A big part of sports performance comes from the food intake of the individual. A simple analogy is how you wouldn’t fill a performance race car with gas from Arco down the road. Not only is the diet and nutrition important for sports performance, but also for the wellbeing of an individual to make it through each day and for longevity and standard of life.

Diet is not what people think, it’s not cutting out all your food and eating nothing. Diet is a structured nutrition plan towards achieving your lifestyle goal. The same being for the importance of nutrients, macro and micro. It’s the source of the nutrient that is important, there is a huge difference with sugar, and orange is great while being sugar, but a slurpee is terrible due to the manufactured sugars and colorings.

Children are at an important stage where they need calories and nutrients for their natural growth in to adulthood, and to support the demands being placed on them for sporting performance.

It’s incredibly difficult at this time to eat healthy. A huge amount of money and the lobbyists will make you believe what benefits their cause above the needs of the consumer. The following notes are a good way to minimize money and the medias influence on your healthy eating –

• Eat foods with the least amount of ingredients.
• Don’t believe the box, marketing will make anything look healthy
  • Stick with food that’s least packaged and not in a box that needs freezing or last for months on a shelf.
• If it once lived, grew, or flew, then it’s a better option.
• Organic is your best option, but again check the ingredients list.
• Enter the superstore with a list. Supermarkets are staged to get consumers to buy the junk.
• Healthy food is cheaper.
• Weigh your food with scales, don’t just read the serving size.

The attached presentation will aim to help with educating the importance and different types of nutrients and the importance of a balanced and nutritious diet.

Within this presentation you will find a link to a great app that will help with keeping track of your dietary goals.

Fremont YSC Nutrition

The Fremont YSC curriculum is age appropriate from its U4 beginning, through till the end at U19. This approach to long term development enables the player to develop all areas of their game through social, physical, technical, and tactical development. The development of the player is worked on by enhancing the process, these being soccer actions. At each coaching moment one of any of the following is improved, the position, moment, direction, and speed.

One session which was introduced to the curriculum 2 years ago, focuses on the phase of play, Game Build Up.

The session gives the players a challenge of transferring the ball from side of the grid to the other, using players around him to support, and with the pressure of 2 defenders in the same playing area. Important coaching points to be used during the session include –

• Create and use space
• Play between the lines and through seems
• Getting open (losing the defender)
• Numerical superiority

This practice is introduced in the U9 curriculum and remains in the curriculum through till U19, while additional coaching methodologies of phase play, functional play, and coaching in the game. At a recent coaching education opportunity with the Earthquakes Academy, we came to learn that the practice as of this season has also been introduced to their practices following their own educational trip to France. While providing an environment for players to enjoy their time playing soccer, encouraging players to make mistakes and try new skills, we will always have the players long term soccer development at the forefront of our curriculum.

Please additionally read the following article –

http://www.maximumtrainingsolutions.com/what-are-the-odds/

The season for many teams begins this coming weekend, September 9^th. All players born 2005 and older are also now entering a period where they may be thinking of their playing options in college. We have a partnership with iSoccerPath, and I hope the following information will also help with players finding their pathway.

No matter what level of play you are at, there are options for playing in college. Yes, you should be realistic with where you want to play, this being cost of the college, does it provide you with the education you want, does your grades get you in, are you at the level of the soccer program they have? There are a lot of factors, and being on a top competitive team is not the answer to these questions. A few important points to consider –

• Scholarships are not what you are told. Very few if any soccer programs will give you a full ride through college. There are multiple sources for gaining financial aid, relying on the athletic scholarship will not be wise. Research the additional resources for financial aid in which the colleges can offer you.
• You need to put the work in. Don’t expect coaches to fall over you and chase you down. Find out who the coach is, introduce yourself through email, making it personal to them and what you like about their program. Research them and ask about their achievements (too many coaches have insane ego’s). Ask to watch a college practice session, go to games, drop in on unofficial visits to the campus.
• Let coaches know your game schedule, keep them up to date if playing games in their area, invite them to come and watch one of your games.
• Select the college ID camps that suit the needs of you. Is it the right place, with the right coaching, and the right education.
• Your education is what’s most important. Get the grades you need, and study the courses you have an interest and passion in, every college has a soccer program. Use sports as a release from stress, make it your go to for pleasure and stress relief.
• You will be in college for up to 4 years, pick somewhere you like. No point in being somewhere you do not enjoy for 4 years, pick a city/town that suits your personality and social needs.

Important areas to start working on now –

• Coaches want to see disciplined athletes they can work with. Discipline, respect and integrity are not only important characteristics for a college recruiter, but also to take in to other aspects of your life, career, relationships, personal standards.
• Clean up your social media. This is the downfall for so many. Social media has become an open diary in to your everyday life, nothing is secret anymore, and all can be seen on a screen. Conduct yourself appropriately and take responsibility for your appearance on and off line.

