Do you practice or play in “I Can’t Do It Mode”?

Dear Future soccer star,

Many players show up to practice and games with absolutely zero goals in their mind on what they want to accomplish.  And when that happens there’s a good chance that whatever drill or exercise they attempt is more difficult than it needs to be. 

Why?

Because without a worthwhile goal – your mind shifts to a default mode that I like to call, “I can’t do it” mode.  Yes it is really that simple.  Without a worthy goal that you want to accomplish – when you are presented with a drill you’ve never done or something new or a tough competitor – your mind automatically says, “I Can’t do it!”

There are specific reasons your mind does this… mainly to keep you safe and protected – so you don’t feel like a failure.  But all you really need to know is that when you are in “I Can’t do it” mode there is absolutely NO WAY you are going to practice, train or perform at your best.    

Let me give you an example:

My very last game of my college career – we were playing against Irvine Valley.  They were 2^nd in the conference and my team was dead last.  I was playing at about 60% because I had suffered an injury three weeks earlier and I didn’t want to finish my college career riding the bench.  So I came back after sitting one game and played the best I could. 

Before the game started I was distracted and unfocused.  I was not clear on what I wanted to accomplish and I really had no goal for the game.  Normally I would find some time for myself before the game, recall all the great games and goals I’ve scored before.  Then I would imagine myself having a great game and doing great things to help my team.  But for some reason this game I didn’t do either one of those things.   

From the very first whistle I was getting beat 1v1 and had a hard time keeping up.  And about 2 minutes into the game my mind started telling me, “I can’t do it.  Maybe I should ask for sub and let someone else play.  How am I ever going to keep up with this guy?” 

Not good thoughts to be having in the middle of the game right?

As the game went on – the guy I was covering was becoming more confident in taking me on and started to talk trash.  Usually that type of opponent causes me to flip a switch in my mind and I tell myself – “You’ve got this.  Go show him what you’re made of!”    

But not that day.

My mind kept telling myself in a more passionate and intense voice, “I can’t do it!” 

And the more I heard the voice of “I can’t do it” - the more I believed it.  I kept losing easy balls out of bounds.  I made passes directly to the other team.  I tripped and fell just trying to change direction from offense to defense.   It was bad!  Real bad!!

When the game ended I had five fouls, almost got in two fights, and had failed to do my job on the field in the biggest way.  It was not the way I wanted to end my career.  And it still haunts me to this day. 

But it taught me a huge lesson.  And it’s a lesson that I use when I play competitively today and I share with my players each and every training session. 

The lesson is this:

You must have two things EVERY TIME you take the field! 

1.    A written goal that is simple, clear, and creates a powerful mental image.

2.    A trigger that will help you refocus when things are not going your way. 

If you have these two things you increase your chances of success on the field by 80%.  I’ve proven it to myself and the players I train every day prove it week in and week out. 

So if you have ever had a game where you’ve struggled like I did – and you’d rather not go through that experience again, listen to me now and believe me later. 

Have a simple goal that you can focus on each and every practice and game.  And learn how to develop a trigger that will help you refocus your mind and become calm and relaxed (even under the greatest pressure you can imagine). 

Trust me my friend… if you do these things you’ll drastically reduce the impact of “I can’t do it” mode and start to have much more success on the field!

Talk to you again soon!

 

Coach Nolan

PS  State Cup and tryouts are coming up quick… if you took a long break over the holiday and haven’t started training yet – it’s time to pick up a ball and hit the field.  If you want to join some dedicated players that are having tremendous success email me and we will plug you into some of my training sessions!

We are getting close to starting an 8 week training program that will give you incredible ball mastery and finishing skills of a pro!  Nberentis@gmail.com

 

Great Habits for the 2016

To kick off the New year I’m going to be sharing some messages with you that I hope you will find inspiring, helpful, and easily to implement ideas that get you great results.  Let me know what you messages resonate with you or if you have any questions or ideas you want me to cover!

All the best and Happy New Year!

Nolan

 

Dear Future soccer star,

Last week I was listening to an interview with a guy by the name of Jocko Willink.  Yes, that’s his name – “Jocko”.  I wouldn’t make too much fun of it – the dudes a bad dude.  He’s a retired Navy Seal and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt.  While his credentials and looks may be intimidating I found his interviews to be amazingly insightful, intelligent, and extremely humble.  Plus he’s not afraid to do the work he needs to do to be successful.   

He shared some tremendous insight into what it takes to be successful – especially when your life is on the line.  One of the ideas he shared was that “Discipline equals freedom.” 

For a young soccer player there’s no-thing that could be truer.

I know that when I was in high school and college there were times it was a stuggle to keep all the balls in the air.  Heck it can be darn near impossible sometimes to try and maintain good grades, attend practice, fit in extra training for agility, strength and conditioning, mental practice, doing my chores around the house, and trying to fit in a social life with my friends. 

And today with technology the way it is and the speed everything seems to move – I can only imagine how difficult it is for you to try and keep up.  Especially with all these honors classes that seem to be the status quo for success in school today – I can see how the pressure for achieving success has multiplied. 

Can you relate?

