Dein erstes Forum » session Thursday just as Francona was exiting th

Day three of the UEFA A licence (part 2) was broken in four parts; a morning lecture and on-field practical, two afternoon lectures and an evening lecture. The morning lecture and on-field practical was delivered by Kevin McGreskin, who has acquired his UEFA A licence from three separate football associations. Kevin is an elite performance specialist, and is the Technical Director of SoccerEyeQ. McGreskins session was entitled Developing Game Awareness, and centred on the idea that the technical, tactical and physical difference between elite players is often minimal; the thing that separates the best from the rest is that the best players consistently make better decisions while under pressure. The execution of skilled performance in football involves three stages: perception (the input of what the player sees), decision-making (the processing or thinking that the player does) and action (the output of the player doing). In a 90-minute game, elite players spend less than two minutes in possession of the ball. They take less than two touches per possession and have between 40-50 interactions with the ball. Over the course of a game, 98 per cent of a players time is spent in the perception and decision-making stages - yet very little time is ever spent developing a players ability in these areas. The three levels of situational awareness in a game are basic perception (the ability to take in information), realization of relationships (putting context and meaning to the information) and anticipation (recognizing patterns of behaviour). The five things that dictate the roles and responsibilities of players on the field are the ball, teammates, the opposition, the area of play and the state of play. The first three are dynamic variables (always changing), while the final two are semi-static variables (sometimes changing). The on-field practical session focused on the dynamic variables - and it was one of the best sessions Ive ever seen or participated in. McGreskin used visual overload to train the players abilities in perception and decision-making. He did this by introducing colours; coloured gloves, bibs, footballs and tennis balls. McGreskin started with a very simple passing drill; two players 20 metres apart, each with a ball, with a player in the middle. The middle player received a pass from the first player, played it back and turned to get the ball from the second player. McGreskin then increased the visual stimuli to overload the players visual perception and decision-making process. He did this by getting the players to wear one red glove and one yellow glove. When the player in the middle received a pass, he had to look over his shoulder to see the opposite player (who was instructed to hold up one coloured glove as the pass was struck). The player in the middle then had to call out the colour of the raised glove, before playing the return pass and going to receive the second ball. Adding more and more variables increased the difficulty; shouting out the colour of the glove being raised, tapping the inside of the opposite foot from which the coloured glove was on, introducing coloured cones around which the ball had to be carried before playing the return pass, etc. McGreskin then proceeded to introduce interactive passing drills, where two teams of eight players (one team in green bibs and one team in blue bibs) passed two balls in a 30x30 grid, alternating passes from a green-bibbed player to a blue-bibbed player. Again, more and more variables were introduced to increase the difficulty; recognition of an external player holding up a coloured glove, calling out the colour of the glove before receiving the pass, introducing coloured footballs to correspond with the bib colours of the external players, introducing coloured tennis balls that had to be released to a teammate before receiving the pass, etc. It was an incredible session, and put paid to the myth that training perception and decision-making skills cannot be done. The morning session was adequately captured by a quote in McGreskins lecture, from Abernathy, 2008: "Coaches should consider routinely using demanding secondary tasks concurrently with the practice of primary sports skills as a means of stimulating the continued automation of primary skills and the refinement of multi-tasking skills of athletes." The first lecture of the afternoon was delivered by David Platt (not the former England international), who is a UEFA A licence coach, a performance coach for the Team GB Olympic squad and a regional scout for Manchester United. Platts lecture was entitled, The Winning Mentality: Recruiting, Assessing and Building Mental Toughness. Platt explained that of the four components of player development (technical, tactical, physical and mental), only the mental side of development has yet to be fully explored. He gave numerous examples from his previous work, including as a coach at Liverpool FC. In his work with Team GB Cycling, he outlined the core values that the team has created: commitment (sacrifice), ownership (its up to you), responsibility (benchmarks) and excellence (do your best). An interesting area of discussion surrounded the recruitment and retention of players. Platt stated that off-field