Soccer Game Changer: Thomas Pighin

At Champion’s QUEST, we are always excited to hear from our parents about how much their athlete has improved and the changes that they have seen in their athlete since beginning their journey at the Athlete Academy. Sometimes the improvements are physical, other times the changes are mental but it is always amazing to hear when it is both.

“I’ve seen Thomas become a more confident and competent soccer player. He only played one season when he was six and some loosely organized play at school. He wanted to try something other than baseball so we set him up with the CQ Soccer camp and a Coerver camp to help him at least have some soccer skills. I’m very happy with the conditioning Thomas is getting at CQ. His endurance has really increased and this is very important on the bigger soccer field. He has improved his speed, which had always been an issue for him. At school they are preparing for fitness testing and Thomas is well above most other kids. In fact he and Cameron (another CQ athlete) kinda leave the others behind.” -Chris Pighin

When Thomas comes to train at Champion’s QUEST, he attends the B.A.S.E, Soccer, and Baseball clinics to develop his athleticism along with the technical skills needed to excel in his games. Currently, Thomas plays forward, defender and goalkeeper for his AYSO-Cypress team. Thomas has short-term goals of improving his speed, strength and dribbling for soccer and a long-term goal of playing soccer professionally.

“He’s doing well so far with his team. Thomas has to play up because his birthday is three days before the cutoff so his friends are all U10 and he’s a U12. He’s hanging in there playing multiple positions, including goalie and forward and even scored the tying goal in a game. We will transition to baseball soon. One of the things I love about CQ is that he can get quality instruction in a variety of sports- along with conditioning. He’s excited to his re-testing this week and can’t stop talking about improving his scores!” -Chris Pighin

I’m also excited to see how much Thomas’ hard work has paid off and also to continue to follow his success on the soccer and baseball field. Keep it up Thomas!

Soccer Star on the Rise: Cameron Smalls

Cameron Smalls walked through the doors of Champion’s QUEST back in May of 2016 with goals of improving his speed, power, and agility. Cameron is a 10-year old multi-sport athlete, who plays soccer, baseball and basketball. His long-term aspirations are to play soccer or baseball in high school, college, and eventually professionally.

In just over 2 months of training, Cameron showed a 119% increase in his total athleticism. Cameron showed his biggest improvements in his agility, strength and speed. He lowered all three of his agility scores by 4 seconds. Cameron improved his linear agility from 15.39s to 10.69s and his lateral agility from 16.70 to 11.64, however his biggest improvement was shown in his single leg agility on his SST (shark skill test) by reducing his time from 12.59s to 7.88s! Single leg agility is crucial to soccer athletes as many technical aspects such as passing, trapping, dribbling, and shooting require one foot to be elevated off the ground while the other leg stabilizes the body.

Cameron also made huge strides in his strength as he improved his push up score from 45 to 51 repetitions in a minute and his pull up score from 4 to 7 repetitions! Cameron showed his biggest improvements in his core strength as he increase his plank hold time from 2:27 minutes to 4 minutes! Core strength is essential in soccer and other sports that require athletes to body up against opponents without losing their balance and center of mass.

All soccer athletes know how important speed is out on the field and it can be the difference between betting your opponent to the ball or gaining an extra step to be able to get off a shot on goal. Cameron improved his acceleration in his 10-yard sprint from 2.06s to 1.83s. He also showed improvements in his change of direction as he lowered his 5-10-5 test from 6.07s to 5.46s!

Cameron has recently joined the FC Premier club soccer team , where he plays for Coach Eddie Chavez’s 2005 flight 2 team. Cameron is a 2006 year birthday so he regularly plays against other soccer players who are a year older than he is to challenge him. At Champion’s QUEST, Cameron attends the B.A.S.E and Soccer clinics to develop his athleticism and skills out on the soccer field to compete against the older kids.

Keep up the hard work Cameron and I’m excited to watch your continued success!

