Tag: sports

Building Grit and Character

Tough, Humble, Together

This is our motto for the season. The guys worked hard today in the heat and sun. We have a long way to go yet. We…

1. Worked on some skill with the ball – soft touch, protect, using the chest, the head

2. Worked on ball winning – an area we will need to improve.

3. Worked on our fitness in teams – I was pleased with the spirit here.

4. Are learning how to play humble and together. Complimenting instead of telling, personal responsibility, not blame. These are skills that must be practiced just like corners or pk’s. Good teams have great character.

5. Worked on some full field scrimmage – we ended 0-0 with mixed teams. Expect changes each day. Wherever you are, be YOUR best. It is all about the team.

Great stuff:

Connor and Justin were strong in the air. Andrew and Owen Miller were also strong winning the ball along with Danny. I liked the danger Harnit and Justin created on the wings and balls by Braden, Dillard, and Connor to find them. Our goalies look great.

We need to get better:

Still that urge for players to want to ref the game or coach their teammates. Stay in your lane. Encourage and compliment, don’t whinge or give orders. When you are home, send positive messages. Be upbeat. What did you do right. What did your teammates do right. What did you like that we did today. Boys to men.

NO WHINGING or BEING BOSSY CLUB Forming Tomorrow (This is a good club to be in!)

Technically, we need to pass the ball more quickly, quickly involving the whole team. Defensive and offensive positioning will be a major focus tomorrow as well.

What a great group of guys we have.

Thank you to Connor for helping cleaning up and Alex and Steve P for helping set up. I really appreciate it guys.

Tomorrow, seniors are on clean-up but of course anyone is welcome to help.

Pictures:

Christmas city had some conflicts so our pictures are now Saturday Morning – I had to make an extra practice for Saturday anyway so we could get in our Mandatory 10 practices before Kutztown next Friday.

We will go 8-10 on Saturday morning with pictures first.

Recover and Relax and good luck to our golfers. I need Anderson to have lowest score or I am doing pushups for the rest of my life.

Any concerns or good vibes, shoot mean an email or call!

Ohh…. add Hetrick to GERONIMO!!!!!

Training Recap – Focusing on Us

In today’s training we talked about our truest competitor this season – ourselves. We do not need to worry about our opponents – they can worry about themselves – we need to build the strongest house we can. To do this, we need the strongest set of ideals – training hard, growth mindset, attention to detail. We talked about handling conflict within a team, correct communication, and avoiding fouls in practice which will carry over to matches. Listening more than talking.

Every position should be considered open, every opportunity out there for the grabbing. An amazing season is there to have. Will you, will I work hard enough to get it? I know my answer.

Some highlights:

1. Justin slammed a killer strike off a thru ball. It was the difference maker in the match which finished 1-0.

2. Both goalies impressed with some nice reaction saves.

3. Owen Smith was rock solid. Good decisions, calm.

4. I enjoyed the Braden vs Dillard battle in the midfield.

5. Much less fouling today – learning to regulate without the official

6. Some quick movement with the ball – 2 touch Tuesday coming up!

What we need to improve:

1. Match Fitness for ALL players. We have many fit players, but many can and will need to be fitter. Complete the training programs on the calendar.

2. Team Cohesiveness – mixing more within the team socially. Make new friends, chat with them, pass with them, text with them

3. Quick release of the ball – 2 touch Tuesday coming up. Warrior ball is not panic ball, it is like a fast flowing river, smooth, together, and on a mission.

4. Marking – this comes with communication and structure – in fairness – the structure we will start to initiate next week so this is expected.

PS: If you are a player and got to the end of this message – which you all should have….

1. Send me an email saying hi.

2. Make sure you are a subscriber to website

3. Get your physical done and loaded into studentcentral

Training Recap – Hot and Humid

Some hot takes from Tuesday’s training. We warmed up and set up some strange goals on the practice field as the real ones have been removed as part of the field refurbishments. We had upwards of 30 players which allows us to go full field – essential for match fitness and realistic gameplay. The game score was lopsided but there were chances for both sides, reinforcing that soccer is a game where small things are big things and can make the difference between a goal one way or another.

A few highlights:

1. Tyam had a very good game. Highly active, quick decisions, and thrives wherever he plays.

2. Coach Ale notched 4 goals of which Coach Carmona had a role in – these are highly qualified guys and they can still play at a high level. We are blessed.

3. Both goalies were great – Logan making some spectacular plays and Noah being a calm option and excellent distribution.

4. Our midfield engines are turbocharged. We have such quality – Keerat, Braden , Dillard, Steven , Owen Miller, Harnit, Adam – these guys have some horsepower and oh so calm on the ball.

