Ravena Soccer Academy provides clinics, training, education, and playing programs for players, coaches, and groups. Using a unique approach that combines teaching, experience, and competition, our students enjoy more success on and around the field of play.

RSA accomplishes this by using a unique combination of group teaching and training methods, and developing decision making skills using the context of game-like conditions. In this way players and coaches, learn as if they were playing in a game, and are faced with the challenges of game-like conditions.  In this way our students experience success which helps them develop and grow as competitive soccer players and coaches.

Here is where Ravena Soccer Academy distinguishes itself:

Is RSA a Premier or Travel Program?  RSA is primarily focused on player development and coaching training.  While team and player development is a component of our curriculum, we do not manage our own club teams. Rather, we assist coaches with their teams, and help them formulate training programs that promote player development.  This also removes the fear that some coaches have of RSA "poaching" players from their club.

So if you don't have teams, what do you do?  Mostly, we provide clinics and seminars for youth coaches, and seminars for young players in conjunction with their coaches. We also provide specialized training for teams, or groups.  We can offer basic introductory coaching courses, or work with groups on positional play, tactical development, and goalkeeping.  When special opportunities come up, we organize and coordinate where they will be be most effective.

Why should I attend one of your clinics? – 
For players learing the game, we limit our enrollments to provide each student the most amount of time with our instructors. You will not get lost in a flock of players each competing for the instructors time.  We also insure that you will get personalized attention that addresses your specific skills.  As there are differences between attackers and defenders, there are differences in types of attackers and defenders.

Our instructors not only have experience, but they are LISCENSED, INSURED, AND HAVE PROVEN EXPERIENCE.   Trusting your skills to someone with no training as a coach, is not just a leap of faith, but can be very dangerous.  Players and coaches, regardless of experience, NEED training.

There are many many great players who believe that being a good player makes them a good coach.  Nothing can be further from the truth.

Many youth clubs provide no training for their coaches, and then wonder why they have problems finding players who love the game and volunteers willing to coach;  Players and parents lose interest because most coaches aren't trained, or don't understand what/how to coach.  Some clubs never provide their coaches with a rule book.  How can coaches POSSIBLY coach if they don't even know the rules! 

If you're responsible for a team or even a club, developing coaches and training coaches should be a fundamental component of what you provide to parents and kids.  It is integral to your clubs long term success, and understandably, can be the most difficult to provide.

RSA teaches coaches not just the fundamentals of the game, but provides them with expertise in understanding and teaching players of all ages. Beyond this, RSA teaches the coaching skills needed to lead and manage a team to be successful on and off the field.

RSA teaches players how to learn, how to practice, and how to become better.  Specifically, we show you HOW YOU can be better!

As a player, why would I choose RSA over my favorite camp?

Camps are great as a starting out, or for getting together with friends.  They are a great experience for basic skills and  simple activities. They're especially good for getting large groups together to do the same thing over and over. RSA takes your training further. We teach AND train. We excercise both your "brain and your boots". Our basic programs have limited enrollment, insuring that you get the specific attention you want, and pay for. In our advanced training, we can work with you, or your team based on your ability, your age, your physical makeup, your educational background, work with your parents, teachers, coaches.... the full package.  Soccer is not just about skills, so why would you train ONLY your skills.

Who is on your staff?

Good coaches and instuctors are difficult to find.  We spend a LOT of time building relationships with outstanding coaches around the region, state, and northeast that are considered the best at what they do.  We'd like to call them our own, but we also understand they have lives too.  By maintaining these contacts, RSA can usually bring the training to you, rather than have you visit the coach (though this should be an option).  This flexibility provides many benefits to you, including affordability, and specialized training.

Specifically, as RSA retains services from coaches willing to share their expertise for RSA, we will proudly bring them aboard, and proudly include them in our group, making them available to you.

What do your clinics cover?  Our clinics can cover a variety of specific topics, or they can be broadbased as with our Youth Parent Coaching Seminar, or specific as with our Youth GoalKeeping Experience.  Each event can be customized based on needs of individual organizations.  Our staff uses methods and techniques that are consistent with courses taught at the National, Regional, and Local level.   Additionally, our coaches are able to add specific information that addresses local concerns.

Is RSA certified/insured?  You bet!  Our staff is required to maintain liscenses and certifications by US Soccer, NSCAA, and/or maintain certification by NYSPHSAA to coach scholastically.  We also encourage training by the FA of England which arguably is the best IN THE WORLD!!!!  Additionally, all of our instructors are covered under our NSCAA member insurance program provided by Summit America Insurance Services.

Does your training include referees? -- Indirectly, yes.  Our training is not specific to referees.  However, understanding the rules, how the game is played, is the responsibility of all active participants of the game.  We feel that to be a good referee, you should play the game...... AND vice versa.  From there, we can address the specific needs of most referees.

How much do you cost? -- Prices for programs vary for each event. These costs will depend on venue costs, training materials, 3rd party experts and the level of the program. 

Though we can not guarantee it, we pride ourselves in trying to  do everything possible to provide soccer players with cost-free, or low cost, training. Youth Soccer should NOT cost hundreds, or thousands in some cases.  In most cases we HAVE to charge a fee to cover the insurance costs that protect our students and staff.