Eric Patel

I have been coaching girls and boys, travel, club and town select soccer since 2015. I'm currently coaching for Chelmsford Youth Soccer Association (CYSA), Abbey Villa Soccer Club (AVSC) and Massachusetts Youth Soccer (MYS) Town Select League (TSL).

I also serve as the Training Director for Chelmsford Youth Soccer and the Media Coordinator for Abbey Villa Soccer Club (Greater Lowell).

I have earned my United States Soccer Federation (USSF) "D" License, my United Soccer Coaches (formerly NSCAA) National Diploma, Director of Coaching (DOC) Diploma and Goalkeeping Level 1 Diploma, my National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Certified Interscholastic Coach (CIC) certification and my American Red Cross Adult First Aid/CPR/AED certification. I am also a Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) Certified Coach and a New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association (NHIAA) Eligible Coach. I was part of the 2018 graduating class at the MIAA Leadership Training Institute (LTI).

While I am a highly experienced and accomplished coach, my athletic experience is limited to the recreational playing level, as I did not compete on the collegiate or professional level.

I start with taking a baseline: where is the athlete today? Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. I also have a discussion with the athlete about his/hers goals and objectives as well as tactical (short-term) and strategic (long-term) plans.

Then we refine the athlete's short- and long-term goals and identify where the gaps (opportunities for improvement) are. Finally, together we come up with a plan on how we're going to achieve his/her goals.

In addition, I incorporate best practices from the book Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise which talks about deliberate (purposeful) practice and what it takes to become an expert performer.

I also have read and follow the advice given in Coaching Up: Inspiring Peak Performance When It Matters Most, the how-to coaching book from CoachUp's founder, Jordan Fliegel.

A typical training session start with the fundamentals (dribbling, passing, shooting, defense and rebounding) then move to more advanced exercises to address the athlete's weaknesses and/or goals.