While most people spent this past Easter weekend at home with family and friends, I spent Easter day driving home from Kansas City while coming back from a goalkeeper coaching course. Although I am not complaining because most of the Level 2 goalkeeper coaching classes are two days and usually nine hours, I found this one for my Tiger Goalkeeping Academy coaches and it was one day and only five hours. Through this post I just want to give my experience and opinion of the course, as it was my first ever goalkeeper coaching course that I physically attended.
At Tiger Goalkeeping Academy one of my biggest things as the director is to make sure all my coaches are licensed and knowledgeable about the latest goalkeeper position fundamentals and trends. Some programs don't care that their coaches are licensed and I respect that, because if you played the position for so long and after taking this course on Friday I thought me and my other coaches should all be Nationally licensed already. Level 1 was about fundamentals, but Level 2 just seemed to be about fundamentals but more in depth. So, in my opinion I was not really able to take away much of what the course taught as it was basic review. However, I did like the opportunity I had to talk with other coaches while sharing ideas, methodology, and new drill concepts/ideas.
I was never a classroom student as I was always more hands on, so sitting on a field for 5 hours just watching the instructor teach was not my most favorite thing in the world, but I did come back to Chicago with new drill ideas, new training concepts, and from talking with other coaches, some more activities that I believe will help my players become better. I do not think I will be getting my Level 3 until the end of the year or early next year, so I will the takeaways I received from this course and implement them into our Tiger Goalkeeping Academy training program this upcoming summer in Chicago.
Wednesday, April 24, 2019
Friday, March 8, 2019
TGA (Tiger Goalkeeping Academy)
I have played in many big and important matches and have achieved a lot throughout my soccer career, as a coach and player, but Tiger Goalkeeping Academy (TGA) is my favorite accomplishment yet. Over the past three to four years I have been able to help so many players develop, meet many coaches/people I would have never met unless I had helped create TGA, and I have been blessed with so many amazing opportunities and different experiences. So, how and why did we start TGA?
My sophomore year of college I started to get into coaching, but mainly 1-on-1 sessions just for a little extra money. I worked with the local club some but I still wanted to do more, but did not know where to start. Then, one day a teammate of mine, Ryan T., approached me with the idea of starting our very own Goalkeeping Program. Back then I'm pretty sure we saw it as a great business opportunity considering there was no formal goalkeeper train south of Chicago, and we definitely had no idea the impact we would have on the community. So, we got the ball rolling around spring 2016 and I remember thinking players were going to be flying out to train with us, but we found out quick it would take a lot more than just sending flyers around town.
After that first summer we really dove into the business aspect of the program and right away we started to see a great turnaround when we actually applied marketing and advertising techniques. During that first year Ryan and I, along with maybe two other coaches, really made name for TGA (a small name, but a name nonetheless). After the 2017 summer Ryan was graduating college and informed me that he wanted to pursue his degree and that he was going to step away. I completely understood and right then had a choice to make to either stop TGA and maybe join another program, or continue and see how far I could take this thing. And I believe that I had made the right choice.
I have done a lot of learning as a goalkeeper specific coach over the past three years and even though the strategy of approach has changed a few times within the program, the overall goal has never changed. The reason we created TGA was to give players in the south Chicago suburb area a chance to develop their skills and receive quality goalkeeper training. I know coaches in the area have tried in the past to create their own GK Program, and some have tried since we've started, but (from my knowledge) no one has lasted as long as we have. I think part of it is because being young and not having a family yet I have more time and energy, but I truly believe the overall reason is patience. That is the most important trait I have acquired since staring this program, because everything does not go as planned and the lack of soccer commitment within the soccer community in the south suburbs is heavy. But, to be successful in this area, patience is something that is needed and greatly valued by other coaches and parents.
TGA has turned into something I would have never thought of four years ago. On the training pitch we have been able to partner and train with many clubs and individual players, establishing many lasting relationships. Off the pitch social media has been huge for us as we've used Instagram and Facebook as a way to connect with numerous players, coaches, parents, and other programs. The last four years have been amazing and I'm ready to see what's next for TGA.
Establishing TGA has been an amazing experience for me and has opened many doors, which has lead to new opportunities for me inside and outside of coaching. If any young coaches are looking to begin their own program, I am more than willing to help and share what my experience has been. Look us up on Instagram (@tgacademy16) or on FaceBook (TGA16), and shoot me a message to chat. I love helping others as I believe that coaches who are willing to put the effort to develop players will help grow and enhance the soccer community.
Establishing TGA has been an amazing experience for me and has opened many doors, which has lead to new opportunities for me inside and outside of coaching. If any young coaches are looking to begin their own program, I am more than willing to help and share what my experience has been. Look us up on Instagram (@tgacademy16) or on FaceBook (TGA16), and shoot me a message to chat. I love helping others as I believe that coaches who are willing to put the effort to develop players will help grow and enhance the soccer community.
Friday, January 18, 2019
Influential Coaches (Coaches Who Made Me Love Coaching)
"In sports, a coach is a person involved in the direction, instruction, and training of the operations of a sports team or individual athlete. A coach may also be a teacher." - wikipedia
Throughout my soccer playing career I have had many coaches, and thinking about it I have had probably more than the normal amount. However, with all the different coaches and playing styles I have come across, I can honestly say there have been only two coaches that have influenced my decision to become a coach, my coaching style, and my interactions with players.
