YDA Coaching Methods on Display at NSCAA Convention

The annual NSCAA coaches convention is a gathering of coaches from around the country to view new products and services within the industry. The main purpose of the convention is for coaches to get together and exchange ideas to grow the development of today's players at all levels: grassroots, club, high school, college, and professionally.US Soccer put forth their new technical development curriculum for youth under the direction of Claudio Reyna.It was in this setting that John Renie, legendary longtime men's coach at Duke University, ran his coaching session in front of nearly  200 coaches, on accelerated individual technical training. Coach Renie was assisted by the OESA YDA staff for his on field session. The session was 60 minutes long and featured many of the training activities that are done with our own YDA players throughout the training season. Our own coaching methods were incorporated into the session and were well received by the coaches in attendance. Coach Renie is developing a curriculum for US Club Soccer, that will accelerate the technical sophistication of players which will lead to an enhanced understanding of the game. This is a great example of how we continue to be at the forefront of youth development and continue to grow our curriculum to meet the changing demands of today's youth player.

The Baltimore Bays U12 Boys were put through the training session and were challenged in all areas of their technical, coordination abilities. The Bays are one of the top youth clubs in the United States and this group was especially gifted. The players all responded to the training with enthusiasm and were given many activities that pushed them out of their comfort zone technically. This is the inspiration we are looking to impart on our players to take the responsibility to take a more active role in their own development. After the session ended, many of the players wanted to continue to work on the skills that were presented to them.