Illinois ODP Newsletter 12/10/25

Issue Date 12/10/2025

ODP Players and Parents,

Thank you to those that made it to the added sessions this past weekend. For this weekend, we will return to the regularly scheduled age training.

REMINDER: For all communications, please make sure to include player name and age group when emailing.

Visit ODP Homepage

PRE-ODP SESSION 2

Session 2 of Pre-ODP will start the weekend of December 20/21. This is for boys and girls born 2016-2017. There is still space left in each age group, however space is limited and we expect to fill up.

Program Details

Ages: 2016 & 2017 Boys and Girls

Day: Girls Saturday & Boys Sunday

Location: Schaumburg Sport Center

Fee: $375

Click Here For More Information

COACHING COURSE - PLAYERS NEEDED (2016-2017)

We will be hosting a coaching course and need players to be demonstrators during the course. This only applies to 2016-2017 players. We are looking for 14 players. If you are interested in getting additional touches the sign up link is below. The course will be indoor.

Event Details

Date: Sunday. December 21

Ages: 2016 & 2017 players

Location: Schaumburg Sport Center

Time: 9am-10:30am

Fee: FREE

Click Here to Register

UPCOMING TRAINING SCHEDULE

All trainings are done indoors on turf & cleats can be used at each facility

December 13

Rockford

09/10 Girls - 8am-10am

2015 Girls - 10am-12pm

2014 Girls - 12pm-2pm

2013 Girls - 2pm-4pm

2012 Girls - 4pm-6pm

2011 Girls - 6pm-8pm

Address

Mercyhealth Sportscore Two

8800 E. Riverside Blvd.

Loves Park, IL 61111

Schaumburg

Goalkeeper Boys - 3:30pm-5pm

2017 Girls - 5pm-6:30pm

2016 Girls - 6:30pm-8pm

Address

Schaumburg Sport Center

1141 W. Irving Park Rd.

Schaumburg, IL 60193

December 14

Rockford

09/10 Boys - 8am-10am

2015 Boys - 10am-12pm

2014 Boys - 12pm-2pm

2013 Boys - 2pm-4pm

2012 Boys - 4pm-6pm

2011 Boys - 6pm-8pm

Address

Mercyhealth Sportscore Two

8800 E. Riverside Blvd.

Loves Park, IL 61111

Schaumburg

Goalkeeper Girls - 8am-9:30am

2017 Boys - 11am-12:30pm

2016 Boys - 12:30pm-2pm

Address

Schaumburg Sport Center

1141 W. Irving Park Rd.

Schaumburg, IL 60193

CLICK HERE FOR WINTER SCHEDULE

MENTAL SKILLS CORNER

Think, Play, Win: Sports Psych Tips for IL ODP Players

WEEK 4 – Growth Mindset & Winning Mentality

IL ODP players — welcome to Week 3 of Think, Play, Win, your weekly boost of practical sports psychology tips designed to help players sharpen their mental game on AND off the field of play!

Powered by pep360 (Whole Player. Whole Person. Whole Potential.), this series gives players simple, actionable tools they can start using immediately to train an important part of performance: the brain!

This week marks the start of a new series highlighting the real challenges athletes are facing in today’s game. Through my work with college athletes, academy players, and ambitious youth players, certain themes come up again and again. Here are the top 3 performance blockers athletes most commonly share with me:

Performance Blocker

Impact on Player

1. Pressure to Perform-Fear of Mistakes

Players feel intense pressure to impress coaches, earn selection, or keep their place in the team.

-Overthinking during games

-Fear of losing the ball

-Avoiding difficult actions

2. Emotional Regulation (Frustration, Anger, Anxiety)

Many players feel deeply but lack tools to manage emotions that spike after mistakes, referees’ calls, or coach feedback.

-Drop in focus after one bad moment

-“Emotional hangover” that lasts multiple plays

-Shutdown or emotional spirals

3. Confidence That Goes Up and Down

Confidence is often externally dependent (coach approval, starting position, scoring goals) instead of internally built.

-Inconsistent performances

-Self-doubt after a bad session

-Reliance on praise

Over the next few weeks, as I share practical tips to help athletes overcome these challenges, you’ll notice a shift from the old idea of “mental toughness” to a more modern and effective approach called Psychological Flexibility. This framework is widely used by high-performing athletes around the world and will form the foundation of the strategies I introduce.

Psychological Flexibility = “The ability to stay present, manage thoughts and emotions, and act in line with your values-even when things get tough.”

Core ideas:

• You can feel pressure and still perform.

• You can fail and still move forward.

• You can feel fear and still take action (not flight, fight, freeze)

Le’ts take a look at flexibility v toughness and some soccer specific applications

Remember It’s not about being unbreakable — it’s about bouncing, adapting, and choosing your response.

Here are practical, high-performance-friendly psychological flexibility tools for players:

Practical for Younger Player

“Name It, Tame it, Play On”

Practical Tip for Older Players

“The 3 A’s Reset: Acknowledge, Allow, Act.”

What to do: When you feel upset, nervous, or frustrated on the field, take 2 seconds to notice the feeling, name it, and then choose your next action.

How it works:

Name It: say quietly in your head:

“I’m frustrated.”

“I’m nervous.”

“I’m excited.”

Tame It: Take 1 slow breath to settle your body.

Play On: Ask yourself:

“What’s the next best thing I can do?”

(Get into space, mark your player, show for the ball, etc.)

Why This Builds Psychological Flexibility

It teaches the player to:

-Notice their emotions (instead of getting stuck in them)

-Accept that feelings happen in sport

-Choose a helpful action anyway

-Exactly what top athletes do.

1. Acknowledge: notice and label what’s happening internally:

“I’m frustrated from that turnover.”

“I’m feeling anxious before this free kick.”

This builds awareness without judgment.

2. Allow: instead of fighting the feel, make room for it:

“It’s okay to feel this. It’s normal in big moments.” Take one slow breath to steady your system. This prevents emotional spirals and keeps your mind open.

3. Act: refocus on a task you can control in the next 3–5 seconds:

-Check your shoulder

-Re-set your body shape

-Communicate early

Why Does It Work? The 3 A’s Reset mirrors tools used in elite academies, professional clubs, and Olympic programs:

✔ separates internal noise from external action

✔ keeps decision-making sharp

✔ helps you stay composed under pressure

✔ reinforces a performance identity over a perfection identity

Parent Tip: How You Can Reinforce This at Home “Model Calm, Not Control.”

When your child talks about a mistake, a tough session, or big emotions, resist the urge to fix it right away. Instead, model calm acceptance and guide them toward choosing their next action.

How to Do It at Home?

Listen first.“Sounds like that moment was tough.”
Normalize the emotion. “It’s okay to feel frustrated — athletes at every level do.”
Shift gently to action.

“What’s one thing you can do differently next time?”

“What’s the next step you want to take?”

Why Does This Help?

This mirrors psychological flexibility:

✔ Accept feelings instead of fighting them

✔ Stay open and non-judgmental

✔ Refocus on values and actions

✔ Build resilience without pressure

Want More?

If you’re interested in pep360’s individual, small-group, or team mental-skills support, click the link below to complete an Interest Form. Let’s Think. Let’s Play. Let’s Win — together.

Learn More about Train Your Brain: https://linktr.ee/pep360

#ThinkPlayWin #TrainYourBrian #MasterYourMentality #ILODP