Author: bestdayeverconsulting

If you are a leader of a fall athletic program and your season is over now, you are probably looking for a way to improve your program. This idea works- A I R. I used this myself and also with the programs that I consulted with this season. Each of the programs had Best Day Ever level seasons. Right Now is the perfect time to begin using it!

A- Acknowledge –sit down with everyone involved in your program, from a staff point of view, that you can get together. Let them know a day or 2 ahead that you are going to do this exercise and that the meeting is going to take place in an open area that is not anyone’s in particulars office. Moderator (obviously BDE consultants are best for this but if not available do your best)asks what did we (team)do well? What were positives of this season? So many times coaches can rattle off 15 areas that were weak or not positives. That is why it is best to start with the good stuff. Many times this part helps you realize there is more right than you thought and allows everyone to speak up about good stuff. One idea often leads to another and everyone feels like they are contributing. For a change, even with it not being the best season, it is important to Acknowledge the good stuff even before moving on to the areas needing improvement. What do we need to do better? This is very important to get all of these put forward to the group, as one of the advantages of having a less than successful season is that these are the times when people are most likely to change and are open to a new and different path. “Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results is the definition of Insanity”. The Acknowledgment part of this requires honesty, open communication and frankness (not just the BDE guy). This portion of AIR must explore every part of the program that has gotten you to this stage this season.

These steps can be done in one meeting which is probably good when using AIR for a match, game or training but for a season or program review it is best to separate the sessions so there is some time for reflection between each part of AIR.

I or E- Interrupt or Encourage- After you have Acknowledged the good and bad, you must figure out how to Interrupt areas that need changing and Encourage those areas that are important to keep as part of the program. The group has to think of all the ways to change and remove the habits and culture that is considered counter productive to the program’s success. Part of this examination to interrupt or encourage is to find the root or basis to the good and bad the group has acknowledged. How can you change the areas that need changing? How do you promote those positives you want to continue to be in the program?

R-Reframe- Together the staff now has to come up with a plan going forward to implement the how to Interrupt and Encourage. This is where you figure out the changes you are going to make in your staff, your players, your culture and everything you do with your program. Full ownership with no excuses to move the program in a positive direction. At BDE we have helped programs to do this, it can be done.

Make your program better! GET SOME AIR! Still be playing this time next year!

Having been involved in pre seasons as a coach for forty years, this year I got to be involved with 3 different programs. At each program I got to partner with good coaches striving to be better and willing players wanting to help their team reach its ceiling. Now we have reached that time of year where adjustments are needed in order to achieve the highest possible level of success.

So I am borrowing an idea from Glen Fisher at Peripheral Vision in which he uses the term AIR to help athletes recover from mistakes or stress or challenges. AIR meaning A to acknowledge, I to interrupt and R to reframe to lead an individual to better performance. For more info on this go to http://www.peripheralvision.net .

At BDE we are suggesting using this idea for your team as we head into the last half or third of the season as you should have a good idea of your current performance level and where you want the team to be. So do this for your team and it will help you to see the path to success for the rest of the season. If nothing else, it will help you to see how to be better to finish this season.

A – acknowledge the status of the level of the team right now. Answer these questions; What is working well? What is not working? What are the team’s strengths? Weaknesses? This is the evaluation of what has occurred with the team up until this point of the season. This is difficult to be on target with because it requires a keen eye to be honest about where the team is regardless of results but this is essential to becoming better.

I- interrupt those areas that need to be improved. So after the evaluation the need is to look at those areas to change the status quo. Moving along on the same path and expecting change that has not yet occurred, is accepting failure as an option that is ok for your program. So the question to be answered here is; what to change?

R- reframe as to how the team is going to change. How the team with the changes is going to move on to be a better team and make this a better program. The reframe changes the team for the better by making those changes deemed necessary by the evaluation and choices about what to change to improve those areas that can make the team better for what is left of this season. These changes can make the team and program better for the future seasons as well. The changes the reframe asks for will cause players and coaches to continue to better their performances.

