New England Surf has enjoyed success this season in a number of different ways, from 32 college-bound athletes, to 6 MYSA State Cup winners. But how did we get here? 

There are many reasons, but a major component this year has been the distinct way in which we train. We have moved away from the “traditional” way of doing things, and instead have based our sessions on creating realistic, game-like sessions as much as possible to increase our player’s ability to problem solve in pressure situations. 

The training is tailored towards getting individuals to learn to manage themselves and manage space. As a result, the individual’s technical skills are enhanced in a realistic way.  Individual players, groups, and teams are learning to acquire skills in soccer-specific situations, which will ultimately help them to accelerate their skills in a game-related context.  

The selection of training exercises allows individuals, teams, and groups to learn from each exercise and the principle of play during each session rather than learning the exercise and not the objective for that particular session.   

“I found that this style of training and framework provided the player both repetition and quality touches while also being under pressure – thus creating a more game-like environment in training. The improvement to my players at such an early stage has been incredible and has provided a foundation that they will lean on for the rest of their careers”, said Coach Alex, New England Surf State Sky Boys, undefeated in their NECSL division.

All of our teams have adopted this training methodology, and the results speak for themselves. Aside from 6 State Cups & nearly a dozen league titles this year, our teams are noticeably playing a more attractive and effective brand of soccer. We are confident that this improvement will only accelerate in the coming years and NE Surf will continue to pave the way for innovative training methodology.