The Fear of Fitness

Last Saturday, I noticed that some of the girls were not playing up to their normal standards towards the end of training ; not closing the ball down quickly or recovering well on defense, not making as many runs forward, etc.  I knew what the problem was - the girls were saving themselves for the 30 minutes of FIT Training that we did after each Saturday session. 

I was the same way when I was a player.  Buzz Lagos (my coach with the Minnesota Thunder) was notorious for tough, post-practice fitness sessions, and I absolutely hated running.  Put a ball in front of me and I could run all day.  Put me in a purely fitness session with no ball and I struggled.  I know it was a mental thing, but it was a mental thing that I couldn't get past during my playing days.  I knew that as a professional player I needed to be at peak physical shape during the season, but I just couldn't avoid the anxiety when I knew training was going to be followed by fitness.  This anxiety affected my training performance as I consciously would not expend full energy in practice to save something for the running. 

I confronted the girls with this thought and many of them commented that this is exactly what was happening.  I think that I've done a good job of giving the girls the needed motivation for the extra fitness work, reminding them what our goal is for State Cup and challenging them to be the best team on the field at their age group in Minnesota in all four key areas; technically, tactically, physically, and mentally.  But this didn't stop the girls' dread of seeing the teal-coated FIT Trainer enter the dome.

So this weekend (helped by a schedule change at the dome) I had the girls come in at 8:45AM, an hour prior to our start time on the field.  Usually the girls get there 30 minutes in advance for our Video Analysis.  I had Danielle, our FIT Trainer, also come in at 8:45AM and work the girls until 9:15AM.  I then gave the girls a "break" and we did our video analysis for 30 minutes before taking the field at 9:45AM.  When I asked the girls about the layout of today's session, the all commented that they preferred the idea of FIT Training first, then video, then the training session on the field.  I will monitor the girls' "rubber legs" closely to make sure that our training sessions are not adversely affected, but will look to alter our Saturday training schedule in an effort to maximize performance.

Adding Another Event

I received an email today from the tournament director for the West Des Moines Premier Games (IA). They are really interested in getting us back to the event this year as the defending champs from 2006. I believe it is their thought that if we commit, it may help attract other higher level teams in.

The tournament has been a great experience for the girls the last two years. Quality fields, decent hotels with easy access to the fields, and a very manageable drive from the Twin Cities. The weather has also been extremely cooperative the last two years, but I know that by just saying this we'll probably be in for rain and cold this year :)

I had not planned on entering the tournament this year as we have the Jefferson Cup (Richmond, VA) in late March, then the Arsenal Elite Invite (Cincinnati, OH) in late April. Though I would have liked to do all three events with the girls, I hesitated to burden the parent group with the expense of three trips in a one month span. However, after receiving the solicitation email from the tournament, I decided to at least bring it up to the parents and see who would be interested.

Here is the email:

Guys,

This event really wants us back. See the email copied below.

This tournament is the weekend of April 14 and 15 in West Des Moines . We would return as the 2006 tournament champs.

I have been hesitant to bring this up as it would be sandwiched between VA in late March and Ohio in late April . However, a number of the girls have been asking if we’re going back, and some of you have mentioned it as well. Also, there is a chance that we will draw a play-in game for State Cup that will be played the weekend of Apr 27/28, preventing us from traveling to Ohio . We will know more about this after the draw in late March.

So… I am throwing this out there to see what interest we have. I recommend we attend. It has been a great event in the past; easy drive, nice hotels convenient to the fields, nice fields. Competition looks solid, especially if Eclipse joins up. I am already taking the U11s down there thus already planning on it, so if we get interest, I’ll sort out the schedules to be able to coach both teams.

I need a definitive yes or no response, not “ I guess we’ll make it if everyone else does. ” :) Don’t worry about offending me with a “no” because you won’t.

Technically this is a budgeted for expense, but with the addition of VA, the initial plan was to forego this event. Hotels are around $90 per night, other expenses would be around $50 per player. Parents who opt to stay in MN can look to send their girl with others.

Please try and get back to me by the end of the weekend.