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The Instant Improvement Routine PDF
The Instant Improvement Routine PDF
Many people consider me an “expert” when it comes to transforming players but I have to admit
this wasn’t always the case. It wasn’t too long ago that I couldn't even improve myself…
Hitting rock bottom
When I was 17 years old my parents sent me off to University. I had recently earned a generous
scholarship to play soccer for a small University a few hours away from my hometown. To say
this accomplishment had gone to my head was a understatement. I thought I was going to walk
into the team, run the show, and be the star player.
I was quickly brought back to reality. Not only did I play limited minutes, coming off the bench for
most matches. I didn’t score a single goal all season and my team finished dead last in the
league.
Like most young players I was quick to blame everyone except myself for what had happened in
that first season. It was the fault of my coach for not playing me, my team-mates didn’t know
how to play the game properly, or the referees were always against us. I could find a hundred
different excuses for why I was wasn't playing well or the team wasn’t winning, but I never took
the time to analyze what I was actually doing.
For a kid who had played at the top level all my life, winning came easily, playing well came
naturally, and I had never been in this situation before. They say challenges will either break you
or make you. I was being badly broken with no sign of repair. This painful pattern continued for
the next two years until I got so frustrated that I decided to quit the team.
Looking back, I am ashamed of how I handled that situation but in the big picture I needed to fail
so I could learn how to succeed.
After quitting the team I was by myself. I was all alone but I had some motivation. In the off
season I could play in the local Men’s league against my old University coach and teammates. I
was motivated to prove everyone wrong. I wanted to show them how good I really was and this
pushed me towards a journey of self-improvement.
I started to create a training program and adopted daily habits that would make me a better
player. For the next 2 months I took action and put in the work. Everyday I followed my training
routine and did all I could to become a better player. Eventually I had my opportunity. Over that
season I outperformed my old teammates, surprised my ex-coach, and earned the respect of
everyone in the soccer community. I was a new player, with new ability, new confidence, but
more importantly a new attitude.
Looking back at what had happened over those few months I realized the issue was never my
coach, my teammates, or the environment I was in. The issue was always myself. The problem
was me. By taking a closer look at what I was previously doing wrong it was easy to see why I
was under-performing. I wasn’t training, eating, or living properly. There was no structure to my
days. I wasn’t living like an athlete or making a genuine effort to improve. But I’m glad I went
through that struggle because it helped me learn. Now I know what not to do and how not to act.
That darkness led me to the light. It got me started on an incredible journey of self-development
that has sculpted me into the positive powerhouse that I am today.
What I learned from my mistakes
Nowadays I’m performing well, winning leagues, lifting trophies, and scoring goals for fun. I’ve
transformed myself into an impact player and more importantly I’ve created methods and
systems that can help other players do the same."
During those dark days I was doing many things wrong which were holding me back from
becoming a better player. Obviously my attitude was horrible but the biggest thing that was
holding me back was my daily routine. I didn’t even have one! I just woke up and reacted to the
day. Instead of waking up and attacking the day with a specific plan that would take me closer to
my goals.
Average players don’t have action plans. They just hope for the best and get upset when it
doesn’t work out. All of the greatest players have daily routines. All of the highest performing
people in the world have daily routines. There are certain things they repeatedly do everyday
which ensures they are always moving closer to their goals.
Small daily habits create massive long term success.
What you do today, determines who you will be tomorrow. "
If you can start to build consistency in your days, have a long-term focus and enjoy the process,
one day a time, you will move closer to your goals and the player you want to become. Change
your day and you will change the way you play. Keep your day the same and you will get the
same results.
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If you want results you need a strategy. I’ve created a basic training guide that is going to help
you achieve your goal of becoming a better player. It’s going to help you improve your skills,
smarts, stamina, and much more. Whether you want to be a professional, play at the college
level, or simply perform better in your local league; this plan will help you become better by the
day.
Two examples of Lunch: 1) Noodles, baked tofu, broccoli, cabbage, green peas, and cilantro.
2) Brown rice, sautéed chicken, peppers, onions, spinach, and sesame seeds."
Two examples of Dinner: 1) Black been burger, avocado, and fresh vegetable salad.
2) Teriyaki salmon, quinoa & kale, with sautéed mixed peppers."
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Pre-workout meal
Consume an easily digestible meal of carbohydrates (protein, fats, greens optional).
Why is this important? Specific nutrients especially carbohydrates and healthy fats will provide
your body with energy for training. Every time you eat a healthy pre-workout meal you are
increasing your energy levels and likeliness of performing at your optimal level.
