Claddagh Coach Consulting
  • About
  • Private Training Program
  • Group Training
  • Strength & Conditioning
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Camps & Clinics
  • College Recruiting Workshop
  • Parent Education

The Beautiful Game 

Picture
Picture

Easter Spring Clinic!

We are excited to announce our Easter Spring Goalkeeper and Striker clinic for local boys and girls age 10-17! This is an excellent opportunity to receive college coaching and work on various striking skills in an intensive and competitive training environment.  Goalkeepers will be put through a position specific training and will work on skills such as shot stopping, diving techniques, dealing with crosses and distribution. Strikers will be put through a position specific training that will encompass a variety of ball striking skills, receiving out of the air, dribbling 1v1 and dealing with pressure from various angles. During the second portion of the clinic, we will bring both positions together for a fun, positive learning environment and enjoy the game will all love on our beautiful game field! Sign up on our "camps & clinics" page or email sinead.mcsharry@gmail.com for more information!

April 03rd, 2022

4/3/2022

0 Comments

 
0 Comments

Annnnnnnnnnd, We're back!

3/9/2022

0 Comments

 
Hello Soccer People!

It feels good to be blogging again as we slowly but surely resume to some soccer activities and opportunities for the local community.

I have been busy with my college job as well as taking on more responsibility in the designing and implementation of strength & conditioning programming for our Saints athletics teams. Additionally, I recently completed my US Coaching license with US Soccer in December. It was a fantastic experience and I was fortunate enough to be one of the  few recipients of the Jill Ellis Scholarship. One of my colleagues from the course is now the first team assistant coach for Manchester United. My overarching goal is to continue to challenge myself at the highest level and use my knowledge and expertise to further develop my local community. My passion to give back is what fuels me each and every day and as a consequence I hope to learn from the people that I work with no matter their age or level of experience. 

Lastly, I am in the middle of a marketing campaign which includes a newly designed logo, intentional branding, an up to date website and a more tailored experience to suit the needs of those whom I feel I can impact the most. I have hired a woman owned local business that I believe also reflects the values and mission of this organization and can further help me to develop as both a person, coach and consultant.

In the interim, I have updated the majority of the website to reflect upcoming dates of training opportunities starting as soon as next week (March 18th, 2022) in which we are offering a morning skills clinic for up to 16 participants. Feel free to share this information with friends and family members and lets get our kids moving, learning and having a fun time all in the name of soccer!

To learn more, feel free to email or call me: sinead.mcsharry@gmail.com / 413-923-1442

Looking forward to seeing you all very soon!

Sinead
0 Comments

The When and How of Recruiting + COVID 19 tips

4/7/2020

0 Comments

 
 A few parents have asked that I share some helpful tips and hints in the realm of recruiting. This topic can be very overwhelming, but like with anything, if you can plan and prepare for what’s ahead, then you will be able to minimize some of the stress and anxiety. 

This is a soccer timeline but there are a few takeaways for all sports. See below and if you have any questions feel free to comment at the bottom of this blog!

Top Two Interesting Facts:

Colleges & Universities hand out more than 9 times more money in academic merit scholarships than in athletic scholarships. $9.5 billion, compared with $1billion for athletic scholarships.

Official visits may be limited, but unofficial visits can happen at any time. Take advantage and get on campus!

Programs per division Rules of Contact 
2017 data
​
Division
​
​
​
Scholarships​
Programs
NCAA D1
14
333
NCAA D2
9.9
265
NCAA D3
​Academic Only
441
NAIA
12
188
JUCO
18
181
Teams typically carry between 25-32 players per roster. This is a valid question to ask any coach you come into contact with. You can also check the rosters online. Be aware of programs that have JV teams as this will mean a significantly higher roster. Check to see how many first-years from the year before are still on the team as this will give you a great sense on how the coach recruits and if she/he makes cuts each year. You may also want to ask if every player graduates and stays with the program for all four years.

Rules of Contact (Coach to Player)
Method
​NCAA D1
NCAA D2
NCAA D3/NAIA
​Phone (inc text msg)
​June 15th Soph Year
​June 15th Soph Year
Recruitable Age
Email
​June 15th Soph Year
June 15th Soph Year
Recruitable Age
Off Campus
Aug 1 of Jr Year
​Aug 1 of Jr Year
June 15th Soph Year
Tryout
None Allowed
1 on Campus (Jr. Year)
After HS season

