Showing posts with label football camp. Show all posts
Showing posts with label football camp. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

EduKick England Faces Off Against Manchester College

October 27, 2009 --- BOLTON, England - The EduKick England boys played their first game against Manchester College, and though they played hard, Manchester triumphed, 2-1. Though the loss was disappointing, Bolton Wanders FC International Academy Manager (and EduKick England Technical Football Director) Dave Bailey noticed much improvement on the pitch.

We thought after we went a goal up, we would have kicked on and that the goal would have settled us and given us confidence to take control of the game," Bailey said. "But we gave them a soft goal and seemed to become very unsettled after that.

"We felt at times the boys--even though they have adjusted well in other aspects: education, host family, training, etc.--that they showed some naïveté when it comes to the games.

"Expectations are high amongst the boys, and I could see and feel how some of them were as disappointed as we were. They are showing a step in the right direction when it comes to that winning mentality.

"In the English game, teams have a lot of fight and have a great passion and pride about themselves. We may not have the technically gifted players throughout all our players in this country, but we have attitude."

The boys had been training on certain things, and Bailey could see improvement in their game.

"We had worked in training on certain things and we could see that coming across from one or two of the boys," he said. "Today we were much better in certain areas--mainly fullbacks--but we still had a few boys have good, solid performances. We see that the fitness is getting sharper and they look to understand the game little by little.


"We have two weeks before our next game, which is a big test. It´s a men´s team and they are the fire service team, which we, as a club, have close links with. We will be back on the training pitch Monday and be preparing the boys for this. We look forward to the challenge."

Want to take your own game overseas? Check out EduKick's half-year soccer boarding school programs at www.EduKick.com!

About EduKick

World-class soccer training facilities in England, Spain, Italy, France, Portugal, Mexico, and Brazil help thousands of young players develop elite soccer skills, foreign language acquisition and cultural awareness. Under the guidance of professional coaching staff, players in EduKick international soccer schools live and train in a safe and nurturing language immersion environment.

EduKick, the language and culture soccer experience of a lifetime!

Contact Information:

Joey Bilotta, V.P.
jb@edukick.com
http://www.edukick.com/
http://media.edukick.com/
http://edukicknews.com/
http://www.travelsportcamp.com/
Tel: (905) 469-5661
Toll-Free: 1(866) Edu-Kick (338-5425)

Thursday, January 15, 2009

International Soccer Schools: EduKick Tips for Players Studying Abroad

International Soccer Schools: EduKick Tips for Players Studying Abroad

Are you really ready to study abroad at an international soccer boarding school? It's something you've been looking forward to ever since you signed up or thought of registering.

To get the most out of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, EduKick directors recommend making the proper preparations first. Follow these tips to make sure you're ready for your study abroad academic year soccer program, and make sure you get full credit for it.

1) Make sure you get your passport and student visa.

First thing before studying abroad in a soccer boarding school: acquire or update your passport and your student visa. Start this process about six months before you go to allow ample time, just in case of any mishaps.

Although most of the time the visa process is pretty straightforward, there have been a few rare instances where a student ended up needing another piece of documentation at the last minute. If you've started the process early enough, then you have plenty of time to make any corrections necessary so you aren't scrambling at the last minute.

2) Talk to your school to make sure you're on the same page.

When you first decide to attend an international study abroad soccer program, talk to the appropriate person in your high school to work out credit for the courses you take while studying abroad.

You may have to share the foreign study curriculum and get your school's approval, or have them sign an agreement giving you credit for passing certain classes. This ensures you'll know where you stand with your school when you return from studying abroad in one of EduKick’s soccer schools.

3) Take summer school to make up the classes you'll miss.

Surround the study abroad soccer program with summer school two months before you leave, and two months after you get back home. The program runs from September to June, so you'll have July and August both before and after the program to take your summer school courses. This will assure that you don’t fall behind in academic credit.

Register with an online correspondence accredited high school, where you can study the key subjects that you require credit in online while abroad with EduKick. Through these accredited online High Schools, you can get credit from your home high school for the courses you do online. One that we recommend to our North American students is www.pennfoster.com. EduKick International soccer boarding schools and camps offer all students access to Internet thus making the ability to take online courses a reality!

With summer school before and after the soccer program, and two to three online courses while you're abroad, you'll be in a good position with your home school academically and won't have to postpone graduation to meet your requirements.

