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Craig Vincent, Spring, TX Soccer Coach

Craig Vincent

Soccer

SILVER

Background Check Verified

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Professional youth soccer coach with experience at all ages and a focus on the mental aspect of the game. I have licenses, diplomas, and certifications from numerous agencies. View all coaching experience

This coach is unavailable to take clients at this time.

Training Locations
  • 22 years

  • Qualified Private Coach
    Passed Coach Course

  • Adults, Kids, Teenagers

  • Midfield, Goalkeeper, Forward, Defense

  • Throw-Ins, One-Touch, Shooting, Passing, One-on-Ones, First Touch, Dribbling, Agility

Credentials

  • 22 years

  • Qualified Private Coach
    Passed Coach Course

Services

  • Adults, Kids, Teenagers

  • Midfield, Goalkeeper, Forward, Defense

  • Throw-Ins, One-Touch, Shooting, Passing, One-on-Ones, First Touch, Dribbling, Agility

More About Coach Craig

Notes: I have spent the last 20+ years coaching nearly exclusively girls and women; it is uncommon for me to accept male players. Additionally, my schedule is busy and I am very limited in taking on new players. I regret that I must pick and choose those who I think I can help the most. Thank you for understanding.

First: Please message me before you book your first session to discuss the specifics of what you are looking for. Thank you.

Second: While I understand that training as an individual is easier to schedule and manage (I do accept individuals), and may seem like an ideal (1 to 1 ratio), I prefer to train pairs or trios. If you have a player looking for training, ask around their team to see if there is another player or two that would join them. More than a single player allows for more activities to be done and for increased intensity by competing against each other, while not reducing touches nearly at all.

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At the end of 2017, my family moved to Houston from WA where I spent many years in numerous aspects of the soccer community. I coached at youth, collegiate, and competitive adult levels with players' experience ranging from my 5-year-olds to Italian National Women's Team players - though my preference is middle school ages. I spent a few years working with local adult clubs learning the managerial aspects of a club and in 2016 founded and GM'd a women's team that, in 2018, went on to merge into one of the most prestigious youth clubs of WA to act as their women's program.
I have a USSF 'D' License, NSCAA/USC 'National' and 'Goalkeeper 3' diplomas, and LaLiga & ACF Fiorentina methodology certifications.
I've spent many years developing and utilizing a mental training program that I have used to great success. Mental training is arguably the most important aspect for competitive players yet it is consistently the least understood and thus the least taught piece of the game. All my players will have (at least some) mental training included. Some players find the mental training is enough to allow them to gain the extra advantage through the trainings they already have and not need more touches on the ball, because, as is becoming the case for many players, over-training (especially through middle school ages) can be very hard on players bodies (knees).

In the early 2000's, my group of friends rebooted the Tacoma Stars indoor soccer club. As a goalkeeper, I spent two years playing with the indoor team where we qualified for Nationals both years. About 8 years later, the Stars took the season off and, again as a goalkeeper, I played indoor with the Tacoma Galaxy where we qualified for Nationals undefeated. The Tacoma Stars continue today as a professional MASL team still with many of my friends involved with the team.

Sessions vary greatly depending on age and experience. Preteen players will see a lot of coordination included in their sessions, things like rhythm, spacial-time orientation, or anticipation (there are 9 coordinations). As they get older and their ability to develop their coordinations decreases (about 13/14 or so), technical development gains more focus. However, each player is different, and how their sessions are built depends completely on what they feel they need to work on and what I believe will benefit them the most. Every session is specifically made for the player(s).

Players wishing for only a player analysis require a consultation beforehand to discuss the player and the intent behind the evaluation. An analysis can be done in person or through a video and can either be discussed in person afterward or through e-mail. My analysis package includes a debriefing form. These forms are used after every training or game to encourage a player to consciously recall how it went. It does this in the form of true or false statements. Some of these are general statements like, "I was able to overcome my mistakes" while others are personal towards the individual player's goals like, "I was able to get my head up and find my target before I received the ball". Players then review past forms on the way to the next training. Using positive self-talk and mental imagery/visualization they mentally prepare themselves for the pieces they weren't successful at. It is extremely useful for giving players very specific goals to focus on and allows them to see progress through their goals.

