The Dangers of Practice

Too many coaches preach practice, Practice, PRACTICE!

You may be thinking, “Well how else is my kid going to get better?” But hear me out.

What I’m talking about is the standard practice regimen you see 99.5% of the time. I call it the S-R-K practice.

Stretch- Run – Kick

Now if your team is full of great athletes, you can probably get away with this regimen. But if you’ve even got one struggling player you’ve got to remember you are only as strong as your weakest link.

What happens with the S-R-K practice regimen is frustration, lack of focus, burnout and sometimes even increased injury.

We all know that games are not played at the same speed as practice. So in my opinion this form of practice can be dangerous.

Coaches that implement stretching they learned in grade school, long slow jogging around the fields, and one person at a time kicking shots always neglect two key areas of the game.

Mind and Body. The connection between these two areas is critical to building strong, focused, creative, and passionate soccer players.

Want proof?

Ask any pro soccer player if he/she does strength training? Then ask that same pro what they focus on while they train?

Now ask your child the same two questions.

I’m willing to bet the answers will be night and day.

Believe me, my goal is get the best performance on the field from your kids. I want your child to realize their true potential. That is exactly why I’ve developed a system of training that focuses on strengthening the mind and body simultaneously.

I know a 9 year old girl who suffered from knee injuries for over a year. The darn thing just kept popping out during games. When it did, she’d have to take 1-3 weeks off to recover.

Yet after 2 weeks of training with me her knee was stronger than ever. And during her 10 months in the program – her knee NEVER popped out once.

How can this be?

She was your typical student of S-R-K. Practicing without a purpose, doing the wrong exercises and skills, just kicking the ball toward the goal.

But after 2 weeks with me she had doubled her strength, doubled her kicking power and scored two goals in one game. That had never happened before.

If you want your child to gain focus, strength, and skill call me for details on my next training session. (909) 610-0793.

Get Great Ball Control in Under 1 Minute

“Without the ball – YOU can’t win!” – Johan Cruijff

Cruijff is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. So when he makes a statement like that I listen.

When I read his quote I asked myself, “What does he mean?” Here’ is what I came up with.

“Ball control is the key”. You and I both know, if you don’t have control of the ball, the other team is sprinting down field putting that ball in the back of your net.

Why do kids lose the ball?

Because they get nervous, afraid, or excited and lose focus. So in order to flip those emotions upside down I teach my students two skills. These two skills are guaranteed to increase focus and confidence so your child can hold on to the ball even in the toughest of situations.

Juggling

Inside/Outside

I strongly urge every one of the players I train to implement the following training schedule at home.

Get up in the morning 5 minutes early.

Take 3 deep cleansing breaths.

Then grab your soccer ball and juggle as many times as you can for 1 minute.

Write down how many you did.

Repeat this same process immediately before you go to bed. (Only this time try and beat the number you did in the morning.)

If a minute is too long – how about 30 seconds?

You may not realize it but practicing 1 minute in the morning and 1 minute at night is like getting 12 extra practices a year.

So, can you dramatically improve your ball control with just one minute of juggling?

The answer is – You BET!

And the great news is when you conquer one minute of juggling you’ll transform your regular practice time into fun time. Use this method and I assure you your ball control will improve leaps and bounds.

Practice for excellence,

Coach Nolan

PS I’m in the process of putting together a video that shows exactly how to perform the “Inside/Outside” skill. When I get it completed I’ll send you the link. Until then keep practicing.

The 30 Second Cure to Losing

It was a fun filled weekend of soccer!

Training Friday was great. A Galaxy win on Saturday. But my soccer experiences Sunday ended on a sour note. I watched my students suffer a frustrating loss 1-nil.

They got over the loss pretty fast – in fact, my opinion is they got over the loss too FAST. They really didn’t seem to care that they got shut out to a team that really wasn’t better than them. The goal scored against them was a fluke and caused by lack of hustle..

But since I like to turn lemons into lemonade I figure I’d share what you can do to inspire and motivate your youngsters after a frustrating defeat.

This secret cure is fast, easy, and eliminates all frustration about losing in less than 30 seconds.

The secret is to…

Set a new goal for the team.