​
None Allowed (D3) Allowed (NAIA)
Official Visit
Aug 1 of Jr Year*
​June 15th Soph Year
Jan 1st of Jr Year
Unofficial Visit
Aug 1 of Jr Year
No Limit
​No Limit
Camps/Clinics
June 15th Soph Year**
No Limit
​No Limit
*Take a limited number of official visits (one per college, a maximum of five visits to a Division I school, unlimited visits to Division II, Division III, and NAIA schools)
**Division 1 coaches cannot have conversations about recruiting with prospective student-athletes (PSA) at camps/clinics

Average timeline for college soccer recruiting

First-year/Freshie (Feeling Out Period)

  • On a map, select areas or regions you and your family are willing to visit schools
    • You can either color in a blank map and use a traffic light system of green (willingness/interest) to red (least interested) preferences or you can use colorful pins
  • From there, create a list of schools (10-15) per region or state that you might be interested in at least visiting
  • Ask your coaches, teammates, teachers and extended family members if they have heard of these schools and start to form a google doc of blind pro’s and con’s. Blind meaning - other people’s opinions since you have yet to visit the schools
  • Register on the NCAA and NAIA website and complete eligibility information
    • http://www.eligibilitycenter.org OR www.playnaia.org 
  • Register and create basic, no-fee profiles on the following websites:
    • College Fit Finder
    • NCSA
    • PrepHero.com ($9.99/month)
 
  • Lastly, you should start to think about the important “X-Factor’s” that are going to be of utmost importance to you and your family's decision about finding the right “fit”. See the chart below, print and cut it out to begin your planning:

Finding the Right School for You (Rank 1-10)
​Academic
1-10
Social
1-10
Financial
1-10
Athletic
1-10
Has your major
​
Dorm life
​
Tuition​
​
Competition Level​
​
​Student : Faculty
​
Location
​
​Financial Aid
​
​Facilities
​
Job Placement
​
​Urban/Rural/Sub
​
Room & Board​
​
Playing Time/FY Play​
​
Reputation/Alumni
​
Religious Affiliation
​
Private/Public​
​
Team Fit​
​
Class Size​
​
Extra-Curricular​
​
Dining Options​
​
Style of Play​
​
Sophomore (Getting on the Radar)

  • Summer prior to entering Sophomore year: Narrow down list and visit schools.
  • Complete the Online Recruit Questionnaires of EVERY school you’re interested in
    • Cheat sheet: Most are similar, so keep a running google doc of your basic information and copy & paste - the only time it’s permissible!
  • Make a plan for the entire year including next summer: visits, sign-up for camp/clinics
  • Watch live or televised college games
  • Email coaches an introductory email explaining who you are, where you come from and what your goals & ambitions are, attach a PDF resume and list tournaments you’ll be attending for the year. Possibly mention that you completed their recruit questionnaire for added brownie points :-)
  • Be willing and ready to jump on a call with the coach as you get closer to starting classes in September. Have a set of questions ready to ask coaches either by phone call or in person based upon your top 5 “X-Factors” as discovered from above.

Junior (Conversation, Character building and Compliance!)

  • Narrow down YOUR school list (10-12)
  • Email chain communication truly begins:
    • Sending grades, transcripts, soccer development, awards, tournaments, film, references
    • Ask for evaluations from camps and clinics
    • Ask for a timeline of committing to each school. Most will differ
    • Write down coaches answers to your questions. Keep a notebook.
    • Ask to talk on the phone (at least 3 times spread throughout your junior year)
    • Ask the best way to communicate with the coach. Texting may be better for both parties
  • Scheduling campus tours and visits prior to attending clinics may be more important
  • Official visits - ask about overnight protocols. Try to time it with a clinic. Aim for Friday nights and Sunday nights so that you can attend a class and get a true feel for school.
  • Do they offer the chance to meet or speak to players on the team? Clinics are popular for this

Senior (Decision Year)

  • Narrow down YOUR school list (1-5) and confirm coaches timeline
  • Coaching changes are possible in the May-Aug period so be ready! Make sure you REALLY like the above schools
  • Official visits - ask about overnight protocols. Try to time it with a clinic. Aim for Friday nights and Sunday nights so that you can attend a class and get a true feel for school.
  • Committing to a school - what does that look like?
    • Early Decision/Early Action/Regular Decision/Open Enrollment

Recruiting During COVID-19 Tips: 

