Precision Performance Concepts

12/27/2025

Chapter 3 – Do Less, Win More (Part 1)

WHAT YOU ARE DEALING WITH
Most new coaches assume more reps and longer practices create better teams.

WHY IT HITS YOU AND THE KIDS
Kids burn out fast when practices drag or drills feel repetitive.
Coaches burn out when they try to cram too much into one session.

When everyone is overloaded, progress slows and frustration rises.

The biggest youth sports myth is that volume equals improvement.

The truth is that kids learn better when they are fresh, engaged, and having fun.

Smart coaching is not about doing more.
It is about focusing on the few things that actually matter.

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WHAT THIS CHAPTER GIVES YOU
This chapter shows you a smarter way to coach.

You will learn how to use the Minimum Effective Dose, how to keep practices light but productive, and how to help kids retain more by doing less.

By the end of this chapter, you will know how to reduce stress for everyone while still improving every week.

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Now that we have covered the philosophy and the “why” behind this book, it is time to move into the nuts and bolts.

These are the systems you can take straight to the field.

They are simple, repeatable, and designed to work in real life with busy kids and families.

The very first rule may surprise you.

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More Is Not Better

One of the biggest myths in youth sports is that more always means better.

More drills.
More practices.
More games.
More miles on the road.

I teach the opposite.

More is not better. Better is better.

As a sports performance specialist who has worked with athletes at every age and level, I have seen how quickly “more” backfires.

Kids lose their joy.
Bodies break down.
Families burn out.
Teams start to unravel.

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The Tired Kid

I once coached a twelve-year-old boy juggling three sports: spring soccer, select baseball, and track.

On top of that, he worked with a strength coach who wanted year-round training.

When I asked him what he wanted most, he didn’t say “a scholarship” or “a varsity starting spot.”

He said:

“To sleep.”

He wasn’t smiling.
He wasn’t having fun.

This is what happens when adults confuse activity with development.

Extra hours do not guarantee success.

They guarantee fatigue, frustration, and a kid who starts looking for the exit.

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(Part 2 continues with what actually works in practice. Coming next!)

12/23/2025

One of the coolest plays I’ve seen in my life!!

12/23/2025

Episode Three – Car Lanes

(from Coaching Youth Soccer Without Losing Your Mind )

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Lanes, like the Mexican flag, help with positioning and space. It’s a map the kids use to visualize the field and how play occurs.

I teach that, just like traffic, you can change lanes, but only one at a time. Swerving wildly across the highway is dangerous. The same principle applies to soccer.

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Why Lanes Work
• The ball should move across the field with safe, controlled switches, not wild cross-field kicks.
(I can’t be the only one who thinks shouts of “SWITCH THE FIELD!” for U8 players are silly.)
• Staying in lanes prevents bunching, one of the biggest problems in youth soccer. I’ll shout,
“Scan the field, are you in the correct lane?”
as a reset tool during play and with nearly every goal-kick restart.
• Defenses “funnel” attackers from the middle lane to the outside, where danger is lower.
(We’ll talk funnel in the defense section.)
• A winger who dribbles across the face of defenders from outside to inside can cause chaos, and that is exactly what we want when attacking.

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Wraps and Swaps: The Beauty and Flow of Soccer

(As opposed to invisible force fields)

This is where lanes become powerful.

I encourage my players to wrap and swap positions. Why? Because soccer is not baseball. You do not just stand in the same spot all game. Soccer should flow like basketball.

There are areas, but those areas shift based on circumstances.

Think of it like this: in basketball, if a guard drives through the middle, the whole defense has to react. Everyone rotates. Everyone adjusts.

Soccer works the same way.

When kids understand wraps and swaps, it will feel like you have extra players on the field.

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The teams locked into “stand here” coaching look frozen, like invisible force fields are holding their players in place. Meanwhile, your team looks alive, flexible, and unpredictable.

Even in middle school games, every weekend I see teams steal a ball and have an absolute breakaway, only to dribble a few steps and pass the ball away for no reason other than they feel like they’re getting out of position.

If there is nothing but green grass in front of you, take it.