Ultimately it is a lot of hard work, dedication, and lots of selling yourself. This is now true for not only college recruitment, but also the rest of your life. We have partnered with iSoccerPath as we believe in their program, and this is the best resource for getting ahead in your recruitment.

Today the Recreation Program Play begins.

The following article from fourfourtwo is a great insight to why our program works. It is outside of traditional and conventional thinking of soccer in the US, but is hugely popular with players. Players get to think for themselves, supporting problem solving and creative thinking.

FourFourTwo Article

Play is important, and it works.

Our Competitive curriculum also incorporates weekly free play tournament, and plenty of small sided games.

Youth Sports are a fantastic way to give kids a chance to learn valuable life skills, provide an outlet of stress and anxiety from educational and social stressors, and provide a sense of belonging to a collective group.

There are so many valuable benefits and positives to participation in youth sports. We must though be aware of the demands being placed on the player. These are still kids, in bodies still developing and growing.

Stress, whether it be emotional, psychological or physical, can be detrimental to the body and can lead to weaknesses throughout the boy which can then lead to an increase in the incidence and severity of injuries. Such injuries even at a youth age can end the participation in certain sports for kids, and prevent them from going on to play at higher levels or later in life.

Great Video on Overuse Injuries – https://youtu.be/L9Hg201U26g

Poor Practice

When playing a sport, you need to be fit for that discipline, fitness work should be specific to the activity and demands being placed on the body. Soccer is not played on an incline, nor with weights around ankles, and I’m still yet to see a player run around in circles around the outside of the field. The fitness work needs to be specific to the distances, speeds, and duration of work within the game, and appropriate to the movements and skills set performed. There is also a need for coaches to differentiate between low fitness levels and fatigue. Extensive training to a fatigued player puts them at a risk of higher incidence of injury, often it’s rest that is needed not more sprints.

Tournaments

The main reason for injuries is overuse. Overuse weakens the active muscles which protect and support the body, and once weakened the incidence is increased. We now have tournaments (Invitationals and Showcases) that offer 6 games in 3 days, that’s half a season in one weekend. The highest level of professional players who play and train for a living will at most play 6 games in 4 weeks in major tournaments, so why do we put young amateur athletes in this environment? Recently a club had to pull a team from league play due to a number of players sustaining ACL injuries from tournament play during the summer months. Ligament injuries are not the only injuries sustained from overuse, as the muscles weaken the player is unable to avoid collisions and reckless challenges, both of which can cause additional injuries other than soft tissue.

Injuries can happen in any sport at any time, and even when going about your normal day. The benefits to participation in sport greatly outweighs those for not playing. Proper attention to the players needs is important, accountability on coaches actions needs to be addressed, and keeping youth soccer specific to youth players is paramount. Together we can all enjoy the experiences and lessons learned through youth sports, and ultimately ensure the kids have fun while learning.

This past weekend Fremont YSC was well under way with its preparations for the Fall 2017 season.

We started the weekend with our Parents Welcome Meeting for the 2017 Fall Recreation Program. The meeting was for parents of all players registered to play this season, from players as young as 3 years old and up. The following links are for the presentations that were held this past Friday.

U4 to U8 – Click Here

U10 and Above – Click Here

Coach Education

Saturday was the Recreation Volunteer Coaches turn. In preparation for the season we hosted the volunteers at Irvington High School for an education session on the age appropriate curriculum’s for all the age groups. Sessions gave volunteers the opportunity to see sessions taking place, and to get an understanding of the program and session structure. We are incredibly grateful for volunteers who support the program. We have no expectation of the coaches to bring out the next Messi, we fully support the volunteers, and happy to have such wiling people to help put together a program for kids to play.

We’ve got players, now for the fields

Sunday our coaching staff got together at Central Park Soccer Complex to put together finishing touches on the fields ready for the season. Goals, flags, nets, and our containers were worked on ready for the opening weekend of games this Saturday.

As always Don Hugie was huge for Fremont YSC, and we can’t thank Don enough for his continued support and work with the club and its facilities.

In recent years the landscape of youth soccer, and youth sports, has changed drastically. Youth players are now expected to perform like professionals, following more vigorous schedules than their professional idols. An image of what we see on TV and in the media is being projected on to the youth player.

Appropriate, purposeful practice is a great development in the youth game, where players are involved in game specific practices, and no longer stood around in lines.

It doesn’t however take a ‘super club’, ‘foreign franchise’, nor an ‘Academy’ be it DA or by name, to provide this environment. This is determined by the club structure, and philosophy of the directors of each club, and a club that encourages development over winning and collecting trophies. An easy way to get an insight to the club is by checking their social media and website feeds, full of tournaments and trophies?

