Inside iSoccer.org

West Virginia Soccer Association Announces Partnership with iSoccer.org

ggraziani — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 18:09:44 +0000

ISOCCER IS NOW AN OFFICIAL TECHNICAL DEVELOPMENT PARTNER OF THE WEST VIRGINIA SOCCER ASSOCIATION

San Francisco, CA and Beckley, WV – West Virginia Soccer Association and iSoccer are pleased to announce their new partnership to help raise the technical level of youth soccer players throughout the state.

In its commitment to youth development, WVSA recognizes that a focus on individual technique at a young age is key to the future of soccer in West Virginia, and the country as a whole. To aid in this mission, WVSA has identified iSoccer as a vital partner. The San Francisco based company has developed an on-field assessment and online training platform, which helps make technical development fun, engaging and measurable. “iSoccer is a great tool for motivating players, and gives coaches the ability to track and monitor improvement,” says WVSA Director of Coaching, and Head Coach of the Marshall University men’s team, Bob Gray. “We look forward to using iSoccer with our ODP players, and hope that all types of players and coaches around the state will take advantage of this resource.”

Though much of iSoccer is free, through this partnership, every ODP player and coach will have complete access to iSoccer’s premium resources, such as over 500 professional training videos for creative skills and the ability to compare scores to players around the country, even elite college players. In addition, members of WVSA who register by January 31, 2012 are provided with a free month of iSoccer Premium, with discounts thereafter (go to www.isoccer.org to register for free, then use promo code “WVSoccer” when upgrading). “West Virginia joins a growing number of state partners that we are excited to be working with,” says iSoccer founder and CEO Scott Leber. “Our mission of raising the level of the game in the US starts at the grassroots, which is why our partnership with
WVSA is so important.”

About West Virginia Soccer Association
The West Virginia Soccer Association (WVSA) is a non-profit corporation devoted to
promoting youth and adult soccer in the state of West Virginia. WVSA has over 17,000
registered players and provides soccer programs and activities for its members including
soccer at the recreation, competitive, and Olympic Development Program (ODP) level.
WVSA is a member of the United States Youth Soccer Association (US Youth Soccer),
an organization that develops and promotes youth soccer in 50 states and currently has
over 3,000,000 registered youth soccer players, as well as US Adult Soccer Association
(USASA) and US Soccer Federation (USSF) . WVSA also provides youth coaching
education and referee development programs. The West Virginia Soccer Association can
be reached at 304-252-9872 or online at www.wvsoccer.net.

The San Jose Earthquakes announce partnership with iSoccer.org

Scott Leber — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 00:54:46 +0000

Online training tool to become part of Earthquakes Academy curriculum

San Jose, Calif. – iSoccer.org, the fast-growing online training and assessment tool for soccer players, coaches and teams, has become the Official Technical Assessment Provider of Major League Soccer’s San Jose Earthquakes, making it the first partnership between iSoccer and an MLS club.

The Earthquakes will integrate iSoccer’s online assessment and training technology into its Earthquakes Academy curriculum. The club will also provide access to its professional players to help iSoccer develop a “Professional Standard” in areas such as ball comfort, juggling, dribbling, passing and aerial control.

“We are pleased to be using this innovative technology to identify and improve players of all ages under the Earthquakes umbrella,” said Dave Kaval, President of the San Jose Earthquakes. “iSoccer is a great way for the next generation of players and fans to positively interact with the Quakes and for all the potential talent in California and around the world to compare themselves to our pros.”

“What a wonderful relationship for both iSoccer and the San Jose Earthquakes.,” said iSoccer Founder and CEO, Scott Leber. “Their academy is quickly becoming the preferred destination for some of the most talented young players in Northern California and we are happy to be a part of their overall development and evaluation strategy. We will also be able to leverage their professional players to inspire and motivate youth players across the region–providing ‘Heroes of the Game’ as role models is a very powerful motivator for young players looking to take their game to the next level!”

In addition to individual player analysis, iSoccer will assess and log scores for all Earthquakes Academy players including the U-18 and U-16 teams along with U-14 Pre-Academy Regional Development Schools throughout the season starting in 2012. The Earthquakes will also feature iSoccer score reports as part of their official player evaluation process.

iSoccer has partnered with more than 200 clubs in all 50 states and has collected over 500,000 players assessments since its launch. The player assessment interface was re-launched in September 2011 with new features and has been positively reviewed by soccer websites such as www.soccer365.com, www.equalizersoccer.com and www.womensprosoccer.com, among others.

