Coaching Philosophy

Guidelines: US Valley Soccer Academy sums up its training philosophy in four key words. These concepts are integral to the training of the youth players:

• Technique: The goal in training is to create an "exceptional player". Exceptional players have to be strong on technique, so the program places emphasis on technique training.

• Attitude: Players are taught to approach practice and match play, as well as their everyday social encounters, with honesty, integrity, and fairness.

• Balance: Balance and poise are important attributes for players learning to play a game requiring good technique at high-speed.

• Speed: In addition to good technique, exceptional players should have speed in both mental and motor skills.

Practice: Between the ages of 4 and 16, players have two two-hour practices each week. The classes focus primarily on technique training and appropriate individual tactics. Each class has coordination/conditioning training ("foot-work") once a week. In practical terms, some noteworthy features are:

• Coaches provide lots of explanations and corrections on the technical points they're practicing.

• Players always practice at high speed.

• Players always practice with opposition pressure.

• Coaches ask lots of questions to test players' understanding, in order to make them more aware and to clarify the point of technical explanations.

Testing and Evaluation: Parents meetings take place four times a year, in order to maintain contact with the families and to pass on or receive individual feedback in the form "individual report" containing athletic and social evaluations. Players also receive "individual development plans" that show what they need to improve, and how they achieve it. US Valley Soccer Academy's curriculum concentrates on improving individual and small group skills that determines a team's success.

It is a fundamental truth of soccer that any system, tactic or team is only as good as the individual players using it.