Ages 5-16 · Book 3, Confidence · 4,299 places
Soccer
Team sport where a mistake is public and instant, and the recovery is the skill actually being trained.
Built on Ellis Abel and the Magic Triangle — “Turn fear into confidence, one step at a time.” A character series, not a curriculum with a worldview attached.
The five sessions
- Session 1
Read the story and find the wall the child is standing under
- Session 2
Commit out loud, before anybody feels ready — that is step one
- Session 3
Do the reps, count them, and expect them to be ugly
- Session 4
Name what got better, using the count and not a feeling
- Session 5
Confidence is the last step, and it is earned in front of them
Questions leaders ask
Is soccer in your area a religious program?
No. Ellis Abel is a character series. Each volume carries one named core value — this one is confidence — and the story does the teaching. There is no doctrine in it, nothing to opt out of, and it is used in public schools, libraries and secular programs as readily as anywhere else.
What ages does this work for?
Ages 5-16. The story is read aloud, so a child who cannot read yet is fully in it, and the discussion prompts are written in two bands so one adult can hold a mixed-age room.
When in a your area season does this fit?
Preseason for the first three sessions, then one mid-season and one at the end. Ten minutes before practice, sitting on the floor, is the whole footprint.
Our coaches are volunteers with no time. Is that a problem?
No. The script is one page per session and assumes the coach read it in the car park. The point is the athletes talking, not the coach presenting.
The rules that make it work
Confidence is earned, in that order, every time
Commitment, then competency, then confidence. Almost every adult teaches it backwards by trying to install the feeling first, and children can tell.
Ugly reps are the work, not a warning sign
A child promised that practice feels good quits on the third attempt. Say in advance that it will look bad, and the bad-looking part stops meaning anything.
Praise the count, never the talent
"You're a natural" is a compliment a child cannot use and cannot rebuild from. Sixty reps is a fact they own and can do again.
Nobody is compared to anybody
The count is against last week's count. A room where children are ranked teaches the ones at the bottom to stop starting.
Adults commit out loud too
A coach or a parent naming a thing they are bad at and are practising anyway is worth more than any session on effort.
This is a character story, not a performance program
Technique belongs to the coach and the teacher. This handles the part that has nothing to do with technique, and never scores a child on either.
Soccer by metro area
Northeast
- Soccer — New York, NY
- Soccer — Philadelphia, PA
- Soccer — Boston, MA
- Soccer — Pittsburgh, PA
- Soccer — Providence, RI
- Soccer — Hartford, CT
- Soccer — Buffalo, NY
- Soccer — Rochester, NY
- Soccer — Bridgeport, CT
- Soccer — Albany, NY
- Soccer — Worcester, MA
- Soccer — Allentown, PA
- Soccer — Poughkeepsie metro area, NY
- Soccer — Syracuse, NY