The Importance of Sports Performance Testing

Sports performance testing and evaluation is the first component of designing an individualized training program for an athlete. Speed, strength, agility, power, endurance, balance, coordination, and biomechanics in an athlete can all be assessed through testing. The testing provides the sports performance coach with immediate information and feedback on the individual’s baseline athleticism that can be used to create an optimal training program.

At Champion’s QUEST,  all of our athletes go through our benchmark testing and assessment within their first two sessions. This initial testing session gives the athlete an idea of where their current fitness levels are at, so that all future testings can be compared to this and changes can be noted. When athletes enroll at Champion’s QUEST, they begin a custom program that is specific to their athletic needs and goals.

One of the many benefits of sports performance testing is to establish the strengths and weaknesses of the athlete. Testing results can be compared to other athletes of the same or similar sport to distinguish areas for improvement. Also, by repeating tests at regular intervals, the sports performance coach can see the effectiveness of the current training program or what adjustments need to be made.

Every 3 months, all Champion’s QUEST athletes are re-tested and evaluated to see their progressions and also determine if any changes need to be made to their current training program. Our athletes also review and set their goals for the upcoming months and formulate new game plans to help them reach those goals. Goal setting is a very important component of our testing as it is used to give the athlete incentives as they put in the hard work to reach their goals and also positive reinforcement when their goals are accomplished.

October is re-testing month at Champion’s QUEST and all athletes will be going through their testings with their counseling coaches. All soccer athletes can email Coach Kyle by clicking the image below to schedule their re-evaluations.

 

Parent Testimonial: Maya Gonzales

“Hi Brittany! This is Manny, Maya’s dad. I wanted to thank you for everything you and your staff do for Maya! I had a dad approach me this weekend and was amazed on how much faster Maya had gotten from the last time he saw her play! He asked what she was doing and I gave Champion’s QUEST all the credit! I thought you and your staff would like to her that! Keep up the good work!” – Manny Gonzales
Maya Gonzales, now a Sophomore at Rosary High School in Fullerton, California plays an attacking role on her Varsity high school team for Coach Sean Melendez and her club soccer team, FC Premier formerly known as Cypress FC for Coach Dave Sabet. Whether it’s playing forward or outside midfield, Maya always wants to add to her team’s attack and pursuit of the goal

Although Maya and Coach Brittany joke she started training at Champion’s QUEST because they have the same last name, Maya’s true goal was to become the best soccer player she can be for her team and for her self. That is exactly what sets Maya apart from her opponents, she wants to push herself to be her best and at the same time, push her teammates to become their best. In order t do this, Maya would drive from South Orange County to train once a week at Champion’s QUEST with her FC Premier teammates. Maya knew that in order to be better, you have to make sacrifices.

In these pictures of Maya, you will notice her intensity and her fearless attitude going towards the ball and into traffic with her opponents. This upcoming high school season at Rosary will be one to watch as Maya joins forces with two other Champion’s QUEST athletes, Katie Searle – Senior Defensive Midfield verbally committed to Cal State Monterey Bay, and Naomi Dodd – a Sophomore transfer ready to contribute to the Rosary soccer program.

 

Video: Improve your balance, reduce injuries

Balance, coordination, body control and flexibility are integral to the successful athlete. Often times too much emphasis is put on how much weight an athlete can lift, or how high they can jump. However, it is the little things such as balance that can make the greatest impact on their performance.

At Champion’s QUEST, our athletes work on their balance and coordination in their dynamic warm-ups, strength, speed, and power clinics. It is important that an athlete is well-rounded and doesn’t have any weaknesses because any imbalance that an athlete has can also put them at a higher risk for injury.

This video below goes over some simple balance and coordination exercises that your athlete can be doing on their own to reduce their injures.

For more information on injury prevention or to schedule an athletic evaluation, contact Coach Kyle Ertel via email at Kyle@ChampionsQUEST.com or by phone: 562-598-2600.

Confidence is Key: Isabel Pixa

Isabel Pixa walked through the doors of Champion’s QUEST back in May of 2016 with goals of improving her speed, strength, and ball skills so that she could do her best for her Los Al High School soccer tryouts. Her long-term goals are to be a starter on the Los Al High School team and also to attend Stanford University.