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Client Reviews

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Coach Craig has done a great job with our son! Very knowledgeable when it comes to GK training in all facets of the position (mechanics, footwork, distribution and mental approach). Our son has enjoyed the sessions and the approach!

My daughter really enjoyed working with Coach Craig. She always got a lot out of her sessions with him. He worked hard with her to refine and improve her technical skills. She is already looking forward to more sessions in the future. He also did a great job of communicating which made the process super smooth.

Coach Craig worked well with the boys. We flew from NY to Texas to visit my mother. My boys are starting travel soccer this fall and I did not want them to miss training. I’m trying to prepare them for travel. I was able to book a couple of sessions with couch Craig while we were down in Texas. Coming from NY, the boys were not accustomed to the Texas heat. Nevertheless, the boys pulled through and Coach Craig was able to work with them well.

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really good coach

We have trained with Craig for the last year and found it was highly beneficial to our daughter playing at the varsity level. Craig is very compassionate about the sport and brings that energy to the field through a mix of traditional and some non-conventional training. His focus on the players mental and physical development make for a much more well-rounded athlete. He takes the time to listen to the players wants and goals and then custom tailors a training regiment. Craig is an excellent source of additional skill building outside of regular practice. Thank you for all your guidance.

My daughter started training once a week with Coach Craig and has really enjoyed it! She is excited to have someone focus on ways she can improve and has learned a lot. So many basic things have been missed over the years in the leagues and my daughter has found great value in even simple explanations that were just never taught or overlooked before. Craig's personal goals and evaluation sheets he provides to players is also proving to be valuable as it makes my daughter reflect and focus on the things she needs to do during her regular practices and games. Coach has gone well beyond expectations with his genuine investment in my daughter's improvements. He has attended her league practices and games to see if she is applying what is learned and how to help her further, which was not expected but very much appreciated. I selected Coach Craig after reviewing his certifications. Having the variety of experience and having the international certification was the extra that put him at the top of my list and I have not regretted the decision. We would definitely recommend Coach Craig!!

Marlee has really enjoyed working with Coach Craig. She loves that he breaks it down for her. Her dad and I have seen improvement. Thank you for being patient with Marlee.

Coach Craig is patient, detail oriented and highly knowledgeable of the goalie keeper position. Our daughter is excited to be able to work with a first rate coach and is looking forward to working with him going forward.

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My 8 year old really enjoys soccer but we felt like there were skills he wasn't picking up in his club soccer and as non-sports experienced parents we weren't too good at getting him to practice on his own. He absolutely loved his sessions with Coach Craig and I feel like his focus improved as did some of his basic skills and his confidence. We hope to continue working with Coach Craig and highly recommend him.

Coach Craig is patient and kind. A perfect coach for young kids.

I really appreciate he focuses on what the boys need versus a standard routine.

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After only a few sessions with Coach Craig I have become significantly more confident with all the aspects of the game that I have been trying to improve. He has helped with not only my creativity on the ball, but also has pushed me to my full potential each training.

Craig did a great job of breaking down complex soccer moves/strategies into easily understood small steps that greatly facilitated the players’ understanding. Further, I like how he places emphasis on goals that easily translate into direct observationSo as to monitor progress.

Coach Craig did an great job explaining to the girls on what they needed to do along with why they need to do it that way.

I’m happy with my daughter’s private lessons. He’s very professional and attentive. I can see my daughter responding well to his teaching and coaching. I would definitely recommend him to anyone looking for a soccer coach.

Coach Craig has helped my son improve his soccer skills. Highly recommended!

