Day 2 and we began by splitting into two groups – coach Willie’s Group which consisted of Jose, a few other candidates, and I. And coach George’s group which consisted of John Kokkoris and the other half of the candidates. We split up and reflected on one of our pre-course assignments which was to analyze a NY Red Bulls match (first half) and decide a train session for them. Concluding our analyzation of the match we discussed as a group what we thought the “right” training topic would be for that team. To our surprise…we were all right. In John’s vlog, he said “Nobody was told that their topic was the wrong one,” when he reflected on the candidate centered environment created by our instructors. And that’s truly what this day and every other day was as well. But why was no one wrong?

Because of perspective. Each coach had his own background in the game and saw the game through their own eyes, not through the eyes of the instructor. Of course, if someone with no experience in the game was in the room, then perhaps they would be wrong, but this was not a room filled with non-experienced coaches. This was a room filled with other DOC’s, division 1 college coaches, and coaches from some top clubs around the U.S.

The second part of the day consisted of the live training session. Of our groups – George and Willie’s – half of the candidates in each group had to do two stages of their training sessions while being recorded. What an experience that was! Coaching in front of fellow coaches is one thing, but coaching knowing that every word and step you take is being recorded is a whole new level! My session started and I took a couple of deep breathes. I started with a couple of quick coaching points in the flow to build my confidence and as the session continued I felt much more comfortable. I was prepared. I knew what I wanted to say and when to identify those coaching points. And that was something that I learned that day which I need to take into every single one of my sessions – the importance of preparation.

As a side note, the training sessions we had to do were held at Soccer Association of Columbia, which has 8, turf 11v11 fields and two11v11 grass fields. What an amazing facility they have! SAC hosts games from the recreational level all the way up to the Developmental Academy. Attached is a picture!

To see John’s vlog, click here to catch a better view of just how amazing SAC’s facility is! If you would like to learn about day 3, click through to read my reflections on the USSF C Course – Day 3.