As in many decisions we make as parents, we value references from people we respect. In some instances our daughters will take the lead and find opportunities we hadn’t considered. Such is the case of my daughter, Lily, who met a girl at the Footholde clinics last winter. At first my daughter was a little intimidated by the physical play of this girl and her foot skills, but soon they became friends and Lily was invited to play a few games in her indoor league. Then Lily’s new friend’s Dad let me know about an opportunity to form a small, private group for intense skills, tactical and psychological training led by a young man who had worked with his daughter. That young man is Christian Isquierdo.
My daughter has been training with Christian’s private group for two months although she was on a service trip for part of the time. In this short time, her foot skills have improved tremendously. Where she formerly would never even have tried a new move in scrimmages and games, she now has the confidence to use them to her advantage. She is excited as I am about what she will learn from Christian in the off season and how it will help her attain the next level.
Christian not only teaches soccer skills and tactics, but seems to find the right buttons to press to get the best out of the girls. Our group of eight goes from U13 –U16 (2010 ages), C2 to Premier and is highly motivated and competitive, but Christian has made the intense workouts fun and the girls are very at ease with each other. Lily tells me he is the best soccer coach/teacher she has had and that includes her former coaches, Coerver, Thunder and Footholde trainers (although she is in love with Jonathan S.). [editors note: aren't we all?]
Christian is highly trained and motivated himself. While the girls have fun at his training sessions, he expects them to listen, respond and work hard (boy does he work hard!). He takes the time to give each player individual attention so each can take something valuable away from every practice. As Lily knows too, he will not mince words if she needs a boot to get her going in the right direction.
I highly recommend Christian Isquierdo as your coach. Unfortunately, Lily is now U15 so he can’t coach her team, but she has him for a trainer which keeps her motivated for the next training session.
Thanks,
Dana Marcelius
American Agency, Inc.