- Soccer — Harrisburg, PA
- Soccer — New Haven, CT
- Soccer — Portland, ME
- Soccer — Scranton, PA
- Soccer — Lancaster, PA
- Soccer — York, PA
- Soccer — Springfield, MA
- Soccer — Waterbury, CT
- Soccer — Reading, PA
- Soccer — Manchester, NH
- Soccer — Trenton, NJ
- Soccer — Atlantic City, NJ
- Soccer — Utica, NY
- Soccer — Norwich, CT
- Soccer — Erie, PA
- Soccer — Binghamton, NY
- Soccer — Barnstable, MA
- Soccer — Burlington, VT
- Soccer — Kingston, NY
- Soccer — Amherst, MA
- Soccer — Chambersburg, PA
- Soccer — Bangor, ME
- Soccer — State College, PA
- Soccer — Vineland, NJ
- Soccer — Lebanon, PA
- Soccer — Johnstown, PA
- Soccer — Pittsfield, MA
- Soccer — Glens Falls, NY
- Soccer — Altoona, PA
- Soccer — Lewiston, ME
- Soccer — Williamsport, PA
- Soccer — Watertown, NY
- Soccer — Gettysburg, PA
- Soccer — Ithaca, NY
- Soccer — Elmira, NY
Midwest
- Soccer — Chicago, IL
- Soccer — Detroit, MI
- Soccer — Minneapolis, MN
- Soccer — St. Louis, MO
- Soccer — Cincinnati, OH
- Soccer — Kansas City, MO
- Soccer — Columbus, OH
- Soccer — Indianapolis, IN
- Soccer — Cleveland, OH
- Soccer — Milwaukee, WI
- Soccer — Grand Rapids, MI
- Soccer — Omaha, NE
- Soccer — Dayton, OH
- Soccer — Des Moines, IA
- Soccer — Madison, WI
- Soccer — Akron, OH
- Soccer — Wichita, KS
- Soccer — Toledo, OH
- Soccer — Springfield, MO
- Soccer — Lansing, MI
- Soccer — Fort Wayne, IN
- Soccer — Youngstown, OH
- Soccer — Flint, MI
- Soccer — Canton, OH
- Soccer — Davenport, IA
- Soccer — Ann Arbor, MI
- Soccer — Peoria, IL
- Soccer — Lincoln, NE
- Soccer — Rockford, IL
- Soccer — Green Bay, WI
- Soccer — South Bend, IN
- Soccer — Sioux Falls, SD
- Soccer — Duluth, MN
- Soccer — Cedar Rapids, IA
- Soccer — Evansville, IN
- Soccer — Fargo, ND
- Soccer — Kalamazoo, MI
- Soccer — Appleton, WI
- Soccer — Champaign, IL
- Soccer — Topeka, KS
- Soccer — Rochester, MN
- Soccer — Lafayette, IN
- Soccer — Columbia, MO
- Soccer — Joplin, MO
- Soccer — Elkhart, IN
- Soccer — Springfield, IL
- Soccer — St. Cloud, MN
- Soccer — Racine, WI
- Soccer — Saginaw, MI
- Soccer — Iowa City, IA
- Soccer — Muskegon, MI
- Soccer — Eau Claire, WI
- Soccer — Oshkosh, WI
- Soccer — Bloomington, IL
- Soccer — La Crosse, WI
- Soccer — Terre Haute, IN
- Soccer — Waterloo, IA
- Soccer — Kenosha, WI
- Soccer — Janesville, WI
- Soccer — Bloomington, IN
- Soccer — Jackson, MI
- Soccer — Traverse City, MI
- Soccer — Rapid City, SD
- Soccer — Monroe, MI
- Soccer — Jefferson City, MO
- Soccer — Niles, MI
- Soccer — Sioux City, IA
- Soccer — Bismarck, ND
- Soccer — Wausau, WI
- Soccer — Manhattan, KS
- Soccer — Springfield, OH
- Soccer — Battle Creek, MI
- Soccer — Ames, IA
- Soccer — Mansfield, OH
- Soccer — Lawrence, KS
- Soccer — St. Joseph, MO
- Soccer — Sheboygan, WI
- Soccer — Muncie, IN
- Soccer — Sandusky, OH
- Soccer — Michigan City, IN
- Soccer — Kankakee, IL
- Soccer — Grand Forks, ND
- Soccer — Mankato, MN
- Soccer — Fond du Lac, WI
- Soccer — Bay City, MI
- Soccer — Lima, OH
- Soccer — Dubuque, IA
- Soccer — Decatur, IL
- Soccer — Cape Girardeau, MO
- Soccer — Columbus, IN
- Soccer — Kokomo, IN
- Soccer — Midland, MI
