by Dan Blank – Univ. GA – Assistant Women's Soccer Coach

I'll start by saying that I am a possession coach. You don't have to be; but I am. I played on a college team that emphasized possession and executed it very well. The ability to possess the ball was our team's signature, and I liked it. Not only did I like it, I got to see firsthand the real value of keeping the ball. I got to see what it did to the guy I was marking. I got to see what it did to his teammates. On many occasions I was an eyewitness to the physical and emotional unraveling of an opponent who had spent too much of his afternoon chasing a ball he could never quite catch up to. And I liked that more than anything. So I'm a believer.

Casual soccer fans rally around a team that can pass the ball. It makes sense. There is something intrinsically beautiful about a long run of passes culminating with a three-man combo to an overlapping outside back who puts her serve on the head of a teammate darting in at the near post. It's soccer's answer to the 6-4-3 double play or an alley-oop. Yes, possession is pretty to watch. But if you think that the value of possession is more form than function, you may be missing the boat. Because every time you pass the ball, regardless of the direction your pass goes, you are making progress. The problem is that your players might not realize it.

Think of each pass a jab in a heavyweight fight. In the first few rounds those jabs have no discernible effect. The boxers hardly seem to notice them. But each one of those jabs is making a dent – physically and mentally – and in the final three rounds, those jabs start to feel like cannonballs, each one doing slightly more damage than the one before it. You see, it's not about the effectiveness of a single jab. It's about the damage done by the accumulation of those punches. The same applies for passes in a game of soccer.

A lot of coaches mix possession drills into their training sessions on a daily basis. And as long as their team is matched up against an inferior opponent, the players can showcase their ability to keep the ball. But when an evenly matched opponent makes it difficult to possess the ball, the players will panic. Those teams will cave to the pressure, quickly abandon their style and end up looking like any other team that has never even considered a possession drill.

If your goal is to be a possession team, you've got to commit to it. Possession is a long-term investment and the market isn't always going to be kind to you. You'll have to weather some rough patches. The other team will take the ball from you. That's how soccer works. But if you are a possession team that refuses to abandon its style, over the course of a match you will see your investment start to grow and then snowball. Your team will be better at the end of the game than it was at the beginning.

I'll give you an example from a game our team at Georgia played recently. In the first ten minutes we were under siege and struggled to cross midfield. Our opponent was working very hard to smother our short passes and we were barely able to string four passes together. But we are a possession team and we believe in the long haul. So when we couldn't string four passes together, we strung three. And if we couldn't string three, we strung two. But we kept passing the ball. And even those brief runs of possession, if you can accumulate enough of them, will have an effect. Before you knew it our four-pass runs were becoming five, six, and seven-pass runs. The more we passed the ball, the easier it became for us to pass the ball. The easier it became to pass the ball, the more we passed it. The more we passed, the more they chased. And as the half wore on, they began chasing with less conviction. They were growing tired. They were less inspired to chase at a sprint. Imagine being the monkey in a game of Monkey in the Middle with no real hope of being relieved. Your determination to chase would soon deteriorate. Our sustained commitment to passing the ball was having the same effect.

With two minutes left in the first half we strung together 22 consecutive passes without our opponent ever touching the ball. The movement concluded with the three-man combo I mentioned above – our left back whipping a cross into the head of our forward.

We didn't score on that play, but that run of 22 passes was, for all intents and purposes, a knockout blow. Our opponent was shattered. They had done too much chasing and were out of gas. In the second half they barely touched the ball. We had the run of the park and scored with seven minutes left to win 1-0. That goal was the byproduct of all the passing that led up to it. Jab, jab, jab, goal.

Every time you pass the ball, your opponent has to chase it. It's one thing to chase a twenty yard pass once or twice, but imagine having to chase that same pass 15-20 times in a single half – at a sprint. It's tiring. It's demoralizing. It makes for a fatigued and frustrated opponent. And when an opponent is tired and frustrated, that opponent will make mistakes. Players lose their patience and start taking defensive gambles that pull apart their team's defensive shape. Teammates have to compensate for those gambles but they're too tired to do so effectively. Their bodies fail them. Seams open up and chances to score practically create themselves. But you have to commit to the long haul.

If I was coaching at the high school level, I would take full advantage of becoming a possession team. At the professional level, possession doesn't have the profound physical impact as it does at the college or high school levels. Professional players are smart enough to be patient. They won't chase all over the field. They don't hit the panic button when their team hasn't touched the ball for 30 seconds. They are disciplined enough to keep their shape and conserve their energy. They know that eventually their team will win the ball back. College players aren't nearly as disciplined and high school players are less disciplined still. String six passes together in a high school game and your opponent's shape will have more holes than a pepper shaker.

The challenge is teaching your team to become a possession team. There's no magic wand for that. Players must be schooled in the art of giving great angles of support, passing to the proper foot, receiving with the proper foot, playing simple, playing the way they face, limiting their touches, knowing when to play big or small and everything else that makes it possible to keep possession of the ball. Then again, if your players aren't yet technically competent at passing and receiving, possession is the least of your worries.

