WYC 160 – Youth Soccer – Sean Afkhaminia – Bringing European training techniques to US Youth Soccer at Footy Factory

The Winning Youth Coaching Podcast: Youth Sports | Coaching | Parenting | Family Resources

Sean Afkhaminia is the CEO and technical director at Footy Factory. The mission of Footy Factory: To cultivate players'​ athletic performance by promoting physical, technical, and personal growth. Not only will we aim to sharpen their natural abilities, but we will also teach them the values of integrity, conviction, and self-belief. We aspire to form an institution that consistently takes in raw, unpolished talent and systematically develops and generates elite, well-rounded players. Website: footyfactory.us Twitter: @footyfactorydal Facebook: /footyfactorydallas Instagram: /footyfactory Listen Now: Listen on iTunes: iTunes link Listen on Stitcher: Stitcher link Listen on Google Play Music: Google Play link- - New Sponsor! Want to save time running your sports team without paying a penny? Overwhelmed by constant texts, calls and emails? Check out the Heja app, which helps coaches all over the world more easily manage youth sports teams - 100% free of charge! Click the link to download the app and get your team better organized for free now! app.goheja.com/pod Show Notes - WYC 160 – Sean Afkhaminia Long term development vs Immediate Results Technical - It's all about getting comfortable with the ball Tactical - Small-sided games Physical - As they get older and their bodies develop this becomes more important How do you enjoy technical training? Have them problem solve in competitive situations Start with small-sided games. Futsol in soccer. Very fast-paced, very small areas, tons of quality touches on the ball. Use standard P.E. drills and modify them to your sport. Example: ball tag - one player has a ball in his hand and the rest are dribbling balls at their feet, the player tries to tag the other players' ball Mental toughness Training needs to be hard and they need to learn to overcome adversity Encourage a culture where failure is part of the process to help remove fear of failure Connecting with and impacting kids Sean has a passion for kids who don't have the economic means to afford high-priced training. So he helps kids get the training even if they cannot pay for it. Best Stolen/Borrowed Idea Coaching is all about relationships and earning the kids' trust Favorite books/quote: Pep Confidential by Pep Guardiola Parting Advice Good is never good enough Be organized - have a structured practice design for the entire season -- Reviews are the lifeblood of the podcast!- If you like the podcast- please take 2 minutes to write a review! Click here - Ready to be an Awesome Youth Coach? Sign up for our free weekly newsletter: SaveSave