How to do this properly? Pre-workout meals should be consumed a minimum of 1 hour before
your training. This will allow your body time to digest the food and turn it into energy.
Below are examples of pre-workout meals:
1) Banana with peanut butter and pecans.
2) Smoothie: Pineapple chunks, protein powder, spirulina powder, cinnamon, and ginger."
Mental priming
Review and emotionally connect with your short term goals and long term vision.
Why is this important? Your mood determines how you act. When you feel energetic and
motivate you are more likely to live according to your goals. When you feel lazy and
unmotivated the opposite is true. By mentally priming yourself for the task ahead you are
increasing your chance of doing the right thing. Every time you complete mental priming you are
increasing your discipline, self-motivation, energy levels, confidence, and mental toughness.
You are also increasing the likeliness of better performance in your training / lifestyle habits.
How to do this properly? Create a list of short term goals and a long term vision for yourself.
Print these goals off and place them somewhere they will be visible often (bathroom, fridge,
door in your room, etc). Also, save this image as the background / home screen on your phone.
When it’s time for “mental priming” read each goal and visualize how it would feel to accomplish
that goal. Why is this important to you? Connect to the goal emotionally and use that energy
towards the next daily action (ex. workout, training, etc). Here are my current goals and vision:
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Morning workout
Complete the recommended morning workout with speed, intensity, and quality.
Why is this important? When your first real action of the day is to complete a morning workout
you are ensuring that you are becoming a better player everyday. Regardless of what happens
throughout the rest of the day, you have done one thing to move closer to your goals.
Every time you complete your morning ritual you are improving your stamina, ball control,
dribbling, strength, flexibility, and confidence.
How to do this properly?
Here is the morning workout you are going to do every morning:
Warm Up: 100 Jumping Jacks
Stamina: 1 set of High Knees (as quickly as possible) to failure
Ball Control: Juggle 100 total repetitions
Dribbling: 5 minutes of footwork drills
Strength: 20 Squats, 20 Pushups, 50 Russian twists
Flexibility: Forward Bend, Full Squat, Downward Dog (30 seconds)
As you become comfortable and familiar with the exercises you will be able to complete them
faster (while still maintaining high quality). This workout should not exceed 20 minutes.
*If you cannot juggle to 100 repetitions without dropping the ball, continue juggling (drop and
start again) until you reach 100 total repetitions. Overtime build your way up to 100 consecutive
keep ups. Here’s a helpful video for juggling: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=gwZhnfTlB0M&t=19s
*For footwork drills use the 10 exercises demonstrated in this video: https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=bQT3MP5Moq8&t=282s -> Since the purpose of the morning ritual is to complete a
high quality workout in a short period of time, I would recommend reducing the amount of rest
between each exercise.
*Here are pictures of the flexibility / mobility exercises:
Physical Workout
Complete a strength specific workout during your lunch break (this daily habit is optional and
only for those extremely committed players who want to be the absolute best).
Why is this important? Strength training is crucial for any athlete. Building a strong, durable
body will help you increase performance and reduce the chance of injury. Every time you
complete a strength workout you are increasing your muscle mass and definition, becoming
stronger, reducing the likeliness of getting injured while playing, and enhancing confidence.
How to do this properly? Because this is an optional component I will let you decide your
strength workout routine. This workout should not exceed 40 minutes. Do research online and
create a plan that will help you achieve the specific goals you desire (ex: developing certain
body parts, strength, power, size, etc).
However, I will give you one general guideline to follow for soccer players. When training lower
body (legs) focus on explosive movement. Move the bar down with control and explode up with
power (while maintaining good form). Train your muscles to move quickly (not slowly).
*Basic example of a beginner strength workout:
Squats ( 3 x 10 reps)
Bench Press ( 3 x 10 reps )
Lunges ( 3 x 10 reps )
Chin Ups ( 3 x 10 reps )
Technical Training
Complete a skill focused training session; individual training, team practice, or match.
Why is this important? Overtime you must master the basic skills of a soccer player. To
execute what you visualize in your mind you must have confidence and technical ability. Every
time you complete a technical training session you are improving your ball control, dribbling,
passing, and shooting skills. You will also improve your confidence, stamina, and athleticism.
How to do this properly? You can either train individually, with a friend, or take advantage of a
team practice / match. Although you cannot control the duration of your team practices and
matches, when training individually I would recommend you keep your sessions short duration
and high intensity ( 1 hour maximum).
