A popular T-shirt reads: “Soccer is life. The rest is just details.” I would have worn this T-shirt when I was growing up. Athletics brought identity, order and discipline to my life. And the discipline I learned there, I brought … Continue reading
Wendy LeBolt
Behind Before You Get Started! It’s that time again: I call it overlap season. That season when the school year events have not quite concluded, but the summer events have already begun. Yes, my calendar is filled with end … Continue reading
Help players defeat the distractions by highlighting the important steps in the skill and communicating them patiently and effectively. Demonstration by the coach is rarely an effective teaching method.
Continue readingCatch Them Being Good! …A great title taken from a recent book written by Tony DiCicco (former women’s US National soccer team head coach) and Colleen Hacker, PhD (sport psychologist and consultant to this team). It’s good advice for parents. … Continue reading
‘Act as if’ to Conquer the ‘What ifs’ Tony DiCicco writes “attitude is a choice that can color any situation …and it’s contagious. …get your players to talk the talk and walk the walk…encourage them to act as if they … Continue reading
Aw Abby! Abby Wambach won’t be with her team, the Washington Freedom, for their next game. She is serving a one-game suspension for a tackle she made on star opponent, Daniela, at the Freedom’s game Sunday night. As the result … Continue reading
From the player’s perspective, a good coach is someone who… Can motivate and teach Encourages and inspires Is insightful and compassionate Communicates in an understandable way You can communicate with You can trust and learn from Is a tactician Knows … Continue reading
Do you wonder how you can: increase the fun in our children’s sports activities diffuse the fear of failure eliminate confusion between roles and expectations relieve the tension we feel as we drive up to the athletic complex Sports are … Continue reading
1. Knows that exercise is stress. An athlete must rest and recover to build. 2. Will increase intensity slowly (not > 10%/week). (Coaches often coach to the highest common denominator. This puts the lowest fitness at risk.) 3. Will build … Continue reading
Coaches: Give players the resources to cope with the stress of the game: help them focus on the task and what they CAN control (their game, their aggressiveness, their attitude) and not what they CAN’T control (game outcome, play of … Continue reading