Soccer Parent Testimonial: Moreno Family

 

Isabelle Moreno is approaching her year mark here at Champion’s QUEST where she joined in November of 2015. Since Isabelle’s arrival she has made a 119% improvement in her athleticism. Isabelle has obtained a bigger goal to become the most feared player and is reaching that goal every day she trains.
Isabelle currently plays for soccer for NHB where they recently played in the West Coast Classic Tournament this past weekend.

Izzy has been regularly attending soccer clinics and power clinics to improve her athleticism to make her an even better soccer player. Her work ethic is continuing to show in her performance on the field. She is becoming the most feared player with her speed, agility, and strength. Her improvement in her athleticism is being noticed and is becoming a stand out athlete!

“Izzy played great in all 5 games at the West Coast Classic Tournament this past weekend. They played 2 games on Saturday and 1 Sunday to get into the Semi Finals. The Semi Finals and Finals were Sunday night and were hard fought games. Izzy had 5 assists and her speed, quickness, and agility were very noticeable and stood out all tournament even with a sore hamstring. She was able to dispossess the opponents almost at will and her strength definitely made a difference. Thanks for everything you guys do!” -Joe Moreno

Keep up the hard work Izzy! You are doing fantastic and I look forward to hearing more about all of your future success.

Fast Feet, Don’t Get Beat!

Agility is an athlete’s ability to explosively start, decelerate, change direction, and accelerate again while maintaining body control. Agility is the body’s way to coordinate various movements needed to excel in the sport of the athlete. Agility training enhances soccer players in three ways: Neuromuscular adaptation, increased body control, and increased reaction time.

1) Neuromuscular Adaptations: There is an increase in force production when performing agility. This means that the muscles in the body are contracting at a faster rate. When training at a fast rate, the body will adapt to the speed. Therefore, train fast to be fast.

2) Increased Body Control: Incorporating an agility program allows for a soccer player to control the small movements in the body for better posture and better efficiency. This includes the movements in the neck, shoulders, back, hips, knees and ankle joints. It gives the soccer player a better sense of control to perform the task  faster.

3) Increased Reaction Time: An agility program will allow a soccer player to place their body in a better position to take advantage of performance situations. This includes reacting to 50/50 balls and to react quicker during 1v1’s.

As soccer players, the majority of time we spend on the ball performing toe taps, bells, or focusing on enhancing the ball skill. However, the game of soccer requires quick releases of the ball with explosive movements, such as sprinting, changing direction, and jumping. Therefore, more time needs to be spent off the ball training to allow our feet to move quicker off the ball.

This includes training with various agility patterns with quick releases of the ball. Here at Champion’s QUEST, we focus on allowing our soccer players to move quick off the ball. During our soccer clinics, we focus on enhancing their quickness to allow them to become better soccer players.  Click below to try out on of our soccer specific clinics!

 

3 ‘Secrets’ to Running Faster

Here at Champion’s QUEST, one of the most popular questions asked is;”How do I get faster?”. As many wonder if there are ‘secrets’ to running faster, there are actually no ‘secrets’ to how we can run faster. There has been countless research done that gives strong evidence to how the body can produce more speed. As a speed specialist, I will go over 3 common ways to run faster.

Three ways to run faster:

1. Technique
2. Strength
3. Power

1. Technique: Good technique will allow for the body to become more fluid and efficient. If you put two soccer players together with the same ability in a race, the one with the better technique will win because they waste less energy, invoke greater leverage, and sustain greater power. The one with bad technique will lose power and waste a lot of energy by unnecessary movements.

2. Strength: Strength plays a crucial role in running faster. A greater strength relative to body-weight allows for more force to be applied onto the ground. The more force applied allows for an increase in the stride length and stride frequency. This allows the soccer player to be able to get on and off the ground quicker. A soccer player with a lack of strength will not be able to move their body from step to step as quickly as a soccer player with strength.

3. Power: Power training allows for an adaptation in the body to occur to allow the soccer player to do high speed movements without losing energy. Power training involves lengthening the muscle to shortening the muscle very quickly.  Sprinting at top speed involves this and allows for stored energy to be released and trained. Also, performing plyometrics and various power training will allow for this adaptation to occur.