Some coaches think that possession soccer is bunk. They'll tell you the most effective way to win a game is with a direct style that gets the ball from Point A to Point B as quickly as possible. I'm not going to argue that. There are plenty of teams who do very well playing direct soccer. It's horrendous to watch, but if they're winning, who am I to argue? Still, I prefer to cast my lot with a team that wants to keep the ball.

There are two parts to a soccer game – the part where your team has the ball and the part where their team has the ball. It is my elemental belief that when you can elongate the former and reduce the latter, you have a better chance of winning the game. Simple, right?

Source: Coach Insider

by Dan Blank – SoccerPoet.com

The best team I ever coached at keeping the ball was at the University of Georgia in 2013. That group could combine possession, speed of play and going forward like only a handful of teams can manage. That 2013 team was the benchmark I wanted my new team to reach...

Roughly sixty seconds after the first possession exercise began with the new team, I realized that... we’d be on that field all night and most of the next day before we got the hang of things... But we kept at it. We kept playing a variety of possession games. We got better at supporting in good seams, playing the way we faced, supporting better than square, playing the higher of two options, saying no to the impossible pass, receiving with the proper foot, etc. And every now and then we’d even put together a brilliant burst of five or six one-touch passes and you could see that the dream wasn’t unreachable. But those moments were the beautiful exception. The little improvements just weren’t moving the needle as much as I had hoped, and it all came back to one indisputable, unbendable, non-negotiable rule:

You can’t keep the ball as a team if you can’t keep it as an individual.

Those spectacular little runs of one-touch passes are like wonderful vacations, but that’s not where most teams live. With very few exceptions, most teams need to grind out their possession, and that’s where we were falling short. We couldn’t keep the ball as individuals when we were under pressure, regardless if that pressure was real (body-to-body contact) or perceived (an opponent shadowing the ball-carrier). Sometimes just the sound of opposing footsteps would sufficiently unnerve us into a giveaway. If we perceived pressure, we wanted to get that ball off our foot, stat. As you can imagine, when you play with that type of panicked mindset, you’re going to donate a lot of balls to the opponent. And until you fix that little hiccup, you’ll never be a team that can keep the ball.

I had started at the end. I was focusing on speed of play in possession, but if your players aren’t comfortable under pressure, speed of play is the least of your worries. Your players will play fast simply to avoid having an opponent take the ball of their foot. The problem is the opponent will be taking the ball somewhere slightly further away. My players were so afraid of losing the ball that they couldn’t get around to keeping it. This topic is addressed in the book I wrote on possession:

"Possession soccer isn’t always a tidy run of quick passes. Yeah, we all pine for those runs of nine consecutive one-touch passes where we ping combinations around a befuddled opponent, but our teams don’t live in that world; they just visit it occasionally. To get to those moments or to keep one of those passing runs alive, you need players who are going to win their individual battles. You need players who can receive the ball under heavy pressure and find their way out of it. Regardless of how pretty you’d like your team to play, the game is often determined in the trenches where individual battles are fought.

Even if your players completely buy into the idea of playing the simple pass quickly, there are going to be many, many times when that’s just not an option. Eventually there comes a time and place when a player is going to have to solve pressure on her own. She’s going to be under heavy pressure with no immediate support from her teammates, and she’s going to have to get out of that jam all by herself. At times like this, her ability to stay composed and escape pressure on the dribble will determine whether or not your team keeps the ball. As much as you may want to your players to pass, pass, pass, their ability to dribble themselves out of pressure is critical to your team’s possession.

One of my coaching mottos is this: It takes more than one of them to take the ball from one of us. That means my players are expected to be able to protect the ball from a single pressuring opponent. If we habitually turn the ball over to a single opponent, we’re going to lose a lot of games. Players must be able to break this type of pressure on their own, and they do that through a combination of shielding and escaping."

Now considering I wrote that, you’d think I’d understand its importance. You’d think. But turns out, I had underestimated the importance. I was trying to start near the finish line when we needed to start at the beginning.

Our biggest problem was that it didn’t take more than one of them to take the ball from one of us. One of them was all it took. One of them was constantly causing us to donate possession. If we were going to move the needle, this is where we had to start.

We had to go back to the first building block of possession, and that’s one player protecting the ball from a single opponent. That’s the backbone of possession soccer: shielding and escaping. Especially shielding.

We began doing shielding and other back-to-pressure exercises two or three times per week. My players were gonna learn to welcome pressure and to hold the ball under excessive physical duress. We were still going to be a possession team because, let’s face it, I can’t live in a world of direct play, but we were going to sacrifice speed of play for ball security. I was constantly preaching at my players to stay calm and protect the ball, a mantra that quickly morphed into “Stay calm and pass.” We would start with playing securely and graduate to playing quickly.

So, how did it work?

Let me begin by saying that this experience was remarkable in a number of ways, not the least of which was the discernible level of improvement from one game to the next, game after game after game, from beginning to end. In my mind, our season looks like a stair case that just kept rising. Each game a new, higher step was added. After our ninth match I thought, ‘That’s the best we’ve played this year,’ then quickly realized that I’d had that exact same thought after every other game. And save for one match, the pattern never truly broke. We got better at keeping the ball game by game. And we also got pretty darn good at running off the ball...