Well hopefully this message will help put your mind at ease.  Because if you can grasp the concept of “Discipline equals freedom” and apply the idea in your life on a daily basis – you’ll eliminate a lot of the stress you experience. 

And when you eliminate stress – you perform better.  In school, on the field, and in life!

Here are two things you can do to help give you more freedom in your life.

1.    Review your goals daily

Yes, it’s so important for you to review your goals on a daily basis.  You can do it for 5 minutes, 10 minutes or even 30 seconds a few times a day.  Looking at your written goals is powerful and will keep you focused and motivated toward achieving them when things get rough or your get overwhelmed.  I write my goals on a 3x5 card and carry it with me everywhere I go. 

The next time you see me – ask me to show you my goals.  I’ll be happy to show you my goals so you can get an idea of how simple it is to write out what you want to achieve. 

 2.    Make a daily to-do list

Now that you have your goals written down and you’re looking at them all the time.  You’ve got to be sure that you set up specific times during the day to make progress on your goals. Even if it is only for 10-20 minutes. 

For example – for me - writing you a powerful and inspirational message is something I want to do and is a goal that I have.  So to be sure I get it done – I put it on my daily to-do list and spend 20-45 minutes writing.  Then I make sure that I discipline myself to do the task before I do other things that could distract me – like checking email, playing online games, or scrolling mindlessly through Facebook. 

Sometimes I have a great writing session and the message I write is powerful.  Other times the message is bunk, crap, and not worth sending.  But the fact is that I put in the effort and over time my skills at writing get better and easier to produce. 

What about you?  Is there a goal you have that you want to get really good at – really fast!?

 Maybe you want to be able to juggle the ball 100 times in a row.   

What if you wrote down the goal – “100 juggles in a row” on a 3x5 card and carried it with you all day long.  And you read the goal to yourself 3-4 times a day.  Then you scheduled a 10 minute practice juggling session for yourself at 6am, 330pm, and 730pm.   

How quickly do you think this discipline would help you achieve your goal?

I’m willing to bet that if you did this for 30 days straight you’d see amazing results!

And what if you applied this discipline for an entire year?  I bet you would look back and say “WOW, I can’t believe how much I have achieved!!!”  

The truth is when you write out your goals and set up a daily to do list – you start to realize that you are either DOING the disciplines that will help you ACHIEVE your goals or you realize you’re not as focused as you thought you were. 

Either way – when you recognize how disciplined you are – you are taking a major step toward owning your success and establishing habits that will help you be your best in 2016!

Discipline is your friend and if you want to be free – you need to be disciplined!

Talk to you again soon!

 

Coach Nolan

PS  Be on the lookout this year for a variety of messages coming your way.  My goal is to share some helpful ideas with you through Twitter, Facebook, email, blogging, etc., so you can really ramp up the success you achieve in 2016!  

Get to 100 Juggles FAST

A lot of beginners that come to me for training have a hard time juggling the soccer ball. 

And since they have a hard time with it they decide its a good idea not to practice juggling.  

Juggling is one of the best skills you can practice to help build your eye foot coordination

and to learn how to improve your touch and control.  

Some players juggle by kicking the ball the 10-20 feet in the air.  These players end up chasing the ball all over the field.  

If you join one of my training groups one of the milestones I set for you is to get 100 juggles in a row. 

If you are having trouble juggling the ball here is what I recommend.  

A.  Juggle for 15 minutes every day.

B.  Sit down and try and juggle the ball with one foot straight up and catch it. 

Then do 2 in a row.  3 in a row.  4... etc.  See if you can get to 10 in a row.

C.  Use both feet, both thighs, and your head when you are practicing. 

Too many players get good at using their dominant foot or just their dominant thigh. 

 

And I watch them get into the 70's, 80's and 90's and drop the ball because they had to use their 

non-dominant foot and they couldn't control the ball. 

 

It's a shame. 

You want to be like the pro's and be confident with both feet, don't you?

Trust me... if you are currently at 10 in a row or 20 in a row and you use the training method above for 21 straight days I can guarantee you will be on your way to 100 in a row in no time. 

Good luck and have your parents send me an email telling me what your latest juggling record is. 

Keep practicing!

Coach Nolan

The 4 Biggest Mistakes When Shooting

Doing the wrong drills or doing the right drills in the
wrong way is a recipe for disaster. And I see the biggest
mistakes when players are training to increase their shooting power. 
Most players (and coaches for that matter) don't realize
these small mistakes can literally sabotage your shooting power.  

When I coach kids on increasing their shooting power
I'm constantly correcting their mindset and their technique.

So today I present to you the 4 biggest mistakes in shooting for power:
1. Bad angle - When players hear a coach ask them to shoot with
their laces they think they have to run straight at the ball. 

Taking a bad angle to shoot the ball is super common.  And its the biggest
culprit to limiting your shooting power. 

When looking to add additional power to your shots you want to think
and line up more like a field goal kicker... taking a better angle
will give you the set up you need to blast super powerful shots.

2. Poor Planting - While some players plant behind the ball (which limits your power)
others add an unnecessary hop or super long stride on their
last step to the ball making it impossible to plant the right way for maximum power.   