- Soccer — Grand Island, NE
- Soccer — Minot, ND
South
- Soccer — Dallas, TX
- Soccer — Houston, TX
- Soccer — Atlanta, GA
- Soccer — Washington, DC
- Soccer — Miami, FL
- Soccer — Tampa, FL
- Soccer — Orlando, FL
- Soccer — Charlotte, NC
- Soccer — Baltimore, MD
- Soccer — San Antonio, TX
- Soccer — Austin, TX
- Soccer — Nashville, TN
- Soccer — Virginia Beach, VA
- Soccer — Jacksonville, FL
- Soccer — Raleigh, NC
- Soccer — Oklahoma City, OK
- Soccer — Louisville, KY
- Soccer — Richmond, VA
- Soccer — Memphis, TN
- Soccer — Birmingham, AL
- Soccer — Tulsa, OK
- Soccer — Greenville, SC
- Soccer — New Orleans, LA
- Soccer — Knoxville, TN
- Soccer — Sarasota metro area, FL
- Soccer — McAllen, TX
- Soccer — Charleston, SC
- Soccer — Baton Rouge, LA
- Soccer — El Paso, TX
- Soccer — Columbia, SC
- Soccer — Cape Coral, FL
- Soccer — Lakeland, FL
- Soccer — Greensboro, NC
- Soccer — Little Rock, AR
- Soccer — Deltona, FL
- Soccer — Winston-Salem, NC
- Soccer — Palm Bay, FL
- Soccer — Augusta, GA
- Soccer — Durham, NC
- Soccer — Fayetteville, AR
- Soccer — Jackson, MS
- Soccer — Chattanooga, TN
- Soccer — Port St. Lucie, FL
- Soccer — Huntsville, AL
- Soccer — Pensacola, FL
- Soccer — Lexington, KY
- Soccer — Killeen, TX
- Soccer — Wilmington, NC
- Soccer — Corpus Christi, TX
- Soccer — Ocala, FL
- Soccer — Savannah, GA
- Soccer — Brownsville, TX
- Soccer — Gulfport, MS
- Soccer — Myrtle Beach, SC
- Soccer — Lafayette, LA
- Soccer — Asheville, NC
- Soccer — Naples, FL
- Soccer — Mobile, AL
- Soccer — Spartanburg, SC
- Soccer — Beaumont, TX
- Soccer — Tallahassee, FL
- Soccer — Fayetteville, NC
- Soccer — Montgomery, AL
- Soccer — Shreveport, LA
- Soccer — Hickory, NC
- Soccer — Lubbock, TX
- Soccer — Huntington, WV
- Soccer — Gainesville, FL
- Soccer — Clarksville, TN
- Soccer — Columbus, GA
- Soccer — Roanoke, VA
- Soccer — Hagerstown, MD
- Soccer — Fort Walton Beach metro area, FL
- Soccer — Kingsport, TN
- Soccer — Waco, TX
- Soccer — Longview, TX
- Soccer — College Station, TX
- Soccer — Tuscaloosa, AL
- Soccer — Laredo, TX
- Soccer — Slidell, LA
- Soccer — Amarillo, TX
- Soccer — Lynchburg, VA
- Soccer — Daphne, AL
- Soccer — Tyler, TX
- Soccer — Lake Charles, LA
- Soccer — Hilton Head Island, SC
- Soccer — Macon, GA
- Soccer — Fort Smith, AR
- Soccer — Panama City, FL
- Soccer — Charlottesville, VA
- Soccer — Gainesville, GA
- Soccer — Athens, GA
- Soccer — Monroe, LA
- Soccer — Punta Gorda, FL
- Soccer — Jacksonville, NC
- Soccer — Johnson City, TN
- Soccer — Lexington Park, MD
- Soccer — Warner Robins, GA
- Soccer — Auburn, AL
- Soccer — Florence, SC
- Soccer — Charleston, WV
- Soccer — Houma, LA
- Soccer — Bowling Green, KY
- Soccer — Dover, DE
- Soccer — Midland, TX
- Soccer — Burlington, NC
- Soccer — Abilene, TX
- Soccer — Jackson, TN
- Soccer — Greenville, NC
- Soccer — Blacksburg, VA
- Soccer — Odessa, TX
- Soccer — Vero Beach metro area, FL
- Soccer — Homosassa Springs, FL
- Soccer — Decatur, AL
- Soccer — Hattiesburg, MS
- Soccer — The Villages metro area, FL
- Soccer — Florence, AL
- Soccer — Dothan, AL
- Soccer — Sherman, TX
- Soccer — Valdosta, GA