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The Rules of Flow

That said, there are rules:
• One lane at a time.
A right defender cannot sprint all the way to the far-left attacking lane. That is chaos, not flow, and it is common in youth soccer, where one kid will literally run miles thinking she is helping.
• Swaps must balance.
If one player slides into another’s lane or position, the teammate adjusts and takes that spot.
• Overloads are intentional.
Sometimes I will call for an overload, sending two or three attackers into the same lane on purpose. But that is a strategy, not random freelancing.

The point is freedom with structure.

Flow, but not chaos. Experiment, play free, and use lanes to create an advantage without leaving holes behind you.

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The Combo: Flag + Lanes

Once kids know both systems, you can give a full instruction in one sentence:

“Win it in the white zone, then switch lanes and overload the left.”

Suddenly, even 10-year-olds look like a real team.

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Stories From Practice

One of my U8 groups looked like a rugby scrum every game. The moment the ball moved, everyone crowded in.

Just watch. It’s tough to score in youth soccer because there are literally 16 shins on 8 bodies in the way when the ball gets close to the goal. It is more pinball than skill.

Once we painted the car lanes, everything changed.

One practice, we scrimmaged with a modified rule: all players had to stay in their lane.

During play, only the kids assigned to that lane could chase the ball. At first, it looked silly. But within a week, spacing clicked. They were yelling at each other, “Stay in your lane!” like Mario Kart.

Parents saw the difference immediately.
It looked like real soccer.

⸻

And here is the bonus.

Excited parents yelling “Kick it! Kick it!” suddenly did not matter anymore. The kids knew that was a poor idea and that they had options.

They learned that kicking into space, not just blasting the ball at the nearest shin, creates good things.

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Coach Cues
• “Let’s run an overload into the right lane for one attack. If it breaks down, reset, scan, and get back to shape.”
• “Hey team, look around. How are our lanes?”
• “Great defense. Great takeaway. You’ve got time, Ricky. Run the ladder. Out of the red, through the white, into the green.”

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Why This Matters

Zones and lanes give kids a mental GPS. Instead of guessing, they know their role in every part of the field.

For new coaches, it is one of the fastest ways to look organized and bunch less.
For kids, it makes soccer fun, understandable, and most importantly, repeatable.

12/22/2025

Hard training isn’t the same as good training.

A lot of athletes grow up believing that if they’re exhausted, sore, or throwing up, they must be doing something right. And for a while, that belief gets reinforced.

But fatigue is cheap. Anyone can create it.

What actually matters is whether the training is making you faster, stronger, and more resilient over time, without constantly breaking you down.

That’s the difference between chasing exhaustion and building adaptation.

This exact philosophy is what Speed Kills is built on.

It’s not about running yourself into the ground.
It’s about developing real speed, improving mechanics, building the physical qualities that support sprinting, and understanding how to blend speed work, strength training, plyometrics, eccentrics, isometrics, and fitness without interfering with each other.

If you want a clear, structured approach to training speed, one that prioritizes progress instead of burnout, Speed Kills lays it all out.

Link in bio.

12/21/2025

Episode Two – Mexican Flag and Car Lanes

(from the soon to be released “Coaching Youth Soccer Without Losing Your Mind” )

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WHAT YOU ARE DEALING WITH

Most young players cluster together because they have no real sense of width or lanes.

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WHY IT HITS YOU AND THE KIDS

When kids collapse into the ball, no one can pass, no one can run, and the game becomes a crowded mess. This frustrates players and coaches, but the solution is simple.

Kids respond to visuals.

When they understand space in the same way they understand a road or a flag, their positioning improves instantly. They finally see the field instead of just chasing the ball.

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WHAT THIS CHAPTER GIVES YOU

This chapter shows you two visuals that fix spacing fast. You will learn how to teach lane play in a way kids remember, how to stop bunching, and how to keep your team spread naturally. You can run these ideas at your next practice and see almost immediate improvement.

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Soccer can feel just as overwhelming for new coaches as for new players.

They see a giant open field, a bouncing ball, and twenty kids running around like a herd.

One of the fastest ways I have found to bring order to the chaos is by breaking the field into zones and lanes. These simple visuals give kids a mental map:

Where they are.
What their job is.
How the team fits together.

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Problem:

My kids are planted in one position.

Solution:

Mexican Flags and Car Lanes.

(Today we’re starting with the flag.)

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The Mexican Flag

Before we talk about anything else, I want my players to see the field as three big areas, in the same way they see the Mexican flag.

