SOCCER CLUB COACHES NEWSLETTER Volume 3, Issue 9, October 2014 A Message from the Technical Director The fall ’14 season is quickly coming to a close. In this issue you will find our teams’ current standings in their respective leagues. There are some bright spots and for sure there are areas that need improvement. Here’s to wishing everyone a strong finish to the fall season. October means playoff games for the boys’ high school teams. Hardy Kalisher’s Boulder Panthers and Rob Johnson’s Niwot Cougars won their respective leagues and will receive high seeds going into the playoffs season. Boulder and Fairview finished 1 and 2 in the tough 5A Front Range League., which is a great testament to all our FCB players on those rosters! Several other Boulder County schools seem to be peaking at the right time, so it could be an interesting run. In this issue you’ll find an article on the pre-game warm up. What should be a relatively simple and straightforward routine that gets players ready physically, mentally and emotionally, more often than not becomes an exercise that is not conducive to peak performance. I found a super article by one of my favorite authors Dan Abrams on ‘Developing a Match Script’. As Yogi Berra so famously stated: “Baseball is ninety percent mental and the other half is physical”. And so it is in soccer as well… Are you as a coach, deliberately training your athletes’ mental part of the game? If not, then please read Dan’s article. James Wagenschutz’ article on concussion management is a timely reminder for all of us. Coaches, thanks for participating in the stats page. In this issue you will find the top 5 players in each category, however, you can find a complete listing on the FCB4Me page. Coaches, also a big thank you for participating in the FCB Coaching Workshop series. For this fall season, we have one classroom session remaining on Monday November 3 from 7:30-9 PM at the FCB office. On Saturday October 25th FCB will host the Second Annual Funino Festival at Foothills Community Park. This is a fun day of soccer related activities and games. Please check our website for further details. Specifics for the complete FCB winter training program will come out shortly, and remember, the FCB futsal facility will open in the new year. Finally, a more detailed look at our 60 FCB alumni who are currently playing at the collegiate level. Thanks for all you do. All the best in these remaining weeks of the fall season The Pre-Game Warm Up The purpose of the pre-game warm up is to get your players physically, mentally and emotionally ready to play the game. In my opinion it is important to create consistency in your warm up. The pregame warm up is NOT the time and place to introduce a new exercise or drill, no matter how good an exercise it might be. Your players should be familiar with the warm up routine and this routine should be rehearsed during one of your practices. The following progression has worked well for me: 60-45 minutes prior game time – Players arrive to the field. 45-40 minutes prior to game time – We come together as a group, check in with your players and briefly discuss the upcoming game and get everyone’s mind focused. 40-30 minutes prior to game time – Dynamic movement, light jogging, individualized stretching and overall movement without the ball. 30 minutes prior to game time – A quick drink and we get right into a passing and dribbling activity in which there is lots of movement, lots of touches on the ball and players need to have their head up and see as much of the field as possible. At this point, my keeper will go off with either an assistant coach or another player to go through the keeper specific warm up. 25 minutes prior to game time – An activity in which the players are checking to the ball and performing different skills (pass, volley, head). Lots of change of pace and change of direction. 20 minutes prior to game time – A possession game (even #s + 2 neutral players) which progresses as follows: 3 minutes of unlimited touch. 3 minutes of 1 and 2-touch. 