  • Find the positive. Stay engaged. Communicate with the college coaches still. Keep them in the loop.
  • What if no video: even if you don't have game footage, share with them what you are doing on your own. Show skill work, creativity, activities in the garage.
  • Be bold! Get out there and show interest in a school that you are interested in. Be sure to do your research. There are video tours, video of previous seasons games on athletic websites, and more. BE AUTHENTIC.
  • How can you use this time to show how adaptable, flexible, and capable YOU are of dealing with adversity? These are key traits that colleges look for in their players.
  • This is a chance to show how "coachable" you are.
  • Are you a problem-solver? Coaches want to see how you can solve problems. Show that during this time.
  • You are a student-athlete. Key word student. So make sure you are staying on top of and ahead (if possible) with your academics. This is something you will have to manage when in college.
  • This is a chance to study for SATs/ACTs. Do practice tests, learn new words, math skills. We don't always have that time during the year. Use it now.
  • Reminder… make SMART and RESPONSIBLE decisions with your social media. Coaches have more time to check this stuff during this pandemic. Be careful with all social media interactions — public and private. Don’t ruin your chances.
  • Social media can be an opportunity to do GOOD things. So BRAND yourself in a way that is going to look good to college coaches.
  • 4:1 selfie rule. Branding, branding, branding. What does this ratio say about you? Go through your Instagram now. How many selfies? Coaches don’t want self-absorbed people in their programs.
  • Parents: guide your son/daughter. Help them out. They can still lead the process but you can help them stay connected, do research, and stay engaged with the school. You can also have some Zoom calls with your club coach to learn more.
  • Parents: don't stress your child out over this. Let's calm them down as we know everyone is stressed. Let's stay positive and support them.

Resources:

What I wish I knew back then by Ellie Jean

What it takes to be a college athlete | Joe Cleary, Wayne State Women’s Soccer

0 Comments

There is an ā€œIā€ in Team - The Rise of Individual Training

12/10/2019

0 Comments

 
Since becoming a collegiate coach, I have realized that beyond the traditional and non-traditional seasons it is REALLY hard for some of my student-athletes to improve their individual soccer abilities. There are a few obvious reasons, such as academic responsibilities, transitioning between life stages, and navigating new social discoveries and distractions. However, I believe the largest barrier to personal development is that many soccer players simply don’t know HOW to train “intentionally” on their own or with a partner. As a strength coach, I can’t emphasize enough the tremendous value in athletes purposefully utilizing any spare time they may have in the weight room. Athletes committing time and energy off the field will certainly be rewarded for their efforts on the field with elevated performance.  
 
Enhancing one’s performance is difficult. Development at the “next level” is even more challenging. Young athletes must transition from year-round high school and club soccer programs to a condensed, competitive, and arduous collegiate schedule. Moreover, much of their skill development and conditioning must be pursued independently. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has strict regulations. Depending on the conference, some coaches are fortunate enough to work with their players for 5 weeks in the spring. Even with this team sanctioned time, student-athletes are still expected to commit significant individual time to improvement. Maybe the most demanding aspect of being a college student-athlete is the dreaded solo training expectations over the summer. For some, they no longer have access to their former club teams due to a lack of resources, money, teammates, or facilities near their home. As a result, summer training is often an individual pursuit. This requires athletes to be motivated, disciplined, and consistent. Coaches covet players who embody these “self-starter” intangibles and innate driving desire to be the best they can possibly be. Other Character traits such as a desire to improve, passion for the game, and competitive nature are also vital to performance. What really separates the good from the great though, is combining these immeasurable intangibles with more tangible strength and conditioning and individual ball work. Elite athletes today are not dependent upon simply skill, but rather the holistic preparation that allows them to excel.  
 
Youth soccer in America: This way or the highway
 
As a coach, trainer, and conductor of soccer practices, very few of my sessions have involved less than eight athletes, with the exception of goalkeeper training. Most of the training I have delivered at the youth level has been in an age-appropriate team (as opposed to bio-banding) environment ranging from 8-25 players all trying to find space in a small school gymnasium. It is no wonder then, that when I advise my collegiate athletes to find meaningful ways to train on their own or with a partner that they look at me in astonishment. This is unfamiliar territory for them. Hardly any of them have ever had to train individually or in small groups before.
 
It wasn’t until the Winter of 2018 that I decided to develop my own training philosophy and tailor a part of it towards a more individualized curriculum. During this period of reflection, I began to fully comprehend the structure and environment that was needed to make individuals successful outside of their typical team practice environment. In order to build such a curriculum I studied the interweb, watched Youtube and Instagram videos, sourced old DVD’s, and read various related articles. Then, I picked up a ball to first actively teach myself. That was when I decided to trial and test the implementation of the Coerver Coaching Methodology with my college team in the Spring of 2019. I believe that many of the individual training concepts were born from the Coerver Pyramid. The issue I have with is that this type of training is that is needs to be implemented from an earlier age, and the initial Ball Mastery and Ball Manipulation was somewhat stagnant - meaning that playing soccer without thinking is like shooting without aiming. Relative to my experiences as a youth soccer player on the streets of London, I feel there are less structured and more efficient ways to incorporate skill work which also permits the learner more joy when creating stimulation through the essence of free play. The notion of play and skill development being interconnected doesn’t necessarily seem to be a shared ideology among parents and players. They want the fancy uniforms, the gimmicks, the profile photo card with the ball under the arm, heck they even want a treadmill with a hazardous cone regime plastered all over it because it’s bigger, fancier and stupider if you ask me. Yet not many can see the value of their son/daughter practicing their skill work at speed, with constant change of direction, through varying planes, with one foot or two feet, 1v1’s, 1v2’s, 2v2’s; receiving angles because it looks repetitive, too random to them and there are no goals being scored. Skills work is the growth mindset of soccer training. It requires both creativity and consistency. Lastly, skills work tends to focus on dealing with the demands of the environment and letting that be the teacher. However, there seems to be this theory that if the coach isn’t talking then my kid isn’t learning. Us educators know that the more good coaches know, the less they speak and the more the athletes do.
 