*I have created several different videos to help you train in different scenarios. You can follow
the outline of these training sessions. Add or subtract time to meet your 1 hour requirement:
Wall and one ball: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27hkBzSqfDA&t=2s
Net and multiple balls: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsTbOeT9W3w
Partner to train with: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-fQuoICCuo&t=4s
Indoor / At home: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_fiLAFPsIs
*It is also mandatory that you complete the same amount of repetitions for each exercise with
your weak foot as you do your strong foot. Your weak foot is only “weak” because it has been
neglected (hasn’t received the same amount of attention - touches, shots, passes, etc). You
don’t have to count exactly how many repetitions you perform with each but always focus on
practicing with both feet (no exceptions).
*Add 1 additional component to each technical training: 5 top speed sprints x 40 meter sprints -
The idea is to improve your speed by actually practicing the skill of running fast. Speed is a skill
and must be practiced as such. You can complete these sprints as part of your warm up, during
or after your training.
*Another suggestion to improve your dribbling skills with minimal effort is to always dribble a ball
around the house. Here is a demonstration of exactly what I mean: https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=_h_8dx28Gz4
Night workout
Complete the recommended night time workout before you go to bed.
Why is this important? When your last real action of the day is to complete a workout focused
on making you a better player, you will got to bed feeling satisfied and focused on your personal
progression. Every time you complete your night time ritual you are improving your ball control,
strength, flexibility, and confidence.
How to do this properly?
Here is the workout you are going to do every night before bed:
Ball Control: Juggle 100 total repetitions
Strength: 20 Squats, 20 Pushups, 50 Russian twists
Flexibility: Forward Bend, Full Squat, Downward Dog (1 minute)"
Personal commitments
Handle the workload from the other areas of your life with quality.
Why is this important? You must have balance in your life. Failure in one area of your life will
have a negative effect on another. Contrarily, success in one area will have a positive effect on
another. It is important to develop the ability to succeed in every area. You are working to
become a well rounded soccer player. Why wouldn't you work to become a well rounded human
being? Focus on total progression in all aspects; health, wealth, intelligence, happiness,
spirituality, and any other important area of your life.
How to do this properly? Start with a positive attitude towards the different personal
commitments in your life (school, work, family, social, etc). If you are a real superstar you will
create goals & visions for each of these areas as well. You can then use mental priming to
connect with these goals before engaging in a personal commitment.
Based on my average client these are the most common personal commitments:
*School / Homework / Work: you may be required to attend classes, complete homework, or
work a job. In each situation it is important that you have a positive mindset. If you have to do
something, do it well (and do it efficiently.)
When you put effort, focus, and quality into your work, you will be rewarded - good grades,
happier parents, more money, more recognition - and time will seem to pass faster. When you
do not put effort, focus, and quality into your work, you will be punished - poor grades, upset
parents, less money, less recognition - and time will seem to pass slower.
*Family: you may also have family commitments that you are expected to complete each day.
The same principles apply. Complete the task with quality and efficiency. The quicker you take
action, the quicker you can move onto something you would rather be doing. Always be
respectful towards your parents. Be a good son / daughter (listen, love, and learn from them).
Show love and gratitude for everything they have given you: food, shelter, clothing, love, and the
gift of life."
Soccer education
Watch and analyze professional matches, highlights, compilations, or educational tutorials (this
action is optional and only for those players who want to become extremely successful).
Why is this important? By watching professionals and analyzing others you can become a
smarter player. Learning to analyze the game is a crucial skill that every player must develop.
Every time you complete your soccer education you will improve your intelligence, match
awareness, tactical understanding, and decision making.
How to do this properly? Spend a minimum of 20 minutes watching professional matches
(live, pre-recorded, old matches on YouTube, etc), daily highlights (www.footytube.com),
compilation videos of your favourite players, or Progressive Soccer tutorials.
When watching matches, highlights, and compilations analyze player movement on and off the
ball. What do they do? Where do they go? What decisions do they make in certain situations?
How do they perform certain techniques? Don’t just watch “what” happened? Ask yourself,
“how” did that happen?
*Use Progressive Soccer tutorials to eliminate your weakness, improve your strengths, and
develop the different areas of your game. This video will explain how to use my channel to find
very specific tutorials for most of the questions you have: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=msD5Vpi54us
De Load
Spend time doing something fun, relaxing, and unrelated to your goals / vision.