behaviour reflects on-field behaviour - you simply cannot flick a switch and expect a players behaviour to change. So how a player behaves off the field - on social media, for example - often impacts a clubs decision to recruit or retain that player. Platt ended his presentation by advising the coaches to identify and be clear on their cultural and generic criteria for mental toughness. These core values should then be central to their recruitment, retention and development processes. Phil Abbott, from Academy Soccer Coach (a session planning software company that the Irish FA uses for all of its coach education courses), delivered the second lecture of the afternoon. While Abbotts session was very brief, he outlined the many areas in which technology plays a role in the modern game. He outlined the criteria for professional club academies in England to enter the EPPP (Elite Player Performance Program), as well as the funding that is involved for clubs in that program. Abbott presented some other interesting bits of information: 65 per cent of the population are visual learners; the brain processes information 60,000 times faster than text; and visual aids can increase retention of information by nearly 400 per cent. The message to the coaches was clear - technology can aid in your ability to get information to your players. How you choose to use that technology is entirely up to you. Desi Curry, the Technical Director of the Irish Football Association, delivered the evening session. His topic was Modern Trends in Football, and was an extension of the lecture delivered the previous evening by Phil Melville and Nigel Best. There were five topics that were discussed and debated by the coaches: - What are the key technical aspects that are increasing/decreasing in the modern game?- As a coach, which tactical formation would you choose to play, and why?- How, as a coach, would you plan to counter the counter attack? - What are the key factors affecting set plays?- As a coach, how do you prefer to defend/attack corner kicks? I wont go into to detail about the discussions that took place, as it would likely fill a book! But I will leave you with this quote from the evening lecture that I found especially pertinent to Canadian soccer: "Leaders take people to where they want to be; great leaders take people to where they OUGHT to be!" Seth Joyner Jersey . Having already announced that the race will start May 9 with three stages in Northern Ireland and Ireland and finish in Trieste on June 1, the rest of the route was unveiled Monday. Seth Joyner Youth Jersey . After a lengthy wait, persistent rain finally forced the postponement of the Nationals game against the Miami Marlins on Saturday night. The teams, and a few thousand fans, waited nearly four hours from the 7:05 scheduled start time before an announcement was made shortly before 11 p. http://www.theeaglesfootballauthentic.com/eagles-reggie-white-black-jersey/ . -- Charline Labonte couldnt have asked for a better homecoming. Andre Dillard Eagles Jersey . -- The Bishops Gaiters are showing they belong among the countrys top varsity football teams. Clayton Thorson Eagles Jersey . Gerald Green and Miles Plumlee? Green had bounced around the NBA when he wasnt playing overseas. The Pacers gave up on Plumlee after just one season. Now Green and Plumlee are key cogs in the Suns surprising breakout season. CHICAGO -- Josh Tomlin got the nickname The Little Cowboy several years ago from former Cleveland Indians manager Manny Acta. Tomlin is not a fan of the moniker. But as a 6-foot-1, 190-pound right-hander with a Texas drawl, an upper-80s fastball, abundant toughness and a Tommy John surgery in his background, he fills all the boxes.Tomlin, 32, will make the biggest start of his career Friday night when he opposes Kyle Hendricks and the Chicago Cubs in the first World Series game at Wrigley Field since 1945. While the noise and raucous energy will make for a daunting atmosphere, Indians manager Terry Francona thinks Tomlin is just the man for the job.I just think hes built to pitch good all the time, Francona said. When you get challenged -- and its going to be an incredible atmosphere here -- it feels good to send him to the mound. Hes going to compete. He doesnt walk people. You cant run on him. Sometimes the opposing team beats him. But he doesnt beat himself.As a pitcher whose competitive DNA far surpasses his national profile, Tomlin embodies the tenacity and can-do spirit that unifies the 2016 Cleveland staff.The Indians have won eight of 10 meetings with Boston, Toronto and Chicago this postseason thanks primarily to some industrial-strength pitching. In 89 postseason innings, Indians pitchers have struck out 104 batters, walked 29 and logged a 1.82 aggregate ERA and .210 batting average against -- even though Trevor Bauer and the bullpen just turned in the teams worst October performance yet in a 5-1 loss to the Cubs on Wednesday night at Progressive Field.Cleveland isnt the first place that springs to mind when baseball analysts talk about pitching factories. The San Francisco Giants rode the exploits of Madison Bumgarner, Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum to three titles in five years, and the Mets have made lots of waves of late with Noah