Unleash your Soccer Potential through training that emphasizes Possession
McLean High School Soccer
History with McLean High School
I am currently in my third year as head coach of the McLean High School varsity soccer team. I am blessed to be affiliated with McLean High School and I am blessed to have such amazing group of young men playing for me. The first year at Mclean was very solid with a good record. It was, however, the second year 2024 where the hard work began to payoff. The 2024 team made it to the state soccer finals and after a very long game that extended to sudden-death the opponent scored and unfortunately we lost the game. I say unfortunate but from negative experiences everyone grows and this year the young men of McLean soccer are extremely good. One should not attempt to predict future successes but I feel we will go far.
My own history with soccer
As the child of an American dad and Japanese mom I would spend the usual school year in the US and every summer in Japan. During these extended summer stays in Japan my brother and I joined Japanese children's soccer club teams. The teams would practice every day for 3 to 4 hours. During these long practice sessions the fundamentals were practiced again and again and ultimately almost all children playing club soccer in Japan have amazing technical skills. In fact, striving for perfection can be seen in all aspects of Japanese life and culture from the cars they build to their artwork and very visibly these days the baseball players that end up playing professional baseball in the US. In addition to learning a good work ethic from my time in Japan I also learned it through mathematics which lead to a first place prize in a math Olympiad in northern California just prior to moving to Virginia in 2003. At Oakton HS I was the only freshman in pre-calc and had the highest average in the class. At about this time my interest shifted a bit from mathematics to sports which started with baseball and soccer in California to soccer, track and American football in Virginia. My passion for soccer continues.
The human body is one system that is sometimes divided into the mind as one part and the body as another part but the division into two parts is artificial. These two parts evolved simultaneously and are just one system. Take, for example, the exercise known as "planks". Many minutes of planks can be very painful but painful in a good way meaning that serious and negative damage to the body is not being done but positive damage such as micro-tears in muscle tissue that leads to muscle growth. Also, enduring this type of pain for minute upon minute after the body is telling you to stop builds mental toughness that can benefit one throughout life and in all aspects of life from future job performance when you are tired but must meet a deadline to taking care of one's own health.
Nitrogen
Why identify one atom as important for soccer? Nitrogen can be called the atom of life if you will from the health of your grass at home (the main component in fertilizer is nitrogen) to the atom needed for building and repairing all parts of the human body through amino acids which comprise proteins. Etymology can be enlightening and from online we have:
The root word for "amino" comes from the term "amine", which in turn is derived from "ammonia" + "-ine". The "-ine" suffix is used to form adjectives or nouns relating to the preceding word. Essentially, "amino" indicates the presence of an amino group (-NH2) in a compound.
protein(n.)
1844, from French protéine, coined 1838 by Dutch chemist Gerhard Johan Mulder (1802-1880), perhaps on suggestion of Berzelius, from Greek prōteios "the first quality," from prōtos "first" (see proto-) + -ine (2).
Originally a theoretical substance thought to be a constituent of food essential to life, further studies of the substances he was working with overthrew this, but the words protein and proteid continued to be used in international work on the matter and also for other organic compounds; the modern use as a general name for a class of bodies arose in German. The confusion became so great a committee was set up in 1907 to sort out the nomenclature, which it did, giving protein its modern meaning ("class of organic compounds forming an important part of all living organisms") and banishing proteid.
source: Etymonline.com Protein - Etymology, Origin & Meaning
Amino Acids vs Proteins
Amino acids are organic compounds that are made up of an amino group, a carboxylic group and a varying side chain. Proteins are nitrogenous macromolecules that are made up of chains of amino acids. It is the building block of proteins.
Thus: nitrogen is at the core of protein.
We have all heard that you must eat a high protein diet in order to be healthy. This fundamental the human body growing and repairing itself. Carbohydrates are fundamentally the molecules where the cells get their energy. From Google AI we have:
Carbohydrates are a primary source of fuel for the body, and their breakdown generates ATP, the cell's primary energy currency. This process, known as cellular respiration, involves several key stages: glycolysis, the Krebs cycle (or citric acid cycle), and the electron transport chain.
Fats play a crucial role in energy storage and utilization within the body. They are a highly concentrated source of energy, providing more than double the energy per gram compared to proteins or carbohydrates. Fats are stored as triglycerides in fat cells, and can be broken down and released as needed for energy.
Thus: think of your fuel as carbohydrates and fats. And, proteins as fundamental for repairs. Your body cannot function properly without carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. Maintaining the balance of these molecules is necessary for health and athletic ability.
My goal with McLean
My goal with McLean is to teach the boys many of the lessons that I learned as a child. We seek to possess the ball and to control the tempo of the game. We seek a patient buildup with the ball constantly moving and eventually the opportunity to advance the ball occurs which ultimately leads to an opportunity to take a reasonable shot.
Bakemonosoccer.com
President Leland Toshikazu Jameson
The company name refers to a soccer player that is superlative in every aspect of the game.
leland.t.jameson@gmail.com 703-336-2115