Why is this important? If you are constantly focused on your goals / vision and never give
yourself time to detach you will eventually burn out. This will rejuvenate your body, mind, and
soul. Taking time away from your goals / vision will allow you to come back with new energy and
ambition. Every time you “de-load” you are increasing your energy levels, reducing stress, and
improving overall happiness. This will also make it easier to stay motivated and disciplined
because you know you have this “de-loading” opportunity everyday.
How to do this properly? Reward yourself for all the positive action you took during the day.
Find an activity that brings you happiness and takes your mind off soccer. This could be playing
video games, watching movies, reading books, spending time with your family, activities with
friends, or anything else that brings you a sense of playful joy.
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Daily Performance Review
Reflect on the events of the day and evaluate your performance.
Why is this important? It’s impossible to get results if you don’t track progress. In order to get
the most out of your days you need to understand what you did well and what you struggled
with. By reviewing you can learn how to make each day more productive than the last. Every
time you review your performance you are becoming smarter (more self-aware), improving
productivity, and increasing self-discipline.
How to do this properly?
Ask yourself these simple questions and answer truthfully:
After you have asked and answered these questions, congratulate and praise yourself for all the
positive action you took throughout the day. Take confidence from the day and get excited about
another opportunity to become better tomorrow.
Sleep
Aim for a minimum of 8 hours sleep based on your pre-determined wake up time.
Why this is important? Sleep plays an important role in your physical health. Sleep is involved
in healing and repair of your heart, muscles, and blood vessels. Ongoing sleep deficiency is
linked to an increased muscles soreness, lack of energy, risk of heart disease, and high blood
pressure. Every time you get an adequate amount of sleep you are helping your body recovery,
promoting muscle growth, and increasing your energy levels.
How to do this properly? Get into bed 15 - 20 minutes before you need to be asleep to meet
your daily 8 hour requirement. This is usually how long it takes for you to actually fall asleep.
During those 15 - 20 minutes visualize the next day. Obviously, you have the daily plan I’ve
given you but each day of your life may have different events / requirements. Plan out your
actions so you can wake up and attack the day without hesitation. To improve the quality of your
sleep, it is best to sleep naked, in cooler temperatures, and complete darkness.
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BUT… what about all of my excuses?
If you want something badly enough, you will find a way…
If you don’t, you will find an excuse.
One principle I live my life by (and I would like you to do the same) is this:
The problem is always me.
The problem is always you. If you are not getting the result you want, the problem isn’t because
of other people or your environment. The problem is you and the way you approach or perceive
the situation. This is a good thing because this mindset gives you power. When you admit the
problem is you, this gives you the ability to change yourself and in turn solve the problem.
Below are some of the most common excuses players make and helpful advice on how to
overcome each excuse:
I have trouble waking up on time.
The problem is not that you have trouble waking up on time. The problem is that you don’t have
a strong enough reason pulling you out of bed in the morning.
When you have a strong “why” (goals & visions) oversleeping is not an option because you can’t
wait to get out of bed and move closer towards your why. If you truly want to achieve these
things and know you need to make the most out of the day to achieve them, getting out bed
becomes easy. You may also have trouble waking up on time because you are not getting
enough sleep (aim for 8 hours).
I don’t have enough time.
The problem is not that you don’t have enough time. The problem is that 1) it’s not that
important to you or 2) you are not organizing / using your time well.
People find time for the things that are important to them. If you don’t value an activity you will
find 100 other things to spend your time on. If however, you value that activity (and the outcome
it will produce) you will be looking for every opportunity to complete that task.
Everyone has the same amount of time in one day: 24 hours. How is that some people manage
to accomplish everything and some people manage to accomplish nothing? It comes down to
time management, focus, and efficiency. Evaluate your time. What are you spending your time
on? Most people will say they don’t have enough time but they spend several hours watching
TV and playing on their phone everyday.
I am lazy, always procrastinate, and lose motivation.
The problem is not that you are lazy, unmotivated, or always procrastinate. The problem is that
once again you don’t have a strong enough attachment to your why (goals & visions).
This is why Mental Priming is so important. Whenever you feel lazy or unmotivated, reattach
yourself to your personal goals & vision. When you change your mood and get yourself into a
positive state, laziness and procrastination will not be an option. You will quickly become re -
motivated and more likely to take positive action towards your goals. How could you continue to
be lazy and unmotivated when you know doing so will make it impossible to achieve that goal
you’ve been thinking about all day long?
I don’t like school and it’s getting in the way of my soccer.
The problem is not that school is getting in your way. The problem is that you are not handling
your personal commitments with enough quality.