When my team lost I always made sure I set a new goal. Something to the effect of, "Here is what we are gonna do. We are gonna score 3 goals next game. And shut the other team out! Got it!"

When I did this, some of the parents looked confused and asked me why I put it to them that way.

Here’s why:

Right after a loss players are always frustrated, disappointed, or even angry. Most coaches think those are negatives that need to be eliminated. Not I.

I believe those attitudes are fuel. Fuel that can be and should be used to make your players inner desire burn hotter.

But without a clear destination, that fuel is just wasted.

Setting a clear goal right after a loss is exactly what an elite and dynamic soccer player does. Because he/she knows that mentally programming himself/herself to improve is just as important as practicing the physical skills.

When you are a member of my Peak Performers program I show you exactly how to supercharge your goal setting. I’ve seen complete transformations in players and teams by applying this one little secret.

So now you know the 30 second cure to losing!

Best,

"Sensei"

PS To get your youngster in the most effective condition mentally and physically join me on Friday nights. Go here to enroll NOW. http://www.murrieta.org/index.asp

PPS To find out more about my Peak Performers program, email me at nberentis@gmail.com

Who Should Be Your Biggest Competition?

Who Should Be Your Biggest Competition?

Hi Friend,

Growing up I lived in a house on a cul-de-sac with 6 other houses. It was really cool! All the neighbors had kids. Most of the kids I played with were older than me.

So I learned real FAST what the word “Competition” meant.

Every day after school we’d play soccer, baseball, football, basketball, tag… you name it. Playing with and against my friends taught me two valuable skills that I still use today.

a. Never give up

b. Work ethic is the key

But it also taught me a bad habit.

As we all got older my friends found other ways to spend their time. Mostly they chased girls and went to parties. The numbers dwindled down and all of the sudden I found myself as the only one showing up for the games after school.

Being the ridiculously competitive person I am, the first question I asked was “Who am I going to compete against?”

After a few minutes I came up with a pretty good answer – MYSELF!

At least I thought it was a good answer. Truth is, for a few months it worked. And I did get better.

But when I needed to get to the next level of competition something switched in my mind. I stopped competing against myself and I started attacking myself.

This is very common. And when it happened to me practice stopped being fun and motivating.

Instead it became a battle inside my own head. One I was losing.

Imagine going out to play the game you love and spending the entire practice session mentally beating yourself up. It was no surprise that my performance in my actual games suffered. I was so frustrated.

Then one day it hit me like a ton of bricks.

What if I stopped competing against myself and started COOPERATING with myself?

This way I’d be working WITH myself to get better and achieve my goals. Instantly practice became fun again. I started to relax while I played. My motto became “I CAN do it!”

My confidence soared and I started scoring more goals on Saturdays.

Over the last 5 years training young soccer players I’ve realized this form of competition is the biggest problem.

I see so many young soccer players trying – no struggling is a better word – to improve. But inside their own head they are competing against themselves in a bad way and they are putting up their own roadblocks and obstacles.

Any time you compete against yourself there is only one outcome.

You lose EVERYTIME!

Why not try my method of cooperating with you?

Wishing you skills and confidence,

Nolan Berentis

P.S. Cooperation is the secret key that allows you to harness your power, eliminate fear, and remove resistance so you can become the amazing soccer player you want to be.

How to Increase Core Strength

How to Increase Core Strength

Hi Friend,

What does core strength have to do with soccer?

EVERYTHING!

You can't just be able to run for 40, 60, or 90 minutes if
you want to become an Elite Soccer Player. The key is you MUST
have as much power, strength, and mental focus at the end of the
game as you did when the first whistle blew.

Unfortunately, most coaches use their practices to train,
50% conditioning (laps and long distance running), 30% shooting,
20% ball control.

But what I've found is if i train my players in four specific
core strengthening exercises I can cut conditioning to less
than half the time...

and still get AT LEAST the same endurance results.

How is this possible?

Because the "Fab Four" Core exercises train strength, lung power,
and endurance simultaneously.

My training program looks a lot different. 40% Ball control,
20% core strength, 20% shooting, and 20% conditioning.

The results I've had have been phenomenal!