‘iSoccer’s Online Testing Tool is Slated as the Next Big Thing’ by Total Soccer Magazine

Scott Leber — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 15:39:30 +0000

iSoccer Coaches Survey

Scott Leber — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 18:11:16 +0000

Coaches, We Need Your Help to ‘Raise the Level!’

Please take 10-15 minutes to complete this survey, and we will match the results with the hundreds of thousands of quantitative assessment results already gathered to better understand how:

1 – Technical skills correlate to in-game performance.
2 – Individual achievement has impacted player motivation

As a way of saying thank you, complete by Dec. 1 and you will automatically be entered into a drawing to win a $100 Gift Certificate from Eurosport.

Thanks in advance for your willingness to help us make iSoccer as effective a motivational and player evaluation tool as possible!

Lauletta’s League Lowdown: Raising the Level

sshows — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 02:59:46 +0000

(See original article here: http://www.womensprosoccer.com/news/columnist/)

By Dan Lauletta - Special to womensprosoccer.com

A longtime rallying cry for soccer in the United States has been for longer seasons at the professional level. It was one of the first salvos fired by recently hired men’s National Team coach Jurgen Klinsmann. A longer season for the women is farther in the offing than it is for the men. Youth and junior players are often able to find teams year round, but that setup sometimes lacks the consistency needed to continuously get better. None of which means there are not ways to improve yourself as a player, even during the off-season.
Enter Scott Leber. A former standout at Stanford who was drafted by the Columbus Crew and eventually played for the Long Island Rough Riders, Leber sought to find a method of improving the skill sets of the soccer youths of America, as well as a method of being coached online. The result was isoccer.org.

“The mission behind it is to fundamentally motivate players to want to spend more time with the ball,” Leber said. “It’s an assessment-based platform.”

The program is not so much a straight curriculum as it is a process for improving ball skills. Players begin by downloading tests and taking them to the field with them to get a sense of where they are with their skills.

“Players take the assessment, coaches do the assessment, and then based on their scores they can raise their level to higher and higher scores by say dribbling quicker or touching the ball faster, doing all different things that are based on our model.”

The program, thought up in 2008 and launched in 2010 and now calls former WPS Commissioner Tonya Antonucci a board member, is geared to players ages 6-18. The largest group to this point fall right in the middle of that age range, and female players make up about 55% of isoccer.org’s clientele (in most cases the scoring scales are different for female players). Leber said some of the country’s top youth players are signed up with isoccer.

“We have academy club players all the way down to recreational club players,” he said. “That’s the great thing about what we’re trying to do. A player that’s very good on the U-14 team, still needs to be sharper on the ball. A 6-year-old still needs to have a good time going from one level to the next.”

The program is also set up so that coaches can log in and monitor progress of their players, although there are no plans to stray from individual based training.

“That’s we’re called isoccer,” Leber said. “Our (motto) is ‘raising the level of the game one player at a time.’ We want every player to touch the ball more. We believe that as players touch the ball more at practice, more at home, the entire level of the game would be raised across the country.

“We have over 80,000 users and 500,000 assessments all the way from Maine to Alaska to international.”

Leber said the company needs more data before assigning certain scores to certain levels or age groups, but for now there is enough to let a player know how he or she compares to others around the country who have taken the same tests.

“The core of isoccer is for a kid in New York to compare his scores to a kid in California. It’s an objective measuring stick.”

A Number of Key Organizations Join iSoccer’s Movement!

sshows — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 23:43:39 +0000

Albion SC; San Diego, CA [www.albionsoccer.org]

A member of the Southern California Development League, Albion is lead by TD/DOC, Noah Gins, who “has pushed the club to the top of youth soccer in the US.” They “aim to be recognized as the model program for youth soccer players…to fully develop and be capable of reaching” any level. Noah had this to say about iSoccer: “We looked long and hard at iSoccer and after really looking at it, recognized that it was a perfect fit to give our players something new and allow them to challenge themselves against their own teammates or players from around the country on a technical level. What will end up really happening is each player will challenge themselves more and in the end progress their individual game by gaining more touches and become more motivated to achieve success on the ball. We are excited to be launching the program at Albion SC immediately!”