3 minutes of unlimited touch, in which you count consecutive 1touch passes. Each sequence becomes more demanding technically and tactically. Some coaches like to do this in a small space where everything happens very quickly and where there are opportunities to create ‘contact’ situations. I prefer to give the players a bit more space so that they can experience success. 10 minutes prior to game time – If possible, a brief finishing activity with lots of movement and shots on goal. If a finishing exercise is not possible, then I have the players pair up and hit long balls back and forth. 5 minutes prior to game time – Quick drink, announce line-up, some final instructions, take a deep breath and let’s have some fun! In my opinion, it is so important that players go into a game feeling confident, positive and in a good frame of mind. The warm up is not the time nor place to criticize nor over-coach your players. A great warm up is not a guarantee that your players will always play great. I think we have all seen the lousy warm up followed by a great game, and an awesome warm up followed by a lousy game. However, if you can create consistency and predictability in your warm up, then your players will settle into a routine and will start taking pride in their pre-game warm up. I believe that consistency in your pre-game warm up will lead to consistency in the players’ game performance. Good luck! Concussion Management- FC Boulder’s Protocol By: James Wagenschutz At some point in our coaching career we have all faced an injury among our players. Let’s remember it’s their injury, not yours, and their level of interpretation of how painful or the restricted motions they demonstrate are unique to that individual. In other words, not every injury can be treated the same based upon the individuality of each person. This is especially true when it comes to concussions. With information being presented daily on the internet and in the news about concussions, lawsuits, long term negative side effects, I think it can be safe to say that we don’t have all the answers in how to recognize, treat and care for an athlete who suffered a concussion. There are several mechanisms for a concussion, which are not always obvious. Perhaps someone fell really hard on their low back and their head went through a whiplash. There are, however, some acute management things recommended to do if a player presents the mechanisms for a concussion during a training or game: If the mechanism for a concussion is present, then RECOGNIZE AND REMOVE at the field and follow these steps: 1) Remove the athlete from play. Use the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Pocket Recognition Tool (see below) - to help recognize a concussion. Athletes who experience signs or symptoms of a concussion should not be allowed to return to play in that training/game or subsequent game until they have been evaluated by a qualified/licensed health care professional who is trained in the evaluation and management of concussions. 2) Ensure the athlete is evaluated by a qualified/licensed health care professional who is trained in the evaluation and management of concussions. Do not try to judge the severity of the injury yourself. Health care professionals have a number of different methods they can use to assess the severity of a concussion. Notify the appropriate FC Boulder Director of Competitive Programs who can assist in acquiring an appropriate and qualified health care evaluation. 3) Immediately inform the athletes’ parent(s) or guardian(s) about the known or possible concussion. Be clear in your communication that the athlete must sit out and recommend that they be seen by a qualified health care professional. 