In honor of the U.S. Women’s National Team performance in the 2012 Olympic Games in London, this week’s Online Resource Library feature is from the desk of head coach Pia Sundhage.

The “USWNT Training Session” post is a training plan the Sundhage and the team used in preparation for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. The session is divided between the goalkeeper and the rest of the team (attackers and defenders).

Coaching points from Sundhage in this training include:

• The quality of ball touches and ball progression
• Goalkeeper calls and patience in ball collection
• Communication between teammates, specifically defenders

This article has been made available for a short time to both members and non-members from the Online Resource Library. 

Another article available in the Online Resource Library is “How Coaches Molded Olympians,” a brief article discussing the psychological characteristics of successful Olympic champions.

Members can find additional Olympic-themed articles such as those below by searching “Olympic” within the Library:

• Top 10 Guiding Principles for Mental Training
• Pre-event Meals
• Practice principles

The NSCAA showcases articles from the Online Resource Library on a weekly basis. Members can have their article featured on NSCAA.com by contacting Chris Burt at cburt@nscaa.com.

Also be sure to check out the Olympic Women’s Soccer recap articles provided by our Women’s Committee at the NSCAA.com “Community” page. 

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