Ballaz International; Kingston, Jamaica [www.goballaz.com]

iFootball (iSoccer) forms its first partnership in Jamaica! In early 2002, Ballaz Director and Founder, André Virtue, began sharing his dream to use his talent in football to impact the lives of Jamaica’s youth and has continued to share every since! Scott Leber, iFootball Founder & CEO had this to say about the relationship: “”We’re thrilled to be working with such a like-minded organization and very excited to establish our first partnership in Jamaica as well as the Caribbean! Their dedication to player development through individual ownership of, and dedication to, ball mastery ties directly to iFootball’s methodology of motivating the individual player to spend more time with the ball. Also, teaching life lessons through the game of football is a big part of what iFootball does, and Ballaz International clearly strives for the same goals…”

Heat FC; Las Vegas, NV [www.heatfcnevada.com]

Heat FC was founded in 2003. The Board of Directors of Henderson United Youth Soccer Association (now Southern NevadaSoccer Association) has had from its inception a commitment to excellence in the development of youth soccer players. Heat FC is the result of its determination to provide a full range of playing options for youth players, recreational through the highest competitive levels. Starting its 8th year, Heat FC has become one of the largest competitive clubs in Nevada. Led by Club Director, Eric McDonald, Heat FC lives by the motto: “Player Development for Competitive Success…it is what we do and what we achieve!”

Issaquah SC; Issaquah, WA [www.issaquahsoccerclub.org]

About Issaquah SC: Founded in 1980, the Issaquah Soccer Club has established itself as a valuable member of the greater Issaquah/Sammamish communities and is dedicated to promoting sportsmanship and the love of soccer. The Issaquah Soccer Club is home to over 300 youth soccer teams, helping more than 3,000 children each year, learn, compete and grow as athletes and citizens. The club is one of the largest and most successful youth soccer clubs in the Northwest.

Milwaukee Kickers Soccer Club; Milwaukee, WI [www.mksc.org]

MKsc signs up its MK Elite Strikers program, led by Michael King, for the Fall, 2011.

About MKsc: “In the late 1960s, organized soccer was virtually unknown in most areas of the country. However, the soccer phenomenon swept the Milwaukee area in 1968 when the Milwaukee Kickers Soccer Club (MKsc) began formal operations. MKsc founders had a vision: attract, develop, and retain soccer players of all ages and abilities without regard to gender, race, national origin, religion or socioeconomic status. To do this, MKsc created a cost-effective and financially stable organization with quality coaches, referees and administrators. While American youth soccer did exist before 1968 through ethnic clubs, the sport was not widely accepted. In its first year of operation, MKsc started small with 78 players on five teams (four youth and one adult). Games were played on a weekly recreational basis. But MKsc quickly grew.
Today MKsc enjoys a membership of 7,000. Players range from 5 to 21 years of age and enjoy recreational soccer as well as highly competitive play. MKsc spans from as far north as Germantown to as far south as Mukwonago. Remarkably, MKsc is home to 650-plus teams encompassing 1,300 coaches and 64 different leagues. Our membership includes 40 percent women and serves nearly 14,000 children throughout the Milwaukee area with our programs and clinics. The Kickers are as diverse as they are large and are committed to children as well as the game of soccer.”

NYPS & FPS; Rochester, NY & Longwood, FL [www.globalpremiersoccer.com]

New York Premier Soccer launched in 2010 via a partnership with Rochester Futbol Club. NYPS also operate a premier program in the greater Buffalo region under the name NYPS Knights.

Florida Premier Soccer was launched in the summer of 2010 in Orlando in partnership with multiple clubs in central Florida including FC America.

Making the Most of Your Time with the Ball

Scott Leber — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 14:20:44 +0000

Full Article: http://www.ourgamemagazine.com/?p=1459

By Scott Leber, iSoccer.org – This fall, thousands and thousands of hours are going to be spent training to improve a young player’s technical ability. And a great question to ask is, “Are we making the best use of that time?” Across the country, players are getting a lot of touches on the ball – however, they may not be training at the speed or the sharpness that is required in games.

Coaches often ask players to dribble in a box or allow players to have less than perfect touches. But in a game, we are not dribbling in a box and the ball turns over every time there is a lazy or poor touch. When we don’t provide enough pressure, a time constraint, or a space constraint, we may not be challenging our players to develop the proper tools to solve the problems that the game demands.

Therefore, as much as possible, we need to train in game-like setting when working on our individual skills.

So how do we do it?

First, we have to ask the player to be deliberate with every single touch. Try and isolate a specific skill or skills to leave no room for interpretation – the coach and player knows exactly what is being asked to perform and players can really see where their weaknesses are. If the first touch has to be with the outside of the right foot and at a forward angle, demand it. If you want the pass to hit the right foot, demand that type of accuracy. If you want a quick outside right touch and then an inside right foot touch past the defender after the scissor, demand it.

Next, we can limit the time they have to do the skill and keep score. When placing a time constraint and a score to a skill, we are requiring players to perform the skills at their absolute maximum speed for that time period. You will be amazed when the work rate jumps 15 to 20 percent! Players will consistently want to beat their old scores while wanting to compare themselves with their teammates. Building a healthy sense of competition in practice can be motivating and fun for all the players.