Thanks to Fish for the idea and give it a try with your team. I know I will and hope we can with the Purple Bears, Otters and Generals.

It is always refreshing to be able to watch top teams in top competitions and figuring out how their tactics and physical actions could apply to your squad. From this World Cup these lessons could be beneficial to most squads in pursuit of better results.

Lesson 1) Set Plays! We have seen from this World Cup just how important these plays can be. It is not just important to practice these but for everyone on the team and in the program to be totally on board and bought in to the difference that free kicks, corner kicks, penalty kicks and throw-ins can make. Tesho came out on twitter asking if teams should have a Set Plays coach because of all the impact these plays have had in this WC. Nice to get more coaches working but the most important aspect is that the manager or head coach puts his belief in training for Set Pieces and that this belief is held by the entire team. The coaches need to plan for all the possible situations and be willing to be creative about setting up opportunities for key targets and key servers. A good use of training time is reps with the server and receiver so when the whole team is together they are already adept at making the proper service and the target or targets are also ready. A PK is also a Set Play that should be trained for just like other free kicks.

2) Making your team into a Real Team! This was obvious from the tournament and particularly the knockout matches that those teams that had a belief in each other and were willing to all do the so called dirty work were more likely to move on. These teams also have seemed to enjoy being together at the tournament. Finding ways to build your team, to bring them together, and make sure you are all enjoying The opportunity is more important than ever. This should be easier to do with a club or college team than it is with a national team. But you must do this intentionally and you must have a plan and the whole program top to bottom Working to make Your Team!

3) Being able to adapt to situations! Having a plan for each situation. Being able to attack, putting the ball into dangerous situations and getting DZT (Danger Zone touches). Providing good service while attacking in more than one way. Being able to defend in more than 1 way and being able to attack out of each way. If a team sits in, you are ready. If they press you have trained for it. This business of a team not playing the way they should have, means you were not prepared as coaches and players and that is who is to blame. Train to be ready for your side to be at their best.

This World Cup has taught us to train for our Best Day Ever Today and make Everyday the Best it can be!

Scoring goals has resurfaced as an important part of winning soccer matches in this World Cup and this has made these matches so much more exciting to watch.

The goals have been scored by achieving the following;

1) Getting touches in the Danger Zone (Top Gun term).  The Danger Zone is an area the width of the penalty area that extends 22-25 yards out from the goal.  The late Dick Bate had some great ideas about dividing the field into zones.  All I am saying, is teams that try to purposefully get touches in the Danger Zone are scoring goals.  Those teams getting multiple consecutive touches as a team or by individuals are creating looks at goal and are causing defenses to make plays or make mistakes.  Teams with lots of possession but few touches especially consecutive touches inside the Danger Zone are the Big Teams that went home early.  Programs can plan for creating situations where they work to get more touches and therefore chances by the way they train to get into the Danger Zone.

2)Set Plays are being scored in record numbers as there are teams that have worked on these a great deal in training.  Those teams that have spent the time have reaped the benefits.  Again those teams very good in possession get more free kicks usually but a number of the Big Teams that are out did not put in the necessary time on their free kicks and therefore they lacked in both execution and creativity.  PKs are not a lottery and therefore neither is a PK shootout.  Having success on Set Plays is an action that requires physical, mental, and emotional training.

3) Attacking quickly either on a counter attack or by pressing the opponent to make a costly error in their defensive half.  The key to either of these methods is that you are attacking in situations when you don’t have to beat very many opposing players.  When playing a team that makes a lot of passes in order to maintain possession these teams will push many players forward and in so doing when they make a mistake ,if countered quickly ,can be caught in numbers down or even numbers situations. (In this WC the team with the higher possession numbers has lost more matches than they have won) The means of getting into a good numbers situation is to win the ball before there is even an opportunity to build.

4) Teams that are shooting when they have opportunities are scoring goals!

The managers and coaches that create these situations in training are going to make their teams better and those teams that can do all of these have a chance to be the best.  Teams can not rely only on a Plan A!  You must have a Plan A, a Plan B and a Plan C and train to do all of them as needed even in the same match.

