Learn from the last season, prepare for the next. This is what the offseason allows. While players rest, they can think about how the previous season played out. All the feedback they received, their progress and their performances. They can harness all of the information they received and learned, and set new goals for the upcoming season.

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When coming up with goals, players can choose to take a SMART approach. This makes goals specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time based. Specificity removes any uncertainties with the goal, measurability gives a goal a way to be assessed, attainability ensures a sense of accomplishment in the player, a level of realism keeps the goal fair to the player, and a time restriction prevents the goal from being extended indefinitely.

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On top of that, Madrid Euro Soccer Academy (MESA) provides its players with information they can use to create better goals.

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Learning from the Season and the Pros

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At the end of every season, we encourage our players to review their performance. We provide them with the match data and videos, and even tell them to create their season-end highlight video. Together with our coaches, our players analyze their achievements throughout the season. Their growth in terms of understanding tactics, their footwork, their positioning, their ability to play their position to the best of their capabilities, all of that is reviewed with our coaching staff.

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By understanding their performance during the previous season, players will have a good idea on which areas need improvement. These can become their focus points for the upcoming season. If footwork is an issue, then they can enter the following season with goals revolving around improving that.

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Another thing that can help players create their goals is by sharpening their analytic minds. During the offseason, the best way to do this is by watching global tournaments. This level of competition showcases the very best players. Top players from across the world–Spain, Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, South and North America, Asia, and Africa–all playing against each other.

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By watching the world’s best players on the world’s biggest stages, our players will have the opportunity to understand three key factors. The first is that these players possess the technical, tactical, mental and physical abilities. If any of their goals involve improving those areas, then seeing world-class players exhibit them at the highest level of competition will give them something to model after. 

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The second is that international competitions have the highest-level of competition out there. By watching it, our players get to understand the significance of high-level competition, the pressures involved, and the energy needed to thrive in that environment.

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Lastly, players will see that the game evolves. Every two to three years, the global game evolves and changes significantly. There are new strategies and tactics. Different players in new lineups and new formations can innovate how the game is approached. These can create trends that our players will face against the other academies in Madrid. By watching elite competition, our players can pick up on a new approach that they would like to learn or develop.

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By analyzing international matches, players will improve their understanding of the culture, demands and trends of sport. This will better inform how they see themselves, their strengths, their current limits, their health, their performances, and their areas for improvement. This will lead to better goal setting. Players can strive for improvements that can happen within the next season. This coupled with a well-rested body and mind will put our players in the best possible position for the upcoming season.

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