Just Kickin' It Pod

Today we were joined by technical writer, soccer journalist, and soccer coach/player Jonathan Townsend. Jon graduated with a BA in English from the University of Kentucky and a Masters in Secondary Education from DePaul University. Jon grew up playing overseas in the Netherlands and was developed under the Total Football Philosophy. Jon is a big contributor to grassroots and youth development in this country. He is a member of Year Zero Soccer (https://www.yearzerosoccer.org/) which aims to bring the game to anyone and everyone. Jon also offers individual and group training with more information available at http://www.totaalvoetbalconcepts.com/ Jon is also a regular contributor to thesefootballtimes.co and his personal blog farpostfooty.com. Jon can be reached at farpostfooty@gmail.com and on twitter at Jon_townsend3. Enjoy!

Today we were joined by the head strength and conditioning coach for the West Virginia University Men's Soccer and Wrestling team, Tanner Kolb. Tanner is heading into his 4th year at WVU after spending time at East Carolina University, Oklahoma State University, and Waynesburg. Tanner holds certifications with USA Weightlifting and the NSCA and has experience coaching powerlifters and strongmen. We talk with Tanner about in-season vs off-season strength training with a college men's soccer team, managing injuries and fatigue during a 2-3 game per week schedule, and establishing a culture. Enjoy!

Today we were joined by the Head Women's Soccer Coach at Cal State Bakersfield, Coach Gary Curneen. Curneen served as an assistant coach and camp coordinator for the Bearcats women’s soccer program for the last year after spending the previous 11 seasons at his alma mater Wingate, serving for two seasons as an assistant with the men’s program before taking over as head coach of the women’s team where he led the Bulldogs to a 95-48-8 record in nine seasons at the helm. Gary has also authored two books, Modern Soccer Coach 2014 and Position Specific Soccer Training. Both books can be found on Amazon or at garycurneen.com. Enjoy!

Today we were joined by Christine Nairn who plies her trade for the Washington Spirit of the NWSL. In addition to her duties with the spirit, Christine also plays for the Melbourne Victory in the Australian W League and has a couple of caps for the USWNT to her name. We talk to Christine about her time at Penn State University, the intensity of the international level, and playing abroad vs domestic in the women's game. Enjoy!

Today we had the pleasure of speaking with Sam Snow, the Coaching Director for US Youth Soccer. Sam stops by the show to chat with us about soccer here in the US at the grassroots level and how young coaches can handle things such as early specialization, burnout, proper development, and playing up an age group. Enjoy!

Today we sat down with the Director of Coaching Education for the NSCAA, Ian Barker. Barker earned his first coaching badge while in college with the English FA’s Preliminary Award in 1986, before moving to the US in 1987. He earned his USSF A License in 1995. He holds the NSCAA’s Premier Diploma and was part of the inaugural class to receive the NSCAA Master Coach Diploma in 2006. Ian has an impressive coaching pedigree and we speak with him about coaching education, player development, modern tactics, and more!

Today we had the pleasure of interviewing the High Performance Manager of the Port Adelaide Power in the Australian Football League and the ex performance manager of Liverpool FC in the English Premier League, Darren Burgess. Darren is also a contributing author to the High Performance Training for Sports Book by David Joyce. He authored Chapter 21 on Optimizing Pre-Season Training in Team Sports. We talk with Darren about subjective data collection, pre-season conditioning strategies, in-season conditioning strategies, the college athletics environment, Liverpool FC, and more!

Today we had the pleasure of interviewing Jon Goodman, head coach and manager of the Nike Academy in England. Jon is a former premiership and international player that studied sports science during his rehabilitation of an injury that ultimately ended his playing career. He has been involved in the physical preparation of clubs such as Wimbledon FC, Crystal Palace FC, Watford FC, Tottenham FC, Leeds United, and Reading. Jon has been with the Nike Academy since its inception and has moved up from his role as a physical preparation coach to head football manager where he has guided the team to wins over Barcelona and Inter Milan. Jon also will be apart of the Science and Football Conference at St. George's Park in England on April 12th. You can find out more about the conference by going to www.scienceandfootball.com.

Today we had the pleasure of interviewing Nick Mendola, co-owner of FC Buffalo, a semi-professional team that plays in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL). Nick is also a writer and reporter for NBC Sports, the Associated Press, Buffalo.com, and Buffalo Spree. Nick also does a lot of play by play and color commentary for a variety of teams including the Western New York Flash and the University of Buffalo sports teams. We ask Nick about his growth in the game of soccer, the decision to buy a soccer team, promotion and relegation, the new MLSCBA, and a variety of things related to soccer. Enjoy!

Today we had the pleasure of interviewing current US Women's National Team Member and player for the Houston Dash in the NWSL, Meghan Klingenberg. Meghan won a National Championship at the University of North Carolina and won a U20 World Cup with the US National Team. She also started and played every minute during the 2015 World Cup, in which she helped the US beat Japan 5-2 in the final to win the first World Cup for the United States since 1999. We speak with Meghan about her career, life with the US National Team, overcoming adversity, and her camps and clinics. More information on her camps can be found at mksoccercamp.com. Enjoy!

Today we had the pleasure of interviewing Jeff Pill, Head of Soccer at Maranatha Baptist University in Watertown, Wisconsin. Jeff also worked with the US Women's National Team for a number of years and is highly involved with coaching education in the United States with the USSF. Jeff talks a lot about coaching education, trends in the game, coaching men vs women, and applied coaching techniques at various levels from the youth ranks up through the national team system. Enjoy!

Today we had the pleasure of interviewing Nick Downing, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for the New England Revolution of Major League Soccer. Nick played college soccer at NCAA Division 1 powerhouse, University of Maryland, where he left school early to begin his professional playing career with the New England Revolution. During the podcast we talk a lot about in-season strength and conditioning during an MLS season, the utilization of FMS screening and data collection, while also touching on what got Nick into the industry in the first place. Enjoy!

Today we had the pleasure of interviewing Steve Zakuani, former professional soccer player, author, and philanthropist. Steve got his start in soccer in London, England with the Arsenal youth academy. Steve eventually ended up in the states playing at Akron University where he led the nation in scoring en route to being the first pick in the 2009 MLS Draft to the Seattle Sounders. Steve suffered a traumatic injury that ultimately led to him announcing his retirement in 2014. Steve recently released his new book, 500 days: What I learned from the moment that changed everything. You can purchase his book at 500daysbook.com

Today we had the pleasure of interviewing Veronica Latsko, a freshman forward at the University of Virginia. Veronica appeared in 26 games this past fall, registering 3 goals and 2 assists on their way to the NCAA Division 1 Women's National Championship Game. Veronica talks about her youth development, what it was like to play with Morgan Brian, and playing in a National Championship. Enjoy!

Today we interviewed Jason Sisneros, the women's assistant soccer coach at UNC Chapel Hill. This historical program has won 22 NCAA Division 1 National Championships. Jason shares with us their recipes for success in the last decade, current trends in the women's game, advice for potential student athletes, and shares information on their implementation of Raymond Verheijen's periodization model. Enjoy,

Today we interview Bobby Sepesy, the head strength and conditioning coach at California University of Pennsylvania. We talk to Bobby about their methodology and movement based, rather than strength based, focus. Bobby gives advice to potential student athletes and explains why they don't back squat or front squat athletes anymore. Enjoy!