4) This written notice MUST include information stating the athlete has undergone a recommended Graded Return to Play Protocol- or is cleared to begin a Graded Return to Play as dictated by U.S. Soccer or other proper authority. NOTE: Any player medically diagnosed with a concussion (which can only happen in a clinical setting), not matter the severity, MUST provide a written medical clearance to their team coach from the attending qualified/licensed health care professional who is trained in the evaluation and management of concussion before return to any activity with FC Boulder, inclusive of instructions on whether they have completed or ready to begin the Graded Return to Play Protocol. Should you have any questions or concerns or do not have access to medical care, contact James Wagenschutz, Director of Athletic Performance at james.wagenschutz@fcboulder.com For more detailed information on concussions, please visit: https://www.bcsm.org/medical/concussionmanagement/ Developing a Match Script By Dan Abrahams The soccer player must play in a bubble. can control all of those plays. The second characteristic is just as important – plays must be related to your role and responsibility, or to your mindset. Again, these are things you can control. Not one that isolates her from her teammates or the opposition, but one that enables her to detach from the plays or thoughts that lessen her confidence, damage her focus or waylays her intensity of performance. In other words she needs a mental structure – a series of friendly thoughts to focus on or to return to if her mind wanders. A ‘Match Script’ is my rod and staff as a soccer psychologist. It is a non-negotiable process I go through with all my clients to help them deliver consistency on match day. I know if they enter the game with a couple of controllable, tangible plays engraved in the front of their mind they give themselves the best chance to deliver a great performance. This is a simple idea but devilishly difficult to execute. This is where the idea of a ‘Match Script’ comes in. A Match Script helps a soccer player to rest her mind on herself and in the present moment. For a game on Saturday, we’ll set a Match Script on Tuesday. This gives the player several days to process, picture and progress the script. Using a training session to multiply reinforcement links practice to the game – the blueprint can then be executed on match day. Your script is two or three plays you want to execute during the game that are plays you can control and are related to your role and responsibilities and your mindset. Let me give you some examples: Non-stop movement. Win my headers; time jumps. Push winger on the outside at all times. Work hard – box-to-box. Talk to myself confidently at all times. Focus on me. Be strong in every challenge. Be dominant on a crossing ball. I can’t emphasize enough the importance of the two characteristics of the plays that make up your script. They must be things that you can control. This means they must relate to you as you are the only person you can completely control. If you look at the list above you A Match Script lends towards playing ‘in the zone.’ Many of the coaches I talk with about the script refer to the concept of the ‘zone.’ They point out that a feature of this well talked about mental state is a clear, uncluttered mind. They argue that a soccer player should play without any thoughts running through their head. I, too, believe that the brain and nervous system work best when a soccer player is merely playing and reacting instinctively to the challenges that unfold. Being intuitive, automatic and reflexive is a mindset and way of playing that all soccer players should adhere to. But to me the researchers who study ‘the zone’ are not saying that there should be no thought. Simply there should be less thought. No one will ever know the exact amount of thought required to be ‘zone-like.’ What I do know is that players who set foot on the field with a match script have something to focus their mind on, as well as something to take their mind away from the things they can’t control. And they have tangible, controllable things to come back to when they get distracted. Positive Coaching Alliance The ELM Tree of Mastery – cont’d Make Effort Goals a Part of Your Team Culture Effort goals are more under a player’s control than outcome goals. Effort goals motivate because players can control their effort and see their progress. Here are a few examples of Effort Goals: - Sprint after all 50/50 balls - Everyone makes a positive comment to a teammate in each training session and during each game. - When possession is lost, immediately recover all ten players behind the ball. - When attacking, all ten field players are in the opponent’s half. If you are coaching a team that is not very talented, effort goals can keep your team from getting discouraged. Effort goals are also useful for talented teams when winning easily. If a team has put the game away early, have players focus on using their weak feet, or playing new positions. Effort goals are even more powerful when players set their own. Improve Performance with Stretch Goals A stretch goal is something you can’t do right away, so a stretch is required. Stretch goals go a little beyond what people think they can do, but are reachable with effort over time. Maximize Effort by Rewarding Unsuccessful Effort All coaches reward players who make the play. It sounds crazy, but to maximize team effort, reward players who try hard but fail to make the play. This tool can transform your own negativity when a player fails to make a play. A coach who understands the power of this tool for building a team of gritty, relentless players will be less disappointed at failure because he will see it as an ideal teachable moment to strengthen his team’s habit of effort. Get Things Done with Targeted Symbolic Rewards What gets rewarded gets done. What the coach gives attention to gets done because a coach’s attention is rewarding to players. After games, recognize players who worked hard or completed unsung activities. The Athlete’s Emotional Tank A pervasive image from professional sports on television is a coach yelling at a player who failed to make a play or do what the coach wanted. While this is often regarded as toughness on the part of the coach, I think it generally is a lack of discipline that undermines a coach’s ability to get the best from players. Each person has an “Emotional Tank” like the gas tank in a car. If your gas tank is empty, you are not going to go very far. Coaches who yell and demean players drain their Emotional Tank. When ETanks are low, an athlete will not perform as well. When E-Tanks are full, players are more coachable. Coaches who regularly fill their players E-Tanks provide their team with the equivalent of a portable home team advantage. It’s as if they played all their games at home in front of a huge supportive crowd. To be cont’d. The High School Page (Most recent games) Alexander Dawson Beth Eden Denver S&T Liberty Common Ridge View Heritage Christian Union Colony Denver Christian Community Christian 7-7-1 0-1 1-4 2-3 5-0 1-0 5-0 0-1 1-0 Boulder Fossil Ridge Rocky Mountain Broomfield Mountain Range Legacy Horizon Monarch Fort Collins 11-1-3 3-1 3-0 2-1 1-0 4-0 1-0 3-0 4-0 Broomfield Fossil Ridge Boulder Loveland Horizon Rocky Mountain Fort Collins Poudre Monarch 8-4-3 0-0 1-2 4-3 2-3 2-1 0-0 1-2 2-1 Centaurus Greeley West Alameda Mountain View Northridge Thompson Valley Greeley Central Longmont D’Evelyn 11-3-1 3-2 4-2 9-1 1-0 2-1 1-2 2-1 3-0 Fairview Poudre Cherry Creek Fort Collins Horizon Mountain Range Monarch Legacy Fossil Ridge 10-5-0 3-2 2-4 2-0 1-0 3-2 1-0 5-1 3-1 Monarch Mountain Range Loveland Fossil Ridge Legacy Horizon Fairview Boulder Broomfield 6-4-4 4-0 3-3 2-0 1-1 0-0 0-1 0-3 1-2 Niwot Mead Centaurus Longmont Silver Creek Greeley West Skyline Northridge Greeley Central 13-1-1 4-1 1-0 4-0 3-0 4-3 1-0 6-0 3-2 Longmont Greeley Central Niwot Thompson Valley Silver Creek Mountain View Northridge Centaurus Greeley West 5-10-0 3-4 0-4 1-0 0-3 5-0 0-3 1-2 3-2 Peak to Peak Bruce Randolph Skyview Faith Christian Lutheran Colorado Academy Manual Jefferson Academy Kent Denver 7-8-0 0-3 4-2 0-1 10-0 1-2 5-1 2-1 1-3 Silver Creek Centaurus Mountain View Greeley Central Niwot Longmont Thompson Valley Greeley West Northridge 6-7-2 2-3 12-4 5-2 0-3 3-0 5-0 3-0 4-0 Skyline Frederick Erie Windsor Mead Berthoud