Here at Champion’s QUEST, we focus on these three ways to enhance our athletes’ speed.

 

Soccer Success: Isabelle Moreno

Isabelle Moreno is an 11 year old soccer player that has been dominating in the facility and out on the field. Isabelle joined Champion’s QUEST in November 2015 to enhance her total body strength, reaction time, and her shooting accuracy.
To achieve these goals, Isabelle has been attending power and soccer clinics. Since first attending Champion’s QUEST, she has made a 97% improvement in her athletic score.

Isabelle has obtained bigger goals to become the most feared player and to master all her skills and everyday she is making a step towards that goal. Isabelle is the example of an athlete that puts all her heart into her training. She comes into the gym ready to go and is always attentive to what needs to be done to get better and to reach her goals. She is a fierce, strong, coach-able, and very determined soccer player that inspires her teammates, coaches, and fellow Champion QUEST athletes.

Isabelle has show tremendous progress and she is on her way to achieving her goals. Isabelle’s hard work is showing as she and her NHB team recently won the Irvine Memorial Classic tournament during Memorial Day weekend.

Keep up all the hard work Isabelle! Enjoy your Play It Again Sports $20 “Fun Bucks” coupon at the Los Alamitos location on Katella.

 

 

About the Author:

Coach Angela Garcia, Soccer Assistant Coach

Soccer@ChampionsQUEST.com

562-598-2600

Soccer Parent Testimonial: Annie Mason

“Champion’s QUEST has influenced Annie in her strength and definitely her build. She has always had good confidence to herself, but with Champion’s QUEST it is even better! She loves all the clinics there and enjoys being a part of Champion’s QUEST.”

-Shannon Mason

Annie first came to Champion’s QUEST in July of 2015 with short goals to improve her speed, agility, and strength and long term goals of playing in college as goalkeeper. Annie is currently the goalkeeper for the Beach FC ’99 team.

Annie currently attends the Soccer, Strength, and Speed clinics to better herself as a goalkeeper. This has enhanced her explosiveness in the goal and has allowed her to go to a new level. Annie has pushed her athleticism by increasing her athletic score by 88%. This weekend Annie had a shut-out weekend in the Legends FC College Showcase.

Keep up the hard work Annie!

About the Author:

Coach Angela Garcia, Soccer Assistant Coach

Soccer@ChampionsQUEST.com

562-598-2600

3 Myths About Soccer Speed Training

Each day there are many questions and concerns brought up in regards to speed training. I am going to go over 3 popular myths about soccer speed training.

 1.You can’t train speed

This is a popular belief that an athlete is born with a certain amount of speed and you can’t get faster. WRONG. Many youth athletes’ muscles are weak and they have not learned how to move properly and efficiently. Therefore, improvements in speed can be gained by training proper technique and gaining strength.

2.Training slow makes you fast

Soccer requires a high aerobic component and a high anaerobic component. Running long and slow intervals of continuous running will get the athlete in shape. However in a game of soccer, a soccer player will jog, then sprint 20 yards, jump, jog, and sprint again. In order to get to the ball faster or chase down an opponent a soccer player must improve their top speed and acceleration. This is not done by running at a slow pace, but rather training explosive movements.

3.The harder the workout, the better the result

Some soccer players, coaches, and parents have this mentality that if a workout or training session doesn’t cause exhaustion that it wasn’t an effective workout. Constantly training to exhaustion can lead to injuries and declined performances. The purpose of a workout is to instill an adaptation in the body. If the purpose of the workout is to get faster, then how do you get faster when your muscles are exhausted and you can’t produce the force to run fast? If the body takes too much work, then the adaptation or purpose of the workout is lost.

Here at Champion’s QUEST, athletes at any age and any level can improve speed when implementing a complete speed training program designed to improve and develop the athlete as a whole. We focus on stimulating the proper adaptations in the body to prevent diminishing returns. 

Success Story: Jaycie Chavez

At 7 years old Jaycie Chavez walked in the doors of Champion’s QUEST with a smile and eager to become a better soccer player by being stronger, faster, and learning new moves.

Jaycie currently plays for CDA Slammers FC where she plays as a forward. She also plays for an AYSO Select team. Jaycie is pushing herself on both teams with practices as well as attending Champion’s QUEST. She strives to become the fastest girl on her Slammers team and she is well on her way by improving her 10 yard sprint from 2.37 seconds to 2.22 seconds.  Since November of 2015, Jaycie has made a 176% improvement in her athleticism.

