December 18, 2016

Whether it was the recent match cancellations or school ending the 15’s & 16’s proved they had bundles of energy during Saturday’s TLA Footie athlete session.

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Despite the snow, our semi-private youth soccer sessions went ahead. Session 1 (U-14’s) started off with some soccer ping pong followed by: mini band warm up-a challenging skills circuit, thinking exercises to develop creativity followed by athletic movement and fitness. Sessions for select players take place weekends and every afternoon M-T-W. 

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Cars are always driving by the train like an athlete studio and micro footie office. Some of the cheeky ones roll down their windows and say ” hey Crossfit doesn’t use soccer balls!”

“That’s cause we ain’t crossfit!”

Every afternoon and weekend semi private and private training sessions for the soccer player take place at our wee boutique studio (+micro footie office) on 3282 East First Ave.

Complimenting Micro Footie – Train like an Athlete is the only company in BC that offers focussed semi private or private soccer training for soccer players on a consistent basis.

The goal is simple: develop soccer players into athletes.

The Celtic coaches have received it, Canadian National, HPL, Metro and developing players have received it, Whitecaps Youth have received it.

The reaction is always the same.

In the minds of soccer players and coaches who have received it, our service, on this one particular thing, is the best!

(Just check out some of their testimonials.)

Why?

Two words: coaching and intensity.

Coaching: the coaching is instructed and led by TLA owner Jason Kyle founder of Micro Footie and partner with Celtic Football Club – Technical director of KLM in the Fall and Winter-and head coach for Vancouver, BC Summer Games 2016. FIFA B qualification + mentorship with EXOS Performance Jason brings his twenty years of coaching expertise into each session.  Part of this coaching includes advice on nutrition-recovery with suggestions-assessments and fresh ideas a player can add to highlight their game.

Intensity: In our TLA studio (which is conveniently next to three soccer fields) we will see a soccer player either privately or semi-privately in a session with six players or less. In this environment, when players are under the spotlight receiving quality coaching: a lot can be achieved in a 90 min session. The first 30 minutes of each session includes skill development and ball mastery exercises with the ball inc. analysis. The next 15 minutes of the session focusses on movement skills (yes, movement is a skill) on a players running and agility. In this component we will work on athleticism. The last 45 mins players players hit the studio for some serious resistance. The music is curated by our youth athletes who love their hip hop for extra motivation and bang it starts: a progressive strength component that involves spatial awareness, resistance, balance and core alongside a strength program that targets the whole body.

90 mins have passed and we are done. Magic!

This kind of 1-2 punch will make the mind, spirit and body go wow and give any player an edge.

We are inviting players to try these unique training sessions. Find out why they might be great compliment to a high level soccer players regime: whether it’s in season or as an off season team training regime.

For in season players we recommend 1x per week.

For off season programming we recommend 3x per week.

 

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george orwell

 

If u had a blank canvas and could fill with an ideal training week how would this ideal training week look?

Whether it was running, cycling, lifting, movement or football skills I know I would have just one criteria.

The criteria: To be in an environment that switches me on.

Example.

A few evenings ago I had a football (soccer) practice with a group of very wild boys.

Wild boys you say! How wild? I could only politely describe this group one way.

These are the kind of boys that George Orwell wrote about in the novel Animal Farm.

In the past I had seen these particular boys decimate the ego’s of grown well educated men with their dodgy behaviour and disruptive antics of mischief.

In a past album Beyonce claimed to be fierce. Uh, uh. That ain’t fierce. These lads were fierce.

So fear mongering was this team coaches would take turns just so they could avoid training these boys.

I knew I was next.

Team A.F. didn’t disappoint. From the get go it was game-on.

When I gathered them around to discuss the lesson plan they were flicking their buddies ears, bouncing balls and looking at me like I was the stupidest man on the planet.

After this painful introduction of utter uselessness I got them going. In the very first exercise they were given boundaries to stay within.

Within 10 seconds a quarter of the group went running past the boundaries, another quarter of the players were randomly kicking their balls high in the air. Meanwhile, the other half looked as if they would rather be anywhere else in the world. Their body language suggested a sewing class would be more enjoyable.

Even worse, all the parents were watching. (The parental attendance watching our practice in particular was unusually high. I think it became ongoing entertainment for the parents to see their children make grown men whimper so effectively )

There was only thing I could do. I had to switch them on.

The first thing I did was get them together in a huddle and give them what I call a pleasant row. In front of their parents I told them they would be an embarrassment to their own blood line if they carried on this way. I told them that if they decided to misbehave in my session they could sit down and watch (it was belting of rain). By this point they were a wee bit scared and definitely switched. Quite pleasantly so were their parents. You could almost hear the parents think “my Johnny better not embarrass me.” Now that they were switched I had to flick the switch up to on. At this point I used all of my coaching experience to get them moving.

\\Result//

By the end of the hour it turned out to be a brilliant session. The wild boys were taking absolutely every piece of activity and coaching advice into their rebellious wee hearts. The energy previously expended into being disruptive was now catapulting forward to developing. The boys were learning–they were giving it–and they were playing hard. At the end each player shook my hand and said thank you with the fateful words…”see you next week coach.”

Ha.

For all I know they might be planning the entire upcoming week at school lunch on how to get coach Jase back. Regardless, for this week at least, I enjoyed the experience.

Going back to the original part of the story and the whole point of this post really:

If this particular group of boys were not in an environment that switched them on the end product would never have happened.  They would not have had a good training session–they would not have sweated like they did–they would not have learned like they did–and they definitely would not have been as engaged.

This is important to digest because for the majority of us, training is just not fun. There is other things we’d rather be doing. (Dentist/talking to your Aunt/board games!!!) If exercise wasn’t meant to be so damn good for us, any sane person would rightfully avoid the self inflicted masochistic torture altogether. However, when you are switched on I cannot think of anything better. (Ok, ok I can think of one thing better).

Anyway @ TLA we switch you on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Complete. The first TLA workshop. Did we make a difference to any of those clients who walked into the TLA doors? You will have to ask the lad who now is on a soccer fit program. He was overtrained and doing just about everything wrong. Another client had a demo workout and couldn’t believe how good he felt. A woman was given a training program to do on her own and finally a TLA male client was given his weekly plan for the summer. Easy peasy. They left with answers answered/ So yep. A good start. Next workshop in two weeks. Come into the TLA doors and let’s hear it. Just say yes.

The TLA Soccer Academy is skills, fitness, out the box games, soccer intelligence, movement & World Cup completed with top coaching. Confidence will soar, fitness and skills will elevate.
> Players can pay weekly.
> $30 week.
> 9-12 age group focus

 

Monday
Linear Movement  //  Ball Mastery linear  //  Shooting & Passing  //  World Cup
Wednesday
Lateral/Multi movement  //  Ball Mastery lateral  //  Finding space/dribbling  //  World Cup
Friday
Tricks  //  Positioning  //  Out the box games  //  Mentorship  //  World Cup
April 17, 2011


Spring/simmer is a great time at the TLA. Why? TLA soccer is soon to start. With TLA soccer we provide players with a complete athletic package. We teach players dynamic movement, develop strength, learn nutrition, & regenerate the players physical state from their previous season endeavors. TLA soccer happens in the best of weather & part of the overall package includes competitive player challenges with games like Footie tennis combined with a great atmosphere and the best environment for players to thrive so they can truly perform for the upcoming season.

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