Niwot 13-2-0 2-0 4-1 0-3 4-0 9-0 0-1 Holy Famiuly Frederick 3-1 4-0 The College Page (Most recent games) Colorado San Francisco California USC UCLA Oregon State Oregon 10-4-0 3-0 2-4 1-0 0-1 1-0 1-0 CSU-Fort Collins UNLV Nevada Boise State Utah State Air Force Colorado Coll 5-10-0 0-1 1-0 1-4 0-1 1-0 2-3 Denver –Men Utah Valley Portland Oral Roberts Eastern Illinois Bradley UIC 7-4-1 1-2 2-1 4-0 1-1 1-2 1-0 Denver – Women Colorado Iowa State San Francisco BYU Oral Roberts Nebraska-Omaha 6-7-1 1-2 2-1 1-0 1-4 1-0 2-3 Metro State – Men Colorado Christian CSU-Pueblo Mesa Mines Ft Lewis Adams State 9-2-0 4-0 0-1 1-2 1-0 3-2 2-1 Metro State – Women Adams State NM Highlands CSU-Pueblo CO Christian Regis Mesa 9-1-2 1-1 1-0 1-0 2-0 4-0 2-1 Mines – Men 8-4-0 Colorado Christian UCCS CSU Pueblo Metro State Adams State Ft Lewis 2-0 3-2 3-2 0-1 3-1 1-0 Mines – Women Regis UCCS New Mexico Highlands Adams State Mesa Colorado Christian 10-0-2 2-1 3-0 0-0 2-0 2-0 1-0 Regis – Men Adams State Fort Lewis Colorado Christian UCCS Mesa Colorado Christian 9-2-0 3-0 3-1 3-2 3-2 0-1 4-0 Regis – Women Mines Mesa CSU Pueblo UCCS Metro Western State 8-3-1 1-2 2-1 1-0 2-1 0-4 2-1 UNC – Greeley Bryant Idaho Weber State Idaho State Southern State Northern AZ 8-6-1 3-3 2-3 3-1 2-1 1-0 0-1 Colorado Coll–Men Austin College U of Dallas Southwestern Trinity Southwestern Trinity 11-3-0 2-0 3-0 3-0 0-1 2-0 0-1 Colorado Coll–Women Utah State Boise State San Diego State New Mexico Wyoming CSU 7-4-3 1-1 3-1 0-3 2-0 2-3 3-2 FC Boulder in College Sade Akindele (Jr at Regis), injured. Kiki Arnold (Sr at Regis) gp 13, 1g. Brook Assefa (Jr at Ft Lewis), gp 5. Kyler Auerhamer (So at Idaho), gp 13. Jasmine Beaulieu (Fr at Ft Hayes), gp 8, 1a. Savannah Beetcher (Fr at Central Michigan), gp 14. Kevin Beyer (So at DePaul), gp 12. Lilly Bitner (So at Yale), gp 4. Carly Bolyard (St at Colorado), gp 14, 3g, 2a. Kyle Breckenfelder (So at Johnson & Wales), gp 10, 2g, 2a. Finnian Bunta (Fr at Lake Forest), gp 5, 2g. Abby Burridge (So at Loyola), injured. Cory Center (So at Laramie CC), Perry Chesebro (So at South Dakota Mines), gp 6. Melissa Cuddington (Fr at Rhodes), injured. Danielle Dageenakis (Jr at Regis), gp 13, 1g, 1a. Chantal de Roos (Fr at Northern Arizona), Mariah Fayeulle (Fr at Northwestern), gp 10. Katie Forsee (Fr at Portland State), gp 14. Joel Frykholm (Fr at Pacific Lutheran), gp 13, 1g. Soren Frykholm (So at Colorado College), gp 13, 1g, 1a. Ben Gibble (Fr at Adams State), gp 10. Caitlin Higgins (Sr at Denver), gp 12. Mady Huber (Fr at Augustana), gp 13. Kelsey Killean (Fr at Georgia), gp 12, g3, a5. Eric Kronenberg (So at Denver), gp 13 , g5, 1a. Keile Kropf (Fr at Vermont), gp 1. Wyeth Leemon (Fr at Eckert), gp 10. Kaitlyn Lokay (Jr at Montana State), gp 10, 2g. Zac Lokay (Fr at Puget Sound), gp 13. Nikki Machalek (Jr at Colorado), gp 3. Lexie Marr (So at Metro State), gp 10, 1a. Josalyn Martin (Jr at Metro State), gp 10. Kerri Marquardt (Fr at Wisconson-Whitewater), gp 3. Jack Mayfield (So at Metro State), gp 11, 2g, 2a. Daphne Morency (Jr at McGill), Amos Nash (Jr at St Thomas), gp 8, 1g, 1a. Carly Nelson (Sr at Metro State), gp 12, 2g. Gina Ogg (So at Mines), gp 6. Adam O’Maitiu (Fr at Laramie CC), Enda O’Neill (Fr at Wisconsin), Essence Ortiz-Lanier (Jr at UNC Greeley), gp 13, 2g, 2a. Cassie Owens (Fr at Florida), gp 7. Sarah Pykkonen (So at Tufts), gp 11, 3g. Jordan Rausch (Fr at Hendrix), gp 11. Taylor Russell (Fr at CSU-Pueblo), Trevor Shepherd (Sr at Johnson & Wales), gp 13. Alan Scheuermann (Fr at Concordia-Morehead), gp 2. Rojesh Shrestha (So at Metro State), gp9, 1a. Katie Simpson-Johnson (So at Western State), gp 1. Ashley Smith (Jr at Metro State), gp 11. Eric Spangler (Fr at Bentley), gp 13. Kelsey Steffens (Fr at Ft Hayes), gp 12, 4g, 2a. Aiden Stout (Fr at Laramie CC), Tanner Syed (Fr at Adams State), Alex Toderica (So at Denver), gp 9. Kevin van Lieshout (Fr at St Thomas), gp 15, 1g. Sarah Willette (Jr at Oberlin), gp 12, 1g. Bryan Windsor (So at Princeton), gp 10. FCB Adult Teams Update By Don Harmon The men's Boulder