THE GP NEWSLETTER

Athletes!

Back for another edition of the GP Newsletter after a busy weekend coaching my daughter’s U5 Team, the Pink Cheetahs.

Teaching the girls the “game model”…score goals and eat fun snacks 😁

Working out well for us so far, but we’ll see if we can sustain this level all season.

I’ve been getting SO much great feedback from those of you that have already started my new Soccer Strength Program! Makes me so happy to hear that it’s going well and can’t wait for more of you to give it a shot.

Whether it’s via DM or replies to this email, I love hearing from you all and am always around to answer questions or just say hi.

Alright, we’ve got a hefty edition of the GP Newsletter, so let’s get into it…and trust me, you are going to want the granola recipe all the way at the bottom 👊 

In Today’s Newsletter:

• GP Newsletter Exclusive: My Latest Medium Article

• The Great Debate: Should coaches join in on the workout?

• MLS Goal Breakdown

• My Top Secret Granola Recipe

 Before I get into the GP Newsletter, a quick reminder:

• Do me a big favor and reply to this message. I love hearing from all of you, but even if you send a simple 'yes.' it tells google (and other email providers) you actually want to get this.

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  Thank you for joining the process and supporting my vision: to bring everyone access to the training strategies pro soccer players use everyday, that actually get results.

New GP Medium Article: ‘Rehab Evolvers’

Sharing first with all of my GP Newsletter family, the latest piece I’ve posted on Medium.

I am quite confident that just like me, many of you have dealt with a hamstring injury at some point…

Well, early in my first year working in pro soccer at the LA Galaxy I remember hearing someone say: “I am the best hamstring physio in England because my clubs have had the most hamstring injuries”.

Context: this was from a physio that was visiting from a Premier League club, and his main responsibility in his previous role was late stage return to play. He said he was recently fired along with his entire staff because his club had a record number of hamstring strains in a single season.

He claimed that he was quickly becoming an expert in hamstring rehabs because of his massive exposure to them.

It’s a really interesting concept.

If you have a pool of candidates to hire for a performance coach position, would you hire one with a small injury history at their previous clubs, or would you hire the one who has the most experience with injuries?

I share my thoughts as well as a few things I consider to reduce the likelihood of hamstring injuries.

The Great Debate: Should Coaches Sweat It Out with Athletes?

The guy in the hat, that’s me running with my players at LAFC. For a decade straight I have run with my pro athletes just about every day in various situations.

We have all heard the saying, “Do as I say, not as I do.” 

When I was a young athlete, coaches would say this when they could not demo an exercise or if they would eat different from what they preached for the athletes.

In the moment I thought it made sense and just did what the coach said.

But when I started my coaching career, I knew just how valuable it was to have someone “suffering” next to you or who could truly demonstrate movements as the expert in the room.

There is a bond that is created when teammates complete a conditioning session together or endure a full season stacked with practice, games, weight room sessions, travel. So I knew I could do something different in my approach.

I took some time share more on Medium breaking down my reasoning that you can read here, but I am curious to get your thoughts:

The article is a quick 5-min read and even features a picture of me from 2017 in Portugal with USMNT 🇺🇸

MLS GOAL BREAKDOWN

Breaking down a goal from the Montreal Impact’s Mahala Opoku.

The DG Lens: Mahala is an incredible player, I was fortunate to work with him at LAFC for a few years. There are 2 incredible physical movements he does that makes the goal even better.

1. His ability to control his body in the air, win the ball and make a “safe” landing for his next move, which is to sprint. All the times we preach about training your landing mechanics is for a moment just like this. Mahala is landing from a lateral jump into a gallup or one foot right after another. An incredibly athletic jump to perform.

2. When he starts his run towards goal, notice his eyes are on the ball while he is sprinting towards the goal. This is dissociation of the hips and it happens all the time. The best athletes can run in a direction while their eyes and head are looking somewhere else.

MY SECRET GRANOLA RECIPE

I’ve been getting a lot of messages on Instagram from you asking me what I eat every day, so going to start incorporating recipes and other tips in the newsletter each week.

First up on the list from the GP Kitchen is my go-to granola. This has been a staple in my kitchen for years and is great for breakfast, or a easy snack before training or practice. I typically train at night so it’s a great way for me to get in quick carbs before bed!

GP Granola Recipe

• 4 cups rolled oats

• 1 cup chopped pecans

• 1 tsp sea salt

• ½ tsp ground cinnamon

• ½ cup coconut oil

• ½ cup grade A Organic maple syrup

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• Bake 350F for 25-28 minutes on parchment paper

• Let cool for 10 minutes to firm up

Trust me, it’s simple, easy and REALLY good. Try it out and let me know what you think🧑‍🍳!

That’s it for this week’s packed edition of the GP Newsletter. Cannot thank you enough for subscribing and spending a few minutes of your day/week with me.

It means a lot to me that you find the content interesting and valuable and I look forward to bringing you more front row insight into pro training.

If you have any suggestions or feedback, please feel free to reply to this email. I love getting replies and hearing what you think about the newsletter. I’m always trying to improve and grow this thing, so any and all feedback is appreciated and welcome.

Thanks again, I’ll see you next week.

-Daniel Guzman