To register for a United Soccer Coaches Diploma, please check the appropriate box on the 2019 Mass Youth Soccer Workshop Registration Form (Found on the 2019 Workshop Homepage).
Education Diplomas are priced at $50 per person, once completed, Diploma certificates will be available for download via your United Soccer Coaches account.
(Please contact Lynn Gugliuzza via lynng@mayouthsoccer.org if you would like to register for an add on course at the Workshop and have already completed your registration.)
TEACHING TECHNIQUE FROM ACTIVITIES TO THE GAME
Learn how to teach technique within the framework of dynamic activities and small sided games to assist your players in developing their technical ability.
The Teaching Technique from Activities to the Game Diploma will focus on utilizing a variety of coaching interactions to assist players with receiving, dribbling and passing.
The Diploma will take place from 1pm to 4:30pm and be led by Ian Barker, Director of Coaching at United Soccer Coaches with assistance from Ian Mulliner. The Teaching Technique from Activities to the Game Diploma will consist of 1 classroom session and 2 field demonstrations attendance at all 3 sessions is mandatory to receive the diploma certificate.
THE DEVELOPMENT OF PSYCHOLOGICAL PERFORMANCE IN YOUTH SOCCER PLAYERS
Within the performance environment there are unique psychological reactions triggered by the brain’s survival instinct. The athlete that reactively experiences moments of doubt, fear, hesitation, lack of confidence, or inhibited motivation is not weak, soft, or unfocused. More accurately they are simply human, as these emotions are part of the what is considered to be within the normal spectrum related to performance stress.
The greatest influence the coach can have is creating an everyday performance environment that encourages the athlete to take risks, push their comfort zone, crave challenges, grow, and develop resilience in facing setback. By understanding the science of performance stress, and then specific core-principles of mental strength the coach can create not only a healthy performance environment, but on a daily basis help their athletes to develop these essential skills.
This training will cover the science of the brain under stress; how to identify if the athlete is struggling psychologically; and most importantly teach proven psychological principles that are easy for the coach to effectively apply in the moment.
Topic areas will include:
- How mindset influences the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems and how to manage each in order to positively impact performance
- Focus on developing a framework for a psychologically effective environment
- No longer frame as “mental toughness” but as healthy/effective thought patterns
- The relationship between the Amygdala (emotion center) and Prefrontal Cortex (command and control center) - this is the driver of the survival instinct.
- Using the technique of “normalizing” for managing the discomfort of leaving comfort zone.
- Pillars of performance – technical, tactical, physiological, psychological – must train each to create complete player
- Stages of motivation – fear, reward, duty, love
- 3 Core-principles of effective thought patters – (1) Play present, (2) attention to what we have control over, (3) without judgment
- Clarifying the line between great coaching and performance psychology (creating ethical boundaries)
- Sound psychological principles that all coaches can use to effectively improve the performance environment they create, and teach their athletes these proven psychological strategies.
- The role of fear in performance
- Obstacles to learning - 4 factors that trigger fear: uncertainty; attention; change, struggle
- Why the ego tries to protect – “The Thrive Instinct”
- The difference between “reaction” and “response”
The Development of Psychological Performance in Youth Soccer Players Diploma will take place from 8am - 11:30am in the Inspire Conference Room. The Diploma consists of 3 classroom seminars, attendance at all 3 seminars is mandatory to receive the diploma. The Diploma will be lead by Stu Singer from WellPerformance with assistance from Ian Barker and Ian Mulliner.
Stu Singer is the Founder and Director of WellPerformance a performance psychology consulting and coaching company that works with college and professional teams, clubs, and individual athletes from high school to the pros.
He has worked with Men's National Team and MLS soccer players, NWSL players, the Boston Bolts ECNL and Development Academy teams, players, and coaches, and Holy Cross Men’s Soccer among others. Additionally, he has worked with USA Basketball Team members, and Olympic Gold Medalists. Stu served an integral role in helping the University of Maryland reach back-to-back Final Fours in 2014 and 2015. His work focuses specifically on 'the HOW' in the development of the mental skills needed for his athletes to regulate their emotions and attention in high-performance environments.
Stu completed his Doctor of Psychology coursework at the University of the Rockies specializing in sport and performance psychology, and is a professional member of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology. Additionally, he received his M.Ed. in Counseling from Shippensburg University. He is a frequent contributor to soccerparenting.com.
Stu lives in Attleboro, MA and is married to Juli and has three kids – Rose, Jackson, and Lily. Jackson is a former Massachusetts ODP two-time Region 1 selection, and currently plays for the Boston Bolts DA. Lily is a club soccer player.
He is also the creator of the WellPerformance on-line Sports Psychology training platform wellperformance.pagedemo.co /
and the DoSo app appsto.re/us/O-mOgb.i that can be downloaded from the app store for iPhone or iPad.
Follow him on:
Twitter: @WellPerformance
IG: WellPerformance
He can be reached at ssinger@wellperformancecoach.com