Our off-the-ball movement was fantastic... the reason I mention this off-the-ball movement… it was all the result of our ability to keep the ball, first as individuals, and then as a team. To execute these types of patterns, you need the play to develop, and that only happens when you’re not in a panicked hurry to get the ball off your foot. If you don’t have players composed while receiving the ball under pressure, no one has time to figure out the movements and the spacing and all of those little things that bring these patterns to life. Plus you’ll end up losing the ball anyway, making everything else a moot point. Sacrificing speed of play for ball ownership freed up everything for us going forward. Let me be clear on this… We did not abandon speed of play as a tenet. We just accepted that if we couldn’t actually keep the ball, speed of play didn’t matter. There was a delicate balance we had to navigate between the two principles.

Consider the last goal we scored at home this year. It wasn’t our prettiest goal of the year – not in terms of build-up, movement or finish – but it’s a fairly good representation of the things we emphasized, and a microcosm of our evolution into possession soccer: Players receiving the ball under pressure, protecting the ball from an individual opponent, staying calm and finding a teammate. In other words, playing securely and deliberately until we had the chance to play fast. When we finally staked out the opportunity to play fast, the game rewarded us.

I’m sharing this with you because there a million coaches out there willing their teams to play like Barcelona, Bayern or Man City, popping Advil and wondering why it just won’t take. And maybe, just maybe, you’re one of them. Do yourself a favor: Pay attention to how many times your team turns the ball over when 1 - Your player isn’t under actual pressure (in other words, the pressuring opponent isn’t a legitimate threat to actually take the ball) and 2 - Your player is under pressure from a single opponent. I’ll bet you’ll be surprised by the count.

As much as you want your team to pass, pass, pass, if your players can’t (or won’t) protect the ball from a single opponent, you’re going to send way too many passes to the opposing team. Your players need to be able to protect the ball on an individual level. That’s the backbone of possession soccer.

Stay calm and pass, my friends. Stay calm and pass.

Source: Soccer Poet

by Robert Seipp – John Jay Boy's Soccer Head Coach

VIDEO: 7 points of HOW to Play & WHY We Should Play Possession Soccer

HOW TO PLAY POSSESSION SOCCER

• Take Peeks – you need to know what is going on around you on the field.....where your teammates are, where the opponents are, where the space is, etc.

• Talk – you need to talk so you can help your teammates make good decisions both offensively and defensively. Talking also keeps you actively involved in the game. If you don’t talk, you tend to stand around and watch the game instead of being an active participant in what it going on and taking place on the field.

• Move the Ball (Quick Passes) – Keep the ball moving so that the opposing team can’t get set up and organized defensively. If the ball stops moving, the opposing team can get set up and pressure the ball in an organized fashion which makes is much more difficult for us to keep possession.

• Move Off the Ball – If you are standing during a game, you are not helping us keep possession. You don’t have to sprint the entire game, but you have to continuously adjust your angle to create a passing lane to receive the ball at your feet.

• Play the Ball Back to the Player Who Just Passed it to You – Just like # 3, you want to keep the ball moving. Sometimes if a ball gets played to you and you are in a tough spot or you aren’t ready for the ball, you can pass it back to the player who just passed it to you (and he should be supporting the ball after he passes it so he should be available). Then you can adjust your angle of support and also take peeks to see what’s available. Passing the ball back to the player that just passed it to you is the easiest way to play quickly and keep the ball moving.

• Go Against the Momentum of the Opponent – playing the ball against the momentum of 1 defender or against the movement of the opposing team in general, not only helps keep possession by staying as far away from the opponent as possible, but it also eventually breaks the spirit of the opposing team. The harder a player chases, the more difficult it is for him to stop his momentum, change his direction, then speed back up again to chase the ball.

• Have a Good 1st Touch – having a good 1st touch is critical for helping a team play quickly. You need to know what you are doing with the ball before you receive it. If you should be playing the ball to your left, but when you receive the ball your first touch is to your right... you will need to move to the right to get the ball, pull it back to your left side, then pass the ball to your left. That is wasted time that allows the opposing team to get closer to the ball to apply pressure and get organized, all that makes it more difficult for us to keep possession.

WHY WE PLAY POSSESSION SOCCER

• We have very skillful players compared to many of the teams we play against.

• It minimizes physical play by our opponents.

• It makes our opponent chase and cover the entire field – the harder they chase us, the better! They get physically exhausted chasing the ball for 80 minutes.

• It opens up space behind our opponent and opens up gaps in their defense.

• The more we have it, the less likely they are to score.

• It’s Soccer – Not Kickball!

• Because Pele says so! Considered to be the best soccer player ever by many (he scored 6 goals while winning a World Cup as a 17 year old, then 12 years later scored 4 goals while winning another World Cup as a 29 year old), Pele talks about soccer being “A Beautiful Game”. Players kicking the ball down the field as hard as they can with no purpose is not nearly as beautiful as a team stringing passes together, keeping the ball on the ground, moving the ball to space, continuously moving to space to create passing lanes, etc. Keeping possession of the ball is beautiful to watch!

by Brendan Horton – John Jay Boy's Soccer Assistant Coach

When the John Jay Soccer Coaching Staff talk about keeping possession, we mean controlling the ball and dictating the pace of the game. But why?

