Happy New Year!
With the start of 2019, we enter the second winter session. I know many soccer players are playing for travel or club teams, working on speed and agility training, or participating in other sport programs. It’s a busy time for soccer athletes.
This January, I am grateful to work with so many who are coming to Excel Soccer Skills to supplement their training. Classes continue to fill up. And I continue to receive many positive comments from parents about how the Excel training is evident in the games during the weekend!
During the past few weeks, I’ve had the good fortune to talk to many soccer players about new year’s resolutions, and I’d like to share the advice I have given to my soccer players.
There are some fundamentals that are important to follow in 2019:
1. Never ever lose sight of your education. Education can help you achieve your goals and have long-term achievement in your career and life. Without good grades, you will limit opportunities available to you. So, make sure education comes first.
2. When playing soccer, a soccer player must understand and respect that their body is doing the work. So, take care of the body by: Understanding the importance of stretching; doing the appropriate warm ups and cool downs; following proper nutrition; and ensuring you are hydrated. Athletes must understand how this all connects to his/her ability to be successful on the field. Please be attentive to your body before and after a workout.
3. The mental expectation of the game is just as important as our bodies. Stay calm, cool and collected. If you need to, put that message on your wrist. If the game is getting away from you, look at the message on your wrist. This will guide you to positive thinking. It is critical to understand that panic, anger, negativity, blaming and complaining will not put you in a good place during the game. Attitude significantly impacts your contributions and will impact the overall success of a game.
If you follow this advice, you will have a great 2019! So stay healthy and play hard!
And my question is: Is there anything better than soccer in this world?
Happy New Year.
Cheers,
Tibi