WELCOME TO THE GP NEWSLETTER!

Before I get into the GP Newsletter, two quick things:

• Hit reply and send a simple 'yes.' It tells google (and other email providers) you actually want to get this.

• If this email landed in your promotions folder, move it to primary to make sure you actually see the next edition!

  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.

Today in 5 minutes or less you’ll learn:

• Christian Ramirez’s Motivation To Succeed

• The Easiest Drill You’re Not Using

Q&A With Christian Ramirez

The first time I met Christian was as an athlete in college. We played against each other for four years and had some great battles on the field. Little did we know, we would work for the same team when LAFC signed him in 2018 when I was the Head Strength & Conditioning Coach. Christian is another example of an excellent player and teammate. He works hard to do all the right things on and off the field, he is a solid locker room guy and one of the best role models young athletes could have. Enjoy his insights!

What are underrated tools that are indispensable for your job?

Hydration, foam rolling, and sleep, are the three most essential underrated tools I think we tend to forget about. They are so easy to access that we take them for granted.

What advice would you give to yourself (Christian Ramirez) as a collegiate player or young pro, when you first started?

Learn how to maximize your time at training, and at home. Too many times when I was first starting, I was horrible with my time management in all aspects of my life.

What are the biggest misconceptions about your job as a pro athlete?

That it’s all fun and games, but in reality you are showing up essentially fighting for your place everyday and potentially being the reason someone else does not have a job anymore because you beat them out for your position or vice versa.

How has your understanding of S&C changed since you first started to now in your career?

It has helped me tremendously to stay as healthy as possible as well as maximize my potential. Before understanding the value of strength and conditioning, I continuously had muscle injuries.

Who or what was influential in your development as a young player, college?

My family was very influential. Growing up in a government owned community for low income families, soccer gave me a pathway to help my family financially into a better situation.

What are early setbacks in your career that later gave you an advantage?

First two years of D1 college soccer I didn’t play much at all and I was told I wasn’t strong enough or fit enough for what was required to play. But then when I found a program and coach who believed in me, I used those words to motivate me the rest of my career

When was your moment you hit the next level in your career?

Once I understood my body and what food made me feel the best and once I fixed what I put into my body, I hit my full potential.

Box Drills For Movement Exposure

Much of my consulting agreements are with professional, college or youth organizations. Not every club can afford to have Performance Coaches incorporate speed and skill integration into their sessions. This leaves the Head Coach to figure out the best methods to use to improve physical capacities. I have found that exposure to a movement can be extremely beneficial, in the absence of coaching and correcting movement skills. Of course, the gold standard is to have a qualified Performance Coach, but if that is not possible, athletes still need to be exposed to specific movements.

We can create preprogrammed drills to allow athletes to learn the movements in a controlled space. The reactive work will come in the training session, in fact it should be the majority of the session. Using a box drill can create a safe environment for our athletes to practice the movements of accelerating, shuffling, cutting, twisting and turning without the complexity of competition.

I’ve attached two examples of box drills that you can use with your athletes. These drills are precursors to movements the athletes will see in the upcoming session or match.

Box Accel + COD:

Setup cones in a minimum space of 7×7 yard box. Perform 2 reps each direction. Best used for an upcoming session with small sided games or possession. It is important to practice braking actions (deceleration) as they occur all over the pitch at various forces and intensities. This drill serves as a precursor to greater braking and deceleration actions in full field training.

Box Accel + Shuffle:

Setup cones in a minimum space of 7×7 yard box. Perform 2-3 reps each direction. This allows the athlete to practice similar footwork necessary for defending. Maintaining an athletic stance, which requires a lower center of gravity and feet at a distance that allows them to move in any direction necessary. If your feet are too close or too wide, you will need to take an extra step to set your feet in a more beneficial position before turning or accelerating.

Ultimately, these drills become much more valuable with a qualified Performance Coach who can teach proper movement skills. As the athletes become more proficient with linear and multidirectional speed skills, we can progress these drills further along the spectrum towards a reactive nature.

We made it to the end! Congratulations, you're officially part of the exclusive club of people who read to the bottom of the newsletter.

But seriously, thank you for being a subscriber and taking the time to read my perspective. It means a lot to me that you find the content interesting and valuable. I am constantly striving to bring you the stories and strategies, with a dash of humor and empathy.

I appreciate your support and look forward to bringing you more front row insight into pro training. If you have any suggestions or feedback, please feel free to reach out to me. Thanks again, I’ll see you next week.

-Daniel Guzman-