If you drove by our club facility a few years back, you would hardly be able to tell that a single club was training there. Players were playing in a rainbow of colors with nobody matching. Older players were playing “shirts vs. skins” in the scrimmage portions of their training. As a whole, it looked unprofessional and disorganized.

When our new Director of Coaching, Sheldon Cipriani came to the club, he made some immediate changes. First of all was the introduction of practice shirts for the players. Each player was issued a white and a blue shirt with the club logo on it (by the way this is a great tool for getting corporate sponsorships). They were instructed to wear one of these shirts for each practice session.

Not only did the players feel more like a part of something bigger than themselves (the club), but anybody driving by could easily determine that an organized soccer program was in effect. This was especially helpful when potential new players came by the fields as they knew to stop by and get more information.

There are some other very practical benefits to having team practice attire. Having all the players in one of two colors makes it very easy for coaches to split players up for competitive activities. Throw in a couple of red pennies, and you can quickly have three different teams for drills. Something as simple as having your players wear unified colors make a huge difference when it comes to coaching soccer more efficiently.

Ultimate Soccer Coaching

In this free video clip learn the basic principles of Krav Maga, self-defense martial art, and get expert tips on beginning a training regimine. Expert: Steve Jimenez Contact: www.fitandfearless.com Bio: Steve Jimenez is the lead instructor of the South Austin location for Krav Maga International. He holds three black belts in three martial arts disciplines. Filmmaker: Murlin Evans

Sports Training Product Review

Every year since August 1998, two college professors from Beloit College in Wisconsin publish the College Mindset List. The list contains references to the world that are – and never were – part of this incoming college class’ mindset. The goal? To help professors re-adjust their minds to the perspective of the incoming students. Professors could re-frame their own mindset, so that references weren’t dated and learning could be molded to fit in an age appropriate manner that the students clearly understood. Over time, the list has grown to indicate the cultural changes and you can view the previous Mindset Lists (see the very top of the page, drop down box).

So, what’s the Coaching Point?

Personally, I think this list is fascinating from an entertainment point of view and as a measuring stick for change. But, it also gave me pause to think about the references I make as a soccer coach…and how the kids I coach may not know what the heck I was talking about. Heck, our younger player’s horizon is significantly shorter than this college list. I mean if Nirvana is on the college list for being on the “Oldies Station” then I need new musical references!

Each year, this list is a tacit reminder that references that seem common to me aren’t common to young people. As we’re always preaching “age appropriate coaching” and “seeing the game through the players eyes instead of our adult eyes”, this is the lesson of the list.

If you were forming a list for your age group, what changes would you have to make to your references and illustrations as a coach?

Here is the list from the Beloit College website:
Beloit, Wis. – Born when Ross Perot was warning about a giant sucking sound and Bill Clinton was apologizing for pain in his marriage, members of this fall’s entering college class of 2014 have emerged as a post-email generation for whom the digital world is routine and technology is just too slow.

Each August since 1998, Beloit College has released the Beloit College Mindset List. It provides a look at the cultural touchstones that shape the lives of students entering college this fall. The creation of Beloit’s Keefer Professor of the Humanities Tom McBride and former Public Affairs Director Ron Nief, it was originally created as a reminder to faculty to be aware of dated references, and quickly became a catalog of the rapidly changing worldview of each new generation. The Mindset List website at www.beloit.edu/mindset, the Mediasite webcast and its Facebook page receive more than 400,000 hits annually.

The class of 2014 has never found Korean-made cars unusual on the Interstate and five hundred cable channels, of which they will watch a handful, have always been the norm. Since “digital” has always been in the cultural DNA, they’ve never written in cursive and with cell phones to tell them the time, there is no need for a wrist watch. Dirty Harry (who’s that?) is to them a great Hollywood director. The America they have inherited is one of soaring American trade and budget deficits; Russia has presumably never aimed nukes at the United States and China has always posed an economic threat.

Nonetheless, they plan to enjoy college. The males among them are likely to be a minority. They will be armed with iPhones and BlackBerries, on which making a phone call will be only one of many, many functions they will perform. They will now be awash with a computerized technology that will not distinguish information and knowledge. So it will be up to their professors to help them. A generation accustomed to instant access will need to acquire the patience of scholarship. They will discover how to research information in books and journals and not just on-line. Their professors, who might be tempted to think that they are hip enough and therefore ready and relevant to teach the new generation, might remember that Kurt Cobain is now on the classic oldies station. The college class of 2014 reminds us, once again, that a generation comes and goes in the blink of our eyes, which are, like the rest of us, getting older and older.
The Beloit College Mindset List for the Class of 2014

Most students entering college for the first time this fall—the Class of 2014—were born in 1992.

