The Soccer Specialist

It's often said that the #1 reason for playing any sport, including soccer is fun.  I agree.  However, I think this idea of the game being fun does need to be defined and put into some context.  This is probably the number one subject I hear about from parents.  It's usually framed in the idea of how do they encourage players to get out with the ball and train at home, yet not...

This got really long and I had to cut it in half to save the second part for another podcast episode.  Inside, you'll hear from a podcast listener how it helped his daughter overcome some mental obstacles that had been bothering her.  We'll also look at some great advice from Michael Jordan as well as the importance of specific 1v1 skills that don't seem to be taught anywhere.  And...

Sometimes the smallest things can make the biggest difference.  This is true for your soccer development as well.  In this episode we talk about 4 simple things you can do to make your training more effective, which will make you a much better player over time.   No matter what you're doing right now, add these and you'll accelerate your development immediately!  Plus, oth...

Confidence plays a huge role in performance on the pitch.  If a soccer player lacks confidence, they are unlikely to play as well as they can.  Not just on game day either.  This can also hurt long term development.  Listen in to hear about a simple way to change your mindset and improve confidence almost instantly.

In this exciting new episode we follow up on the importance of goal setting and confidence and then dive into the story of two players.  Both say they want to play in college.  They are equal in ability.  On the road to their college playing goal, they make different choices.  In this episode we talk about the different choices these players make and the impact it has on their...

In talking ti many, many MANY soccer parents, one of the biggest issues seen with young players is a lack of confidence.  This is a huge problem because confidence is a big part of development, performance, improvement and FUN!  Without it, players will struggle and most likely eventually quit the game. We absolutely don't want that.  Listen in to find out how the simple act of sett...

Recently I came across a letter today's Kelley O'Hara wrote to a 14 year old Kelley O'Hara.  It's packed with a lot of great advice for today's youth soccer players.  I discuss it on this episode of The Soccer Specialist Podcast.  If you have a youth player or are one, you really need to listen to this.  Sometimes we see the top players and we think it was easy for them, that s...

This season is going much differently than any of us imagined it would.  Instead of training with our teammates, playing rivals we hate and battling for a shot at regionals, nationals, or simply a chance to move up, we are sitting at home.  But here's the thing, it doesn't have to be all bad. There are some good things that can come from it because make no mistake, soccer WILL be back! W...

We missed a few episodes for reasons that are obvious to everyone.  It seems appropriate that the next podcast was going to be about overcoming obstacles and adversity as a soccer player.  Just like right now, you'll find many obstacles throughout a player career.  How you hand them will determine what type of player you are going to be.  Take a listen!

If you struggle with the mental game, if you get down on yourself all the time, if nothing you do is good enough, you need to listen to this podcast right now!  You'll learn a simple 5 minute exercise you can do to totally shift your mindset from self defeating to self empowering, ramp up your motivation, get you inspired and have you playing great, confident soccer!

If you want to be a great player, you'll need to master this one thing.  Also in this episode,  we talk about labels and why you should ignore them.  Learn how to rapidly improve your game in only 10 minutes per day, and finally you'll discover how this very podcast was responsible for winning a college showcase tournament last week!   Listen now!

When it comes to your performance on the soccer pitch, confidence is  everything.  It’s confidence, not technical ability, that separates the  big time penalty kick takers from those that never take them.  Confidence allows you to keep the ball under pressure, try new and creative things and makes you an all around better teammate and player.  Check out this podcast and ge...

Have a listen and learn about 9 soccer tips you need to know that will help you develop and become the best soccer player you can possibly be.  Discover how one of them took a player from a low level team to a much higher level team that is even a year older.  Take a listen now!

Talented matters.  Without it, you are not going to go very far.  But having it is no guarantee of success either.  There are many other attributes you're going to need to be a great soccer player.   Or, for that matter, to be successful in life as well.  And teaching those things to our players are really important. Learn what this guy can teach you about succeeding...

Don't have five, six, ten grand a year to spend on youth soccer? Learn why that's not only okay but why you may be better off. I know youth soccer is a crazy world and it can cost an insane amount of money to give your kids the opportunities you want to give them or think they need.   But I'm here to tell you that it's not only not necessary it may be counter-productive! Learn why you don't n...

I know it doesn't seem like kids listen very often.  But they hear everything coaches and parents say.  In fact, they probably hear a lot more of the negative things.  And many of these might not seem negative to the adults.  Communication with our soccer players is important.  It's even more important to communicate in the right way to make sure your players are in the ri...

At young ages, the players that stand out and get the attention in soccer, are the biggest, fastest, strongest athletes.  But athleticism is not a key to soccer success at the higher levels. While it gets attention and can be successful at younger ages, if you truly want to be elite there are a lot of things in soccer you can excel at without it.  It's what I refer to as little things. &...

Goal setting is really important when it comes to playing a sport like soccer.  And I don't mean goals like "I want to be a better player" or "I want to be the next Messi" or "I want to play in college."  I don't even mean goals  like "I want to score X number of goals this season."  No, I'm talking about specific, incredibly powerful goals, and a specific way of setting them,...

Excellence is simply being the best soccer player you can possibly be.  But while coaches and parents are always talking to our players about effort, and working hard, and being aggressive, we never seem to get around to the important part.  We don't help them to understand what it takes, mentally, to be a great player. If a player has big goals for their soccer, such as playing in colle...

If you want to be a good soccer player, you'll need to make choices.  You can't do everything.  Parents and coaches, it's our job to help our players understand and prioritize those things that are important to them so that they can reach their goals.  Learn about the sacrifices and rewards of working hard to be the best soccer player you can possibly be.  And most important, l...

Players, parents, coaches this is a must listen.  This is a letter I wrote to my own players a number of years ago.  I think one of the things we need to change is the culture and environment surrounding our players while helping them to get all they can out of their youth soccer experience, in addition to helping them on their journey to becoming the very best soccer player possible. &n...

Not many players set goals for soccer.  Too many focus on the wrong things.  These are usually things they can't control, or at least not control completely.  They may go into games with the goal of winning. But does a goal of winning really increase your chances of winning?  Not really.  But there are things you can control, as a player and as a team, that will help you i...

Competition is an important part of learning and development.  Players don't get better without competition.  It's what drives them.  But allowing competition to cross a line into a toxic learning environment where players are stressed out and afraid to make a mistake or perform poorly at practice won't help them improve.  It will stunt their development and maybe even drive th...

Discover the biggest thing a player can do to accelerate their development as a soccer player.  You'll learn how to combine this with all the little things a soccer player can do that don't require talent but will equal big results!  When a player zeroes in on these aspects of the game their development will rapidly jump to another level, allowing them to compete with bigger, faster, str...

Youth soccer in America can seem overwhelming for coaches, parents and players.  From club politics to all the different leagues, from pay to play to the quality of the coaches, there is a lot to consider and worry about.  There are so many things in which it seems players don't have any say.  But that's not the case.  There are many things players can do on their own, and pare...