- Soccer — Winchester, VA
- Soccer — Wichita Falls, TX
- Soccer — Rocky Mount, NC
- Soccer — Alexandria, LA
- Soccer — Dalton, GA
- Soccer — Texarkana, TX
- Soccer — Albany, GA
- Soccer — Morgantown, WV
- Soccer — Hammond, LA
- Soccer — Harrisonburg, VA
- Soccer — Jonesboro, AR
- Soccer — Wheeling, WV
- Soccer — Cleveland, TN
- Soccer — Salisbury, MD
- Soccer — Staunton, VA
- Soccer — Morristown, TN
- Soccer — Elizabethtown, KY
- Soccer — Lawton, OK
- Soccer — Goldsboro, NC
- Soccer — San Angelo, TX
- Soccer — Brunswick, GA
- Soccer — Anniston, AL
- Soccer — Owensboro, KY
- Soccer — Steubenville, WV
- Soccer — Sebring, FL
- Soccer — Pinehurst, NC
- Soccer — Beckley, WV
- Soccer — Sumter, SC
- Soccer — Gadsden, AL
- Soccer — Paducah, KY
- Soccer — Rome, GA
- Soccer — Victoria, TX
- Soccer — Hot Springs, AR
- Soccer — Hinesville, GA
- Soccer — Parkersburg, WV
- Soccer — Enid, OK
- Soccer — Eagle Pass, TX
West
- Soccer — Los Angeles, CA
- Soccer — Phoenix, AZ
- Soccer — Riverside, CA
- Soccer — San Francisco, CA
- Soccer — Seattle, WA
- Soccer — San Diego, CA
- Soccer — Denver, CO
- Soccer — Portland, OR
- Soccer — Sacramento, CA
- Soccer — Las Vegas, NV
- Soccer — San Jose, CA
- Soccer — Salt Lake City, UT
- Soccer — Fresno, CA
- Soccer — Tucson, AZ
- Soccer — Honolulu, HI
- Soccer — Bakersfield, CA
- Soccer — Albuquerque, NM
- Soccer — Boise, ID
- Soccer — Oxnard, CA
- Soccer — Stockton, CA
- Soccer — Colorado Springs, CO
- Soccer — Provo, UT
- Soccer — Ogden, UT
- Soccer — Spokane, WA
- Soccer — Reno, NV
- Soccer — Modesto, CA
- Soccer — Santa Rosa, CA
- Soccer — Visalia, CA
- Soccer — Vallejo, CA
- Soccer — Salem, OR
- Soccer — Santa Maria, CA
- Soccer — Salinas, CA
- Soccer — Anchorage, AK
- Soccer — Eugene, OR
- Soccer — Greeley, CO
- Soccer — Fort Collins, CO
- Soccer — Boulder, CO
- Soccer — Kennewick, WA
- Soccer — Olympia, WA
- Soccer — Merced, CA
- Soccer — Bremerton, WA
- Soccer — San Luis Obispo, CA
- Soccer — Bend, OR
- Soccer — Yakima, WA
- Soccer — Santa Cruz, CA
- Soccer — Prescott metro area, AZ
- Soccer — Bellingham, WA
- Soccer — Las Cruces, NM
- Soccer — Lake Havasu City, AZ
- Soccer — Yuma, AZ
- Soccer — Medford, OR
- Soccer — St. George, UT
- Soccer — Chico, CA
- Soccer — Billings, MT
- Soccer — Coeur d'Alene, ID
- Soccer — Yuba City, CA
- Soccer — Redding, CA
- Soccer — El Centro, CA
- Soccer — Idaho Falls, ID
- Soccer — Pueblo, CO
- Soccer — Grand Junction, CO
- Soccer — Logan, UT
- Soccer — Maui, HI
- Soccer — Santa Fe, NM
- Soccer — Hanford, CA
- Soccer — Flagstaff, AZ
- Soccer — Mount Vernon, WA
- Soccer — Napa, CA
- Soccer — Albany, OR
- Soccer — Bozeman, MT
- Soccer — Missoula, MT
- Soccer — Wenatchee, WA
- Soccer — Sierra Vista, AZ
- Soccer — Twin Falls, ID
- Soccer — Farmington, NM
- Soccer — Longview, WA
- Soccer — Cheyenne, WY
- Soccer — Corvallis, OR
- Soccer — Helena, MT
- Soccer — Fairbanks, AK
- Soccer — Pocatello, ID
- Soccer — Grants Pass, OR
- Soccer — Great Falls, MT
- Soccer — Casper, WY
- Soccer — Lewiston, ID
- Soccer — Walla Walla, WA
- Soccer — Carson City, NV
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