For these students, Benny Hill, Sam Kinison, Sam Walton, Bert Parks and Tony Perkins have always been dead.

1. Few in the class know how to write in cursive.

2. Email is just too slow, and they seldom if ever use snail mail.

3. “Go West, Young College Grad” has always implied “and don’t stop until you get to Asia…and learn Chinese along the way.”

4. Al Gore has always been animated.

5. Los Angelenos have always been trying to get along.

6. Buffy has always been meeting her obligations to hunt down Lothos and the other blood-suckers at Hemery High.

7. “Caramel macchiato” and “venti half-caf vanilla latte” have always been street corner lingo.

8. With increasing numbers of ramps, Braille signs, and handicapped parking spaces, the world has always been trying harder to accommodate people with disabilities.

9. Had it remained operational, the villainous computer HAL could be their college classmate this fall, but they have a better chance of running into Miley Cyrus’s folks on Parents’ Weekend.

10. A quarter of the class has at least one immigrant parent, and the immigration debate is not a big priority…unless it involves “real” aliens from another planet.

11. John McEnroe has never played professional tennis.

12. Clint Eastwood is better known as a sensitive director than as Dirty Harry.

13. Parents and teachers feared that Beavis and Butt-head might be the voice of a lost generation.

14. Doctor Kevorkian has never been licensed to practice medicine.

15. Colorful lapel ribbons have always been worn to indicate support for a cause.

16. Korean cars have always been a staple on American highways.

17. Trading Chocolate the Moose for Patti the Platypus helped build their Beanie Baby collection.

18. Fergie is a pop singer, not a princess.

19. They never twisted the coiled handset wire aimlessly around their wrists while chatting on the phone.

20. DNA fingerprinting and maps of the human genome have always existed.

21. Woody Allen, whose heart has wanted what it wanted, has always been with Soon-Yi Previn.

22. Cross-burning has always been deemed protected speech.

23. Leasing has always allowed the folks to upgrade their tastes in cars.

24. “Cop Killer” by rapper Ice-T has never been available on a recording.

25. Leno and Letterman have always been trading insults on opposing networks.

26. Unless they found one in their grandparents’ closet, they have never seen a carousel of Kodachrome slides.

27. Computers have never lacked a CD-ROM disk drive.

28. They’ve never recognized that pointing to their wrists was a request for the time of day.

29. Reggie Jackson has always been enshrined in Cooperstown.

30. “Viewer Discretion” has always been an available warning on TV shows.

31. The first computer they probably touched was an Apple II; it is now in a museum.

32. Czechoslovakia has never existed.

33. Second-hand smoke has always been an official carcinogen.

34. “Assisted Living” has always been replacing nursing homes, while Hospice has always been an alternative to hospitals.

35. Once they got through security, going to the airport has always resembled going to the mall.

36. Adhesive strips have always been available in varying skin tones.

37. Whatever their parents may have thought about the year they were born, Queen Elizabeth declared it an “Annus Horribilis.”

38. Bud Selig has always been the Commissioner of Major League Baseball.

39. Pizza jockeys from Domino’s have never killed themselves to get your pizza there in under 30 minutes.

40. There have always been HIV positive athletes in the Olympics.

41. American companies have always done business in Vietnam.

42. Potato has always ended in an “e” in New Jersey per vice presidential edict.

43. Russians and Americans have always been living together in space.

44. The dominance of television news by the three networks passed while they were still in their cribs.

45. They have always had a chance to do community service with local and federal programs to earn money for college.

46. Nirvana is on the classic oldies station.

47. Children have always been trying to divorce their parents.

48. Someone has always gotten married in space.

49. While they were babbling in strollers, there was already a female Poet Laureate of the United States.

50. Toothpaste tubes have always stood up on their caps.

51. Food has always been irradiated.

52. There have always been women priests in the Anglican Church.

53. J.R. Ewing has always been dead and gone. Hasn’t he?

54. The historic bridge at Mostar in Bosnia has always been a copy.

55. Rock bands have always played at presidential inaugural parties.

56. They may have assumed that parents’ complaints about Black Monday had to do with punk rockers from L.A., not Wall Street.

57. A purple dinosaur has always supplanted Barney Google and Barney Fife.

58. Beethoven has always been a dog.

59. By the time their folks might have noticed Coca Cola’s new Tab Clear, it was gone.

60. Walmart has never sold handguns over the counter in the lower 48.

61. Presidential appointees have always been required to be more precise about paying their nannies’ withholding tax, or else.