Syndergaard, Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey and friends. For several years, Pittsburgh earned a reputation as turnaround central when pitching guru Jim Benedict, the Pirates former special assistant to the general manager, and pitching coach Ray Searage were helping Francisco Liriano, Mark Melancon and several others reinvent their careers at PNC Park.But the Indians arguably derive as much value from their pitching investments as any franchise in baseball. Theyre building an impressive track record for taking pitchers with control problems, injury histories and other performance issues and making them better.Corey Kluber, Clevelands ace, was not a highly regarded prospect coming through the San Diego Padres minor league system. Some personnel people thought he was best-suited for the bullpen when Cleveland acquired him by trade in 2010. But the Indians sent Kluber to Triple-A to work with pitching coach Ruben Niebla on his mechanics and add a two-seam fastball to his repertoire, and Kluber broke through with an 18-9 record, a 2.44 ERA and an American League Cy Young Award in 2014 at age 28.Carlos Carrasco, once a hot prospect in Philadelphia, was saddled with a reputation as a pitcher who lacked mental toughness before finally realizing his potential in Cleveland. Bauer, selected by Arizona with the No. 3 pick in the 2011 draft out of UCLA, clashed with Diamondbacks management and was perceived as headstrong and too nerdy and mechanically obsessed for his own good when the Indians picked him up by trade in 2012. Bauer still isnt over the hump, but he has shown enough flashes to make the Indians think he can get there.Tomlin is a former 19th-round pick out of Texas Tech, and closer Cody Allen, another Tommy John surgery survivor, was a 23rd-round choice in 2011. Even Anddrew Miller, one of the most dominant relievers in the game, failed as a starter and is pitching for his sixth big league organization at age 31.ddddddddddddAll of our guys have been through something tough in their career, Indians pitching coach Mickey Callaway?said. This is why theyre doing what theyre doing. Theres no fear. Theres no timidness. They go out there and just throw the ball over the plate, and they know if they do that and get ahead, good things are going to happen.As Francona readily admits, the Indians have to take a patient, big-picture approach in acquiring and developing arms. Theyll tolerate a pitchers quirks, or nurse him through injuries, because they cant abide the thought of giving up on him and watching him blossom somewhere else.The Indians give their pitchers plenty of sounding boards. Callaway has developed a reputation as something of a pitcher whisperer, and former big leaguer Jason Bere plays a valuable role as bullpen coach. Indians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti describes Callaway as relentless in his preparation and willingness to explore every possible avenue of success.Its never about Mickey being the coach or being right or being the one with all the knowledge, Antonetti said. Hes always trying to figure out, How do we partner with the player and develop a plan for him to be successful? Hell tap into our other pitching coaches, our coordinators, our scouts, our front office, our analytics group and our sports psychologists. Hell utilize whomever can potentially help him be a more effective coach.Clevelands younger pitchers have an excellent role model in Kluber, whose even temperament and diligent preparation are the backbone of his success. And throughout the postseason, the Indians have raved about the contribution of catcher Roberto Perez, an astute pitch framer and game caller who finds a way to mind-meld with everyone on the staff.He brings a sense of calm, Tomlin said of Perez. He slows the game down for you and expects you to execute. If you elevate a pitch and leave it over the plate and they miss it or foul it off, hell look at you [later] in the dugout like, Lets go. Be smart. He holds you accountable back there. When you toe the rubber and he has the sign down before you think about it, it gives you extra conviction and confidence in that pitch. That goes a long way.Tomlin needed to look inward and figure some things out after going an abysmal 0-5 with an 11.48 ERA in August. The Indians skipped him for a start in early September, and he sat down with Callaway, looked at video and made some mechanical adjustments to get back on track. Tomlin has developed a better feel for his curveball in recent weeks and has emerged as Klubers wingman when the Indians needed him most.If Tomlin and the Indians feel stressed heading into three straight games before a hostile crowd in Chicago, they certainly dont show it. Tomlin took the podium for his media session Thursday just as Francona was exiting the stage.Make sure to use your Texas-to-English dictionary, Francona cracked.A few minutes later, as Tomlin finished up, a voice at the back of the room piped up with one final question.Whos better at cribbage -- you or Mike Napoli? asked Napoli, who was about to take the stage.With the obvious exception of Kluber, the Indians give the impression that theres no one they would rather have on the mound than Tomlin in this momentous game at Wrigley. As the pressure mounts, they expect The Little Cowboy to be up to the challenge. ' ' '