Turkeys, Training and Time Well Spent

This week I am blogging from my roots in Kansas City! I’m very excited about being home for Thanksgiving for the first time in 8 years! But that’s the kind of sacrifice soccer demands at times and while I wouldn’t have given up playing soccer on the last 8 Thanksgivings…I am sure glad to be home and eating my grandma’s cooking for this one!

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I wanted to include a little bit about what I am thankful for. Traveling home always reminds me of the amazing people in my life! Seeing all of my people serves as a constant reminder that if not for them, I would not be where I am today. My family, friends, teammates, coaches and fans have made me the person that I am. They’ve seen some of my toughest heartbreaks and have been there to celebrate my greatest triumphs. Don’t ever forget the place you came from or the people that built you along the way. You never get anywhere on your own, so don’t take the credit and remember the one’s that helped you get there. Be humbled by the fact that there are people out there that believe in you and love you so much that they would do anything to help you chase your dream. I love my people and I am thankful they love me too (because I know how hard that can be sometimes). 

I am also thankful for opportunity. Women’s soccer has come so far and it continues to grow. I am thankful I can play for a living and help grow the game that has given me so much! It gave me hope in times of heartache, it gave me an education and now it a platform. (Comment below and tell me what you are thankful for!)

Since being home, I have been able to reflect and understand how truly grateful I am for the opportunities and resources I have had access to throughout my career. There have been so many people in my life who have been genuinely dedicated to my development. They have believed in me and helped me work toward maximizing my potential. But it wasn’t always like this for me. The game has developed tremendously over the past few years in this country. Girls are training at a younger age, they have access to different types of training via the Internet, and coaches are becoming more educated on how to mirror game-like situations in their training off the field.

Like I said, I have had the opportunity to train with great players, great teams and great coaches. I know this isn’t the case for everyone, and it wasn’t always the case for me either. So this week I thought we would talk a little bit about how I train myself both on and off the field, with ways to improvise when you might just only have a ball and your boots.

OFF SEASON:

While we all love the season, the games and the road trips with your team...I have learned that the off-season is where all the magic happens. It’s a time to train both physically and mentally, a time to fine tune the details and develop the areas you are looking to improve upon. I work on my mental training by pushing my limits, doing extra reps, challenging myself by trying new things, setting goals and finding ways to achieve them.

I work on fine-tuning the details by getting touches on the ball and working on the "easy stuff". My best training advice is to constantly search for ways to expose your weaknesses. Then set goals and find the right people and resources that will help you achieve them. Your work and discipline in the off-season could be what sets you apart from the rest.

But if you find yourself with just a ball or a field with no goals… check this out!

A Look Inside Shea’s Training Tricks

1. Find a wall

Mine is in my garage. It’s a great place to get a lot of touches and work on the technical side of your game. For more ideas check out Yael's YouTube channel for great training videos! 

       https://www.youtube.com/user/yfutbol 

2. Find some cones

Or anything that appears to be a cone like object. You can do HUNDREDS of different touch patterns and be creative in making up your own. This is a great way to get more touches and be more comfortable on the ball.

3. Find some carpet

ASK YOUR MOM BEFORE DOING THIS, but if it’s cold or I really can’t find anywhere to train, I just use the living room. I do bells, toe taps, pull backs, drags, etc. using both the inside and outside of my feet. Getting touches on the ball is so important and may be the very thing that can take your game to the next level. So no matter how “recreational” it may seem, practice the easy stuff…master the easy stuff and don’t forget about developing the foundation of your game.

Lastly, don’t forget to constantly remind yourself of why you love the game. I often find myself doing this when I am stressed or struggling to find my rhythm during the season. I grab my boots and a ball and I drive to an open field. Sometimes I listen to music and sometimes I just listen to the silence, but I use the time to just play freely with the ball. I shoot it, juggle it, punt it and just remember why I love the game. Don’t loose your passion because if you’re like me, that could be the very thing that sets you apart.

As for my adventures… I am currently home in Kansas City enjoying some much needed family time. My dad’s high school football team is playing for the state championship on Saturday in St. Louis! Looking for fun things to do from my SLSG girls while I’m in their city (comment below)!

I can’t wait for lots of turkey, paint-balling with my brothers, playing with my dogs and eating some Lamar’s doughnuts (yes occasionally I splurge!). 

Also, breaking news…I received a very important gift in the mail this week. MY T-SHIRT! I’m obsessed… but I am kind of sad the chase is over! Shout out to the Winslow Fam for hooking me up! I guess I’ll start looking for my RVA bumper sticker now… I wonder if they make it in cheetah print!

Enjoy your Thanksgiving, people. Eat a lot of turkey and cherish time with your family! Tune in next week to hear my opinion on this year’s College Cup and some of my fondest college memories! Stay thankful my friends!