New Jersey Youth Soccer Association

20

Feb, 2023

New Jersey ODP Hosts Mental Toughness and Tactical Awareness Webinars

Will Scherer, NJ Youth Soccer (Photo by Dennis Schneidler)

The New Jersey Olympic Development Program (ODP) recently concluded two Learning Webinars during the month of February for its ODP players and families.

New Jersey ODP first held a Mental Toughness Webinar with Dr. Krissy Turner, UPenn Women’s Head Soccer Coach, and James Galanis, NJYS Director of Technical Operations, during the first week of February. That workshop was followed by a Tactical Awareness Webinar with Loy Urbina, US Soccer Educator, and Lou Mignone, NJYS Director of ODP Youth Coaching and TOPSoccer.

Dr. Turner is a New Jersey native who previously served as a New Jersey ODP coach. Prior to taking over at UPenn, she was the head coach at Monmouth University for 24 years, where she led the women’s soccer program to Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference regular-season championships in eight of her final nine seasons.

During the Mental Toughness Webinar, ODP players and families learned about what defines mental toughness. Dr. Turner discussed how vital it is to continue learning and challenging yourself from a player’s perspective.

“Being willing to take risks as opposed to being afraid to fail is a huge challenge for youth players,” said Dr. Turner. “Failure may occur, but how you respond to failure will ultimately make you a better player.”

Additional topics that were discussed during the Mental Toughness Webinar included reaction to criticism, psychology of athletes who play limited minutes, how to be a good teammate, mentality when winning or losing, and how to overcome uncomfortable circumstances on and off the field.

Key topics in the Tactical Awareness Webinar included tactical discipline, the definition of tactics, types of tactics, benefits of tactical discipline from an individual and team perspective, and creativity in soccer.

“I feel like it is helpful for me because I get to see and hear other people other than my regular coaches and learn from them,” said Gabby Tate, 2010 Girls ODP player. “I can understand the game better. I like learning more about strategies and not just practicing my field skills. I feel like I can take charge of my own game more because I have learned more about the whole game. I love playing soccer and want to keep getting better, and this is another way to train and improve. It gives me a mental edge I did not have before.”

To provide an example of tactical awareness, Coach Loy Urbina broke down the majestical pass that Lionel Messi made during the 2022 FIFA World Cup when Argentina was playing the Netherlands in the tournament quarterfinals.

“Coach Loy Urbina brought his wealth of experience within the game as a coach, student and coach educator to our Tactical Awareness Webinar, and he shared with us significant takeaways with illustrations from the recent FIFA World Cup performances of national teams such as Argentina and Morocco,” said Coach Lou Mignone. “He examined the tactical discipline exemplified by these two teams during attacking, defending and transitional moments. Coach Loy connected collective understandings and behaviors for perception, decision-making and execution that is indicative of teams with agreed upon game ideas, styles of play and systems of play.”

The Olympic Development Program is an identification system linked to the United States Soccer Federation and US Youth Soccer. The program offers its players a pathway that could lead to representing Regional and U.S. Youth National Teams. Originally established in 1977, ODP was the first program in the country designed to identify potential youth national team players. ODP players begin initially at the local sector before progressing to the state, regional and possibly national levels. By playing with like-talented athletes, ODP offers the opportunity for players to advance in their personal development and to be scouted by college coaches.

For more information about New Jersey ODP, please email [email protected]m. Also, make sure to visit the program online and like the official New Jersey ODP Facebook Page.

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New Jersey Youth Soccer

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20

Feb, 2023

New Jersey ODP Hosts Mental Toughness and Tactical Awareness Webinars

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