When we have the ball, we control what happens. The other team can't score if they don't have the ball. By holding onto possession, we dictate the tempo and force the opponent to chase us. Next, constantly defending is exhausting. By keeping possession, we make the other team run, which wears them down over time. This opens up more space and opportunities as the game progresses, making it easier for us to play dangerous balls to create scoring opportunities. Beyond that, maintaining possession builds confidence within both individuals and the team. As we move the ball around successfully, everyone feels more comfortable, and this can translate into better decision-making and execution in key moments.

While keeping possession is critical, it’s not just about holding onto the ball for the sake of it. We need to play forward in a way that breaks down the opponent. But how?

First of all, don't force forward passes if they’re not on. We need to be patient and move the ball side to side and switch the point of attack to shift the defense. When gaps appear, that’s when we strike with quick, accurate passes forward. Playing forward effectively is about timing. Watch for the right moment when our teammates make a run or when the defense is out of shape. Then, hit that forward pass to create an advantage. When the ball moves forward, we all need to shift with it. It’s not just the pass that matters—it’s the movement off the ball. The player receiving the ball should have options to pass again quickly, keeping the momentum and attacking sharp.

Possession alone won’t win us games; we need purpose behind it. Every pass should have a reason. Whether it's to switch the point of attack, draw out defenders, or set up a forward pass, don't just pass for the sake of it. Each movement should help us break down the opponent’s defense. Purposeful possession means we're always thinking about how to progress toward the goal. This doesn’t mean we force every play forward, but we need to be aware of how we can move the ball to get into attacking positions. As we keep possession, we’re looking for the opponent’s weaknesses—whether it's a tired defender, an open space, or a mismatch in speed. Purposeful possession means using these opportunities to our advantage by attacking when the moment is right.

Ultimately, as a member of the John Jay Soccer Program, keeping possession allows us to control the game, wear down the opposition, and build confidence. But it’s not just about holding the ball—we need to know when and how to play forward effectively to break down defenses. Finally, we must have purpose behind every pass, using possession to create real chances and win games. By focusing on these principles, we become a smarter, more dangerous, more effective team on the field.

In Possession

• Play Forward Whenever Possible

  • Identify options by scanning, taking peaks, and keep head up

  • Penetrate defensive lines on pass, dribble, or shot

  • Drive forward when space is available

  • Shoot in attacking areas when space is created

• Maximize Width & Depth to Create Space

  • 1 player on each touchline to stretch lines horizontally

  • Players stretched to opposing defensive line to threaten defenders

  • Deeper players support to keep possession and control tempo

  • Angles of support (Better than Square) and  no one occupy same spaces

• Create Numerical Overloads to Exploit Defenders

  • Create +1 situations (2v1 / 3v2 / etc.)

  • Identify correct time to release ball in overloads

  • Find space to make supporting or penetrating run

• Movement to Support or Penetrate

  • Closest players support to keep possession

  • Furthest players make penetrating runs to stretch defenders

  • Recognize cues to time runs well

• Switch the Point of Attack to Exploit Space

  • 1 player by each touchline to offer width

  • Central players scan to receive and exploit space on far side

  • Recycle ball to switch if you can't go forward

  • Diagonal balls to switch play

• Commit Numbers to the Box to Provide Options

  • Recognize cues for type of service from wide areas

  • Attack front post, back post, and penalty spot and time runs well

  • Midfielders join as runners to create overloads

  • Other players position for rebounds and rest defense

Out of Possession

• Maintain Compact Shape as a Unit

  • Vertical and horizontal compactness

  • Keep distances close between players and lines (12 - 15 yds maximum)

  • Move as a unit when shifting to keep structure

  • Keep lines tight to prevent central penetration

  • Know cues for when to shift, press, and drop as a team

• Press on the Pass, Not When the Ball is Received

  • Anticipate next pass and touch by opponent, don't just react

  • Closest player press with intensity, get touch-tight

  • Know triggers to press (e.g. pass to Outside Back close to touchline)