“Youth Players have to become experts in 11v11. It is the INDIVIDUAL development to become the best possible TEAM player” - Raymond Verheijen
 
There are a few possible reasons as to why parents have this train of thought when it comes to youth sports. I have tried to debunk a few of these myths below:

1. My kids the best athlete: I recently watched film of the highest level of play in girl’s youth soccer in America. A Development Academy (DA) game between two good club teams. The recruit who wrote me was evidently a strong center-back who loved to showcase her physicality. Within 5 minutes of watching I was immediately turned off by two things:
  1. The player’s sole focus was to win the ball back no matter what and had no regard for her teammates or the opposition whilst doing so. This player was reckless, uncoordinated, and gave up three free-kicks in dangerous areas just outside her 18 yard box. How she didn’t get carded, I’ll never know. We all love fierce playing athletes but not catastrophic shin-wreckers who will cough up a PK or worse get sent off and cause us to play a man down simply because the player wants to demonstrate her brute force.
  2. This player wasn’t particularly skillful and kept hitting the ball long which often resulted in her team having to defend in back-to-back phases of play. This puts a team under tremendous pressure. I understand that not every team needs or wants to play out of the back, my issue with this type of play is that this young woman’s chances of becoming a dynamic player or having the option of potentially playing other positions at the next level are slim.
 
In order to create intelligent soccer players in this scenario, we must do better as coaches and parents at the individual level to encourage players to stay on their feet, to use good positioning, turn efficiently and create supporting angles with teammates. Tackling is a last resort not a first. Yes, this player illustrates bravery, courage, and a determination to get the ball. However, the risk/reward paradigm is not in her favor. A defender’s first objective is to slow the play down and prevent the ball from going forward. Both of which can be mastered through sound positional play and field, teammate, and opposition awareness.

2. Being on a winning team = my daughter is progressing: In England, you are either on the A team, B Team, C Team, or D Team. I understand that culturally we’re a bit rougher around the edges and tell it how it is but at least we’re not set up to believe in falsehoods. In America, you are either on the Super-Super Elite Team, Super Elite Team, Elite Team, Almost Elite Team, or Elite Team. Youth soccer organizations will do anything to make parents feel as though their child is on the best team ever. Then when these young men and women reach college, we can’t seem to fathom that $10k p/year later, Johnny and Suzie can’t get a rotation onto the field of play. Truth be told, clubs need to fill positions. Just because your son/daughter is on a good team does not mean that she herself is guaranteed playing time at the next level. Players hide. All the more reason that players need to do the extra work outside of team training to separate themselves from the rest of the pack.    

3. Team environments don’t always tailor to the individual needs: Parents assume that within a typical 60-minute training session that their son/daughter is going to get the attention they desire (or paid for) from the coach. “Differentiation” is a term that is widely used to describe a method for catering to individual needs within a large group. This was something I learned about as a teacher back in England, however, still to this day it is one of the hardest things to plan and implement in a lesson or session. Even if coaches don’t want to admit it, every coach knows which kids they didn’t get around to working with during a session. I’d take an educated guess and say that coaches tend to work with the top and bottom groups a lot more but not so much time is spent with the middle group who often times represents the largest pool of kids.  

4. Active participation: “You cannot change what you don’t manage; you cannot manage what you don’t track.” – Valentino Crawford  

Since the inclusion of heart-rate monitors in our college program we have been able to track many modalities including Active Participation (AP), which is an accountability tool for players and coaches alike. Thanks to Beyond Pulse, one of the few wearable technologies out there that tracks AP, we have been blown away by how common it is to see AP rates roam below the 50% mark. As you will see at the bottom of this post, at an elite level event in Figure 1 you can see the results of a typical team training session for 60 minutes. Figure 2 illustrates almost two times the increase in output. This can largely be attributed to the second coach being very familiar with Beyond Pulse. He is the DOC of his club who’s 800+ members all use these heart-rate monitors. As a consequence of this data, this particular DOC has created a rule that all of his coaches must be hitting 65% + Active Participation within their sessions. Which means, as mentioned above, requires less coach intervention and more exercises that keep the player engaged and moving.
 