league team went undefeated on the season with a 6-0-4 record. Led by Michael Harmon, Max Jaffee and Pete Dillon the Boulder team is a team reinventing itself. Pete Dillon is on his way to his first golden boot award going into the final game with 3 goals 2 assists. The title is not out of reach thanks to a clutch win over rivals America FC. The women's CASL team has locked in their spot in the championship for their second consecutive year. The team has really grown together over the last two years and has benefitted from the leadership of Katie Bianchi, Lea Day, Lilly Tolve, and Kyrna Wheeler. The Championship game will be played against FC Denver or CO Sporting October 26th at highland park in Broomfield expected game times will be 1130am or 130pm. We encourage fans to come watch! CASLsoccer.net record 4-1-1 The men's CASL team is working in their playoff run. They will play Sunday October 19th at 930am in their quarterfinal matchup vs Aguilas at Broomfield Commons park. The team has been excited to train on Tuesday nights with John Welsch and team captains Tyler Terry and Jack Huettel have had great performances defeating one notable was FC Boulder Team Results against CO Rapids U23 4-0. Record 4-2-1. Team League W-T-L Ranking G18 Elite G18 Premier G17 Elite G17 Premier G17 Athletic G17 Sporting G16 Elite G16 Premier G16 Athletic G15 Elite G15 Premier G15 Athletic G15 Sporting G14 Elite G14 Premier G14 Athletic G13 Elite G13 Premier G13 Athletic G12 Elite G12 Premier G12 Athletic G11 Elite/B G11 Elite/C G11 Prem/B G11 Prem/C SL D2 SL D1 D2 D4 SL D2 D4 D1 D2 D4 D6 P1 Cl2 Ch SL Cl2 Ch P1 Cl1 Ch SL P1 P2 Cl 0-1-3 0-1-2 1-1-2 1-0-2 3-1-1 4-0-3 1-1-4 2-1-4 7-0-0 0-4-0 1-0-4 1-1-4 1-1-4 1-1-2 5-0-1 4-0-3 1-0-4 3-2-1 3-2-0 3-1-1 2-1-4 3-2-2 3-0-3 1-1-3 1-1-5 1-1-2 11th out of 11 10th out of 10 7th out of 11 7th out of 10 3rd out 10 5th out of 12 9th out of 11 5th out of 10 1st out of 12 10th out of 10 8th out of 10 7th out of 10 7th out of 8 5th out of 6 3rd out of 10 4th out of 13 6th out of 6 3rd out of 10 4th out of 13 2nd out of 6 6th out of 10 7th out of 16 3rd out of 6 5th out of 6 8th out of 10 5th out of 8 B14 Elite B14 Premier B14 Athletic B14 Sporting B13 Elite B13 Premier B13 Athletic B13 Sporting B12 Elite B12 Premier B12 Athletic B12 Sporting B12 Galaxy B11 Elite/B B11 Elite/C B11 Premier/B B11 Premier/C B11 Athletic/B B11 Athletic/C B11 Sporting/B B11 Sporting/C B11 Galaxy P1 P2 Cl2 Ch SL P2 Cl3 Cl3 P1 Cl1 Cl3 Cl4 Ch SL P1 P2 P2 Cl Ch Ch Ch Ch 6-0-0 4-2-1 3-0-4 1-0-6 5-2-0 4-3-0 2-1-3 3-0-3 0-1-5 3-2-2 5-0-2 3-1-4 5-1-1 4-1-2 6-0-0 5-1-1 4-1-1 4-0-2 3-0-3 5-1-1 5-0-2 3-0-4 1st out of 6 2nd out of 10 7th out of 10 11th out of 12 1st out of 6 1st out of 10 6th out of 10 5th out of 10 6th out of 6 5th out of 10 4th out of 10 4th out of 10 3rd out of 14 3rd out of 6 1st out of 6 2nd out of 10 4th out of 10 4th out of 10 6th out of 10 3rd out of 10 4th out of 10 5th out of 10 FC Boulder Stats Page Girls – Fall ’14 (Top 5) Name Jamie Hegg Makenna O’Grady Aisling McCarthy Morgan Stone Patrizia Mendoza Team 16 Premier 18 Elite 16 Premier 17 Sporting 18 Elite Goals 13 12 9 6 6 Assists 6 1 4 4 1 Total Points 32 25 22 16 13 Team 14 Elite 13 Elite 13 Elite 13 Elite 13 Sporting Goals 8 7 10 5 6 Assists 9 9 2 6 1 Total Points 25 23 22 16 13 GP 5 5 9 9 7 GA 1 5 11 12 10 GAA 0.20 1.00 1.22 1.33 1.42 Boys – Fall ’14 (Top 5) Name Omar Castruita Christian Nunez Jason Robles Bishal Ellison Martin Moreno Goalkeeper Fall ’14 (Top 5) Name Dylan Weaver Noah Williams Hayden Velds Sophia Narod Carter Melton Team B14 Premier B14 Premier G13 Premier G14 Premier B13 Elite Girls U11s (Top 5) Name Stella Vieth Kaia Hollicky Lily Huettel Heather Guilcrist Evelyn Paul Team 11 Elite 11 Elite 11 Elite 11 Elite 11 Elite Goals 16 9 6 4 2 Assists 10 7 6 6 4 Total points 42 25 18 14 8 Team 11 Premier 11 Elite 11 Elite 11 Elite 11 Premier 11 Premier Goals 13 11 12 12 10 9 Assists 6 9 3 3 4 5 Total points 32 31 25 25 24 23 Boys U11s (Top 5) Name Bobby Erben Banyan Lyon Spencer Grumhaus Rodrigo Lopez Abadia Ethan Spalsbury Logan Marshall