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Quote of the Week
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"Your teammates are a reflection of yourself. Celebrate their successes and forgive their mistakes. This is the way of the Soccer Genius."
Charles Cotton
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 SoccerGeniusTraining.com
Website Launched
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I'm pleased to announce that the new soccergeniustraining.com website is ready for your visit. Please stop and by and have a look around. You can read more about the Soccer Genius difference and the Training Level programs currently being offered. Just click on the image!
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HomeSkills
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Weekly challenges for you to do at home. Taken from Charles' groundbreaking Book Series: HomeSkills Magic: The Soccer Genius HomePlay System
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Beginning Ball Balance Mastery
Challenge yourself to balance a tennis ball or size one soccer ball on the top surface of your foot for 30 seconds in each of the following positions:
- Kneeling on one knee
- Sitting on your bottom
- Sitting on a chair
- Standing.
- Standing eyes closed
- Standing eyes closed and ears covered.
Be sure to complete the challenge with each foot. A Soccer Genius always trains both feet.
Level 7 Bonus Challenge
Balance the ball as in #6 above. Then:
- Lift your knee up to waist height.
- Count to ten.
- Lower the ball back down to the ground.
- Switch feet - without letting the ball hit the ground.
- Repeat steps 1-3.
- Open your eyes, smile and shout I AM A SOCCER GENIUS!
Mastered the Challenge?
Then email me to tell me about it. I love hearing about and celebrating Soccer Genius Successes.
Email me at:
charles@enlightenedsoccer.com
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Warm Greetings!
I'm delighted to be welcoming you to the first issue of my Soccer Genius Planet eZine! This free publication is a great way to tap into the exciting developments in the Soccer Genius community. All of the information is provided with one thing in mind - to help you UNLEASH YOUR SOCCER GENIUS!
The focus of the newsletter is on the advancement of youth player development in the 21st Century and beyond. Soccer (and all sport) is beginning a new wave of change in the way players, coaches and teams learn, practice and play. And the Soccer Genius systems, methods and ideas shared here are at the forefront of these changes taking place.
So, please, enjoy the articles, weekly tips and challenges, the videos and whatever else catches your eye and your Soccer Spirit! Feel free to share the newsletter with friends, teammates and colleagues.
From My Soccer Genius to Yours!
Charles Cotton
charles@enlightenedsoccer.com
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Featured Article
| What exactly is a Soccer Genius anyway?
Great question - and a fun one to explore, too!
A Soccer Genius is any person that consistently achieves surpassing excellence in one or many parts of the game. This can be a player, a coach, a fan, an official, a parent or an administrator. Age is not a factor - nor is race, gender or ethnicity - in defining a Soccer Genius.
The Soccer Genius goes beyond originality, creativity or intelligence and enters the realm of insight and brilliance that has a transformational power on the game - both the one being played in the moment and the greater game as a whole.
The Soccer Genius is dedicated to pursuing the highest ideals of all sport. They express the beauty and union of the art and science of the game. Their 'work' or play fundamentally alters the expectations of the audience.
Although sometimes difficult to measure, the Soccer Genius has achieved a level of mastery that goes beyond even that of their most exceptional peers.
There is a Soccer Genius lying in the heart, mind, body and spirit of countless people on the planet.
Are you ready to unleash yours?
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Benchmarking for Success
| Let's face it. The majority of player development and team/position placement is left to a combination of 'who is coaching', 'who do you know' and the opinions (and sadly sometimes the politics) of team and club officials . Young players are often left wondering "what am I actually learning" and "how am I going to get the skills to play better?". They have no clear path to follow to improve and achieve their personal soccer dreams. The result of this lack of clarity is often seen on youth teams with players of hugely different skill levels and experience.
For these reasons (and a few more), I've created the Soccer Genius Benchmarking System. It allows players and coaches to know exactly where they are in the worldwide community of player development. The system tests players (and coaches) on a wide range of soccer specific tasks to give a very clear and measured picture of the objective skills, knowledge and playing ability of each and every participant.
