Coaching travel soccer teams is HI-Performance Soccer Academy’s core competency. We currently coach over 20 travel teams and have the staff capacity to coach many more. We believe one of our key strengths is our unique ability to match a coach to a team. We have a large number of coaches and trainers on staff. We hire coaches and trainers because of their strengths and specialties. Some are outstanding at working with U8 players as they decide whether to continue with Recreational soccer or to transition to travel. Others on our staff are experts at motivating and building new teams – at U9 and U10. We have coaches that specialize in high school teams – a far different profile and challenge than the U9 player. We also have staff that are able to take the lower skilled players and teams and ensure they have a positive experience playing in the ODSL – and at the same time improve their skill level. Some of our coaches are outstanding at developing girl’s teams; others are better positioned with boy’s teams. We have worked very hard to build a robust organization of coaches with complimentary skills and talents that like working together. Our model is to send one of our Directors or Senior Coaches to observe your team and listen to team needs and requirements. We may ask to observe a practice session or game – or even to send a coach to run a practice. We are evaluating the team – and with that evaluation are able to assign a coach that is uniquely qualified to coach that team.

We have a few core beliefs about coaching youth soccer:

•  We believe that the responsibility for picking the right coach for a team should be handled by qualified technical staff with a vast background in soccer coaching and player development. Our model lets experts pick the right coach, and then develops a future plan that will encompass other coaching talent as teams change and grow.
• We believe (in most cases) that a team should not stay with one coach for more than three years. Our structure therefore ensures that our coaches work with teams for that period of time and then successfully turn them over to another of our staff ready to take them to the next level of development.
• A team benefits most from exposure to multiple trainers and coaches. Our model therefore strives to have players exposed to a broad range of HPSA staff. A coach handles a team during fall and spring coaching and game seasons, and for their week of summer camp. However, if we coach enough teams in a core neighborhood area, we will offer a 3rd night of training to travel teams - and on that night expose players to other coaches. During winter skills training and summer practices we work hard to switch teams around; and if one team or player is having a particular challenge we may send in other coaching help to offer advice.

HPSA Coaching and Training Service Plans:

COACHING SERVICES

•  HPSA Coaches are responsible for both TRAINING a team and COACHING a team. In other words, they will train a team twice a week and also coach that team during a weekend game. The vast majority of HPSA teams follow this model.
•  HPSA Coach contracts are for a seasonal year (2005-2006 is the current season). Our coach contracts generally begin just before team tryouts in June and end one year later.
• We have accepted teams for less than a seasonal year – generally for a spring season because a team has lost a coach or if players are committed to playing High School soccer and the team sits out a season because of that. If you are looking for a coach for the 2006-2007 season the earlier we are contacted the better able we are to match an ideal coach to an environment.

TRAINING SERVICES

• HPSA trainers are responsible for training a team – but do not coach the team during game play. This situation generally exists with less competitive travel teams that have a parent coach – but prefer professional training services. HPSA trainers will train a team either once a week or twice a week – and contracts can be seasonal (full year, half year, or for one season – winter, spring, summer or fall). We often handle seasonal contacts with teams that have coaches that are not in the area during the winter or summer but yet would like to continue to train.

Our goals for working with youth teams:

   1. Developing the Youth Soccer Player
      >Develop technical soccer proficiency – teach them to play well
      > Develop tactical awareness – teach them to play smart
      > Build endurance – ensure they don’t wear out
      > Build heart – help them learn to win and play under pressure
      > Build self-control – help them learn to focus and control themselves
   2. Developing the TEAM environment
      >Develop team respect and harmony – teach them to play together
      >Passing and Finishing tactics – teach them to score goals together
      >Defending and Protecting – teach them to keep the other team from scoring
      >Communicating – teach them to talk to each other
      >Team Spirit – celebrate success, analyze defeat collectively and positively
   3. Create the right learning conditions
      > It has to be fun
      >Sports build a foundation for team skills that will benefit youth players all their lives
      >Soccer players develop at different times and in phases – and must be allowed time and opportunity
      >ALL players go through “slumps” and have “bad games”
   4. Play in the correct league
      > Players need successes – the team should be placed in a league where they can achieve success
      >Tournaments should also ensure successes – don’t be pressured to enter too competitive an environment before a team is ready

How to get started?

If your team (travel or SFL) is looking for a professional coach or trainer and you would like to discuss options and alternatives with us feel free to give us a call 703 437-9750 or send us an email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . We will discuss our approaches with you and most of all listen to your needs and requirements.