EduKick England Players Complete First Week of Academic Year-Long Soccer Boarding School
Joey Bilotta
October 01, 2009
"It's been a very positive week overall, with the boys settling in very well," said Bailey. "It´s a big transition for them, as we have boys from all over the world, and they have coped very well with the move."
In the EduKick England/BWFC year-long international soccer school, players stay with host families, rather than in dorm rooms, and many of them don't speak English. These players make some large adjustments within their first few weeks.
"They have to cope first with the change of familiarity the move brings, as well as language barrier," said Bailey. "There is moving and settling in with the host family, climate, food, and a very disciplined environment on top of that. The big one is the fear of the unknown. Once the boys have the initial excitement out of the way, the unknown can be difficult."
Although they don't spend much time on the pitch in the first week, Bailey says that the "pre-season" is progressing nicely. This initial training focuses mostly on fitness: speed, stamina, strength, power, and balance.
"The boys' attitudes to this have been very good; for some it´s been a huge shock to them, but we educate them to understand running in the game is vital and not a punishment," said Bailey.
"The boys have also done weights this week in the gym and have gym programs, which will have power as a goal to achieve. We have been also working on core stability in the studio and again, this is a new aspect for most of the boys."
Bailey says the boys will spend more time on the pitch in the coming weeks, but they will still be in the "pre-season" with the emphasis on mental and physical fitness rather than soccer technique.
"We will be out on the pitch with the ball more—the boys will be happy to hear that—but again we will be working them hard and the emphasis will still be on fitness and their attitude," said Bailey.
Not all of the players are new to the EduKick England year-long program. There are several veterans who have returned for another year of soccer training and language education.
"They have come back with a spring and step in their heels," Bailey said. "They seem much more confident. We will see how they progress, but much is expected of them, as they have an advantage of knowledge and experience. They need to be leaders (eagles as we call them) and show what they have learned from last season and be the backbone of our team."
With a long year ahead of them, the boys undoubtedly have a lot to do. However, they have a promising start.
Too late to sign up for a year-long program? Don't worry! Take a look at EduKick's half-year and month-long soccer camps. Visit EduKick.com for more information.
About EduKick International Soccer Boarding Schools
World-class soccer training facilities in England, Spain, Italy, France, Mexico, and Brazil help thousands of young players develop elite soccer skills, foreign language acquisition and cultural awareness. Under the guidance of professional coaching staff, players in EduKick international soccer schools live and train in a safe and nurturing language immersion environment.
EduKick, the language and culture soccer experience of a lifetime!
Contact Information
Joey Bilotta, V.P.
jb@edukick.com
www.edukick.com/
media.edukick.com
www.travelsportcamp.com
Tel: (905) 469-5661
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