 
 
 "What we have discovered is that a key factor for an effective transfer from the training environment to reality is that the training program ensures 'Cognitive Fidelity', this is, it should faithfully represent the mental demands that happen in the real world.” - Daniel Gopher


​5. Maturation: What would have happened to the likes of Hope Solo, Tom Brady, and J.K Rowling if they weren’t permitted an opportunity to bloom much later than some of their peers? As aforementioned, “Bio-banding” allows players to compete with those who are at a similar physical and technical level as them. Age-group training sessions mean well but pigeonhole young players early on in their career. Additionally, it allows for players to bloom more organically as their bodies evolve.  
​
“Bio-banding is the process of grouping athletes based on attributes associated with growth and maturation, rather than chronological age (e.g. under-15s)” [1]. Advocates of bio-banding state that restricting the differences associated with maturity variance (e.g. size, strength, and skill) will result in greater equality in training and competition and could potentially help reduce the risk of injury among young athletes [2].”
 
It is my hope after reading this post, you will see the value of team-based sports focusing on individual development and the need for players to be accountable for their “I” in team. Practice makes permanent. Deliberate practice is hard and challenging, but players will reap rewards if they can be patient and committed to the learning process. Afterall, there’s a reason why it takes roughly 4 years to graduate college. Anything worth having requires time, energy, and effort. Parents can contribute to this process by putting less pressure on their children. Coaches can assist players by adopting more of a growth mindset as opposed to one that is fixated on the scoreboard. The current instant gratification culture often results in student-athletes feeling frustrated and burdened by outcomes. The most elite athletes take ownership over their individual development. They recognize that skill development, mental preparation, and strength and conditioning must be an independent pursuit. One that will certainly contribute to individual and team success.     
0 Comments

Cultureology

10/15/2019

0 Comments

 
In this podcast, I talk to Matthew Dunn CEO of Performance Rising about my philosophy on culture, leadership and coaching and how these views were encourage through my life experiences. Check it out!

https://performancerising.org/guests-1?offset=1566233766762
0 Comments

Best supplement in the world of sports performance?

10/14/2019

0 Comments

 
SLEEP:

​https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/27767289/dirty-little-secret-everybody-knows-about
0 Comments

#RNH

7/14/2019

0 Comments

 
One of the best coaches I ever had the pleasure of working with is a man by the name of John Bartholomeo. He is the owner and founder of a crossfit box in Utica, N.Y. called, Mohawk Valley Wellness. The best life lesson I learned in addition to the varying lifts, social skills, networking and In Body readings was the daily awareness and monitoring of my Rest, Nutrition, and Hydration. Being the true coach that I am, I thought to myself, this no brainer concept could be the small difference maker for any of my teams or clients success.

I define success as the daily follow-throughs that our team commits to at the beginning of each season. What about winning each game? The conference? Making NCAA’s? Of course, anyone competing in our conference wants to win, especially after 4 teams were taken to the NCAA’s last year for the 64 team tournament. The successes that I want to draw upon are indeed, the small daily standards that we set for ourselves including on our days off. These daily standards might look like this:


  • Completing the wellness questionnaire before 9:00am
  • Scheduling an appointment with the athletic trainer or coffee with a professor you’ve been meaning to catch up with
  • Actively going out of your way to be a good person, helpful member of our campus community, or reaching out to a teammate who missed an open goal to tie the game
  • Showing up to the reserve/practice squad blow out on your day off
  • Taking the time to breathe, meditate, pray or journal about struggles and gratitude

This holistic approach to the student-athlete experience is nothing new but is increasingly difficult to put in place with the limited resources most college programs face day-to-day. With higher education becoming more and more expensive and national budget cuts left and right, you have to locate those small wins as many times a day as you can in order to separate yourself from the rest of the pack. To put this to a test, the next time you are visiting a college/university ask the head coach a series of questions regarding athletic training accessibility, strength & conditioning coaching, team equipment that monitors the health & welfare of the team, dining hall access and other eateries on campus, and last but not least the access and size of its campus health center. For every program that has their competitive season in the Fall you have approximately 2 weeks of pre-season to figure out how many of your athletes followed the summer packet and which of them either a) burned out through a lack of rest days in their schedule or b) sat on their backside all summer and will be dropping like flies on the first day due to exhaustion and pulled hamstrings. The challenges of summer become real for fall sport athletes and coaches and so it’s important to create a culture of mindfulness and body-mind appreciation throughout the academic year so that these athletes have the tools in place prior to leaving campus for the summer.