5. Some hustling runs – Gigi tracking back to his own goal-line to shut down a run and Danny finishing his aggressive run forward.

6. Younger players are continuing to develop and improve. We need everyone at their best and getting better – Nolan Lutz made a nice calm move with the ball instead of booting it and Nolan Browne has become a very strong ball-winner. We need those. Adam also had a beautiful through ball and goal.

There is always more positive to say but posts can and should be only so long.

Points of Emphasis:

1. Excellence is a collective decision and a personal decision. We desire excellence. I asked a few of the players for the first time what they wanted to see improvement in. Braden said hustle and Dillard said communication and team focus. To be your best for the TEAM, you need to work hard individually. You need to RUN and TRAIN on the days we are not on the field. One the calendar you will see some workout plans with and without the ball to build endurance and skill – good for anyone at any level. START NOW!

2. Play hard but controlled. We don’t EVER want injuries but particularly not in July. If you are a second late to the ball, don’t make up for it with an elbow or stomp. Be a GREAT teammate in all things.

More posts to come later today!

The HEAT is on!

Hot day. Rehydrate boys. Eat well. Take care of yourselves.

Eight Things I liked today:

  1. Play of the day goes to Braden and Dillard on a beautiful pass from Braden to Dillard and finish. It was an unselfish play and beautiful warrior soccer.
  2. Some nice improvements in play from Nolan L and Angel – thats our goal – to be better than we were yesterday.
  3. An awesome day for one of our goalies – Logan. You won’t make every save but remember the ones you did. Got a lot of work today.
  4. Kaarsen continues to impress with some nice work up top for Team A. Got a shout out from teammates.
  5. Roberto “Big Bert” worked very hard in the midfield and impressed me with his toughness.
  6. Jayden D has a great instinct to step and intercept balls in. I love an aggressive defender.
  7. I enjoyed seeing the smiles. NEVER forget that it is fun to play. A smile goes a long way to pick people up. Owen Miller is one of those guys that lifts the mood. Great job!
  8. Everyone is trying to play quality soccer. There is very little of “just kick it” or “go”. Steven and Harnit come to mind here but SOOOO many fit in this boat but I like to mention as many as I can. We need to be smart with the ball and take care of it and then strike. The boys are trying to do just that.

Points of Emphasis:

  1. Aggression and marking. Some points never get old and being aggressive to snuff out attacks early is essential to the blue and gold. The only things we want to make easy for our opponents is losing. Be first to every punt, first ball, second ball, third ball, lost ball, corner, goal kick.
  2. Getting to know other members of your family. Reach out to other team members. Being a part of a team is one of the best things in life. We got all sorts of folks in warrior soccer. Branch out across grades and peer groups. A team of brothers is a tight team, tight teams make great teams. And we want to be great.
  3. Thank you to everyone who is waking up, maybe shifting things around with work, and working in the rain and heat. I love that you are all there. ROCK AND ROLL!

Another Day in the Mist!

We were 28 strong today and we had a 4-1 victory for the pinnies. Some things I loved and our first point of emphasis.

1. Andrew rolled the bleice and found the back of the net again today with a nice header off a slipped ball from yours truly.

2. Steven Barba slotted that dream ball through the centerbacks to give Gigi a ball to run onto and he finished nicely. Steve also played a number of really nice one touch balls and hit the crossbar twice!

3. Hetrick on the wing was a beast. Gigi and Justin linked up well and Justin had a nice finish today

4. Jayden made an amazing goal-line stop. I love that heart. Tyam did too to save some goals. Sacrifice boys!

5. Anthony and Nolan Browne joined us and I am very glad to see both of you. Keep coming!

6. Harnit found the ball a bunch today. Being able to control the ball is one of the best ways to defend and Harnit can bring us that.

7. Danny played a nice backline – winning the ball and linking it up the field. Jose did too on the other end. You are getting better every day Jose!

8. No one complained about the calls, throw ins, fouls, whatever. Nice job. I noticed.

POINT OF EMPHASIS: I mentioned today to the boys that we need to be collectively more aggressive winning the ball. Not slide tackling and kicking ankles but by supporting each other and positioning. We will work on this throughout the summer and in official practice. Some individuals do but we will work collectively to SUFFOCATE our opponents. That’s WARRIOR ball. Now, where we trap them and when will be something we work on because we must be clinical and collective about it or we expose ourselves to trouble but to play with the best teams, we must put them on the defensive.