Jaycie started out with a single leg score on her right foot of 14.63 seconds and has cut that time in half to 7.88 seconds. She has established more coordination and balance with her agility training. She has improved her vertical jump from 12 inches to 13.5 inches even as she is growing! Her change of direction speed went from 7.04 seconds to 6.41 seconds where she is able to stay low on her change of direction. She has increased her upper body strength as well where she is now able to complete 14 push-ups in a minute compared to where she started at 6 push-ups. This was increasing her score by more than 50%.

Jaycie is always eager to train with lots of enthusiasm. She is energetic and determined every time she comes in the gym. Jaycie is very competitive, so she pushes herself in every training session. Jaycie has many great things in her path and I am excited to see what the future holds for her!

Keep up all the hard work Jaycie! You’re doing great!

About the Author:

Coach Angela Garcia, Soccer Assistant Coach

Soccer@ChampionsQUEST.com

562-598-2600

Soccer Parent Testimonial: Joely Blair

“Since Joely has been attending Champion’s Quest, I have noticed how strong she is!  After having ACL surgery, the goal was to make her weaker leg stronger and it worked!  Going regularly has not only made her physically stronger, but her confidence has gone up as well.  She really enjoys all that she is learning from the various trainers along with the encouragement and ongoing feedback that she gets from them.  All the trainers keep an eye on her and I really feel that they are genuinely interested in helping her attain her goals.  She is learning life long tools that will help her well beyond high school.  We have really enjoyed coming to Champions QUEST.” -Christine Blair 

Joely Blair walked through the doors of Champion’s QUEST to gain athleticism from a post-ACL surgery. She obtained short-term goals of gaining strength, agility, and speed to allow for an edge in 50/50 balls as a central midfielder. She also obtained long term goals to play soccer at the collegiate level.

Since first attending Champion’s QUEST in November of 2015 Joely has increased her athletic score by 172%. This includes increasing her vertical jump by 2.5 inches and improving her agility by 3 seconds!

We are so proud of the progress Joely is making towards her goals. Keep working hard Joely!

About the Author:

Coach Angela Garcia, Soccer Assistant Coach

Soccer@ChampionsQUEST.com

562-598-2600

Soccer Top Speed

Maximal velocity is the fastest speed a soccer player can obtain. A gain in top speed will allow a soccer player to gain an edge in their competition.

Training top speed requires running tall and quick recovery of the heel. A drill that emphasizes a quick recovery of the heel and being tall is the claw drill. 

In the Champion’s QUEST speed clinics, the program is dedicated to increasing top speed through drills such as the claw drill.

 

About the Author:

Coach Angela Garcia, Soccer Assistant Coach

Soccer@ChampionsQUEST.com

562-598-2600

Hitting the Brakes: The Importance of Deceleration

Speed is one of the most common athletic improvements asked for. Thus a lot of time is spent on teaching the athlete how to speed up. However, in the game of soccer, soccer players need to sprint, stop, and change direction. This speed comes from being able to transition in and out of various directions efficiently. To improve this part of speed a soccer player must train deceleration.

Champion’s QUEST athlete Amanda Jones changing direction with the ball

Deceleration is the process of slowing down and hitting the brakes.

Deceleration is just as important as acceleration due to the demand in soccer to cut and change direction.

Proper deceleration is important for two reasons:
1) Injury Prevention
2) Enhanced Speed

Injury prevention causes a high neural demand that puts a lot of stress on the body. Proper deceleration occurs when our muscles contract to come to a stop safely. Learning to coordinate the movement of the hips, knees, and ankles properly will allow for less injury to occur.

Enhanced speed is due a soccer player being able to decelerate and change direction quickly. This will allow for the soccer player to free up space and win 1 v 1 battles.

It is important to teach youth athletes how to slow down and not leave an emphasis on only speeding up. Here at Champion’s QUEST we emphasize proper deceleration mechanics for our athletes to ensure optimal soccer performance.

Coach Angela Garcia, Soccer Assistant Coach

Soccer@ChampionsQUEST.com

562-598-2600