In just over 2 months of training at Champion’s QUEST, Isabel improved her total athleticism by 71%. Isabel showed her biggest improvements in her speed, agility, and strength. She lowered her 10-yard sprint time from 1.94s to 1.82s and also improved all of her agility scores by over a second! However, Isabel made her biggest strides in her strength by upping her push up score from 28 to 46 repetitions in a minute and improved her plank hold time by a minute!

“Isabel’s fitness level has increased since beginning training at Champion’s QUEST. Isabel was already fit but has now taken it to another level. But the biggest change has been seen in her confidence. Isabel has increased her confidence on the field and this has also carried over to her high school where she has just started as a freshman at Los Al High School. Isabel also enjoys training with her younger brother and they like to challenge themselves to core strength competitions.” -Cecilia Pixa

Isabel recently joined a CDA Slammers FC club team coached by Krissy Grana to keep improving her level of play. She currently plays right midfield and forward for her club team where they won their opening game of league play this past weekend by a score of 4-0. Also, Isabel was also recently named to the Frosh/Soph team at Los Al High School!

Keep up all the hard work Isabel and I’m excited to watch your continued success on and off the soccer field.

Success Story: Athena Sandoval

October 1st, 2015, Athena Sandoval, a Freshman at Los Alamitos High School decided to take her soccer career into her own hands here at Champion’s QUEST. Literally, Athena jumped up and touched her hand 99 inches above the ground to record a Vertical Jump of 16.50 inches.

The vertical jump was just the first of 10 athletic tests that Athena completed in her initial evaluation. 

Fast forward to this past summer, Athena now has a vertical jump of 21 inches, an increase of 4.50 inches in 9 months. From the image below, you can see Athena improved in every aspect of her athleticism and has become a stronger, faster, quicker, and smarter soccer player.

With all the work completed on and off the field, big rewards came for Athena this summer as she made the Flight 1 CDA Slammers Cerritos ’01 EGSL team (Coach Randi Martinez.) Not only did Athena make a competitive Flight 1 team, she also started as an outside defender and played in front of college soccer coaches at the nationally acclaimed soccer tournament: Surf Cup in Oceanside, CA. Athena helped her team reach the finals and take home second place at Surf Cup. Athena’s soccer team also WON the Pleasanton showcase and took runner-up at the West Coast soccer showcase.

It’s no doubt that Athena’s dedication to her physical and mental abilities has led to her success on the soccer field.

Athena’s confidence continues to rise each game and allows her to showcase her increase in speed, quickness, and total body strength. Athena increased her speed in her 10 yard sprint by 3 tenths, making her faster to help in the attack on the wings and able to sprint back on defense. Athena’s lateral cutting agility increased her speed by over 3 seconds and has allowed her to cut quicker when a forward is attempting to challenge her. Athena also increased her plank to over a 3-minute hold and improved her total athleticism by 240%

Athena is now ready to start knocking on college doors and telling college soccer coaches that she is ready to take her game to the next level in college and she is serious about making a difference in their soccer program. 

Congrats Athena on your recent success this summer in soccer. We are all so excited to see which college flag will hang in the gym with Athena’s name on it in 2019.

Soccer Success Story: Vivian Lopez

Vivian Lopez walked through the doors of Champion’s QUEST back in July of 2015 looking to increase her strength on the soccer field, as well as her technical ball skills. Vivian’s long-term goal is to play soccer professionally. 

Currently, Vivian plays center midfield for her club soccer team TFA-S.E.L.A ’05, coached by Frank Lopez. Vivian and her team recently competed in the Southwest Soccer Club Labor Day Classic tournament this past weekend. Her team went undefeated, totaling 14 goals scored and conceding none, on their way to winning the championship.

Other tournaments that Vivian’s TFA team have won this summer include the Southwest Soccer Club Summer Classic in Temecula, the Nike Pyramid Cup in South Bay, YVYSO Spartan Cup in Yucaipa, CSL Cal Cup and Celtic Cup in San Bernardino.