I can’t say enough good things about Craig and his coaching style. He is an excellent coach with a great deal of knowledge of the game, especially the nuances that aren’t obvious to most people. He imparts that knowledge to our daughter in a calm and positive manner, using encouraging words and techniques, but at the same time helping her demand the best from herself and helping her understand not only what she did wrong when she fails to properly execute a particular skill, but more importantly why she did it wrong, so she can correct it the next time. He does all this without at any time making her feel inadequate or like she can’t eventually accomplish the given skill. In addition, he has increased my enjoyment in watching soccer in general, and her games in particular, by increasing my knowledge and the things to watch for when analyzing her performance. He is a superb coach, and our family highly recommends him.

Coach Craig has a great attention to detail and technique and the importance of. Maggie looks forward to working with him more!

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My daughter is really enjoying her sessions with Craig and learning a lot. It is giving her confidence with her team.

Coach Craig did a great job. I booked 3 sessions for my 6 year old daughter and was very pleased with both physical and mental training received. Coach Craig has the ability to change the information and instructions when the student is not grasping the idea of the drill. I plan to book future sessions.

Van Bushnell.

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As a long-time player and youth coach myself, I have always been impressed with Craig's ability to: communicate technical skills in a way that children and young adults can understand, coach from a positive perspective, and understand the importance of foundational player development. Craig is very skilled technically. As two examples, on numerous occasions, I've watched him indicate correct foot placement and angle when striking or passing and body position when receiving or defending only to see my daughter's do their best to repeat during games. When asking about specific plays, I would often hear, "Coach Craiggers said to do it that way. Many youth Coaches equate yelling and calling out mistakes with coaching. For girls especially, this does not instill a positive attitude or enjoyment for soccer. During one game, I listened to Coach Craig say to my daughter - who had just made a good defensive tackle while way out of position - "Great tackle D! Next time lets let R take that so you can stay at midfield." I've also seen many coaches react to similar plays by yelling about the player being out of position with no mention of the good individual play. Finally, I have always appreciated Coach Craig's focus on player development and individual skills over team tactics, especially for younger players. Coaching philosophies and teammate abilities vary. Craig's focus on speed and agility as well as ball movement and striking which leads to a more well-rounded player who is able to fit into any team.
Coach Craig has been training my daughter for the past 6 years. She excelled under his guidance, and though he has recently moved away, she continues to value his guidance and feedback as she prepares to play at the collegiate level. Coach Craig has not only been instrumental in developing and refining the physical aspects of her game, the most valuable skills that he has taught Jami are the “mental” skills. He has taught Jami how to play smarter, and how to mentally prepare herself for her games. As Jami has developed into a high-level player, she credits much of the success she has in soccer to the training she has had with Craig over the years, and misses his guidance and evaluations of her performance.
Coach Craig has trained and coached my 2 daughters over the course of a few years. It is amazing to see the things they learn in training applied in their club play. Coach Craig makes the technical training sessions fun but hard work. He has a great rapport with the kids and they respond well to his training. We highly recommend Craig and miss his positive influence on the kids.
My daughter worked with Coach Craig for a year when she was 8 years old. Aside from the obvious development she experienced in her skills, Craig played a pivotal role in helping her see her leadership potential. The confidence he gave her enabled her to try new moves during game time, and she made amazing progress that year.
Coach Craig worked with our daughter both as a field player and as a keeper. Over time, she evolved to working with him solely on keeper skills and preferred him over any other option. Craig does a great job of supporting a player’s strengths while identifying those areas that the player needs to work on. He had a great chemistry with our daughter and kept her engaged/challenged during training sessions, while also keeping a smile on her face. Craig was able to instill solid technical skills into our daughter’s keeper play and that was a big reason for her making the Washington State EPD team in her first year of eligibility. I can say that she misses working with Craig, we have had some difficulty in finding a replacement since he moved. We highly recommend him!
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