Welcome to the Kings Hammer January Newsletter! This edition features the COE Spring Training Program, KHA High School All-Americans Recognized, United Soccer Coaches Convention, Volta Cup Cincinnati, and more! If you have a player, coach, or team to be highlighted in future newsletters, please send photos and stories to info@kingshammer.com. Each newsletter will be posted on our website as well as our social pages.

COE Spring Training Program

Registration is now open for the Center of Excellence (COE) Spring Training Program for U8-U12 players that are not currently on a Kings Hammer roster for the Spring 2023 Season. Players that are currently rostered on a Kings Hammer team for the Spring season do not need to register. The COE Spring Training Program is included in your team fees. Spring COE dates will be added to your PlayMetrics calendar. The COE Spring Training Program is a 6-week program that will take place at 2 convenient locations: Voice of America in West Chester Township, OH and at Town & Country in Wilder, KY. The program will focus on individual player development (technically and tactically) in the four phases of the game: attacking, transition to attack, defending and transition to defending. The program will be available to all U8- U12 players. Please see below for more details on the COE Spring training program. South COE (Town & Country Turf: 1018 Town Dr. Wilder, KY 41076)

• Dates: 3/10, 3/17, 3/24, 3/31, 4/7, 4/14
• Location: T&C Outdoor Turf Field #2
• Times:
  • U8/U9: 5:30-6:30pm
  • U10: 6:30-7:30pm
  • U11/U12: 7:30-8:30pm

North COE (Voice of America: 7850 VOA Park Dr. West Chester, OH 45069)

• Dates: 3/10, 3/17, 3/24, 3/31, 4/7, 4/14
• Location: Voice of America Park Turf Fields
• Times:
  • U8/U9/U10: 5:30-6:30pm
  • U11/U12: 6:30-7:30pm

KHA High School All Americans Recognized at United Soccer Coaches Convention

Amanda Schlueter (KH G04/05 ECNL) and CJ DeBra (KH G04/05 ECRL) were recognized as High School All-Americans at the All-America Ceremony & Reception on Friday, January 13th, at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia. The ceremony took place in conjunction with the United Soccer Coaches Convention and recognized 143 High School All-Americans in total.

Congrats again, Amanda and CJ!!

Kings Hammer Directors & Staff Attend United Soccer Coaches Convention

On January 11th-13th, Kings Hammer Directors and Staff traveled to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to attend the 2023 United Soccer Coaches Convention. The United Soccer Coaches Convention is the world’s leading soccer coaching event that features extensive education opportunities for its attendees. Each year, the Convention showcases a vast collection of in-person education, including 200+ education sessions led by top-end coach educators, Ph.D. holders, high-level coaches, and more.

Click here to view the the recap video.

Volta Cup Cincinnati

Thank you to all the families that participated in Volta Cup Cincinnati that took place this past weekend, January 27th-29th, at the Town & Country Athletic Center. We appreciate you and your families joining us for some great Futsal action this weekend. This year we hosted over 94 teams and 158 games over the 3 day event with teams participating from Illinois, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio. This was the largest Volta Cup event to date and we look forward to expanding the event next year with additional facilities. Whether you are on a full time futsal team or simply put a team together for the event, we hope you enjoyed the tournament!  Thank you to all participating teams, coaches, referees, volunteers, event staff, the Town & Country Athletic Center and facility staff for making the weekend such a success!  We hope you enjoyed the weekend and we look forward to seeing everyone at future events!

We are excited to kick off our 2023 Spring Events Series & look forward to seeing all of our families out at the fields!

Boys Turf Classic– March 10-12, 2023 (Cincinnati, OH) Nike Elite Spring Thaw– March 17-19, 2023 (Cincinnati, OH) Girls Turf Classic– March 24-26, 2023 (Cincinnati, OH) Triple Crown Cup– April 14-16, 2023 (Lexington, KY) Women’s Nike Blue Chip Showcase– April 21-23, 2023 (Cincinnati, OH) Men’s Nike Blue Chip Showcase– April 28-30, 2023 (Cincinnati, OH) Crown Challenge– May 12-14, 2023 (Cincinnati, OH)

January Education: Youth Sports & Mental Health

In last month’s Club Newsletter, we looked at the final of 5 components of R.O.O.T.S.-SELF.  It was mentioned that mental health was a critical piece in SELF…

• Mental Health-often a forgotten part of a player’s development. Self-talk, self-esteem, confidence and other emotional and social influences play a major role in each player’s success. 

Over the last five years there has been an increased focus on athlete mental health, including the impacts seen in youth participants. Increased exposure to social media, isolation due to Covid 19, and this trend was evident at the recent United Soccer Coaches annual conference which hosts numerous clinics, workshops, seminars, and courses covering a variety of topics in the sport.  An increased number of these sessions were focused on topics related to the psychology, wellness, and mental health/performance of athletes, especially youth athletes under the age of nineteen. Benefits of Youth Sports Most parents and coaches are fairly fluent in the benefits of participating in youth sports:

• Increased physical activity- coordination, balance, agility, overall fitness
• Improved social skills- making friends, communication, collaboration, teamwork
• Character building- determination, discipline, confidence, self-esteem
• Finding mentors- coaches, older players, and teammates

Potential Pitfalls of Youth Sports Here are some of the potential issues that may arise:

• Over-scheduled athlete- diminished time for school, friends, relaxation, sleep, etc.
• Performance/results emphasis- can be self-inflicted by athlete or by parent/coach
• Skewed Identity- sense of self overly/only linked to sport
• Loss of autonomy- athlete not able to deal with challenges independently

Click here to read the full story.

Free Shipping Through Tomorrow at the Kings Hammer Shop!

Stay warm this winter with a new Kings Hammer hoodie, hat or scarf! Check out all the great options we have online and have it shipped directly to your door. Use code VOLTA now through tomorrow, January 31^st, and receive free shipping on your purchase. No minimum! Check out what we have in stock here: Shop Kings Hammer

GK Union Save of the Month

Congratulations to Tim P from KHA North B07 Red & Kate J from KHA Bluegrass E64 G08 for being named the December GK Union Saves of the Month! Did you make an incredible save or a game-saving block? We want to see them! Post your best saves in the Kings Hammer GK Union Facebook group or share on Twitter using the hashtag #KingsHammer. Be sure to share throughout the spring season and YOU could be selected for our Kings Hammer Save of the Month! GK Save of the Month winners will be announced the Friday of the first full week of the following month. Monthly winners will be posted on the Kings Hammer social pages and on the GK Union page.

Content Feedback Survey

We want to hear from you! Please take a minute to complete a quick Content Feedback Survey with 9 questions. Your answers will help as we start creating content for the 2023 Season! Click here to take the survey now

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