4) Train daily before studying abroad in a soccer camp or boarding school

It's imperative to make sure that you're physically prepared for a regular regime of daily training. Although you may think you're in good shape training two or three times a week, it's not sufficient to prepare for the strenuous daily training you'll be undergoing while at an EduKick international soccer camp.

Most students, unfortunately, aren't ready for the strain of being out on the pitch every day. EduKick coaches have seen unprepared players handle the training for only a week or so before their body starts to break down.

Ensure that you are ready by running, doing cardio, and working with the ball every single day. Vary your routine (ball work one day, gym the next), but get your body used to a good daily workout. This way, you get your body to the point that you can live with the tough physical demands of daily professional soccer development training.

Remember: discipline is a very important part of the program. This is your professional reputation as a player. You need to arrive on time for sessions and make sure that you are physically and mentally prepared for all the training.

Like many things, you'll get out of your EduKick international soccer school or camp experience what you put into it. If you push yourself both in the classroom and on the pitch, you'll come away with experience and skills far beyond your peers at home.

Thursday, November 08, 2007

Studying the Soccer Game

November, 2007 - If you’re struggling to become a better soccer player, the help you need could come from an unlikely place: from study and observation. Now, before you start scoffing about how you’ll learn more by doing than by studying, think about it. If you never watch a game on TV, you’ll never see all those drills and soccer techniques you do put into practice. If you never ask a question about certain techniques, you may be learning it the wrong way and you’d have no idea.

If you enjoy doing something, you don’t just do it. You read about it, talk about it, and drive your friends and family crazy with it, all in an effort to get better. Become a better soccer player sooner by becoming a dedicated student of the game. Here’s how to do it.

1) Watch games on television.
One of the best ways to learn something is to watch a professional doing it. Watch the games, but don’t just watch them as a spectator. Watch their soccer techniques critically. Observe the attacking and defending strategies the players use. Look at how the team works together, and at what happens when they’re less than a well-oiled unit.
Watch the great players. They all have something to give you, whether it’s a lesson in how to be a better teammate or how to use those shots you’ve been practicing in a game situation. Take what they are offering and make it your own.

2) Hit the books.
While reading about soccer probably doesn’t sound all that fascinating, that doesn’t mean you should discount it. A quick search of Amazon.com with the keywords “soccer techniques” reveals more than 400 non-fiction books about soccer that include information on skills, techniques, fundamentals, tips, strategies, tactics, you name it.Do a little research to find out which soccer books would be best for you, and actually read them. There’s a good chance you’ll learn something you didn’t know, and you can start putting it into practice.

3) Discuss it.
It’s not hard to discuss our passions, but you’ve got to find the right people to discuss them with. If you’re having trouble with a certain soccer technique or want to talk about an offensive strategy that you read about, talk to your coaches or fellow players. Talking to somebody who doesn’t love soccer as much as you do means they won’t take any issues as seriously as you, which can make for a lame discussion.

Also, go to the Internet to find like-minded people. The World Wide Web allows niche groups of all sorts to meet and discuss on blogs and forums, and it shouldn’t be too hard to find a community of people that are just as passionate about soccer as you are.

Talk with them about systems of play, soccer tips and techniques, and offensive and defensive strategies as well. You’ll get a broader perspective about what works in which situations, and they may bring up ideas and tactics that you hadn’t previously considered.

4) Apply it.
As you well know, all the study and observation in the world won’t help you become a better player if you don’t actually get out to practice and apply what you’ve learned. Practice techniques daily with the soccer ball in order to develop ball familiarity: where your body gets so used to the ball that it naturally adjusts to the ball being there. This includes juggling for 30 minutes a day, and kicking the ball 500 times a day – 250 times with each foot.

Practice makes perfect, and it will also give you the opportunity to apply the ideas you’ve been learning in a real setting. All the studying in the world won’t help you become a better player if you never set foot on the field.

Studying, observation, discussion and actual practice are all important elements of becoming a better soccer player. By learning more about the game by studying it, watching it and talking to others, you’ll discover new ways of practicing that you may not have considered before. And when you combine those elements, you’ll become a better, more well-rounded player.

Joey Bilotta is the vice president of EduKick, Inc., which offers cultural soccer exchange programs in countries around the world.

Register now for their 2008 half-year soccer boarding schools by visiting http://www.edukick.com/ or calling 1-905-469-5661 or Toll-Free at (1-866-Edu-Kick)!