Jordan J.

Credentials:
- MSc in Sports Coaching from the University of the West of Scotland
- USSF C Licensed Coach
- NASM Corrective Exercise Specialist
- NASM Speed, Agility, and Quickness Training

I have over 12 years of coaching experience and have worked with athletes of all ages and skill levels -- from toddlers kicking a ball for the first time, to collegiate athletes. My first two coaching jobs were as an assistant coach at Point Park University, and then Chatham University. While I was at Chatham in 2015, I began working with youth athletes at Hotspurs soccer club (has since rebranded as Steel City FC). I coached there for two seasons before I was promoted to the role of Girls Youth Development Phase Leader at my club, where I was responsible for 6 competitive girls soccer teams across 3 age groups (13-15 year olds). It was at this point where I decided that I wanted to get out of the college game and focus all of my energy on working with youth athletes.

After seeing first hand the training gaps that team coaches simply do not have the time to cover for all of their players, in 2024 I decided to start my own private coaching business called On the Ball Training PGH. Born out of a "brainstorm list" of things that I am most passionate about and want to prioritize as a coach, OBT focuses on training female athletes in both soccer technical and tactical training, as well as incorporating strength, mobility and flexibility training into each session.

Total athleticism is a cornerstone of OBT's philosophy because, especially in the girl's/women's game, if you do not have proper movement mechanics, you are putting yourself at a greater risk of injury. It does not matter if you are the best dribbler in the world if you are always sitting on the bench nursing an injury. For this reason, all OBT sessions dedicate a portion of the session to age appropriate overall athleticism training in addition to the soccer training.

As someone from a small town, I grew up playing on boys teams because we did not have a girls team at that time. My senior year of high school, as the only girl on the boys team, I captained our team and was our leading goal scorer. This experience helped to shape my game, toughen me up, and become confident in my ability to be a leader in any environment.

After high school, I played 4 years of collegiate soccer at Clarion University, where in my first season I was voted Rookie of the Year. I was a consistent starter for all four years.

After graduating college and moving to Pittsburgh, I was disappointed to find that there were no competitive opportunities available to women. With a desire to continue playing at a high level, I decided to move abroad in order to try to find a team to play for while continuing my education.

In 2014, I moved to Scotland to attend the University of the West of Scotland and earn my MSc in Sports Coaching. Once in Scotland, I networked until I was able to earn a trial with the Hamilton Accies WFC, a team competing in the Scottish Women's Premier League. I played the remainder of the 2014 season with them, but shortly into the next season I picked up a hip/hamstring injury that I was unable to rehab.

At this time, I was also helping my friend, who was in the process of starting an amateur women's team in Pittsburgh called Steel City FC. Once I finished school and was unable to rehab my injury in Scotland, I moved back to Pittsburgh. I underwent multiple surgeries over the subsequent years, and was able to play a few seasons in the WPSL for Steel City FC, but was never really fully fit again, and continued to have nagging hip injuries which eventually ended my playing career.

At the first session with each of my athletes, it is all about getting to know the player! We go over what their goals are, and then we do a bit of everything in order for me to get a feel for where they are at in their development. After that, sessions are tailored to each athlete's needs and focus on technical and tactical aspects that are specific to their position or level. I also like to incorporate as much cognitive training as I can into each session in order to make skills more translatable to the game; for example, including elements of scanning/awareness, decision making, quick reactions, or having to think about one thing while executing another.

All of my sessions also include a component of strength, speed, mobility, and flexibility training as well. This portion is always age appropriate, meaning that for younger players, the aim is to create good habits and learn how to become an efficient mover. For older players, this will incorporate more speed and strength training, again with the focus being on movement efficiency and correcting any muscle imbalances in order to reduce their chance of picking up an injury.