The importance and prestige now associated with youth soccer has led to a toxic environment, where clubs compete for players, ultimately working against each other at the grass roots level rather than working together, a biproduct of the influence of money is having on youth sports. The parent’s office talk becomes about the ‘bracket’, and ‘level of play’ in which their child is at with their club, or how far they travelled for a tournament. The conversation should focus more on the relationships built and the life lessons being learned, while specifically for soccer demonstrating individual skill and playing on the weekend with a smile with their friends. Ultimately this creates a fear of missing out. If someone is driving an hour to practice and traveling to different states for a tournament, then they must be getting a better experience! The travel is taking time away from a child’s education, social interaction, and time that could be used for physical activity. A tournament places a child in to a situation where they are now playing half a season over 3 days, that is insane. Clubs though will sell these as positives, will sell that they are a developmental club because they win and go to tournaments, and it’s easier to collect dollars than it is to educate.

Importance needs to be placed on the individual. Looking further ahead a recruiter for college will not be concerned about the team you come from, but the individual personal characteristics you demonstrate, and the individual ability you possess as a player. College ID camps will give players exposure to the right people, and limit the incredible stress placed on players through chasing down Showcases and playing up to 6 games in 3 days.

Please take the time to read through the following articles, incredibly important in understanding the current youth soccer/sports climate, and from a parent’s perspective.

http://changingthegameproject.com/fomo-ruining-youth-sports/

https://kateleavell.com/…/…/13/dear-daughter-the-letter/amp/

We will continue to provide an environment that is best for the players welfare and long-term development.

It’s so good to be back.

This week was the first week of the 2017/18 season, and we have lots going on this season.

Curriculum

We got straight back in to the thick of it, with our soccer specific pre-season fitness.

All age groups follow a season plan  with periodization determining pre, during, and post season practice. Our

younger age groups participate in small sided games. The short breaks between soccer actions result in greater recovery time being developed, and the high repetition of action develops the quality of the action when under physical stress.

The same principle applies to the older age groups, but with specific ‘soccer with the ball’ sessions. The first session for all older groups playing 11v11 (U13 and up), was a juggling session with group challenges. A low impact, and moderate intensity session to get players slowly and safely back to game speed over a number of weeks.

Fremont YSC U15 to U19 Curriculum, Session List

New Director of Coaching, U7 to U12

During the summer Gavin Carvalho was promoted to the position of Director of Coaching for the younger age groups U7 to U12. Gavin has been with the Club for 6 years and has great experience with both boys and girls. Gavin has worked extensively with our 01 and 02 age groups, developing individual players through excellent technical coaching, and more recently taking on the 07 age group from their Training Pool graduation.

The move sees acting Executive Director, Dai Redwood, move from being the younger DOC in to the U13 and up DOC role.

Travis Cabral is now also the official DOC for the U4 to U6 Play Program.

Fundraising

This Fall sees the first in 2 new Annual events.

Our San Jose Earthquakes night is for the younger age groups to experience a live soccer match, while representing the club at the event, and creating a bond with other players throughout the program.

Fantasy Soccer is our all inclusive, soccer specific fundraiser, designed to include all players, parents, neighbors, and work colleagues. A fun event over 10 months, sure to get everyone involved in to the competitive mood and following the great game throughout the EPL season.

State Cup and Tournaments

U15 and above will be taking part in State Cup for the 2017/18 season. We are very committed to the well being of our players, and the format of State Cup in the older age groups allows for great rest periods between games, ensuring a reduction in the likeliness of overuse and fatigue injuries.

This concern is also with our participation in tournaments, but we also understand it is historical and cultural to participate in these events. We will be hosting 3 tournaments throughout the Fall for our Fremont teams to take part in, but will be very vigilant for any signs of player injury. Each tournament will cater towards different levels of play, from Gold to Rec level teams.

The 2017/18 season is gearing up to be a great year. What is always incredible is to see the smile as kids play the game, and try and perform new skills know their coaching will not judge them of berate them for mistakes, but encourage them to try again. Youth sports its where kids should feel free to play, express themselves, and develop important life skills while being creative problem solvers.

Let the kids play.

“The experience of play changes the connections of the neurons at the front end of your brain,” says Sergio Pellis, a researcher at the University of Lethbridge in Alberta, Canada. “And without play experience, those neurons aren’t changed,” he says.

It is those changes in the prefrontal cortex during childhood that help wire up the brain’s executive control center, which has a critical role in regulating emotions, making plans and solving problems, Pellis says. So play, he adds, is what prepares a young brain for life, love and even schoolwork.

But to produce this sort of brain development, children need to engage in plenty of so-called free play, Pellis says. No coaches, no umpires, no rule books.

Continue Reading Here