  • Cover players travel with presser, anticipate next actions

  • Run right at ball, use cover shadow to press

• Cut the Field in Half to Prevent Switch of Play

  • Prevent central play, force play wide

  • Keep play to one side and force it direct, do not allow switch

  • Ball-side players get touch-tight and overload this side of field

  • Weak-side players pinch in and prevent switch

  • Win 2nd balls to counter or secure ball

• Maintain Good Cover for Defending Players

  • Be aware of pressing player's actions and where they force play

  • Anticipate player actions and be prepared to adjust

  • Cut passing lanes to prevent line breaking passes

  • Correct distances between players

• Deny Central Spaces to Opposing Players

  • Force play wide in defensive half

  • Keep lines compact to prevent line-breaking passes

  • Touch-tight centrally to limit time on the ball for opponent

  • Stand players up, don't dive into challenges or overcommit

  • Get attackers head down on ball to stop combinations

• Know When to Defend Zonally vs Man Mark

  • Understand how team wants to press + cues to initiate

  • Know your + teammate's roles in team structure

  • Always follow player on ball when defending 1v1

  • Man-mark in + around the 18 to prevent free runs

  • Communicate if players leave your zone

In Transition

After Gaining Possession

• Quickly Release the Ball Once it is Won

  • Take space and drive away from pressure

  • Release ball to break lines if opponent presses

  • Recognize if we can go forward + make supporting runs

  • Regain shape to keep ball

  • Anticipate attacking actions before defenders react

• Play Forward if Possible to Penetrate Space

  • Look to play a forward option to break lines

  • Drive forward on ball if space is available

  • Make runs ahead of ball to get behind defensive line

  • Entire team move together to connect as a unit

  • Look to create shot within 10 seconds

• Have Players Fill All Channels of the Field

  • Central players find pockets between lines and in half spaces

  • Wide players establish width by touchlines

  • Closest players come alive to support the ball

  • Players behind ball offer depth to recycle and/or switch

After Losing Possession

• Immediate Counter-Pressure on the Ball

  • Closest players to ball come alive and press immediately

  • Look to double to get attacker's head down

  • Covering players cut passing lanes to support options

  • Aim to win ball back in less than 10 seconds

  • Anticipate actions, no reacting to ball

• Delay the Opponent with the Ball

  • Closest defender slow play down to prevent quick counter

  • Force play to one side to make play predictable

  • Players recover to get behind ball

  • Force ball sideways or backwards

• Recover Space Behind the Ball and Get Compact

  • Anticipate attacking actions by opponent

  • Establish compact shape to limit space between lines

  • Force play wide and prevent the switch

  • Forward players provide press from behind ball to double

Watch this 10 minute video below on “Leadership in the Locker Room”. Harry Carson (NFL Hall of Fame Linebacker Harry Carson of the New York Giants) and Mark Messier (6x Stanley Cup Champion – 1 of which came as Captain of the New York Rangers in 1994) speak about what it takes to be a great leader.

• Steven Baker story

• Harry Carson’s story of his son’s baseball race

• Harry Carson’s story of his daughter’s softball strike outs

• Mark Messier - it should never get to the point where someone needs to go to leadership

• Mark Messier’s story about guys being traded and not fitting in with his team's culture.

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE

by Robert Seipp – John Jay Boy's Soccer Head Coach

How to Deal with Refereeing in High School Soccer

Okay, first let’s get this off the table right from the beginning: at times refereeing at the High School level is poor. Sometimes it’s really poor. But what I want (actually need) you to do is to accept that referees, all referees, even the best ones, will get things wrong (sometimes only from your perspective) during the game. You see this at the absolute highest levels of professional soccer regularly. Referees are human. They will make mistakes. Also, they are much older than a 17 year old and may not be able to move physically like a 17 year old soccer player. They simply can’t keep up with the play. It requires a lot of effort to keep up with the play which can potentially hinder their decision making since they are fatigued from trying to keep up. You also have to understand that refereeing isn’t easy. It’s much easier from the sidelines or in the stands to see what is happening as opposed to being on the field with other players shielding or screening you from the play. Furthermore, you as a player are right there, inches from the play; you have the best view. However, you are also very biased in your opinion. So don’t think that it gives you the right to criticize an adult on their decision just because you disagree with it. The referee is not in the same position you are in; they're older, tired, and most importantly, neutral.

Regardless, you have a choice when confronted with what you may feel is poor refereeing. Here are your choices and what may/is likely to happen if you make a particular choice:

Argue with the Referee

If you choose this option, there are probably a few things that will result: Nothing will change. You arguing with the referee will not change their call. Referees will probably think you are a whiner. They will probably think that all you do is complain when all you really should be doing is playing the game. Referees will probably not enjoying refereeing your games and they probably will not have much respect for you as a player. Referees enjoy watching good soccer, they enjoy watching players with skill play the game. They do not enjoy players that play physical (which makes their job more difficult), they do not enjoy players that foul, and they definitely do not enjoy players that complain about the calls that they are making.

You will probably spend a lot more time on the bench because arguing with the referee will get you carded. Plus, it is likely that you will be substituted out before you even receive a card. We cannot run the risk of potentially having to play down a player, or having referees feel that this type of behavior is tolerated by the coaching staff or soccer program. Also, if you accumulate cards during the season, you will be sitting out entire games, maybe even multiple games. The choice is yours.

Continue to Play Physical and Foul the Opposing Team

If you choose this option, again there are probably a few things that will result. The referee will continue to call fouls against you since you have developed a pattern in their mind that you are a player that fouls a lot. The referee will likely remember you as a player that fouls a lot and the next time they come to referee your game they will already be looking for you to commit fouls. As a result, we will face set piece after set piece against us because all your fouls are giving the other team free kicks. As with the previous option, you will eventually get carded and be spending a lot of time on the bench. Again, the choice is yours.