Knowing this, is what helps BDE help you in training, in matches and for years to come in building a program.

saint basil s cathedral

For Coaches, Managers, GMs and Players here are five ideas or lessons that could help your team going forward into your next match or season!

1) Every team that has been successful has a way of playing that is their own!  Favored squad or not they have a way of playing that suits their team.  This is not to say they only have one way of playing ,quite the contrary ,these teams have an A plan, a B plan and sometimes a C.  So these teams can adapt within their own style.

2) Successful teams at the 2018 World Cup are good at set pieces!  They work on attacking and defending set pieces!  So far I have it at 38. This even means working on PKs. Teams  that have missed these have paid the price.  Creative and well worked offensively and tough and focused defensively!

3) Teams playing up to or beyond their potential have taken the field ready to compete! Whether they were favored or not they were ready with a plan to play as hard as they can from the opening whistle! The teams coming out on top also play all the way to the final whistle!  Competing from beginning to end is what the teams reaching their ceiling are able to do thus far in this tournament.

4) Possession stats have meant almost nothing! Two good examples of this are Russia vs KSA and Mexico vs Germany with both the winning teams having much less possession.  The teams doing well have been putting the ball into dangerous situations whether it be into the box or on the counterattack.

5) Those teams having a real team spirit have been able to get the most out of their squads!  When every member of the team is bought in from superstar to journeyman, those teams have been their best and the most successful.  Every teammate is willing to defend and work for the team.

At BDE we will be watching for more ideas and lessons along the way to help us become better at The Beautiful Game!

The World Cup is starting this week and the US Soccer fans, coaches and administrators are still reeling from not qualifying.  And by reeling I mean blaming different individuals, organizations and leagues, one of which that somehow got its fair share of blame was College Soccer.  College Soccer could be made better for the players and coaches for sure but it is my contention that many other of the best football countries in the world wish they had College Soccer.  It is unique to the US and we should and can, take those facets that make us different to make us stronger.  It seems we are always taking the latest football fad (the hot country or system) and trying to adapt to that, be it Spanish, Belgian, Dutch, German, African, Brazilian, French, English, Mexican or others.  We are not any of these, (because in a way we are all of these)we can learn lessons from them but we can not copy any one solely as what we should be doing.  The US way can include ideas from all of them just as our country is made up of all of them but we have to have a US way and that way includes college soccer.  We need to learn from others but copy no one!

Photo by Kevin McCartney on Pexels.com

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Some reasons why college soccer is so important;

1) 18 and 19 year olds get a chance to play in meaningful matches that mean something to their teams and their teammates.  As many as 25 matches a year playing 70- 90 minutes a match.  That does not happen in the pro game here except for a handful of players (these players can move on without college soccer but they are not in the majority).   Add to these a good PDL type league and that is 35 matches with major minutes for these top players, much better than what they’re getting now if they turn pro out of high school.

2) Gives players a chance to grow as people from leaders that care that they do grow and are able to help them learn to take care of themselves.  ( If MLS would employ a department with each club to help these young players that might help them make this transition to adulthood and therefore a better career) This is already an important part of the college education so is not an extra cost item and is a goal universities and programs work to accomplish.

3) The facilities are incredible!  There are fabulous fields, great conditioning and regeneration facilities with staff trained to work with young student-athletes.  Again these are already there for the young athletes to use to help them develop physically.

4) The top US coaches have been college coaches or college players ( Arena, Bradley, Vermes, Gunn, Kreis, Berhalter, Cirovski,Ramos, and Marsch to name a few).  The top coaches learned to develop their players during the spring season and motivate their players to improve away from practice time on their own.  For MLS owners the college coach understands a salary cap.  He, also better than any others, understands the American player and how to help them reach their performance ceiling.  If we are looking at the US current top player, we need college coaches to have more children and raise them around the sport?

5) The college programs teach players; What to eat, How to sleep,Proper regeneration and recovery,  How to focus, How to be a good teammate, and many other tools to become a better athlete and person.

