TECHNICAL IMPORTANCE
These Camps are catered to improve the technical ability of the player. We break the curriculum down to focus on 1 or more technical aspects of the game.
SKILLS SCHOOL
Ball control and technical cleansing of skills such as dribbling, passing, striking, heading, and shooting.
Dribbling in its basic form is an essential skill for every player to have. The ability to run with the ball close to the feet and be able to look up to see what is happening on the field around them is crucial. The more skilled the player becomes, the more advanced they will become in dribbling techniques, thinking of new ways to get around their opposition.
Passing allows your team to keep possession of the ball and find holes in the opposing team’s defense. As a team, try to keep the ball moving and spread the defense, taking advantage of open spaces.
Strong finishing can make all the difference between good scoring chances and goals. Developing solid shooting skills involves a small list of mechanical and mental items to perfect.
Heading can be used to pass, shoot, or trap the ball. Soccer heading techniques are vital for air power in the game of football. The team that dominates in the air can win the ball in the vital danger zone in front of the six yard box both when defending and attacking, and that team can win the ball from long goal kicks. Heading skills also enable a team to use the long ball tactic bombarding the opposition with long passes towards their penalty area.
“NETBUSTERS” STRIKERS CAMP
Scoring goals!! We will give players ideas on type of finishes to use and maximizing the shots:goal ratio. Players will improve their decision making in front of the target. Should I use power? Can I use swerve to beat the goalkeeper? Where is the goalkeeper placed? Is there an opportunity to attack the goalkeeper 1v1? What angle should I approach the goal at? There are many questions players have to answer in a split second as the game is in full flow. Correct repetition can make these decisions not only natural but instinctive.
SOCCER SPEED AND AGILTY CAMP
Speed and power are becoming essential tools for the complete player. We work on the pure and technical speed of the player. There are many factors which influence the pace at which one performs on the field. They include reflexes, tactical anticipation, agility and so on. Playing at high pace is increasingly important at the more competitive levels. Our effective speed training program incorporates realistic aspects from the game. It is just as important to practice change of direction, acceleration, and above all, speed with the ball.
CONDITIONING CAMP
To play the game with intensity from start to finish the player must be conditioned to handle the demands placed on the body. Soccer, at any age is a physical game. It involves running. It involves twisting and turning. It involves jumping and kicking and tackling. And as young players mature, the stresses and strains of the competitive environment become greater and greater. Not only can conditioning for juniors and youths be perfectly safe, done correctly it’s the best way to prevent injury and set up a long, successful career.
GOALIE CAMP
Specific activities for goalkeepers. Professional Goalkeeping staff will provide the specialist training in a small group setting.
CULTURE SOCCER CAMPS
Soccer is a global phenomenon and can be played in many different styles. On staff at Launch we have a wide range of coaches from different countries and cultures. We look at the training methods from different cultures and impart that knowledge onto the players to give them more ideas and ways to take their game to the next level.
Soccer in the U.S., especially at the youth level, has been thoroughly “Americanized” — from the leagues, the clubs, the endless tournaments, the coaches and the USSF coaching schools, the high schools, the colleges and our US National men’s team. The U. S. women’s team is 100 percent American-born.
Still, the ethnic influence remains strong in our soccer. Perhaps it always will, so long as the U.S. remains a multicultural society, so long as immigrants continue to arrive with their sport, and so long as opportunities exist for immigrants and their offspring to contribute to America’s way of life. At Launch Soccer Camps we embrace the differences in soccer cultures and pass on the passion for the game onto our participants through our various Culture Soccer Camps such as:
INTERCONTINENTAL CAMP
Within the Launch Station model, we provide different ideas from different methodologies within 1 camp. These include but are not limited to Italian, English, Irish, American, Costa Rican, Mexican and Brazilian. Whether it be learning to play a long ball into the forward like the English or being creative on the dribble like the Mexicans, we will open each players mind to different methods and philosophies from outside the U.S.
SAMBA SUCCESS
A comprehensive curriculum to inspire a South American flair within the game. Here concepts from leading soccer countries such as Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, and Uruguay are shown to the players to add to their game and enhance their own brand of creative soccer.
BRAZILIAN WAY
It would be foolish to ignore the success and entertainment of the Brazilian Soccer Religion.
Brazilian Soccer is famous all over the world for its brilliant performance and unique technique of playing the game.
We provide learning techniques from Brazil to our players in a fun and exciting camp.
FUTSAL
The learning tool of many South American players is now being recognized worldwide as a great environment to teach youngsters the fundamentals of the game. The greatest players of the last century sharpened their skills on the south east Brazilian beaches, in the streets of Dutch cities, in the parks of English towns, in Argentinean playgrounds, and the context has always been the same: Small sided games. These players never played organized soccer until they were discovered and were signed up for teams. Futsal is the ultimate small sided game. In this camp the players have the freedom to express themselves and learn from mistakes made without consequence.
“Soccer is the world’s game, and we are part of that world. There will always be an ethnic contribution to our soccer. The legacy doesn’t end. We will continue to welcome and learn from the ethnic influences, integrating what is best from other lands and cultures into our own soccer environment. We will have a better opportunity to create a strong national soccer identity and program by accepting what is best in others, then doing it our way — that’s always been a winning combination.”
-Barry Ritson and Kevin Mercado