School / work are part of your life. This is something you must accept. If you resist, it will always
be a problem. Once you accept the reality, you will quickly become the solution. Most people
spend so much time thinking about how much they dislike school / homework that it multiplies
the physical and mental workload required. If they took that time and energy and put it into
completing their tasks, it would quickly become easier and finished faster.
Doing well in school will also make you more attractive to colleges and create more potential
scholarships opportunities. Doing well in school will make your parents proud & happy, which
will increase their likeliness of supporting you in the other areas of your life.
I don’t have a gym membership, equipment, or a training facility.
The problem is not that you don’t have a gym membership or training equipment. The problem
is that you believe it is necessary to have these luxuries in order to obtain results.
You don’t need anything to get in great shape except some motivation. Make the most of what
you have available to you. Whether that is a gym membership, some dumbbells at home, or
your own body. Find different ways to challenge yourself with the tools you have available.
Here’s a link to an at home strength workout using body weight exercises: https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQTO6rgii8k&t=2s and here is a link for a park style workout using
body weight exercises: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-Nq8pemicA
I cannot resist eating food I know is bad for me.
The problem is not that you can’t resist bad food. The problem is that you associate bad food
with good feelings.
If you associate bad food with bad feelings and bad consequences, eating bad food isn’t
associated with pleasure but with punishment. When you eat bad food you are consuming
poison. It destroys your internal organs, negatively effects your hormones, decreases your
energy levels, and takes you further away from your goals.
I am easily influence by negative people & situations.
The problem is not that you are
influenced by negative people. The
problem is that you believe you need the
acceptance and approval of negative
people to feel good about yourself.
If you didn’t need their acceptance you
would not be influenced by them
because you wouldn’t care about their
perception of you. You don’t need
negative people to think highly of you in
order to think highly of yourself. You
determine your self - worth by the way
you think about yourself.
Replace negative people and situations
with positive ones. You can gain
acceptance and approval from people
with similar goals. Instead of influencing
you negatively, these people with
influence you positively and inspire you
to be a better version of yourself. Share
this guide with other like-minded people,
inspire each other, train together, and
develop a positive environment.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Below are answers to some of the most common questions players may have about
implementing this daily training guide:
What if this schedule doesn’t work for me?
This is your life and you need to develop the ability to create your own training schedule. I have
created this training guide based on my average client’s lifestyle. If you need to make
adjustments to the schedule to make it work for you, do so. However, I would recommend you
make a genuine effort to include all components of the training guide.
Can I train like this everyday?
Yes. Because the training sessions are short duration and high intensity you should be able to
maintain a good level of consistency. However, your ability to train consistently will be directly
related to the quality of food you consume and the quality / quantity of sleep you get.
If your body is telling you it needs rest through signs of physical fatigue or significant soreness,
listen to your body. Take a day off to recover and see how you feel the next day.
If you have matches you may want to skip physical workouts or alter them to focus only on your
upper body. Also, you may want to avoid intense leg training on days before your matches. The
idea of this program is to make you a better player but your number one priority should always
be performing your best on game day.
What if the training is too easy? too difficult?
The exercises in this training guide are basic because the most important part of the plan is not
the exercises but building the habit of repetitive daily improvement.
If the training is too easy, change the exercises, increases intensity, or reduce rest between
exercises. If the training is too difficult, reduce the amount of sets or reps and increase the rest
between exercises. I would encourage you to stay away from training longer. It’s better to
maintain your duration and increase your intensity.
What if I want to lose weight? or build muscle?
If you want to lose weight you must consume fewer calories than your body burns. Every
morning step on the scale. If you are not losing weight, you are consuming too many calories.
Reduce the amount of calories you consume.
If you want to gain weight / build muscle (you must be stimulating your muscles to grow through
strength training otherwise you will just gain fat) you must consume more calories than your
body burns. Every morning step on the scale. If you are not gaining weight, you are consuming
too few calories. Increase the amount of calories you consume.
What if I can’t do this?
Another mandatory requirement of this training guide is to eliminate the phrase “I can’t” from
your vocabulary. You are no longer allowed to speak those words. Building confidence is about
managing yourself through self-doubt. Throughout your training, playing, and life you will
constantly doubt yourself. How you respond to those internal doubts is what will increase your
confidence and mental toughness. Become aware of how often you tell yourself “I cant” and
quickly tell yourself “I can”.
You can do this.
You can improve.
You can become a better player.
You can achieve your goals.
You can obtain your vision.
You can and you will.