FCR Player Academy

Philosophy

As parents, we are thrilled by the competitiveness and success of our children.  Often times in the rush to win, the more important concept of constant improvement can be overlooked.  At a FC Rockville, we take a longer term view to the development of our players.  At earlier ages, it is easy for stronger and faster kids to dominate and win the game.  Over time, as athletic ability amongst players becomes more equitable, skill becomes a dominant factor.

We believe that it is important to teach fundamental foot skills at an early age when youths are more naturally geared to learning motor skills.  By the age of 17 the capacity to pick up new motor skills begins to wane, while the ability to conceptualize team organization, tactics and strategy increases.  We feel it is important to set kids up for success.  As instructors, it is our desire to work with these strengths, not against them.

To quote the United States Soccer Federation:
The most fundamental skill in soccer is individual mastery of the ball and the creativity that comes with it. This should be a priority in training and games, especially in the early years. As this skill is mastered, the rest of the game becomes easier - both to teach and to learn… As these individual skills and the creativity to make them come alive in the game are developed to a level of competence, the finer points…  can be taught.

Our system of development, known as BFS (short for Better, Faster, Stronger) aims to do just that.  It is designed to build a proper foundation of skills and fundamental capabilities for the youth soccer player.  We seek to build technique, provide insight and inspire personal creativity.  By focusing on becoming better, we believe kids will have greater likelihood of becoming more competitively adept players in the long run especially once faster and stronger eventually come into play, and the complete footballer is now in alignment.