Zac F.

I have been coaching for 12 years to a wide age range from young children to college age athletes. I have worked as a coach for two club teams, one in Jackson, TN and most recently for Spire F.C. here in Cleveland. My college coaching experience came in my final semester of college, when I was assistant coach for Union University, a DII school.
I have spent time doing private lessons through the years with different ages and abilities.
I have gained the following certifications; Level 1 UEFA (Europe) and level 1 USSF (USA); Level 1 and 2 Coaching Disabled Footballers (Irish FA).
Goalkeeping National Coaching Certificate (Irish FA). Level 2 Talent Identification In Soccer (PSSA).

I played at a semi professional level in the U.K. for 3 years, for Bangor F.C. During that time I went on trial to go professional with Cambodia’s national champions Svay Rieng, but ultimately preferring to stay in the UK than move.
I played 3 years of college soccer at DII level for Union University, playing 46 games and captaining my side.
My most recent accomplishment and one I am very proud of is to win the Nike Cup, as coach, for my Spire 2012 team!

I take a parent, player, coach approach, meaning I listen to the parent and player regarding what they want to work on, I make my assessment, if I agree, then we will work on that. If I think otherwise I’ll speak with the other party’s and explain myself.
I believe over coaching is a big problem in youth soccer. It’s much more important to focus in on 1 or 2 aspects, learn and practice correct technique, and then work on reps that will help to improve these aspects, not just drills for the sake of drills to fill the time or too much instruction from the coach. Everything I have a player do will be intentional, thoughtful and targeted towards growth. I also believe that enjoying each session is very important, so, whilst there will need to be time spent on more ‘boring’ aspects, I do my best to limit this to as short a period of time as possible. With that in mind, my sessions are fast moving, we will rarely spend a lot of time on one drill/exercise. It is more important for a player to work with intensity and quality for a shorter time than casually for a longer time.
In terms of ‘working out an athlete’, soccer is a passion of mine and has been since I could walk, there are few things in life I know more about than the game, so I am confident in my abilities to see and know about a player quite quickly.