When I was younger I had coaches who taught me the basics of the game such as using my turns, passing, receiving, shooting, etc. Then, in the fall of my u14 season I joined the Chicago Fire's youth Pre-Academy team and that's when I met Matt. Matt wasn't anything like my previous coaches. From the beginning he demanded excellence out of me as a goalkeeper and even more as a player. I was so use to being able to get away with mediocre and inconsistent game-play as long as I made a couple saves here and there. Matt forced me to challenge myself in training, which then started to translate to my game. By the end of my u14 year I was a totally different player. At first I played soccer because I thought I was good at it, but Matt really made me love the sport. I started to see that soccer wasn't as black and white as I had thought, and that there was more to being a great player than just passing and using turns. It was during this time I knew I wanted to be a coach.
As I continued my soccer career, I ended playing college soccer at Olivet Nazarene University under coach Dave. Matt showed me how to develop players and make them great individually, but coach Dave showed me how to develop and organize a "winning" team. This is when I started to learn tactics, the different roles players played on the field, and what it takes to lead a team. It probably also helped that I was a goalkeeper, so I was able to sit back and observe the entire field and help coach from there. To me, the keeper's box was a technical coaching area on the field. Coach Dave gave me an understanding of the game that I had an idea, but never fully grasped until I was under his coaching. It wasn't just his coaching, however. Another thing I loved about coach Dave was his passion for the game. He always gave his 100% effort in everything he did to make sure that: 1) we were developing as players, 2) to make sure we understood why we were doing the things he wanted us to do, and for us not just to blindly follow his tactics, and 3) to make sure we played for each other and the program. I remember some of his speeches he would give pre-game put me in a certain mindset that helped me perform well, and the way I succeeded was a reflection of his coaching style.
Matt made we want to coach and develop players, and coach Dave made me want to coach soccer as a game. I will always be grateful for the many coaches I had and that I was able to take a piece of their idea of how the game and how it should be played. I had the pleasure of playing for some of U.S.'s best youth coaches such as: Brian Plotkin, C.J. Brown, and Alex Hernandez. However, Matt and coach Dave will always hold a special place with me as I use their types of coaching styles every day. I did not always agree with their coaching methods (because what player does), but respect is something that is not easily gained as a coach, and these two have my upmost respect.
*This post was dedicated to the coaches who made me love coaching in general, which is different than the coach(es) that made me love goalkeeper coaching. But that is another post for another day.*
Throughout my soccer playing career I have had many coaches, and thinking about it I have had probably more than the normal amount. However, with all the different coaches and playing styles I have come across, I can honestly say there have been only two coaches that have influenced my decision to become a coach, my coaching style, and my interactions with players.
When I was younger I had coaches who taught me the basics of the game such as using my turns, passing, receiving, shooting, etc. Then, in the fall of my u14 season I joined the Chicago Fire's youth Pre-Academy team and that's when I met Matt. Matt wasn't anything like my previous coaches. From the beginning he demanded excellence out of me as a goalkeeper and even more as a player. I was so use to being able to get away with mediocre and inconsistent game-play as long as I made a couple saves here and there. Matt forced me to challenge myself in training, which then started to translate to my game. By the end of my u14 year I was a totally different player. At first I played soccer because I thought I was good at it, but Matt really made me love the sport. I started to see that soccer wasn't as black and white as I had thought, and that there was more to being a great player than just passing and using turns. It was during this time I knew I wanted to be a coach.
As I continued my soccer career, I ended playing college soccer at Olivet Nazarene University under coach Dave. Matt showed me how to develop players and make them great individually, but coach Dave showed me how to develop and organize a "winning" team. This is when I started to learn tactics, the different roles players played on the field, and what it takes to lead a team. It probably also helped that I was a goalkeeper, so I was able to sit back and observe the entire field and help coach from there. To me, the keeper's box was a technical coaching area on the field. Coach Dave gave me an understanding of the game that I had an idea, but never fully grasped until I was under his coaching. It wasn't just his coaching, however. Another thing I loved about coach Dave was his passion for the game. He always gave his 100% effort in everything he did to make sure that: 1) we were developing as players, 2) to make sure we understood why we were doing the things he wanted us to do, and for us not just to blindly follow his tactics, and 3) to make sure we played for each other and the program. I remember some of his speeches he would give pre-game put me in a certain mindset that helped me perform well, and the way I succeeded was a reflection of his coaching style.
Matt made we want to coach and develop players, and coach Dave made me want to coach soccer as a game. I will always be grateful for the many coaches I had and that I was able to take a piece of their idea of how the game and how it should be played. I had the pleasure of playing for some of U.S.'s best youth coaches such as: Brian Plotkin, C.J. Brown, and Alex Hernandez. However, Matt and coach Dave will always hold a special place with me as I use their types of coaching styles every day. I did not always agree with their coaching methods (because what player does), but respect is something that is not easily gained as a coach, and these two have my upmost respect.
*This post was dedicated to the coaches who made me love coaching in general, which is different than the coach(es) that made me love goalkeeper coaching. But that is another post for another day.*
-Chris
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