Back to Wings' Home Page The Wings coaches are dedicated to the big picture of helping improve the overall game of soccer in the United States. In order to do that, we are committed to doing everything we can to help the players on the team get the most out of their soccer experience with the Wheaton Wings.
John Wooden's famous "Pyramid of Success" states that success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming. Principles such as industriousness, friendship, loyalty, cooperation and enthusiasm create a base to build upon to try and reach success at the top of the pyramid. The Wings are proud of their successes, but know without improvement both on and off the fields of play, the movement toward being a successful person is impossible.
The Wings are not only known for their recent successes, but also for their attacking style and all out counterattacking play. Playing with Wheaton means keeping possession of the ball and taking the attack to opponents on their side of the field of play. The team follows the philosophy that "technique will always win in the end." The Wings put a great deal of emphasis on each individual's work rate. The equation "P = G" helps represent the team's defensive philosophy, playing a combination of zone and man-to-man principles to limit opponent's field of vision. P (Pressure) equals G (Goals).
The Wings coaches have tried to focus on working with a high level of intensity at practice, increasing the overall speed of play, developing an understanding of offensive and defensive transition, improving tactical decision making, and learning how to train on each individual's physical and technical edge. Sessions also incorporate a speed and coordination program to help the players develop physically, become stronger, and help prevent injuries.
Players should not just be able to compete at one position. The belief is that players should not be limited to their exposure to the game by playing the same position week in, week out. The effort is made to try and incorporate players into the game at different positions within the team to enable them to experience many situations and scenarios during competition that the players can learn from.
Attendance at training sessions is something that is the basis of the team continuing to maintain and improve its competitiveness. We expect players will participate in many other types of activities and we encourage them to do so. At the same time, absence from training sessions due to conflicts with other extracurricular activities has an effect on those who make every effort to attend. We ask players to keep this in mind when making these types of decisions. Playing time and starting positions are partly based upon attendance at training sessions.
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