Finally, when you add deliberate training + time constraint + score keeping, we are applying the best pressure we can to an individual player – the pressure to be better than yourself. Players can now set their own goals and see their own improvement. Individual achievement in a team setting can be very powerful. The strongest and weakest players on the team can score and improve at their own rate without being dependent on anyone else.

So let’s make the most of this fall! Be deliberate with every touch. Perform the skill at game speed. And always push yourself to improve your score!

Scott Leber is the Founder and CEO of iSoccer.org. iSoccer was founded in 2008 with a single objective: How to motivate players to train harder and increase their technical ability. Check out iSoccer.org to learn more about the iSoccer skills test, tracking tools and age group technical standards.

Former WPS Commissioner Tonya Antonucci Joins Board of Directors at iSoccer.org

Scott Leber — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 21:32:39 +0000

[Go to iSoccer.org to begin knowing your level so you can raise your level]

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (September 29, 2011) – iSoccer.org, the popular online training product and motivational tool for recreational and competitive soccer players, has added former WPS Commissioner and Stanford soccer standout Tonya Antonucci to its Board of Directors. Antonucci is the CEO of the Women’s Soccer Initiative (WSII), which launched Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) and was Commissioner of the league from 2007-2010, as well as a member of the board for professional soccer with US Soccer from 2009-2011. She launched the Yahoo! Sports property and was formerly a General Manager at Yahoo!, overseeing the company’s award-winning 2002 FIFA World Cup ™ site.

“We are incredibly pleased to have Tonya join our board. She brings a wealth of experience in a space that is critical to our development and success: the merging of technology and soccer,” said iSoccer CEO & Founder, Scott Leber. “Her insights will be invaluable as we continue to grow our brand and refine our product.”

iSoccer launched its new web interface in early September 2011 and has collected nearly 500,000 individual assessments since launching as an online training tool in 2010. Following a series of ball tests on the field, each individual assessment is then entered online by players. The aim of iSoccer’s assessment is to provide a standard by which players can gauge their progress and coaches can pinpoint areas for technical improvement and individual progress.

“iSoccer’s product is unique in the marketplace,” said Antonucci. “It fuses the benefits of online technology and national standards with individual player assessments to provide a platform for technical proficiency and improvement. It’s such an incredibly useful tool for all teams, coaches and individuals that I envision it growing into a must-have in both elite and recreational training and development..”

Region IV Camp Girls Level Compared to Division I Women College

Scott Leber — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 06:06:11 +0000

[Go to iSoccer.org to begin knowing your level so you can raise your level]

The iSoccer assessment was used at the Region IV ODP camp in Moscow, Idaho this past summer. Over 850 players were assessed and over 11,000 assessment results were collected. This report organizes and graphs the data, and compares the Region IV Girls’ results to the 2010 national standards as well as the emerging division I college standard.

To see the scores and graphs, download the full report: 2011 Region IV Girls Report by iSoccer

iSoccer.org Harnesses Technology to Improve Youth Player Development Across the U.S.

Scott Leber — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 15:25:25 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Group of Stanford Soccer Grads Look to Raise the Bar in the Way Soccer Talent Is Developed with Help of the Internet

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (September 8, 2011) – iSoccer.org, the popular online training product and motivational tool for recreational and competitive soccer players, has launched a new product phase this week on its website: www.iSoccer.org. The new product takes the player, coach and club experience to the next level. They are able to go online and assess a player’s individual level based on a series of 16 skills in the span of a less than an hour with the ultimate goal of increasing a players technical acuity for the game.

iSoccer.org was founded in 2008 by former Stanford soccer standout Scott Leber. A long‐time youth coach, Leber pinpointed the unique opportunity of harnessing online technology to solve a fundamental problem in the current development of American soccer talent: a lack of technical ability and motivation among young players. With their national testing standard, iSoccer has collected 451,873 assessments scores and over 14.4 million touches on the soccer ball have been logged by individuals since launching in early 2010. Youth clubs in all 50 states, five state soccer organizations and eight national organizations, including the National Soccer Coaches Assocaition of America, have all partnered with iSoccer.org in its mission to raise the level of the game.

“We are attempting to fundamentally change and enhance how youth players and teams develop their talent,” said iSoccer founder and CEO, Scott Leber. “By integrating the power of technology, proven motivational psychology, and a progressive training platform, we believe we have found a present‐day solution to the many obstacles players and teams encounter that constrain player development. Our goal is to unleash a player’s full potential.”

The online assessment allows coaches and players to breakdown specific areas for individual improvement. This targeted training approach produces more complete and dynamic players, while helping to motivate kids all at the same time.