Leaving a Legacy

Hey Girls!

I wanted to talk about some of the greatest female soccer players to ever play the game. I think it is important to look at these women a role models because they have made a difference in female sports. I am going to talk about 3 of my all time favorites.

1. Mia Hamm 

Mia is a retired American Professional soccer player. She played forward for the USA women's national team and played on the Washington Freedom. She has appeared in 275 International matches and holds the national team record for most career assists with 144. She has been named FIFA World Player of the Year in 2001 and 2002. She is also listed as one of FIFA's 125 best living players being one of two women. Hamm was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame. She has made a positive impact on women's soccer and her she is the reason I always was #9.

2. Brandi Chastain

<sup>She is an American retired professional Soccer defender and midfielder who played for the USA women's National Soccer Team. She is best known for the picture above that shows her celebration after her game-winning penalty shootout kick against China in the 1999 FIFA World Cup. She has won two World Cup Championships, two Olympic Gold Medals and an Olympic silver medal. The picture above was the cover of Sports Illustrated and she helped put women's soccer on peoples radar!

3. Abby Wambach</sup>

<sup>Abby is our hometown hero being a Rochester native! She is a player on the USA Women's national Soccer player and also played for WNY Flash. She has two Olympic gold medals, and has won 2 World Cup championships. She was the 2012 FIFA World Player of the Year and a 6 time U.S. Soccer athlete of the Year. She has been on the USWNT since 2003 and plays forward. she is currently holds the record for international goals for both female and male soccer players with 184 goals. She recently announced her retirement after their world cup victory tour. Abby has been an inspiration to everyone and she has left a legacy on this sport forever.

There you have it, my top 3 female soccer players. These women have all impacted women's sports and left a legacy to be proud of. What will you do to leave your legacy? GO TROJANS!!

Coach Murphy</sup>

T.G.I.F :)

Happy Friday everyone!!!

I wanted to give you some Friday motivation as we head into the weekend! The weekend can cause some serious temptations such as getting off your training program or being lazy on the couch! Believe me, I've been there! It's OK to have down time but always remember your goals and never lose sight of them. Take them seriously but never too serious! Remember why you started playing this beautiful game and always have fun playing!

I am going to to leave you with some silly videos and one awesome one! I hope you all have a wonderful and SAFE weekend!

Coach Murphy

Motivation is key when trying to maintain a training program. There are 2 types of motivation I want you to think about...


Intrinsic Motivation: "Occurs when we act without any obvious external rewards. We simply enjoy an activity or see it as an opportunity to explore, learn, and actualize our potentials."
Extrinsic Motivation: "Motivation can come from the outside, such as the motivation to win medals, receive financial rewards, and attract attention from the media. This is known as external, or extrinsic, motivation because it involves participation in sport for some kind of reward that is external to the process of participation."

Are you intrinsically motivated or extrinsically motivated? Maybe you are both! Either way, it is important to find out what motivates you. Maybe it is your teammates, friends or goals. For me personally, I know that I work harder when I have people pushing me to keep going. I am also motivated by reaching my goals and striving for specific outcomes. I recommend sitting down and writing 2 short terms goals and 2 long term goals that you want to achieve. This will give you something to strive for when training and staying fit in the off-season!

Watch this motivational clip that will surely get you pumped up to go out there and train...

Coach Murphy

Keeping a Healthy Diet

Hey Girls!

I wanted to write about keeping your diet clean and healthy. Exercising is a huge part in staying healthy but what is more important is maintaining a healthy diet. I am going to give you a couple tips

of what to think about when sticking to eating clean.

• Stay AWAY from Sugar!!!
• Eat plenty of colorful fruits and vegetables!
• Eat more healthy carbs and whole grains.
• Enjoy healthy fats!Good fats are mono-saturated fats. Bad fats are trans fats.
• Watch your salt intake.
• Drink 8 glasses of water a day!

Those are just easy tips to follow. If you are unsure of how much and what you should be eating, check out http://www.choosemyplate.gov/. They have an incredible amount of knowledge and steps to follow a balanced diet. Remember, being on a diet does not mean that you aren't eating!! it means you have to eat way WAY MORE! You are using a ton of energy training so you need to refuel your body constantly. Check out local public markets or the organic sections of Wegmans to find the healthiest food. Take charge of your body and what you intake!

 

What Should I Do In The Off-season?

Many of you have been asking me what you can do during the off-season to stay in shape for school soccer. There are so many resources to research and try to stay in shape for soccer. Here is what I recommend...

• Play on a travel soccer team that plays year round so you can refine skills and improve throughout the year.
• Look up local camps that are being provided for people your age.
• Think about 1 on 1 training sessions with soccer coaches. This can be pricey but extremely beneficial because you will be able to focus on areas you feel you need improvement on.
• Look into sighing up for a gym membership and working on your strength and conditioning. You could also look into personal trainers so they can create workout programs that meet your training needs. 
• Research online things to do at home. It could be ball skill drills, agility drills or conditioning workouts.Use resources in the community: Athena track, Parks, Goals, Athena gym, etc. 
• To train like an athlete, you have to eat like an athlete. Take care of your body and eat nutritious meals! Drink a TON of water. 
• Watch or attend as many soccer games as possible. You can learn so much just by watching people play the game. Go to college games, go to your friends games, or watch professional soccer.
• Attend strength and conditioning camp. This not only helps the coaches see who is committed but it also get you into shape!
• As always, contact me if you need tips or workouts! 

Here are some videos that can get you started:

Daily Ball Skill Drills

Do These Daily too :)

Soccer Specific Training

Best Speed Drills

I am going to leave you with some motivation! Then I want you to get out there and train. GO TROJANS!

Keep working hard,

Coach Murphy

That's A Wrap!

I had a blast at the Soccer Banquet last night! It was bittersweet closing out the season. You all have made my first year coaching unforgettable and I am truly grateful for your contributions both on and off the field.We lived our team motto- Strong alone. Unstoppable together. You all are amazing and talented young women. I am proud of our 12, 1, and 2 record, but I am more proud of how we conducted ourselves and supported each other. When I cam into this season, I was unsure I would be able to separate being and athlete from being a coach. What I realized was, when I coached you, I fell in love with soccer in a whole different way. Seeing you improve, watching your reactions when you made big plays, it's a kind of pride you don't experience as a player.

My goals as a coach were simple: For each player to have a positive experience and  to be a positive role model for each of you young women. As players, you have exceed all of my expectations. 
I want to leave you with some motivation for the off season. In the words of Mia Hamm, “Somewhere behind the athlete you’ve become and the hours of practice and the coaches who pushed you, is a little girl who feel in love with the game and never looked back . . . play for her.”
As a girl, I always looked up to Mia. She was the best player in the world, literally, but she never stopped striving to improve because she never forgot where she came from. Girls, remember who you are. Be true to yourself and remember what it feels like to put on an Athena jersey. I’ll never forget what it feels like to be your coach.