movements. When our bodies lack basic movement patterns, due to a lack of mobility or stability, our muscles start compensating and overloading other structures throughout. That is to say, our bodies start working “extra” hours. Sooner or later, you start feeling small aches and pains where there used to be none.

This book will take you by the hand and help your body work more efficiently and effortlessly. Follow this program and you will be feeling like you’ve never felt before!

While this book is not out yet, you can email me at coretrainingu@gmail.com to be one of the first ones to get a copy. In the meantime, you can subscribe to our newsletter to receive great performance training tips.

Click on the “Performance Training Tips Ezine” cover below to join hundreds of other people who have subscribed to our newsletter. You will be getting tips on how to:

• Enhance your performance
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We are constantly looking for cutting edge information on the latest training technology, research, and other important elements that will help you achieve your goals.

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We have just launched our first episode of SPR Performance TV. Check it out!

Hello everyone!
To all of our loyal fans out there, we have just added a new feature to our repertoire of exercise information. We are calling it SPR Performance Tv.
The idea of SPR Performance Tv came about the many requests of athletes, coaches, and active individuals who wanted to get more exercise ideas for their workouts. We decided to use the power of video to reach out to many individuals who are dedicated to their constant and never ending improvement mentality in their health and well-being. If you have any requests regarding any exercise fitness drills on dynamic warm up, movement prep, speed, agility, quickness, explosiveness, strength, conditioning, reaction in any sport (i.e. soccer, football, tennis, baseball, golf, basketball, volleyball, lacrosse, rugby, and many others) feel free to make a comment or email us.
Enjoy this part 1 episode of dynamic warm up!

Importance of Change of Speed in Soccer

Hello All!

Just wanted to share this video with you on changing gears in soccer! As with soccer and many other sports, the change of speed or “gears” is an essential element for the success of the athlete. Working on the changes of speed takes smart planning and consistent dedication. Some of the world’s greatest athletes set themselves apart by their amazing ability to get past an opponent by this change in gears. This developed quality in an athlete is responsible for many assists and goals scored.

There are many drills that can be performed to help you develop and add this important element into your performance tool box. However, I ran across this great drill to give you an idea of the many exercises you can implement with and without the ball. Check this video out and get out there and start training!