At Champion’s QUEST, Vivian attends Speed and Strength clinics to develop her athleticism on the soccer field to complement her technical skills. In just over a year of training, Vivian has shown progress across the board in her athleticism. She improved her power by increasing her standing vertical jump from 14 to 17 inches. Vivian also made significant strides in her speed by lowering her 10-yard sprint time from 2.28s to 1.87s and her 5-10-5 change of direction times by over a second.

However, Vivian showed her biggest improvements in her total body strength. She increased her push up score from 5 to 40 repetitions (1 minute limit) and her plank hold time by 3 minutes! In total, Vivian has improved her athleticism by over 380% since beginning training at Champion’s QUEST.

Keep up all the hard work Vivian! I’m excited to hear of your continued success on and off the soccer field this year. Enjoy your Play It Again Sports $20 “Fun Bucks” coupon at the Los Alamitos location on Katella. Click below to try out on of our athletic performance clinics!

3 Foods Youth Athletes Should Avoid At All Costs

Elite athletes know that their nutrition is key to their performance and gaining an edge over their competition. An athlete’s diet is more than just calories, it has a direct impact on their success- it is fuel for the body. Some foods can increase an athlete’s energy, promote muscle growth and help in muscle repair. Other foods can set an athlete back. There are certain foods that an athlete should avoid at all costs.

1. Anything with high-fructose corn syrup. Sweets and candies may provide a quick energy burst, however these foods are filled with sugar and empty calories. Eating sugary foods offer no nutritional value and can also lead to an athlete “crashing” during a workout. High-fructose corn syrup or artificial sweeteners can also promote fat buildup around important organs. Cereals are a very popular breakfast choice but they contain mostly sugar and calories. Sodas and energy drinks also contain artificial sweeteners and should have no place in an athlete’s diet.

Instead, athletes should focus on consuming fruits, vegetables and other foods from nature. These foods contain simple carbohydrates which are easier for the body to break down and provide a rapid burst of energy before competition. Instead of sodas, an athlete can try fruit infused water (lemon, lime, strawberry) to add taste without any stimulants.

2. Foods cooked with oil or containing trans fats. There are two types of trans fats found in foods: naturally-occurring and artificial trans fats. Naturally-occurring trans fats are found in the gut of some animals and foods made from these animals (ex: milk and meat products). Artificial trans fats are commonly found in processed foods. Both of these types of foods take a long time to digest and are known to increase the level of bad cholesterol in the body and increase the risk of heart diseases. Dairy and fried foods should be avoided prior to competition because they can make an athlete feel drowsy and lead to a loss of concentration.

Instead, athletes should choose healthy fats such as nuts, seeds, avocados, seafood, and olive oil. These foods contain monounsaturated fats and are digested easier and are recommended before any rigorous activity. Doughnuts, potato chips, Cheetos, cookies, crackers, muffins, pies and cakes are examples of foods that may contain trans fat. Athletes should limit how frequently they eat them.

3. Avoid protein and energy bars. Protein and energy bars are quick and convenient source of calories, however most are highly processed and contain little nutritional benefits. Most energy bar products on the market are high in sugars and saturated fats, which can contribute to diabetes and heart disease. Many athletes don’t know how to properly modify their overall nutrition plan to incorporate these products in a healthy way. They eat too many of these products and it leads to unnecessary weight gain. It is also important to note that these bars contain some allergens that can affect an athlete.

Instead, an athlete can get the same energy boost from whole food sources such as a piece of fruit or a handful of nuts and seeds. Nutritional bars that are low on sugars and saturated fats include Luna, Cliff, Kashi, Kind, and Quest bars. At Champion’s QUEST, athletes can purchase Quest bars to supplement their training sessions.

September is nutrition month at Champion’s QUEST and all academy athletes will be going through a nutrition session with their counseling coach. For more information on foods youth athletes should avoid, email Coach Kyle by clicking the picture below.

 

 

 

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.