Very few people have dreams of becoming the head coach of a women’s national team – any women’s national team.  But then, few people are as passionate about women’s soccer as Vanessa Martinez-Lagunas.

“Yes, I want to coach a national team,” Martinez-Lagunas said.  “And I am flexible – I will go to the country that gives me that opportunity”.

Martinez-Lagunas means it. As her experience has demonstrated, she is not afraid of any challenge.

So what makes this 29-year-old an expert on coaching women? She has worn three different hats in women’s soccer – player, coach and sports scientist – and has blended those roles seamlessly, powered by a relentless desire to learn while exploring new opportunities and new challenges.

Born in Toluca, Mexico, Martinez-Lagunas completed her primary, secondary and high school grades and three years of college in Mexico before coming to the United States.

As a player Martinez-Lagunas was a member of the Mexico’s Women’s National Team from 1999-2004. At the college level, she played for the women’s soccer and indoor varsity teams of the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey in Toluca in 1999-2000 and its Monterrey campus 2000-02. She then transferred to the University of Texas, playing for Chris Petrucelli’s Longhorns from 2002-04. In October 2007 she moved to Germany and played for several women’s teams: FC Bayern Munich (2007-08), Lepziger Fussball Club 07 (2008-09) and 1. FC Lokomotive Leipzig (2009-11).

At her young age, Martinez-Lagunas already holds an impressive array of coaching education credentials, including the German Soccer Federation (DFB)/UEFA “A” License, the NSCAA Premier Diploma and the USSF National “A,” National Youth National Goalkeeping licenses. Additionally, she holds a Strength and Conditioning Certification from the National Strength Coaches Association and an ACE Personal Training Certification.

During her stay in the U.S. Martinez-Lagunas coached several youth girls’ teams at the Lonestar-Westlake Soccer Club in Austin, Texas. She was a member of the South Texas ODP staff and a South Texas Youth Soccer Association state instructor. She also worked several summer soccer camps, including the Texas Soccer Camps, the UT Recreational Sports camps, the University of North Carolina camps and the SoccerPlus camps. Currently, she is a FIFA Women’s Soccer (since 2008) and Grassroots (since 2009) Coaches Instructor and has conducted coaching courses in several countries around the world. Additionally, she served as assistant coach of the German Women’s U-17 and U-16 National Teams from August 2009 to May 2011. Last June she was accepted into the 2011-12 UEFA Soccer Coaching Pro License Course offered by the DFB, and she will complete next March.

Martinez-Lagunas holds a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology and a master’s in kinesiology/exercise physiology from the University of Texas and is working toward her Ph.D. in sports science/exercise physiology with specialization in the “Physical and Physiological Demands of Women’s Soccer” at Germany’s University of Leipzig. She expects to complete this degree toward the end of 2012. 

Martinez-Lagunas also is passionate about improving her language skills. She is fluent in Spanish, English and German and has basic knowledge of French.

Currently residing in Germany, she has immersed herself in a new culture and a new language (not to mention last summer’s Women’s World Cup), all in the pursuit of her dream of becoming a national team head coach. Martinez-Lagunas brings new meaning to the concept of dreaming big and then working hard enough to make her dreams come true. After overcoming financial obstacles as well as those in language and cultural differences, it is apparent that nothing would stop Martinez-Lagunas. She hopes that her story will serve as a testimony to others.

“I hope that by sharing my story I can motivate other Latino American women, both in Mexico and in the United States, to excel in both academics and athletics and to participate in women’s soccer as players, coaches, referees, administrators or spectators,” said Martinez-Lagunas.

Martinez-Lagunas is one of the featured clinicians scheduled to appear at the 2012 NSCAA Convention in Kansas City, Mo. Her theory and practical sessions titled, “Special Considerations to Effectively Coach Female Soccer Players,” will take place at 9 a.m. Friday, January 13, and again at 2:15 p.m. on Saturday, January 14. Her theory session will provide coaches with a general overview of important physical, technical, tactical and psychosocial considerations to coach female soccer players more effectively. During the practical session, Martinez-Lagunas will show coaches how they can apply these recommendations during their training sessions.

“My practical session will include exercises targeted to improve common physical, technical and tactical deficits of female soccer players,” she said. “This session will also teach coaches to focus in the positive, to use the feedback sandwich technique, to use guided discovery instead of prescriptive coaching and to select training activities that are competitive but at the same time fun. I like to teach players to compete and keep score on their own, and I encourage coaches coaching females to use clear communication.”

Clearly Martinez-Lagunas has applied these principles to her own life, on and off the field, and they have resulted in a success story – one who’s ending still is being written.

Other coaches conducting sessions in Kansas City include: Tom Byer, Jim Cassell, Robbie Church, Mike Curry, Theresa Echtermeyer, Jill Ellis, April Heinrichs, Schellas Hyndman, John Kerr, Jr., Kevin McGreskin, Tom Sermanni, Sam Snow, Taylor Twellman, Peter Vermes, Mark Verstegen, Frank Wormuth and Eric Wynalda.  Click here to learn more about them.



Click here to learn more about this year’s NSCAA Convention in Kansas City.

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