9/7/2006 4:00:00 AM High school Phantoms soccer in rebuilding mode
By Jackie Brown Associate Grand Canyon News Editor
With the loss of nine seniors and an established coach, building is the name of the game for the Phantoms high school soccer team this season.
But according to new coach Tom Bruno, they are building on a strong foundation of skills and confidence.
"They're looking like a good team, a strong team," he said. "There's leadership in every one of the kids and everyone seems to have a good, strong voice."
Though Emanuel Webb is the only senior of the 16 or so players on the roster, Bruno said the team doesn't lack know-how. The three captains, all underclassmen, have some 40 years of combined soccer experience. Sophomores Daniel Trenchard and Cruz Caballero and junior Maria Caballero have all been acquainted with the game since kindergarten.
Bruno brings his own depth of experience that colors his approach. He is a certified strength conditioning specialist, fitness trainer and sport nutritionist and has lectured on fitness and health. He's also coached on and off for 15 years, training triathletes and swimmers at the Olympic Training Center, serving as an elite level coach for USA cycling and coaching skiing, swimming and track and field.
He said that because the players have a strong grounding in basic skills, he has been able to make strength conditioning a priority.
"A lot of these athletes have very strong soccer skills," Bruno said. "It's good to work with a bunch of kids who had good coaching prior. Now we can work on the conditioning side."
They are focusing on balance, agility and core strengthening to build up speed and enhance reaction time.
"It stabilizes the spine and when they're running, their speed comes from the core and goes to their legs," he said.
One tool he has introduced to practice is an accelerator a bungee-type cord that helps players run faster than they normally can.
"It improves their neurological responses so their mind and their legs can turn over faster," he said. "I've seen a lot of improvement in speed."
He also plans to film games to help the team improve.
"I'll be going back and finding trends the athletes tend to use," he said. "If the trend is not to pass, or only use a certain type of pass, not to talk or to talk to certain people, those trends will be exposed. It will help them open up their communication, open up their game a little more."
Also helping with communication is assistant coach Cynthia Sauve, whom Bruno describes as as a "character builder."
"She provides stability to the team as a way to help kids develop their own voice," he said.
He said she is also instrumental in keeping communication flowing.
"She and I will discuss the elephant that may have happened during practice and then we discuss it as a team," he said. "You can't just tell the kids they have to run it out. You have to be able to get them to resolve differences. That's the strength Cynthia brings out."
"They are a younger team but their attitudes are so positive," Sauve said. "They have an uphill battle and they know that but they are so positive and willing to go the distance."
Bruno cancelled a scrimmage scheduled late last month for the same reason that he is questioning whether there will be a junior varsity team the potential for injury.
"We have to be able to allow for substitutions and I don't want to push the small numbers that we have to play and increase injury." he said. "But I want them all to have a lot of good play time."
The team did travel to Round Valley to open the season last week, though results of the tournament were not available at press time.
"Success is not going to be based on the win-loss record, but what they learned from the game," Bruno said. "Every game is going to be a learning experience, and every game is going to be successful."
Bruno's training and influence will be felt beyond the soccer field. He has been hired on contract to work staff, coaches and athletes on fitness and injury prevention strategies with coaches and high school athletes in all sports. One of his roles will be renovating the strength conditioning room. He hopes to acquire a couple of exercise bikes to provide low impact conditioning, as well as a Kaiser functional trainer that adapts to sports-specific exercises. He'd also like to see some power lifting equipment.
The goal, he said, is to use pre-conditioning to prevent the kinds of overuse injuries like shin splints and twisted ankles that can plague high school athletes.
"They are constantly growing," he said. "A strength program isn't necessarily how much you can lift but in working more from the core. More and more therapeutic exercises are being mainstreamed into strength conditioning. It can prevent a lot of injuries."
This preventive approach has enjoyed growing popularity over the past decade, and is not seen at the high school level as much as it is in colleges.
"Lots of colleges have their own coaches and physical therapists," Bruno said. "For such a small school, for them to think along these lines is extremely progressive."
He will also be working with coach and health teacher Dan Lopez to develop lessons on sports nutrition and hopes to offer them in a broader venue.
"We'll be working with the kids to help them make healthier choices as far as nutrition," Bruno said. "How do you get yourself bigger, faster, stronger, using nutrition? We'll help them learn how to recover faster and not be so tired during the day or before or after practice."
He also plans to offer training seminars open to the community and hopes to get the first one off the ground this month.
"Hopefully parents and community members will join in on some of these seminars," Bruno said.