Not Argue with the Referee and Simply React to their Call and Play the Game

Lastly, if you choose this option, there are probably a few things that will result. The call still will not change, but at least you will be prepared defensively and in a good position when the other team takes their free kick. Referees will actually enjoy refereeing your game because they won't have to deal with receiving any criticism from you at all. You will be much less likely to get carded, because cards are often given to players for dissent. You will have a clear mind and be able to evaluate how much contact the ref is allowing, thus changing the way you play and adjusting to the individual game itself. This will help you and our team later in the game – the last thing we need is a free kick near our goal late in a close game! You will probably earn a tremendous amount of respect from referees for you excellent sportsmanship. So the choice is really yours to make. The ball is in your court. You do not control what calls the referees make, but you certainly do choose how you react to them.

If you choose to argue and complain and plead your case as to why you did or did not think that the ref made the right call, a lot of bad things will happen to you and to our team. It’s bad enough that you are getting calls that are going against you, but you will be making a bad situation worse if you choose to continue to argue and/or commit fouls. If you choose to keep your mouth closed, your eyes open and simply react to a call by getting back defensively and by not doing the same thing again, you will be making the best of a bad situation. And you know what, maybe, just maybe in the long run, referees might actually enjoy refereeing our games and word may spread to other referees that we have a nice team and we don’t argue or play dirty.

When players face adversity, it either breaks them or it makes them. It is certainly an adverse situation when we are getting calls that are going against us, especially when we perceive them as not being fair or correct. That adversity will break you as a player and us as a team if we choose to argue, plead our case, and continue the same physical play. However, that adversity just might make us, if our decisions and reactions allow it to. It might make us better people for being able to respect the decision of a neutral adult. It might make us better players for not diving in and not fouling. It might make us better players for being able to adapt our play based upon the calls of the referees. And who knows, maybe we might even be able to force a right footed player to use their left foot – which is adapting our play based upon the strengths of our opponent.

I realize that there are a lot of negatives associated with officiating at the high school level, but making the best of it might actually give us an opportunity to become better people by helping us to deal with adverse situations, and it might also give us an opportunity to become better players by not diving in or fouling and simply putting players under pressure by staying goal side. Furthermore, it may help us to realize that in life when our boss yells at us for doing something incorrect (even when we think we did a pretty good job), we must be respectful and try to understand the opinion or decision of our boss. Understanding his/her opinion or decision will help us in the future when our boss evaluates another project we have to complete.

Dealing with this adversity gives us a great opportunity to reveal our character by showing that we can rise above being a whiner and a complainer. Dealing with this adversity gives us the opportunity to build our character by being disciplined and changing our play to adapt to the referee's calls.

The quote by the German philosopher Friedrick Nietzsche is: “That which does not kill us, makes us stronger.”

In an article interviewing comedian Jerry Seinfeld, he recalls being heckled and ignored as a struggling comedian in his early days. On one particularly soul-crushing occasion, people at a New York disco went right on dancing through his act as though he weren’t even on stage. Such challenges made him a stronger person and better performer he said. “I don’t mind suffering. You suffer in all things — work, relationships, whatever else you do. Unless you’re eating ice cream, you’re suffering,” he commented.

ACCESS FITNESS TRAINING BLUEPRINT DOCUMENT HERE

The John Jay Soccer Fitness Training Program is an intensive and comprehensive training regimen designed to prepare our soccer athletes for success on the field. This program is specifically crafted to optimize fitness levels, enhance performance, and prioritize injury prevention strategies through a multifaceted approach encompassing fitness testing, cardiovascular training, strength and agility workouts, and specialized exercises tailored for soccer players.

The program includes cardiovascular fitness tests, allowing players to assess their baseline fitness levels and establish individualized training benchmarks. Cardiovascular conditioning is a cornerstone for soccer players' endurance and overall performance. Our training protocol incorporates varied and progressive cardiovascular workouts tailored to simulate the demands of a soccer match. These sessions focus on building aerobic capacity, improving stamina, and enhancing the ability to sustain high-intensity efforts throughout the game. Emphasizing the significance of strength and agility in soccer, the program integrates structured weightlifting sessions and agility workouts. Under the guidance of experienced coaches, athletes will engage in strength training routines aimed at developing functional strength, power, and muscular endurance essential for on-field success. Additionally, specialized agility drills and speed enhancement exercises will be implemented to sharpen players' quickness, agility, and multidirectional movements crucial for soccer gameplay. Recognizing the importance of speed and endurance in soccer, our program includes targeted training modules designed to increase players' speed, acceleration, and overall agility. Through a combination of sprinting drills, plyometrics, and speed-focused exercises, athletes will enhance their ability to sprint, change direction swiftly, and outpace opponents while maintaining peak performance throughout the game duration.

For the John Jay Soccer Program, the health and safety of our athletes are paramount. Therefore, our Fitness Training Blueprint places a strong emphasis on injury prevention strategies. Our training regimen incorporates biomechanical training aimed at reducing the risk of common soccer-related injuries, ensuring that our players remain fit, resilient, and ready for competition. The John Jay Soccer Fitness Training Blueprint is a comprehensive and dynamic training initiative tailored to elevate our athletes' physical capabilities, enhance their on-field performance, and foster a culture of injury prevention. Through a strategic blend of fitness testing, cardiovascular training, strength and agility workouts, and injury mitigation strategies, we aim to prepare our soccer players to excel on the field and meet the challenges of the upcoming season head-on.

