As you settle in for the holiday season and take an extended break from the soccer pitch, I wanted to let you know how grateful I am for the work you do to make the … [Read more...]
Teach Them to Read the Book
“Don’t give them a book and tell them to read it, teach them to read the book.” - Romeo JozakRomeo Jozak, the Technical Director for the Croatian Football Association and … [Read more...]
Control What You Can Control
A few years back I had the opportunity to observe former US Men’s National Team Coach, Bruce Arena, run a field session at The Soccer Champions Workshop in CT. I’ve long … [Read more...]
Perspective: “What are we trying to accomplish here?”
“What are we trying to accomplish here?” This is a favorite question of a former colleague of mine that has really impacted the way I look at not only my coaching, … [Read more...]
How I Build a Practice Plan
Although a good practice plan follows a simple to complex progression model, I tend to build my sessions in the reverse order. The first answer that I need to arrive at … [Read more...]
Enjoy the Journey
It may be odd to some, but my favorite time of year is during the final weeks of summer as the days shorten and the fall season approaches. This has been true since I … [Read more...]
Why Do You Coach?
Answering what appears to be on the surface a very simple question is part of every coach’s journey. One of my favorite answers to the question comes from Lou Holtz in … [Read more...]
Serious Fun
Be clear and concise. We often hear this statement around the soccer pitch (or the workplace) regarding how best to deliver information. As a player you want to provide … [Read more...]
Fail Better.
“Ever Tried. Ever Failed. No Matter. Try Again. Fail Again. Fail Better” Samuel Beckett Fail Better. What an amazing philosophy for a coach to embrace when dealing … [Read more...]
Can the Lessons of Blue’s Clues Make you a Better Coach?
One of the most critical aspects of being a successful coach is understanding whom it is you’re coaching, and how they best learn. This sounds straightforward enough, … [Read more...]
A Case for Repitition
“I fear not the man that has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.” - Bruce Lee As Director of Coaching for Lexington United … [Read more...]
Praise Effort or Praise Talent?
As a coach, teacher, or employer we all attempt to identify talented people, but maybe we should change our focus and seek to identify driven, hard working people. At … [Read more...]