Just think about it. Most successful athletic development systems on the planet have a benchmark system in place: swimming has it, the martial arts have it and soccer needs it!
Soccer is really ready to include a benchmarking system to help grow and celebrate the current and future success of all players. The time is now!
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Charles' "Better Out Than In!"
| Charles' weekly video clip highlighting an area of youth training, play and/or development that is in need of some serious updating. At the end of the day, it's better to get it out than to keep it in. Enjoy!
Focus on Safe Heading For Youth Players
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Weekly Genius Tech Tipd
Each week in this section I will be including a detailed description of a specific technical skill or ability. This information is offered to help you achieve technical mastery through perfect practice. After all, if you're going to practice you might as well do it perfectly!
Chest Trap Mastery - The Quick-In-Breath Way
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The chest trap is arguably one of the harder ones for developing players to master. There's the fear of getting hurt combined with the uncertainty and lack of practice of perfect technique. Follow these steps to begin your path to Chest Trap Mastery:
Step One: Without a ball
- The target for the chest trap is located in the center of the upper chest, below the collar bones. Place a full hand there now and feel the flat, hard trapping surface.
- Hit the chest firmly with you open flat hand 3 times, taking a quick in breath just before you hit your chest. This helps flex the muscles in your upper chest, creating a softer (and gentler) landing surface with the ball.
Step Two: With a ball - Part 1
- Hold a ball firmly in between both hands out in front of the chest.
- Focus your eyes on the center of the ball. Keep focusing on the ball throughout this practice.
- Place feet slightly more than shoulder width apart with knees slightly bent.
- Make sure your head, shoulders, hips and feet are pointed toward the ball.
- Relax your breathing.
- Hit the chest firmly with the ball taking a quick in
breath just before the ball hits your chest.
- Repeat 5 times.
Step Three: With a ball - Part II
- Make sure you have an area big and high enough to throw a ball up 3-6 meters (10-20 feet).
- Hold a ball firmly in between both hands out in front of the chest.
- Throw the ball high up in the air.
- Focus your eyes on the bottom center of the ball. Keep focusing on the ball until the trap is complete.
- Turn your shoulders, hips and feet towards the ball and line your chest up under the ball.
- Relax your breathing.
- Arms out and away from the body as if holding a huge ball.
- Bend slightly at the knees.
- Keep the stomach muscles tight and lean back at the chest, keeping the neck strong and chin down.
- Take a quick breath in just as the ball is about to contact the chest.
- Challenge yourself to catch the ball on your chest without it hitting the ground.
Step Four: With a practice partner or teammate
Practice trapping with a partner as in Step Two Part II above.
- Start with underhand throws to each other.
- Progress to Throw-ins to each other.
- Then to chip and long balls from distance.
- Finish off with goalie volleys (punts) from a distance.
Make it a fun challenge game to see how many you can trap in a row.
And remember, the quick-in-breath is a genius technique to keep practicing everytime!
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Weekly Genius Success Habitd
Each week I'll provide a Genius Success Habit for you to practice perfectly for the next 7 days. If you're already doing the habit, then keep on keeping on!
And did you know that practicing the habit everyday for at least 42 days will give you a
far greater likelihood of making it a permanent success habit.
Some habits are harder to practice and make part of our life than others. Some are guaranteed to push a few buttons, as well.
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| This week's Genius Success Habit
Pledge to take 100% responsibility for your own soccer (and life) development.
This means that you and you alone are responsible for your own pursuit of your soccer and life goals and dreams. No excuses, no blame. Just 100% responsibility. Every time.
Make it a Genius Success Habit starting today!
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See you next week!
Thanks for spending your time enjoying this week's Soccer Genius Planet.
Be on the look out for next week's issue loaded with new tips, challenges and more words from the heart, mind and spirit of Charles.
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