ACCESS FITNESS TRAINING BLUEPRINT DOCUMENT HERE

Read: Sprinting in Team Sports: The Butt-Kicking Epidemic

This article discusses the importance of proper sprinting mechanics, emphasizing that sprinting is highly demanding on the central nervous system and requires precise technique to maximize performance and prevent injuries. The author highlights a common technical flaw in team sports called the "butt-kicking epidemic," where athletes exhibit excessive backward leg movement during the sprint cycle, leading to hamstring and hip problems. Through analysis using kinograms and sprint biomechanics principles from experts like Ken Clark and ALTIS, the article identifies three archetypes of the issue: the Classic Butt-Kicker, the Forward-Leaner Butt-Kicker, and the Over-Arching Butt-Kicker. The author presents drills and coaching cues, such as the "Medicine Ball Knee Punch Run" and visualization techniques, to correct improper sprinting posture, improve frontside lift, and optimize force application for safer and more efficient sprinting.

Read: Sprinting in Team Sports: The Butt-Kicking Epidemic

Authors: Domenic Scialoia & Adam J. Swartzendruber

Excerpts from Full Article: The Sports Journal

Domenic Scialoia is a recent graduate of Saint Joseph’s College of Maine, where he obtained a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science with concentrations in Pre- Physical Therapy and Sport Performance.

Adam J. Swartzendruber is an Assistant Professor of Sport and Exercise Science at Saint Joseph’s College of Maine.

The RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) protocol has been the preferred method of treatment for acute musculoskeletal injuries since its origin in a 1978 publication entitled “Sports Medicine Book” by Dr. Gabe Mirkin. These guidelines have been used by coaches and healthcare providers for over four decades with the intent of expediting the recovery process and reducing inflammation. Although popular, the implementation of this protocol to attenuate the recovery process is unsubstantiated. There is, however, an abundance of research that collectively supports the notion that ice and rest does not enhance the recovery process, but instead delays recovery, and may result in further damage to the tissue. Research in regard to compression and elevation is inconclusive, diluted and largely anecdotal. Definitive guidelines for their application have yet to be purported. As a result of the subsequent research that examined the validity of the protocol, Dr. Mirkin recanted his original position on the protocol in 2015. The objective of this article is to analyze the available evidence within the research literature to elucidate why the RICE protocol is not a credible method for enhancing the recovery process of acute musculoskeletal injuries.  In addition, evidence- based alternatives to the protocol will be examined. These findings are important to consider and should be utilized by any healthcare professional; specifically, those who specialize in the facilitation of optimal recovery, as well as those who teach in health-related disciplines in higher education.

In 1978, Dr. Gabe Mirkin released “Sportsmedicine Book” and coined the acronym “RICE” (Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation) to represent the four activities for treating acute athletic injuries. The RICE protocol has been ingrained in academic curriculum as well as in public perception for over four decades. In 2013, however, RICE was challenged by Gary Reinl in his book “Iced! The Illusionary Treatment Option.” Reinl cited numerous studies and anatomical resources in support of the notion that resting an injury, while wrapping it tightly (compression) with ice, is ineffective in accelerating the recovery process and could also result in further damage to the affected tissues.

Following the release of Reinl’s book, Mirkin publicly recanted his original position on the RICE protocol in a 2015 publication on his personal website. Mirkin even wrote the foreword to Reinl’s second edition of “Iced! The Illusionary Treatment Option”, and offered his revised opinion on the protocol he created;

“Subsequent research shows that rest and ice can actually delay recovery. Mild movement helps tissue to heal faster, and the application of cold suppresses the immune responses that start and hasten recovery. Icing does help suppress pain, but athletes are usually far more interested in returning as quickly as possible to the playing field. So, today, RICE is not the preferred treatment for an acute athletic injury…”

Based upon the available evidence, the only plausible conclusion is that the use of the RICE technique to accelerate the recovery process is unequivocally a myth. Its validity was unequivocally compromised in 2015 when Dr. Mirkin publicly recanted his original position from 1978.

There is an abundance of scientific evidence purporting proven methods to accelerate the healing of muscle, ligament, and tendon injuries that do not include extended periods of rest used in conjunction with ice, compression, and elevation.  To debunk the RICE myth, it is prudent to explore the physiological responses to injury and the effect ice, compression, elevation and inactivity have on those processes. The ultimate conclusion is that there are more optimal techniques to accelerate the recovery process that do not include a period of inactivity in which compression and topical cooling (ice) is simultaneously applied to the affected area…

There is an abundance of available information that suggests moving early in the recovery process is more beneficial than extended periods of stillness. Reinl proposed his own acronym for recovery, ARITA, which stands for “active recovery is the answer.” Active recovery is a broad term that can include any activity that involves the contraction of skeletal muscle tissue that was previously subjected to trauma. Active recovery can include activation/mobility exercises or low intensity physical activity that utilizes pain free movements through a full range of motion. If an injury is minor, rehabilitation can begin as early as the next day, assuming there is no pain associated with the desired movements. However, if the injury is severe, it is best to follow a physician’s advice on rehabilitation.