Kids not only get stronger, they decrease their chance of injury,
and actually increase their power and focus as the game goes on.

I'd much rather train kids and kill 4 birds with one rock.
If you can improve in all 4 areas simultaneously -- that is what you
need to do.

Come see for yourself how the "Fab Four" will catapult
your youngster to soccer stardom.

Wishing you confidence and skill --


Nolan

PS Training starts April 1... can't wait to see you there!

The 4 Habits of Great Goal Scorers

The 4 Habits of Great Goal Scorers

Hi Friend,

Last week I was talking with an experienced Danish soccer player...
who happens to own a very successful soccer store in Murrieta.

He's full of soccer knowledge, game strategy, and helpful secrets.

During out conversation we started discussing habits that all the
great goal scorers have. Players like Pele, Mardonna, Messi,
Donovan, and the like.

I think he would agree that if you develop these 4 habits -- you'll
start putting more balls in the back of the net.

1. Remember goals you've scored before. Does it sound difficult?
It's really not. Even if you this is your first season.
And it's
a proven habit that all great goal scorers have.

2. Get help. All successful soccer players - especially the top
goal scorers have coaches and trainers.
Only a fool thinks he can and has to do it all by himself.

3. No whining or excuses. Instead of spending valuable energy on
what went wrong.

Why not FOCUS that same energy on the clearly
defined goal of being a 2 goal per game stud?

4. Practice more.

Great goal scorers don't just practice 2 - 3 times a week. They find ways to put in more time than anyone else.

Get these 4 habits down and you are guaranteed to put more points
on the scoreboard.

BTW, How to Become a Dynamic Soccer Player training starts this
Friday. For those of you who already reserved your spot I'll see
you there.

If you haven't secured your space you better hurry
there aren't many spots left.

Go NOW to http://www.murrieta.org/index.asp to register.

Wishing you skills and confidence,

Nolan Berentis
P.S. Don't' miss this Friday's session because I'm gonna reveal 3
ways you can add an extra 20 minutes of practice everyday.

Top 7 Ways to Scoring Easy Goals (Continued)

Top 7 Ways to Scoring Easy Goals (Continued)

Welcome Back,

Yesterday I revealed 4 Ways your youngster can score more goals.

In case you need a reminder, here’s a recap of yesterdays fantastic four.

1 – Develop Hypnotic footwork.

2 – Become the Energizer Rabbit

3 – Feed them ‘bread and butter’

4 – Relentless pursuit

And guess what? Here’s three more goal scoring winners for your kid to use…I’d pay careful attention.

5 – Decapitate a Worm!

Can you imagine cracking a low worm burner that destroys and tears apart the back of the net?

Keepers, have a hard time moving side to side. They have an even harder time putting their mitts on a ball that has flames coming off its rear. And if they do put a paw on it, they’ll think twice next time.

Focus on decapitating a worm. You just may start scoring 2 and 3 goals a game.

6 – Attack the….

Find the slowest, laziest, sloppiest defender and cram that ball down her throat at least 4 times.

I don’t believe in holding anything back on the field. Play with emotion, passion, and strategy.

Then take advantage of your opponents weaknesses. That’s the way I played and the way I train.

So if you want to score more goals – ATTACK the weakest link.

Defenders and keepers will start to fear you and may even hide behind the goal.

7 – Belt Volley’s from this magic “Goal Scoring Zone”

When I was a youngster my coach brought a piece of string to practice. He laid it on the field and said, ‘This piece of string will help you score more goals”. I laughed out loud. He made me SPRINT a mile.

When I got back he glared directly at me and said, “Take all your shots from this stupid string.”

And guess what? He was right. I started scoring like crazy. But the secrets not in the string -- it’s where he placed the string.

Now it’s up to you apply the secrets I’ve revealed.

If you’re wanting to implement these amazing secrets so your child becomes a member of the goal scoring Hall of Fame, then here’s where you need to go to sign up for my next training session. nberentis@gmail.com

Keep practicing,

Sensei

PS Through daily practice you have the opportunity reach your goals. Are you practicing today?

PPS Find out about the HUGE discount you’ll receive when two or more of you join my training together. Make the commitment and enroll NOW. nberentis@gmail.com