• Red Zone – Danger
(close to the goal we’re protecting)

• White Zone – Transition

• Green Zone – Attack
(take it and set up a score)

That is the map.

Every player knows where they are the moment the ball drops.

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The Importance of Each Zone

Red Zone (Danger)

Closest to your own goal.

This is where decisions matter most.

A lot of coaches have an automatic call, especially in youth soccer, and yell “Clear it!” every time the ball is in the red.

My teams do not play that way.

Red Zone does not mean panic.

Yes, there are moments when you must “clear” without hesitation. But more often, when we win the ball and have control, we build first.

Pass to yourself, settle, and start the ladder.

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White Zone (Transition)

The middle third.

This is the fight zone.
Win it, settle it, and connect.

White is where we are shifting the game in our favor. I prefer my defensive stands to happen here because it is less dangerous and there is a lower chance of a score if beaten.

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Green Zone (Attack)

Closest to the opponent’s goal.

Green means go.

Take risks, be creative, and shoot.

More time spent in the green is where games are won.

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The Ladder

I call this the Mexican Flag Ladder:

Get the ball
Out of the red.
Through the white.
Attack in the green.

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Red Zone and “Kick and Cover”

This is where we separate ourselves from the typical youth game.

In professional soccer, one of the strongest predictors of winning is possession time. Teams that control the ball control the game.

In youth soccer, possession is constantly thrown away with the idea that a big kick means something special.

A defender flies in, boots the ball as far as possible, often out of bounds or straight into the air. Parents cheer. Grandma claps. Coaches smile proudly, as if another disaster has narrowly been avoided.

It feels like a win.

But it is not.

That ball is almost always a turnover. We just gave it right back.

Think of it this way:
• You would not punt on first down in football.
• You would not grab a rebound in basketball and throw it to the other team just to play defense again.
• Yet in youth soccer, we do this dozens of times per game and cheer for it.

It drives me nuts.

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Yes, there are times to clear immediately. “CLEAR” is one of my focus words and it means something specific to my players.

But it is not automatic just because the ball is in the red zone.

More often, if we have control in the red, we use it. We pass to ourselves, connect through the white, and attack in the green.

That is real soccer.

That is how we build instead of panic.

⸻

The Mexican Flag and Ladder system teach kids that keeping the ball is the priority, not just kicking it away. It shifts the entire culture of youth soccer.

12/19/2025

This week’s Hornet of the Week is Boys Basketball star Braylon Peters! 🏀

https://youtu.be/X_gWwwaENWY?feature=shared

12/19/2025

Great leaders:

12/17/2025

⚽ 𝗘𝗣𝗜𝗦𝗢𝗗𝗘 𝟭
𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝟭: 𝗧𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘁𝘀 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗘𝗻𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗱

𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗲𝘀

In my last book, Unlocking Athletic Potential, I opened with this. It is about soccer, and it hits so many levels of understanding, and so many lessons for sports and life, that I’m going to lead with it again.

If you are a parent coach stepping onto the field for the first time, this one lesson will change how you, your players, and your parents see the game.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻

At the start of every season, I gather my team at the penalty kick dot, about twelve yards out.

My first lesson of the season is simply to look at the goal.

From here, the goal looks huge.
The size of a garage door.
Wide open.

I ask, “Pretty hard to miss from here, right? Especially if there’s no goalie?”

The kids laugh and nod.
Easy shot.

𝗦𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲. 𝗗𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗔𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗲.

Then I walk them over to the corner, still twelve yards away but now hugging the touchline.

Same distance.
Completely different angle.

The opening has shrunk to a mail slot.

I ask, “Has the goal changed size?”

Of course not.
But the perspective has changed everything.

𝗔𝗱𝗱 𝗮 𝗚𝗼𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗿

We walk back to the PK dot. This time, I add a goalie.

My son Casen usually volunteers. He’s a big kid for his age. He stretches his arms as wide as he can, filling space.

But even then, there’s plenty of room on either side of him.

“Could you score here?” I ask.

The kids nod again.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝘀𝗵 𝗔𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗲

Now we return to the harsh angle, with my keeper standing guard.

Suddenly his wingspan covers the entire visible opening.

From this perspective, there is no good shot.
Zero.

And that’s when the lightbulb switches on.

𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻𝘀. 𝗡𝗼 𝗕𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗞𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗱.

Here is why this is so powerful.

In a five minute walk and talk, kids have just learned more than weeks of stationary drills could ever teach:

• Not all shots are equal
• Angles matter
• Passing to the PK dot gives the best odds
• Chasing a ball into the corner just clogs the play

And here is the bonus.

The parents learn too.

Suddenly, the sideline screams shift from
“SHOOT IT!”
to
“Find the middle!”

Awareness is contagious.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴

But the best moment comes when I push the kids a little further.

“If you had the ball right here, with the crowd buzzing and your parents screaming ‘Shoot it! Shoot it!’ what’s the smartest move?”

They shout back,
“Pass to the PK dot, Coach!”

“Even if no one’s there?” I ask.

“They will be. Because that’s where the ball should go.”

That is the magic.

These are kids under ten years old, already thinking like professionals.

They are anticipating.
They are predicting.
They are trusting the system.

They are learning comprehension, not just drills.

And they are learning it all without ever touching a ball.

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗧𝗼 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗖𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵

As a coach, your role extends beyond running practices and teaching drills.

You are helping young athletes understand the game at a deeper level.

When players truly grasp the game, skills improve naturally. Spending hours perfecting techniques does not help if players are unsure where to go or what to do under pressure.

That is why my first rules of coaching are centered on awareness and perspective.

Increased awareness transforms perspective.
Better perspective leads to better decision making.

Ultimately, it is the decisions made under pressure that determine the outcome of games.

And these lessons apply far beyond soccer.

12/17/2025

⚽ 𝗖𝗢𝗔𝗖𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗧𝗛 𝗦𝗢𝗖𝗖𝗘𝗥 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗟𝗢𝗦𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗗
𝗔 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆-𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸

“I can’t do this anymore. I think I’m going to have a heart attack.”
Ninety minutes later:
“This is the best feeling. I love coaching this team.”

That swing is youth soccer.

I wrote a book about coaching soccer.
It’s good and I’m proud of it.

But modern nonfiction is hard to get right. Releasing a book into the wild and hoping it finds the right people is no longer a great strategy.

So instead of quietly publishing it and guessing what resonates, I’m going to try something different.

𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗜𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗔

I’m going to share the ideas from this book here, for free, piece by piece.

Not as teasers.
Not as marketing.
As the actual content.

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗡𝗧

With your help, as a community of youth soccer parents, coaches, and people who genuinely love the game, we can build something better together.

Instead of selecting a small launch team or hoping beta readers have time to respond, this project will be shaped in public.

What gets commented on.
What gets shared.
What people come back for.

That will decide whether this book deserves to exist.

If it does not resonate, I’ll know early and move on.
If it does, then it is worth refining into a finished product.

After more than two decades around youth sports, I’ve learned this:

Most coaching stress does not come from effort.
It comes from lack of clarity. From outdated ideas and boring drills and more often, inappropriate timing.

There are better, faster, and more efficient ways to teach the game without adding more drills, more yelling, or more pressure. Not to the kids - to us!

That is what this project is about.

𝗛𝗘𝗟𝗣 𝗠𝗘 𝗕𝗨𝗜𝗟𝗗 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗥𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧

If you know someone this book sounds perfect for (you do), please share this and help me build the right community around it.

𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗘𝗦 𝗡𝗘𝗫𝗧

The first concept will be posted next.
It is not Chapter One.

It addresses one of the most common sideline moments in youth soccer and why it often works against what we are trying to teach.

12/10/2025

Coach Tony Holler, Gino Skills Training, Elite Athlete Training Systems, John Prather, Judd Lienhard

The above teachers- Thanks for your recent work. It’s made my approach and ideas much stronger.

If you are thinking about kinesiology as a major or exploring the thousands of careers built around human performance, this lecture is your starting point. Kinesiology is one of the fastest growing…

12/10/2025

Athletes. Coaches. When performance drops but effort stays high, you are not in a crisis. You may be in a slump, but modern performance science sees this moment as the doorway to leveling up. Here is how.

https://sportsdocdc.com/performance-drift-and-slump

Please share this with an athlete or team that needs it. This message can flip a season.

Athletes. Coaches. Watching performance drop even though the work is there? Feeling stuck or in a slump? Modern performance tools see this not as failure but as the moment your next level begins. H…