62. Having hundreds of cable channels but nothing to watch has always been routine.

63. Their parents’ favorite TV sitcoms have always been showing up as movies.

64. The U.S, Canada, and Mexico have always agreed to trade freely.

65. They first met Michelangelo when he was just a computer virus.

66. Galileo is forgiven and welcome back into the Roman Catholic Church.

67. Ruth Bader Ginsburg has always sat on the Supreme Court.

68. They have never worried about a Russian missile strike on the U.S.

69. The Post Office has always been going broke.

70. The artist formerly known as Snoop Doggy Dogg has always been rapping.

71. The nation has never approved of the job Congress is doing.

72. One way or another, “It’s the economy, stupid” and always has been.

73. Silicone-gel breast implants have always been regulated.

74. They’ve always been able to blast off with the Sci-Fi Channel.

75. Honda has always been a major competitor on Memorial Day at Indianapolis.

Source: http://www.beloit.edu/mindset/2014.php

Soccer Classroom

Here’s a really simple way to improve your player’s training experience and their performance for the upcoming season by following the soccer training tips discussed below in detail. It doesn’t matter what age re you or what level of soccer you play at, these tips are sure to benefit you.

Endurance training can decelerate the players: Improve your player’s overall speed and performance by using this tip. Most coaches are of the opinion that by practicing strength training tasks, players develop soccer skills that allow them to stay longer and perform better in the game. But it’s not like that.

Studies reveal that, in reality, building up endurance can make slow down the players. This is because their body gets into the mode of conserving a certain amount of energy to cover a long distance in future.

If you have been training your players for the soccer season by making them run long distances, then you need to stop at once. Running and sprinting drills are such soccer drills that not only help players build endurance but also improve their sprinting and running speed too.

Train kids to exercise each leg separately: Many coaches consider the game of soccer as a two leg sport. It means using both the legs at all times. But this is not true. As the players cut and dribble down the field, they’ll cross over and use only one leg at a time.

Since this is the way that legs work throughout an entire game, one of the most important soccer training tips requires kids to exercise each of their legs separately.

You should therefore have your kids perform single leg squats and other activities that detach one leg from another. This will lead to better performances, one after the other, during the game.

Strength training should be done appropriately: Train your kids correctly will develop their strength making it more forceful and targeted. Strength training is carried out in one of two ways; for volume or for intensity.

When you make your kids lift lighter weights for more repetitions, you are training for volume which will build bigger muscles. But soccer players need to be trained for intensity which will make them stronger and more powerful.

Keep technique in mind: When training for soccer, it is important to keep technique in mind. Just because you can lift 250 pounds does not mean you should do it, if you can’t do it correctly. For maximum results, use lower weights that permit the kids to do the exercise correctly in right way.

When you properly plan your time to train kids, their game is bound to become a lot more effective.

Don’t take it lightly. Soccer training tips are as important as is the value of a skilled coach’s experience and his years spend with the game. Join today our youth soccer coaching community that has a range of relevant articles, newsletters, videos, and podcasts to help your improve your knowledge on soccer coaching.

Andre Botelho is a recognized authority in Soccer training tips and has already helped thousands of youth coaches to dramatically improve their coaching skills. To explode your players’ skills and make training fun, download your free Soccer Training ebook at: Youth Soccer Drills.

Andre Botelho’s Soccer Coaching Blog

Soccer Conditioning Drills and Workouts By Pauline Go Soccer is one of the most popular sports in the world. Here are some tips that can help you become a better player. There are many different types of drills and workouts devised in soccer. The aim behind doing drills and workouts during soccer training is to [...]
Soccer Drills

In case you didn’t know, let me tell you that soccer trainers, over the course of a season, have to cope with many problems that arise due the player’s or their parent’s behaviour. Problems like irregular attendance, bad behaviour during practice matches, and the interference of parents.

When it gets extremely difficult to handle these types of problems, most soccer coaches decide to give up coaching. For this reason, it’s necessary to learn the ways of dealing with such problems.

Let’s talk about a few simple yet effective tactics to manage behavioral issues.

The ability to establish your authority in the game is the most important tip to deal with problematic players. They must clearly understand that you’re the “boss”. The traditional ways to sending this message across to the players are given in the subsequent paragraphs.

As soon as the indiscipline of some players starts disturbing the activities of other players in the team, the football trainers should discourage them right there with their looks and voice.

Players tend to remember the rules better. You should therefore interact with them in terms of rules observed and not observed. For instance; let the players know that “Hitting a co player is against the rules of the game”.

In the event of a clash between two players, once the guilty party admits the mistake; have them apologize to the other party. Initially, the player may refuse to do so. In a scenario like this, the player should be made to stay out of practice until he apologizes. Where one team-mate started it, and the other finished it, make them both apologize. Give the instigator an extra “punishment” for starting things.