Above are a few ways College Soccer is ready to or already making a difference but let’s also throw out some ideas in making it better;

Lengthen the season as far as weeks to play the matches although most schools do not play matches on back to back days as they do in the DA.  The addition of even 3 or 4 weeks helps spread the matches for better player performance and welfare.

Reduce the number of substitutions starting with at minimum no re entry in a half and only 3-5 subs per half on 2 stoppages to make these subs.  (Would actually like to see MLS add a sub being a summer league or even more toward young players being used think about getting an extra sub if he is 22 or under?)

After a winter break teams can train with the ball, as a team 10 hours a week.  Would help with both development and also allow for recovery with 2 days off a week.

Not in favor of changing the clock as actually the US College Soccer has that right as there is an accurate real number. Soccer is the hardest sport to officiate so the referee should not have to keep time also.

College Soccer is unique to the US so let’s use it and build on it to help make the sport here better.  Everyone is usually complaining about the pay to play, college soccer is an area where the players are not having to pay to play and will help their development. (Woitalla wrote a good article about making use of High School soccer to advance the sport, the same could be said for collegiate soccer).  College Soccer can be an advantage we have, so let’s recognize that and make use of helping college soccer better the sport and the development of young players.

Let’s Get Going! 

A group of Sea Otters living together can be called a float, a raft or a family.  BDE recently got to spend 9 days with the CSUMB Otters soccer team under the direction of Shane Carew. They are working together to become a highly competitive college soccer family.The Monterey Bay Area is beautiful and CSUMB is only blocks from the beach.  The Pacific Ocean is a great place for Otter soccer players to do their regen after leaving their 2 beautiful grass soccer fields (one for training and the other for matches).

Sea Otters eat 25% of their body weight every day.  The CSUMB soccer Otters are a young team hungry to become better.  They are a team with a hard working staff making the best of all the resources they have in their area.Sea Otters will float in a “raft” when sleeping by holding on to each other’s paws.  These soccer Otters stay together by doing what the team needs in order to become better people and a better team.

Sea Otters are one of the few animals that know how to use a tool.  These soccer Otters have some young leaders that are driven to take the program to new heights.Sea Otters have great endurance, they can dive down to 300 feet and have a lung capacity of  2.5 times greater than similar sized land mammals.  The core of the CSUMB soccer Otters are pressing their fitness limits to achieve results this coming fall.

Sea Otters have the thickest fur of any animal.  The soccer Otters are building toward being the toughest team in their conference.

I did not know all these facts about either type of Otter but it is pretty cool to have the school mascot swimming a mile or so away from your field.  When you get a chance, go out to see the Sea Otters and the soccer Otters of CSUMB. They are both worth watching!

BDE looks forward to the next time we see the Otters of Monterey Bay!

It is hard to believe that it has been 50 years since the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King.  I am both fortunate to be able to remember him and unfortunate to have the memory of him being cut down much too early.  My what great things he did accomplish and his words ring so true for us today.  His life was definitely dedicated to all of us having better days and better lives.  So BDE is asking all of us to remember Dr. King by doing an act of kindness in his honor today, tomorrow and for as long as we can.  Dr. King was only a human but such a humane one.

It is my belief that the true content of Ones character is shown in how we treat those with less power, that are less privileged, have less money and less status. Each of us in our own lives can make changes that make the planet better for all living things.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Trying to do good stuff for other living things does make a difference in your own humanity.  In each of us there is good and bad, there is cruelty and kindness and there is darkness and light.  Let’s use Dr. King’s example and choose good, kindness and light.  Let’s allow ourselves to be inspired by MLK to be our best version of ourselves.

On March 20th I head out from Golden to work with the SC soccer program.  Not the programs in Columbia, SC or the one in Southern California, all very good programs.  I am headed to Sheridan College, to spend time with Tim Starr and his squad.  On the six hour drive up to Sheridan, WY, I pass more wildlife than cars to include thousands of antelope, many hawks, some mule deer and a couple of eagles.  Arriving just before a beautiful sunset behind the Big Horns.

o

On the morning of the 21st I meet the team for the training at Sheridan HS before the sun comes up.  The field is turf, coated with a thin layer of frost and the stadium lights on and everyone is eager to get started for their first training after spring break. The Sheridan College team has had one spring match and is looking forward to a second match versus D2 opposition again on Saturday.  During this session I am mainly observing to see what the strengths and weaknesses of the team might be and how the team responds to the training ideas of Coach Starr.