Cultivating a mindset of daily check-ins can be exhausting, for all parties involved. Anything worth having in life takes sacrifice and lots of hard work. Thankfully, with the knowledge that I have gained through graduate school, my coaching buddies, CSCS qualification and sheer passion to help my team be the best they can be I have learned that if you are willing to be creative you can implement certain tools that can aid in the process of encouraging the individuals on your team to monitor their own well-being and health. Since we have been doing this for over a year, I felt that now was the time to graduate into the world of wearable health monitoring technology. Thanks to a kind and generous donation we were able to invest in a premiere product called Beyond Pulse. 

“Beyond Pulse is the ultimate soccer coaching diagnostic tool, empowering coaches with critical health data, resulting in better training, improved player health and performance.”

I tried the product with my club team last summer and was really surprised and impressed by how much the players themselves were interested in seeing the data. For players as young as U15 they were able to engage in the data and also enjoy the online education section of the website. This isn’t just one of those companies that charges you $5k + for a pile of belts and asks you to carry your laptop around in the rain with an antenna on your head. It’s the most simplistic tool out there and since the players are by far way smarter than me, it helps that everything is accessible through the app and instantaneous. 

For club soccer, this is one tool where you can educate the players that there is more to the college athlete than just training and playing time. The other 20+ hours in the day will determine how those training hours will affect the following sessions. As I’ve told my own college players who expect instantaneous success overnight, when you plan to take a study abroad trip and you realize that you’ll need “x” amount of money to eat, travel and purchase basic necessities, do you have that chunk of money just sitting in your bank right now? The answer is quite often, “No!”. When I ask them how they will go about ensuring that they will have that lump sum before takeoff they’ve already thought out how much they earn per week, what they will need to cut out in order to set aside the desired weekly amount that should comfortably hit their saving goals. On the outset, $50 per week doesn’t seem like a lot, especially if you were to look at it from a daily investment. That $20 XL pizza doesn’t seem like a lot either but eventually you realize that it hurts any gains you had hopes of achieving. Over time though, that $50 is looking pretty swole in the bank after 6 months or so and slowly but surely you start to feel proud and hopeful of the short-term goals you set out to achieve. Performance and wellness are no different. Taking the time to ice bath and do some extra recovery in your daily routine add up to a weekly healthy benefits. Doing your best in the dining hall to get as much of the right food as possible into your body adds up to fueling bigger and stronger muscles. Avoiding too many late nights and procrastinating throughout the day can give you an edge over your opponent even 5 days later. These all seem like silly, hopeless and pointless acts of self-kindness but actually they are the beginning of the wonderful butterfly effect. I have struggled a lot recently with both of my club teams in their efforts to ensure that they are fully fueled and hydrated for the game. I talked to them about having standards for yourself and followed up with, “Does anyone here forget to brush their teeth in the morning??” Of course, they squirmed but they were able to relate to the madness of not brushing one’s teeth. This isn’t really any fault of their own since they’re bouncing from sport to sport and summer camp to summer camp with nobody taking the time to address their wellness and nutritional needs. Parents are more central to this epidemic than we as coaches give them credit for but how many club environments do you know with a parent education program and curriculum? I don’t know many. Additionally, parents lack the education themselves or are misguided by the common myths about protein, carbohydrate and fats vs their own personal pursuits of fitness and health. You can’t argue with the data that suggests that we’re not getting any healthier.

As a college coach, I have spent more time building relationships with my players and staff; listening to my players highs and lows with both academia and soccer as well as helping them navigate the complexities of being a college student-athlete. It really is 80% managing people (their minds and their bodies) and 20% X’s and O’s. I would argue that the professional world of sports isn’t too far off of that number with the exception that they have more staff and agents on hand to manage the wide-ranging factors that affect one’s performance at the elite level. We have seen an influx of doctors, psychologists, nutritionists, hydrationists and sleep doctors on the sidelines. Even in the college arena they are increasing. My goal here has been to share some of my own thoughts and experiences when working with youth and collegiate players and hope that all of us can continue to develop our players beyond the whiteboard. From the youth level, we can begin to monitor and track these small daily wins so that the transition to college is somewhat seamless. It goes without saying: we all want our teams to be successful and we all want to win, but after college most of these players aren’t going to the pro’s and I would argue that we all want our loved ones and players to live long and healthy lives. Your health is your wealth. That’s championship winning to me.