By making the in-disciplined players to say sorry, you promote a sense of sportsmanship to develop down the line. It brings into light the fact that even disciplined kids have equal rights to exercise.

Tell the troublemaker to say 5 good things about his competitor. It is quite helpful in resolving the conflicts positively. Generally, the soccer trainers allow these players to return to the field after they’ve decided to behave.

Make the players look after their team mates accessories there on the field, in case they refuse to take part in an activity that he/she doesn’t like. It is therefore a direct message to those kids who are finicky about participating in various practice games to be ready to pay the price.

Tell the kids to sit out the practice field but within a range where you can keep a watch on them. Yet, they should be made to sit far enough to ensure their inability to distract the remaining players on the field.

This will make the players realize that they have to take part in every activity that is included in the soccer coaching session, irrespective of their will to do so.

So there you have it; if the usually cooperative players get extremely wild and none of your adjustments seem to work, soccer trainers can consider simply discarding the plan for the day – and playing nothing but soccer related games. You can find a lot of tips like these by subscribing to our youth coaching community. So subscribe today!

Andre Botelho is an expert in Soccer trainers. He influences over 35,000 youth coaches each year with his coaching philosophy, and makes it easy to explode your players’ skills and make training fun in record time. Download your free Soccer Coaching guide at: Soccer Coaching.

Andre Botelho’s Soccer Coaching Blog

Let me start with telling you that soccer trainers have to handle many issues that may crop up during the course of a season due to the conduct of players or their parents. These are attendance problems, misbehavior during practice sessions or games, and “overtly-helpful” parents.

These are the reasons that most soccer coaches are forced to give up coaching as a profession, because these issues get impossible to handle. It is therefore very important to learn how to deal with them.

In this article, we’ll discuss a few simple but effective tips to handle these behavioral issues.

The ability to establish your authority in the game is the most important tip to deal with problematic players. Let them know that you’re the “boss”. Some of the conventional ways to getting this message across to the players are given below.

When player’s misconduct seriously affects the activities of the other players, the football trainers must use their voice and the looks to discourage this behaviour right away.

Players tend to remember the rules better. It is therefore suggested that you discuss issues with them in terms of rules followed and not followed. For example; make it clear that “Hitting a co player is against the rules of the game”.

In the event of a clash between two players, once the guilty party admits the mistake; have them apologize to the other party. At first, the players may not be willing to do so. Herein, don’t allow the player to take part in the practice until he apologizes. Where one team-mate started it, and the other finished it, make them both apologize. An extra punishment is something that should be awarded to the one who started it.

By forcing the indiscipline player to apologize, you encourage good sportsmanship to breed down the line. This makes the unruly kid recognize that the other players also have rights.

Instruct the troublemaker to state 5 good things about his rival. It is quite helpful in resolving the conflicts positively. Generally, the soccer trainers allow these players to return to the field after they’ve decided to behave.

If the player refuses to participate in an activity which he doesn’t like, then politely tell the player to remain out of practice and look after the team members accessories that they’ve brought to the field. It will clearly establish the fact that a player who does not take part in the practice games will have to pay the price.

But make sure when you send players to sit outside the field that they are within your sight. Yet, they should be made to sit far enough to ensure their inability to distract the remaining players on the field.

Once the players discover that they don’t get to pick and choose what they like to do, they’ll be discouraged to seek a time-out during the soccer coaching session to simply avoid exercising.

Some food for thought; if the normally supportive players get unusually wild and none of the adjustments that you make seem to work, it’s best that soccer trainers abandon the plan for the day – and play nothing but soccer related games. You can find lots and lots of tips like these by subscribing to our youth coaching community. So register today!

Andre Botelho is an expert in Soccer trainers. He influences over 35,000 youth coaches each year with his coaching philosophy, and makes it easy to explode your players’ skills and make training fun in record time. Download your free Soccer Coaching guide at: Soccer Coaching.

Andre Botelho’s Soccer Coaching Blog

Soccer Uniform

www.soccerquake.com Yet another victory for Chelsea over Malaysia’s current best eleven players. Anelka 26′ Ashley Cole 53′

 Mail this post

Technorati Tags: anelka, ashley, chelsea, cole, Friendly, malaysia, vs, XI

Soccer Goalkeeper Jerseys

The recently released Adidas F50 Adizero FG has created quite a buzz in the soccer marketplace. With its full introduction and players on the fields everywhere now in the boots, we wanted to share the review killer review from Cheap Soccer Shoes. As the lightest shoe in the marketplace, our partners at Cheap Soccer Shoes put this 0+ boot through the paces to see if it is worth its weight in 5.8 ounces. Before you make this significant investment, you should check to see if it is worth your money.

Read the review on the Adidas F50 Adizero FG

Soccer Classroom