They mistakenly believe this is somehow going to help them add power.  

The secret is really to move smoothly to the ball and plant your
foot in front of the ball so you can generate the greatest force on your strike. 
3. Stopping - I see players constantly putting the brakes on when
taking their shots.  They run up to the ball, plant their foot,
and STOP their momentum as they kick!

Then they are frustrated when keepers have such an easy time knocking down
or catching their shots.  

Remember a body in motion creates momentum and momentum

is your key to increasing power!

4. Striking the wrong part of the ball - Kids teach themselves at a
young age that to kick the ball far they need to kick it up in the air.

Because they are so small they think the only way to get the ball up in the air is to sweep their leg from low to high and hit the bottom of the ball. 

And as they practice this method they build the muscle memory
they need to consistently kick the ball higher but also take mediocre and weak shots. 

This doesn't mean they will never score a goal - it just means
they will never generate the power they want in their shots to make a
keepers think twice about stopping their shots!

Unfortunately even advanced players make these mistakes when shooting
dead ball shots and on breakaways.  I see it all too often. 

But there is a better way.  And when you learn this way you'll become
advanced and much more powerful much quicker.

If you can avoid the mistakes listed above while using the supremely awesome mental techniques I teach at my Shooting for Power bootcamp your progress will come faster

and easier.
All the best,

Coach Nolan

How to Get Maximum Results on the Soccer Field

Want your child to experience lightning quick feet, amazing agility, great
ball control, and super shooting power during this soccer
season?

If so,
I'd like to invite you to join me for 5 weeks of
training starting March 17....
where I'll be sharing specific
strategies, drills, and thinking techniques that
develop maximum
success on the field.

Get the details nberentis@gmail.com

Here are some of the highlights of what each player will learn:

    * The importance of strength, speed, and agility

    * Ball control that can mesmerize opponents

    *  Velocity on your shot that will make keepers freeze like a
deer caught in headlights

    *  The techniques for building bulletproof confidence

    *  Improved balance and fakes with the ball

    *  Increased acceleration so you leave defenders in the dust

And much much more.... all this is covered in my next group
training program!

Whether it's to develop speed,
agility,
quickness or better ball control this training
will get you there.

This program is definitely way under priced and when you look at
the 3 FREE bonuses you receive for making your choice now,
you'll be amazed.

Join me for this training... Get on the fast track and start
playing the game at your best!

Go get em,


Coach Nolan

Best Exercise for Ball Control

Best Exercise for Ball Control!

When it comes to ball control you'll 

find you are at best 

your best when you are completely confident in one or two moves.

At training I usually give kids the option to perform their 

favorite move.

I ask so what do you want to do?

At least 70% of the time I get a big smile and, "The Maradona!"

My response is almost always, "Ok... do you do that in the game?"

Player: "No!"

Me:  "What about practice?"

Player: 'No"

Me:  "Why not?"

Player: "It's really hard."

There are many fakes and feints you can practice and perform. 

When you practice them daily you can really improve your confidence

and use them automatically in your games. 

But I feel the best skills are the ones you are actually going to use in games adn pressure situations.  

That's why my favorite practice skill is called "baby v's". 

Players usually laugh at the name - but when they do the skill everyday they start to develop amazing ball control.  Plus their confidence skyrockets.  

The very act of performing baby v's every day increases 

the players ability to move the ball away from defenders in tight spaces. 

And when combined with

a quick turn and acceleration to open space

you make yourself

into a dangerous attacker.  

If you'd like to learn how to practice this 

wonderful exercise "baby v's" I'll be glad

to show you in a Complimentary Consulting session. 

Send your email now and I'll schedule your session asap.  nberentis@gmail.com

Practice hard!

Coach Nolan 

Never Give in and Never Give UP

Never Give In or Up

Years ago when my wfie and I first started dating she used to go
shoppong all the time.

I wanted to spend all my time with her so
even though I didn't like shoppping I'd ask to tag along.

My favorite shopping trips (sarcasm) were thoe search for shoes.

During one saturday excursion we visited 10 different stores,
called at least 4 other stres and I put about 200 miles on my car.

that day her shopping excursions became known as "The Great
Wild Goose Chase."

My wife was relentless - she never gave in.  She knew exactly what
shoes she wanted and she was
DETERMINED to get them.  She could not be deterred.  She would NOT
GIVE UP!

Over the years I've been able to identify in myself and others
the key elemennts of a "NEVER GIVE UP" attitude.

And
i've had great success developing a "NEVER GIVE UP"
attitude in players of all ages.

And this year I'm even more
committed to making that happen for
even more players.
That's why I've come up with a new
component in my training programs.

So I've decided to toss in the new component as a bonus gift
for players so they have a competitive edge.

In fact, I want you to start the next season with a "NEVER GIVE
UP' attitude
and end the season with the same level of energy and passion.

So if you are itching to see the "NEVER GIVE UP" attitude
in your child
and think that attitude is a crucial element to achieving more success on the
field in 2013
why don't you give them the gift of a complimentary training consultaiton NOW.

Sometimes it's a simple change in perspective that can catapult you
into playing at a much higher level.


Play with passion,


Coach Nolan