0 Comments

A letter to club soccer parents

5/17/2019

1 Comment

 
Dear Soccer Parent,


I am really excited to be working with your daughter(s) over the next month or two and getting to know them better as people and players. Previously, I was the DOC at a club in Utica, NY whilst assisting the Hamilton College women’s soccer team and I loved every minute of working with our local youth soccer players. It is my goal to make them a more comfortable soccer player but more importantly a strong and confident member of their local community.

One thing that I will be asking your daughter to do on a regular basis (depending on their personal goals – college, recreational, social) is to Juggle. Due to the nature of the back-to-back training session as well as players arriving late from high school trainings/games; other extra-curricular activities or just living LIFE there is quite often a dead period at the beginning of practice. There is nothing worse, in my mind, than players standing around aimlessly wondering around with a ball– sometimes players are passing at slow speeds and sometimes they're doing nothing at all. That being said, I believe that there is a lot to be gained from juggling the ball. Spending alone time with the ball is fulfilling a desire and passion to build a relationship with the ball and it allows them to be their own teacher instead of the constant need to be told what to do. Young people receive instruction at school, at home and at their club practice. Where's the off-button? It’s important that they can begin the tall task of making decisions for themselves. If your daughter needs a ball, I’d be more than happy to supply her with one. Just text me: 413-923-1442.

Given that we live in a rural area the opportunity to play any form of unorganized, child-lead “street soccer” is either non-existent or a rarity. It is my hope that the majority of my sessions will have an emphasis on the essence of play. I have mentioned this to both teams and HIGHLY recommended that they are adequately fueled for participation in a 1.5 hour training session. Additionally, they must bring ample water/sports drinks to practice so that they can get the most from their sessions. Our club has provided an environment whereby your daughter is afforded the opportunity to take their destiny into their OWN hands, therefore, it is important that they come prepared beyond the soccer pitch.


Upon review of recent statistics by the W.H.O, it is apparent that our young people should be getting a minimum of 60 minutes of MODERATE to VIGOROUS physical activity. You would be hard pressed to find a soccer club or college program that can provide the evidence that within their typical 2 hour training session the participants are matching these demands. This notion is called, “active participation”.  I call it, “inactive participation” because more often than not there is too much interference/instruction by the coach (I can be guilty of this too) and not enough quality, imagination or creativity by the player. Therefore, we have to create the right environment and find ways of bringing the street style game to the field because it allows for the most “time on task activities”. That is why I try to design my sessions that allow for as much “decision-making processes” i.e. not standing around cones bored to death. There is a time and a place for that (Coerver coaching - which is te opposite of train spotting behind cones might I add) but at this age and level the only thing that is going to improve your daughters capabilities is her ATTITUDE, PASSION, and a DESIRE to “challenge herself” in a multitude of situations and a lot of these character traits have very little to do with soccer skills. The bottom line is that if you or your child have this notion that she is "not being challenged" by her current team or coach then you should make sure that her critique matches her work ethic outside of 2 trainings a week which is what most clubs offer. If either of you truly believe that a New York state summer league is going to make her the next Alex Morgan then your daughter might want to attend a college clinic or two to evaluate her reality.


Additionally, in recent emails chains between parents, I’ve seen the word challenge pop up here and there. It has become the new buzzword of late. There is this wild assumption that being on an “older team” not even a “better team” is going to make your daughter a better player. There is also an incredible lack of knowledge surrounding the subject of “relative age effect” which was one of Malcolm Gladwell’s more thought out research projects versus the 10, 000 hour rule which was completely misinterpreted. 10, 000 hours of QUALITY practice not just 10, 000 hours of poor, SLOW, practice should have been written in the disclaimer. I’d like to make sure that you understand why your daughter is not playing up or down and so that you understand where I am coming from.


Although there is plenty of literature supporting a lot of what I have already said, we are still under the impression that more coaching is better than less coaching, more practices/games is better than less practices/games, more medals means your off to play for the national team apparently and winning still trumps development! Yet our children are more obese than ever before; they drop out of youth sports at an alarming rate earlier and earlier and they’re constantly injured; not to mention the decline in their overall mental well-being.  I won’t bore you with the data, literature or YouTube video’s, however, I will be requiring that you read a book called, “Coaching Outside the Box: Changing the Mindset in Youth Soccer”. It was written by two friends of mine who have researched this phenomena over the past 15-20 years. I will have a few copies next week but in the interim you are welcome to purchase or Google it for now.