The team ends training with some 6v6 action with the feeling that all are glad to be back playing and that there are better days ahead for the Generals.   Tim and I spend the rest of the day exchanging ideas about what the student athletes need and how to help them reach their potential.  We discuss the areas that need to be covered in the next 2 trainings and how we want to approach getting the team involved in their leadership.  We have a very good first day and Tim has his team headed in a good direction.

Day 2 we are again out on the turf stadium but this time the sun has just come up.   We are working on increasing the energy going into attack with numbers and still having those numbers coming back to defend.  We finished with some ideas in a 7v7 to manage the match situation.

After a great Wyoming wake up breakfast Tim and I work together on evaluating what needs to be done before Saturday’s match and the Culture areas we should cover to build for the fall.

Day 3 we are again out on the turf just after sunrise for the training to prep for the match.  I take them through a fun and thinking warm up and then Tim takes the team for training exercises to ready them for the next days match.  The rest of the day Tim shows me what they do with the Playertek GPS monitors and then we make plans for the player meeting using ideas from “What Drives Winning” by Brett Ledbetter and from Glen Fisher and his Peripheral Vision company.

We have a good meeting with the guys about building for the fall and 2 of the areas they agree to make a focus are discipline and being unselfish.  These areas would be very important in the Saturday match.

Match Day begins with a 3 hour drive.  The team gets ready quickly and the match begins on a smallish turf field with a 20 mph wind against the Sheridan College team.

Stephen Hawking said “Intelligence is the ability to adapt”

Tim Starr coach of the Generals is showing a great deal of intelligence as by the end of the match only 5 players are where they were originally set out to play and he has had to totally change the system of play because of injury and lack of numbers.  In the end playing with the 2 reserve GKs as forwards, the team earns a hard fought draw.  The team took a good step forward as they showed discipline and were unselfish in their play as all of the team had to do what the team needed even if it meant them taking on an unfamiliar role.

Galvanize- to shock, excite, or motivate into action.

In our beginning work together BDE, Coach Starr and the student-athletes of the Sheridan College Mens Soccer Team are Galvanized to get better everyday.

Brad, what do you think?

Every team wants to be making progress for the individual players, for the upcoming season and for the program.  The Sheridan College Mens Soccer team and Coach Tim Starr are laying a good foundation brick by brick.

Is the Purple Bear a mythical creature, a character from a graphic novel, or a Marvel superhero to be the star of the next blockbuster film?   Having just returned from Conway, Arkansas the answer is yes and it is the Central Arkansas Soccer Program.  They are a team that has gone from losing their first seven matches the 2017 group played in the fall , to a program that won the MVC tournament to qualify for the Division 1 NCAA Championship Tournament.  The team is still rising!

How are the Purple Bears doing this?

They have student-athletes that are “bought in” to getting better and making

the efforts that help the whole clan succeed together.  The group wants to provide internal leadership to better follow the plan set forth to continue their rise.

The Purple Bears have a coaching Staff that is both courageous and creative.  Their leader willing to continue to push himself and his program moving forward.  He has brought in Dr. Dano to help the student-athletes grow as people and athletic performers.

Best Day Ever is pleased and proud to be able to have been a part of this rise and will continue to work with Purple Bears to help reach a new Best Day Ever!

In our eight days together we made progress in these areas ;

Getting the athletes to push their ceiling

Understanding their role within the program

Believing in themselves and their teammates

The culture and character continues to improve

Working alongside the staff to help the Legend of the Purple Bears to grow.

The Purple Bears have student athletes that strive to succeed, they have a staff with a hunger to stride forward and a department that supports them.  The blockbuster could be coming to a theater near you in the fall of 2018.

Best Day Ever can only help if you want it to happen, but if you do, then we can do!