Last year, Ashland Soccer Club sponsored a pilot program (our Supernova girls U-13) to provide a more comprehensive training for those girls who were interested in becoming better players. The year-long program designed by the Supernova coaches looked like this:
Winter:
The program began in January with Adam E, our fitness trainer, leading a 10-week weight lifting program designed to teach player
s proper body mechanics and to start the project with a solid foundation to prevent injuries through out the year. At the same time, the girls played indoor soccer with the intention of developing spatial awareness and ball control. Tactically, the girls worked on the concepts of width, depth and ball possession in relationship with the moment of the game. Mentally, our girls were put under the pressure of scoring within two minutes of staring the game, and to maintain the score for the next four minutes while maintaining composure and style. Spring:
The team entered the Southern Oregon Classic League and finished the season strong by winning most of the games during the second part of the league. Physically: Adam worked with the girls on speed and agility. Technically: We worked on lifting ball without any effort, power shooting and finishing. Tactically: The girls started to play according to the score, they pay attention to details that make a difference at the end of the game. They continue to work on attacking wide as we polished our defensive system. Mentally: We took them out of their comfort zone by asking them to be proactive towards the ball and to be aggressive while on defense. We made sure they understood that in order to play soccer in a different way, they needed to think and act differently. Caleb worked with our goalkeepers on moving techniques and fielding long balls. Summer:
We had an exciting summer schedule with our own team camp and three different summer tournaments: the Rogue Valley Cup, The PC United Tournament, and the Bend Premier Cup. Physical: Stacy Poole, our fitness trainer, worked with the girls on Speed and Strength via our own team camp. Technical: We dedicated more time to polish shooting technique and explored different ways to do it. The players also worked on dribbling by using thirteen different deceptive moves. Tactical: attacking soccer was our motive and we developed schemes to do it through the center and through the outside. We also asked our defenders to be part of our attacking strategy. Mentally: We dealt with the concept of “attacking soccer”, so our players took risks and freed themselves from the etiquette of being a “defender or midfield” without the responsibility of attacking. Fall:
During the fall season, we went back to our regional soccer league, SOCL and put strong emphasis on team tactics and finishing. Our Supernova GU-14 finished 1st place with the honor and responsibility of representing the SOCL in the newly created OYSA Leagues Champions Cup in Eugene, OR.
2012
After an exciting year, we are looking forward to our new year:
Winter:
• Indoor Soccer: Monday and Friday (6 to 8 pm) at the little gym of the AMS. Spring:
• Southern Oregon Classic League (3/31/2012-5/15/2012)
• President’s Cup (4/21/2012-5/6/2012)
Summer:
• Rogue Valley Cup (May 28th-30th)
• California Cup, Sacramento, CA (June 15th-17th)
> Supernova Team Camp, Ashland, OR (July 2nd-6th)
• Beaverton Cup, Beaverton, OR (July 20th-22nd)
After this, our girls will take 15 days off before integrating into the High School practices at the beginning of August. We believe that with these tournaments and the extensive training they will undergo, they will be better prepared to face the rigorous demands of high school soccer.
