We know these are definitely trying times for us all. The current situation has made everyone adapt to new routines and we hope these measures will help protect us all and get us back to more “normal” times.
We at Costa Rica Soccer Tours miss having our teams here. We miss sharing with you our beaches, mountains, waterfalls, volcanoes, monkeys, pineapples, and soccer! We are hopeful we can get through this difficult time as soon as possible.
Coaches around the world are trying to reach out to their players and continue to motivate them in times of great uncertainty. Social distancing is something we have to navigate, but you can still work out unique ways to create team bonding experiences.
For this, we came up with 5 fun ideas to try out with your team and prepare for the soccer season ahead!
1. Vision board
Have each player create a personal “vision board” to help them and their teammates visualize their role this soccer season! A vision board is a simple cork or poster board decorated with inspirational images and text. These could be goals, quotes, photos cut out of magazines — there are no rules except that you include what inspires you.
Share the boards during a fun Zoom meeting! This can help with team unity, helping freshmen or new members integrate and build up their confidence as they become part of the team. It can help each player set goals for him or herself, share them with the team, and motivate themselves to live up to their plan.
2. Freshmen mentorship
Pair up your more experienced players with your incoming freshmen. Ask them to schedule an online meeting and have a chance to get to know each other. Request that your more seasoned players introduce the new members and share a funny story about each of them! This can help initiate closer one-on-one relationships within your team as well as build team unity as a whole.
3. Give back!
How about “virtually fundraising” as a team to help a local charity supporting people affected by Covid-19? It’s a great way to work as a team collectively for a shared cause. It can also help improve their fundraising skills for a future trip … to let’s saaay … Costa Rica 😉. Read about how Grace College Men’s team joined together for COVID-19 relief
4. Showtime! Get out the popcorn!
Video mashup:
Many of you have video of past games during previous seasons. If you have good “moviemaker” skills or know somebody who does, you can create a mash-up video of the best bits of your playbook. It can help celebrate accomplishments from your team’s past and help the team focus of improving tactically for the future.
TikTok:
Another idea is to have your captain create a team TikTok video. Each player can create a 3- to 5-second video and send it to your captain, who can compile them into a fun team video. Here’s an example of how the individual videos can be spliced together to make a fun group video.
Watch party:
Select an inspirational sports movie to share with your team and schedule a watch party. The 50 best sports movies of all time, according to critics
5. Get fit together!
Zoom workouts:
Set up a Zoom session to do some physical conditioning together as a team. It’s a great way to stay fit and active and it’s an ideal way of getting the team together remotely. Have a pow-wow session once a week, and invite some alumni!
Workout tees:
Inspire the creative side of your players! Have them work in groups or individually to come up with a design idea for a team t-shirt that they can wear for workouts! The team can vote on the best design and order them online.
Just because you can’t physically travel right now, doesn’t mean that you can’t dream of what’s to come. When you and your team are ready to travel, we will be here to host your team in Costa Rica. Click below to see our tour options.