Lastly, players should not feel as if ANY decisions are made regarding Varsity or not, this position or that position. We are trying things out here in June and watching the players. If you are placed somewhere new to you, its an experiment! Enjoy and sprout wherever you are planted and you get to see things from another positions point of view. If you want to increase your odds of making Varsity come August…

  1. Be fit – attend the weight training sessions and RUN and complete the workouts I have posted in the calendar. Start small and work your way to faster times and burpees and pushups. You will get there
  2. Be excited to grow – each day we play, work on picking up as much as you can.
  3. Work with the ball – I loaded some individual ball work drills on the calendar. Check them out and work them. They can be done alone or with a pard.
  4. Be an awesome teammate – hustle, work hard, be positive. Every team needs as many of these guys as we can get.

I am very blessed to have such a great group of guys. Thank you! Go WARRIORS!

OH … get your physicals in!!!!!!!!!!! Great job Connor Millen – you were the only one done last time I checked!

Toro Rojo prevails on an ideal day for soccer

We were 38 strong today. Love those numbers. If you were here today, be here the next time. If you weren’t, be here the next time. This team has potential to be a great team.

Today we tuned up and played a scrimmage with a focus on two things. First to allow coaches to shift the players around a little to play with some things. Secondly, to emphasize the importance of ignoring bad calls and just playing our game and building up your teammates. Eight positives for every one critique. Here are my eight positives:

  1. Dillard put through at least 2-3 thru balls in to Gigi and Andrew that created a lot danger.
  2. Logan and Levi both made some nice saves. We are strong at that position. I liked a lot of their outlet play as well.
  3. Young upcoming players like Keerat, Yahriel, Kaarson, Nolan, and Lucas are working hard and finding the ball. Kaarson had a nice shot and Keerat was a standout in midfield
  4. Danny mixed in advice and communication with personal responsibility for errors. That is a good model.
  5. Connor Millen was very active today and along with other like Owen, Noah, Anderson, Rocco, Jayden, and Danny makes me feel the backline can be the warrior wall that we need it to be.
  6. Braden commanded the midfield wonderfully for pura vida. Worked hard on and off the ball. Quiet warrior
  7. There is a collective desire to be calm on the ball and not play panic kick ball. This is fantastic and we will work VERY HARD on this all summer and into the preseason to make sure we can play out of pressure and keep possession.
  8. We saw some hints today of a killer instinct with the ball. Quick thru balls between the CBs to spring Gigi or Andrew or Justin. Purposeful soccer.

Much work to be done. Just breaking ground on the foundation here.

Thank you to all the parents, brothers, sisters, girlfriends, who are waking these guys and getting them there. You are huge part of the team!

Finally, it was Toro Rojo that took the win today 3-0 with Gigi scoring a nicely taken pk, andrew starting the scoring and help me out everyone with who else scored. I forget. Pura Vida had chances though and it was tightly contested. Coach Carmona chose Noah as his Man of the Match and Coach Ale chose Connor Millen.

Toro Rojo below!

Growth and Consistency

Some announcements:

1. Nice training in the rain! Some new/old faces joined us today – Danny, Owen M, and Connor M. Great to have you there today guys! The score ended 3-3 with goals coming from Roll the Bleice (2), Breaking News, Gigi and some others I can’t remember. That said, every goal scored is because of the team as is every goal conceded. For the first full field scrimmages, we are looking at players strengths and weaknesses to develop a scheme that amplifies their strengths. Each player has their own sheet music and we Players earning shoutouts from the coaches (Danny, Braden, and Justin along with Andrew, Owen Miller, and Dillard).

2. A growth mindset is key. I challenged the boys at the end of practice to walk away thinking of areas of their game to improve. One of our core values is to be better than we were the day before. Winning as a team is the end product of lots of little wins by every member of it.

3. We will be using the Veo camera starting in July. I discussed this with Coach Erin and we will get it working for practice and scrimmages this summer along with the season. More information on this to follow.

4. We will be doing some teambuilding events including a soccer game with the girls team and whitewater rafting! These events can be a bit expensive so we will look for ways to help out players if they need it. Dates and information to follow.

5. Come as often as you can. PIAA states clearly that nothing we do over the summer can be compulsory. Of course winning isn’t compulsory either. Being a great team isn’t compulsory. These are CHOICES. Great teams CHOSE to be great. It is not something that just happens. This team CAN be a great team even EVERYONE is committed fully to the cause. Lift with Coach Alec, Train with us. If you can’t, train using the program I punched up on the calendar. GO WARRIORS! HUGE SHOUTOUT to Rocco and Adam… you have attended every training. That’s great commitment.

Attendance Sheet:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1mvAsMsQ6kby1OeIXHseZXKW_hsYIgnEm87Gb3he9lRo/edit?usp=sharing

Lifting tomorrow with Coach Alec and lots of fun on Thursday at 8:00 AM. A tour and then a scrimmage.