MUSC provides a comprehensive Development Program targeting the four Pillars of Development.
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Technical
The player and the ball evolving into technique on demand.
Technical Academy
Programs
U9-17 All Levels: Keeper
Development Program
Adult
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Tactical
The MUSC Game Model and a player's role in understanding the 5 moments of the game.
MUSC Game Model
VEO Video Analysis
Virtual Player Locker
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Physical
From sleep and nutrition, to the energy and muscle systems required for success.
Strength and Conditioning
Coaching
Sport Performance
Nutrition Program
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Psychological & Social
Your role as a teammate, confidence, composure, dealing with pressure and pre-during-post game behaviors and habits.
Mental Performance
Coaching
TECHNICAL
Technical Academy
The MUSC academy program is designed to target the specific needs of our players at their stage of development. Our academy program is aligned with our MUSC Game Model building the player habits that will bring success in our playing style and philosophy. Technical development is not isolated to academy training as coaches are provided with a seasonal plan syncing academy themes and principles with team training sessions. Technical academy training programs evolve with our players and are structured as follows:
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Led by our nationally recognized and certified C license grassroots coaching team, MUSC has, for over two decades, enriched and encouraged future soccer players through our grassroots programs. Hosted in communities throughout Calgary's SE quadrant, the MUSC grassroots program is designed to generate love of the sport, build community relationships and foster team spirit throughout every stage of development. MUSC provides spring/summer/fall community based programs.
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Sessions focusing on the player and the ball. Players explore dribbling, 1 vs 1 techniques, decision making under pressure, passing and receiving and ball striking. Sessions are designed to pair developmental games with small sided play and to practice new skills that are fundamental to skill exploration and experimentation.
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High intensity sessions are designed to target the player and the ball with an increased emphasis on decision making under pressure and the use of teammates and small group player behaviors based on pressure, options and risk. Players are encouraged to explore, create an imagine possibilities on the ball.
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Training focuses on specific technical themes with an increased emphasis in skill application in the 5 moments of the game.
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Provides players with specifically tailored training to their role(s) and positions in the game. Sessions target specific skills, behaviors and habits to be proficient in their role and combine and compliment your primary players and team as a whole.
Keeper Development Program
TECHNICAL
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Keepers train with peers at the same stage of development and target the specific techniques required in this highly specialized role.
TECHNICAL
Adult
MUSC offers men's and women's competitive teams. These teams offers a players of all ambitions from the Sunday league player to the collegiate aspiring athlete opportunities to play the game at an appropriate level. Academy and personalized training is available for interested players.
TACTICAL
Tactical Programs
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MUSC offers all players and coaches with personal access to our Game Model. This document highlights the MUSC style of play and individual / collective behaviors relative to the 4 moments of the game. Players explore bi-weekly modules and reflections relative to the Game Model and how their role relates to the whole picture. This Game Model is the blue print for both player and coach education.
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U13-U17 High Performance players have access to their personal VEO video library where they can review and edit personal and team video. This resource provides teams with a tactical platform to perform match analysis, create highlights and scouting videos in pursuit of scholarships etc. Not familiar with Veo? Check out this video.
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All MUSC players U11+ are provided with access to our MUSC Virtual Locker Room. This Google locker room gives players access to reflections, curriculum, resources, access to the technical team and video discussions with club mates, coaches and academy staff relative to themes surrounding their position, performance and overcoming any obstacles they are encountering.
PHYSICAL
Strength & Conditioning
Our fitness program utilizes a conjugate periodization. This is a training method that combines all of the various training goals: strength, volume, power and speed; and trains them at the same time. We are trying to develop the strongest, fastest, most injury resistant athletes we possibly can. This is in the hopes that they will spend the rest of their life lifting, training and playing. With a minimal offseason in the sport we build an annual plan with critical rest windows.
We utilize full-body workouts ensuring that we maximize our short time with each player. We start every session with a thorough, full-body warm up, as well as some soccer specific pre-hab work that targets overused and under developed problem areas. The exercise selection in our programming focuses on movements that offer the greatest return, with minimal technical learning.
Our programming considerations vary by age group, but deviate very minimally based on gender, program areas, whether musculature or movement based, remaining fairly universal among soccer players. It is usually the resulting injury that differs, based on gender.
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This program focuses on foundational movements and simple bio-mechanics. At this age, the more coordination and basic movement prep that we can give the athlete, the sooner they will develop the movement patterns required to move faster and build muscle.
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This program focuses on basic lifting patterns and fundamental movement mechanics, keeping everything as simple as possible. This is also the age in which we start to incorporate prehab and rehab movements into training sessions. We also begin to educate the athlete on the whys of training, muscle function, etc.
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The programming for our senior athletes is based on preparing the athlete for a life of training. We start to incorporate more complex lifts, combination movements and encourage the athlete to start lifting as often as possible on their own. We provide education, knowledge and advice on programming, proper movement, body and musculature functionality, etc. Every session has a focus on prehab/rehab, while trying to develop as much new muscle as possible and then train the benefits that come from it.
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Strength and Conditioning Head Coach
Our Sports Science and Conditioning program is lead by Chris Henry and his physical development team. As a player, Chris grew up playing soccer in Alberta playing semi-professionally for the Calgary Storm, Calgary Dinos and currently with the Callies men's program. Chris has worked with athletes in varying sports but has primarily specialized with working with soccer players and with collegiate teams. He has lead this program since 2012. Prior to joining MUSC, Chris was the lead conditioning coach with the Chinooks soccer club from 2008 to 2012.
Coaching Certification - Certified Strength and
Conditioning Specialist (NSCA), Certified Physical
Preparation Specialist, (CPPS Coaching)
Education / Background - BA (University of Calgary), BBA (Mount Royal University)
Sports Performance Nutrition Program
PHYSICAL
MUSC provides athletes with insight, meal planning and workshops ensuring the athlete is fueling their engine for performance. Players have access to journals, resources and recipes in their virtual locker to guide them through healthy living and more specifically game day, tournament and optimal training day nutrition strategies.
MUSC Mental Performance Program
PSYCH & SOCIAL
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Self Talk
Energy Management
Focus
Visualization
Goal Setting
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Mental Performance Coach:
MUSC is honored to share the expertise of former Olympic gold and bronze medalist Carol Huynh. Carol is MUSC’s Mental Performance coach and connects with our athletes as teams as part of our holistic development program. With Carol, athletes explore how they can apply the knowledge, skills, and strategies, in training, competition, and in daily life consistently and effectively. The goal is to provide athletes, coaches, and teams with the Mental Performance tools and support necessary to achieve personal excellence. With enhanced self-awareness, the learning and development of cognitive and behavioural strategies, an individual can increase their ability to understand, interpret, and interact with the world.
Carol connects with our MUSC players via structured group/team and individual sessions may include, but are not limited to, goal setting, focusing skills, visualization, energy management, thought processing, decision making, transition from sport, pre-training and pre-competition plans, sleep and enhancing recovery strategies.
Comprehensive program for all U12+ T1-2 Players
MUSC welcomes our Mental Performance coach Carol Huynh who will guide our U11-17 players in both collective (pre-season) workshops and team-specific workshops (in-season) tailored to their stage of development targeting the 5 Mental Performance Skills.