The validity of performing bouts of active recovery has been examined in multiple studies.  Buckwalter advocated the importance of imposing a load on damaged tissues to enhance the recovery process stating that “although new approaches to facilitate bone and fibrous tissue healing have shown promise, none has been proven to offer beneficial effects comparable to those produced by loading healing tissues.” A study in 2016 compared the implementation of active recovery to canoeist and football players in an effort to demonstrate the importance of loading the tissues previously subjected to trauma. One group performed active recovery sessions targeting the muscles involved in a bout of exercise while the second group performed activities targeting muscles that were not utilized during a training session.  Based on the findings, the authors concluded that “20 minutes of post-exercise active recovery by working the same muscles that were active during the fatiguing exercise is more effective in fatigue reduction than active exercise using those muscles not involved in the fatiguing effort”. These findings support the idea that contraction of utilized tissues facilitates recovery from a training session. The recovery can likely be attributed to the fact that contraction of the tissues previously subjected to trauma enhances blood circulation and lymphatic drainage, which facilitates the successful evacuation of metabolic waste products from the affected area. As a result, the process of inflammation can be completed, and the next two phases of recovery (repair and remodeling) can begin.

MEAT (movement, exercise, analgesia, treatment) has been proposed as a more optimal alternative and effectively addresses the discrepancies surrounding the RICE protocol. Instead of resting an injury, this acronym suggests moving the damaged area through a range of motion that is pain free in an effort to provide the propulsive force required to adequately move lymph throughout the body. Exercise with resistance should be the next step beyond simple movements. Campbell suggests that eccentric loading should be prioritized when rehabilitating a tendon injury.

Analgesia, the inability to feel pain, is the third aspect of the MEAT protocol. Pain limits one’s ability to efficiently move the injured area through a full range of motion.  It is quite common for people to rely on the use of NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as Ibuprofen, Motrin, Aleve, or Advil) for pain management. However, it is important to note that the use of NSAIDs will not accelerate, and may actually delay, the recovery process. NSAIDs inhibit the synthesis of prostaglandins, which initiate inflammation. Campbell suggests Tylenol as an alternative, as it is not an NSAID and will not disrupt the inflammatory process.  However, Tylenol can damage the liver and recommendations on a proper dosage should be followed.

The final aspect of the MEAT protocol is treatment. This is a broad category that consists of treating the individual injury using a variety of therapeutic approaches that are utilized on a patient to patient basis. Campbell suggests the consumption of certain supplements/nutrients that reduce inflammation, as well as the application of rehabilitation modalities such as kinesiology taping or acupuncture.

Another acronym has been proposed in replace of the RICE protocol.  Robinson suggested the application of MOVE (movement, options, vary, ease). The movement aspect of this protocol mirrors the message from Reinl and Campbell, as it emphasizes the need to move early in the recovery process. The other three aspects of the MOVE protocol place an emphasis on utilizing a variety of treatment options that “vary rehabilitation with strength, balance and agility drills”. Additionally, the protocol suggests that returning to activity early can help athletes cope with the emotional cost of the injury which “may be moderated by permission to move immediately”.

CONCLUSIONS

The theory of resting an injury while wrapping it tightly with ice to accelerate the recovery of damaged tissues seems to be completely predicated upon unsubstantiated reports dating back over four decades. The original support for the argument to ice musculoskeletal injuries was recanted in 2015 by the founding father of the RICE protocol. In otherwise healthy individuals, the body is well equipped with the means to adequately remove any accumulation of fluid from the damaged site, as it contains the lymphatic system that primarily functions to perform such duties. However, it is important to note that the success of the lymphatic system depends on the body’s ability to provide a propulsive force that facilitates the movement of lymph through active skeletal muscle contraction. In other words, movement of the body’s voluntary tissues is vital to the adequate functioning of this system. Therefore, an extended period of rest following an injury to a tendon, ligament, or muscle is not the most optimal way to accelerate the process of tissue regeneration. The notion of moving as much as possible following an injury is supported by the literature.

In addition, the application of ice, or cryotherapy, has been found to not only delay recovery, but to also damage tissue in the process. The evidence suggests that the application of ice is only necessary if pain reduction is the desired outcome. Evidence in support of compression and elevation is lacking, as most studies are inconclusive and fail to establish definitive application guidelines that are supported by research. These findings, along with the public recant from Dr. Gabe Mirkin in 2015, supports the premise that the RICE protocol, which is a generally preferred method of immediate treatment for acute musculoskeletal injuries, is a myth.

Based on the available literature, a rehabilitation protocol for an acute athletic injury should prioritize pain free movement through a full range of motion as early as possible and gradually progress to higher intensities and more complex movements. In addition, the healthcare professional should evaluate the individual injury and work with the patient or athlete to decide which therapeutic modalities are most appropriate. If a patient or athlete believes that compression or elevation is beneficial to their recovery process then the two modalities can be used, as it has been purported that there are no adverse side effects associated with their application. The method and duration of the compression should be at the discretion of the healthcare professional, as no definitive guidelines have been purported. However, there should be little to no utilization of ice or NSAIDs, unless the only desired outcome is pain reduction.

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