The environment in which your daughter participates in will not challenge her if she does not already possess the ATTITUDE, PASSION, and a DESIRE to be better. In a pay to play model, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but you don’t always get what you want or what you pay for. Some of these traits are not gained solely from a linear trend of another buzzword that gets thrown around, “success”. A majority of lessons are only learned in a vacuum of failure and vulnerability. Again, another reason why I love for young people to juggle. Watch the next time your daughter juggles at practice, how many times is she willing to pick up the ball with some urgency and get going QUICKLY repeatedly failing over and over again to beat her previous score? Similarly, last week we spent almost 20-30 minutes on the “H” drill (an unopposed drill with ZERO decision-making) because I did not see the need for us to progress to the next technique/skill/level if they did not do everything in said drill, at TOP SPEED. Every time I asked a player, “is that the fastest you can go?” I was answered with nervous laughter and a stern “no”. The fifth time they went through the drill it was like night and day in comparison. Why do anything at all if you’re not going to do it right and at game speed? And that’s without any PRESSURE at all! This DESIRE has absolutely NOTHING to do with another player, the team she is on or how long the grass was that particular day. It has everything to do with her being okay with FAILING FIRST and FAILING FORWARD.


To put it into another perspective, if you and I were to participate in one of those obstacle courses such as a Tough Mudder or Spartan race, but you CHOSE to take the hard path, the path designed for competition, the more risky option and go through hell up/under/over every obstacle, and then I CHOSE to simply walk around every obstacle yet we both “complete” the race at the same time, we both get a t-shirt, a medal, take a selfie and hashtag all our accomplishments for the day, then… which one of us has truly been “challenged”, you or I? The result is still the same but the process at which we achieved our result, is not.


YOU have been truly challenged, because YOU made a DECISION to “challenge” yourself because YOU had the DESIRE to do so and I simply DECIDED to complete the race in the SAME ENVIRONMENT my way because that was my desire or lack of should I say. Even worse, is that now you and I both leave the race thinking we should COMPETE AT THE NEXT LEVEL just because we completed a TASK together. This is SO familiar at the supposed top level of the women’s game: ECNL and Development Academy. Families show up to my office for college visits truly BELIEVING that just because their daughter was on the greatest ECNL team in the country that she can play soccer at the college level. They also assume because they paid $10, 000 for said luxuries that they’re warranted some sort of pass. Wrong. That young person is just another example of players getting LOST on teams because the kid was either a) not very interested in the sport to begin with b) parental pressure c) Inactive Participation d) doesn’t have the passion and desire to compete. In case you couldn’t tell already, I’m not exactly thrilled with this misconception. I should also say that, not everyone cares for college soccer and that is absolutely A-OKAY and goes back to my opening line regarding goals and ambitions. Some young people just want/need to be social with their friends playing soccer and that should be lovingly accepted. So, apologies if this essay doesn’t apply to you but it is my due diligence to educate and help people and not be comfortable in picking up a pay check.


Instead of avoiding tough questions and answers we need to tell our children that they need to trust the process and get on with it. They don’t need the added pressure of thinking that they need to be better or could/would be better if they play up. It does not help their growth, it hinders their growth.


The Relationship between players and PRESSURE is this:


-          The average athletes fear it and can’t deal with it
-          The good ones accept it, but struggle to deal with it
-          The great ones love it. It’s why they play


To allow our young people to become better at dealing with PRESSURE they have to deal with the card that they have been dealt in a POSITIVE manner and not compare themselves to anyone else but their own practice or game the day before. This is not easy by any means. But like any tough situation it’s how we react to it that gets us on our way to a better pathway.


I hope I don’t come across as a know it all, the truth is I don’t know it all but I’m willing to learn just like I hope you are too. The biggest issue is the big picture. What messages are we sending if all we do is tell our children that avoiding conflict and self-awareness is to move the problem elsewhere; hide it; ignore it until it pops up again. As a college coach, 90% of “playing time” has to do with what’s between a players ears and not what’s between their two feet. For some of them, the first time they’re having to deal with adversity and hardship is when they get to college. The first time that they hear that the word “Failure” is a blessing and not a curse and is the ONLY way to “Success”, is at the college level. The first time that you as a parent won’t know about any of these conversations, is at the college level.


I urge you to trust your coaching staff to know that we are here to help make your daughter as good as they desire to be. Your daughter is exactly where she needs to be at this moment in time.


I’m more than happy to continue this conversation at any time with each and every one of you.


We have an amazing group of young people on both the boys and girls side and there are wonderful opportunities ahead. I feel really honored to be working with such an amazing group of players and parents.


Thank you in advance,


Sinead


1 Comment

    Author

    A soccer and S&C coach perfecting the art of communication

    Archives

    April 2022
    March 2022
    April 2020
    December 2019
    October 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

    View my profile on LinkedIn
Proudly powered by Weebly
  • About
  • Private Training Program
  • Group Training
  • Strength & Conditioning
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Camps & Clinics
  • College Recruiting Workshop
  • Parent Education