Flank Midfield Camp (60 Participants - All Ages)

The latest in our position-specific camps: the flank midfield camp focuses on wide midfield positions (“outside” “wing”). Topics covered include how to attack, defend, and transition effectively; combination play to attack, effective crossing; switching roles; using width; running with the ball; improving confidence in 1v1 situations; and channeling attackers. Three groups of 20 participants will be given low player/coach ratio training from our top coaches with flank play experience.

Central Midfield Camp (60 Participants - All Ages)

In the fall we will move our position-specific focus to the midfield, with two courses, each running for four weeks. The first will focus on central (“inside”) midfield positions. Lessons will address how to attack, defend, and transition effectively; reading the game; maintain possession; when and how to penetrate; being the playmaker; effective communication; and support, and combination play. Three groups of 20 participants will be given low player/coach ratio training from our top coaches with central midfield experience.

Parent Camp (40 Participants - Parents)

We were at the fields a few weeks ago when a parent remarked that it was frustrating that when they played soccer in their backyard with their kids they were not confident that they were using the right techniques for kicking the ball. Jeff and I thought about it for a few days and our Parent Camp was born! The four hour course is spread over two evenings and covers dribbling, passing, tackling, finishing, and goal keeping for beginners.

Defender Camp (60 Participants - All Ages)

Following on from the success of the Striker Camp, Broomfield developed a camp aimed specifically at defending. Topics included tackling, recovery, defensive shape, systems of play, dealing with set pieces, dealing with crosses, and developing an offside trap.Three groups of 20 participants were given a four week course of instruction from coaches with a history of playing defensive positions.

On April 29th at Broomfield Commons we arranged for three Colorado Rapids players to come help us run a special training session. There were two sessions on the day - 5:00pm-6:00pm for younger players and 6:00-7:00pm for older ones. Blast staff coaches will also be on hand to help facilitate the training. Rapids players present included Colin Clark, Jacob Peterson and Steward Ceus.

Each player ran a different station (finishing, passing and dribbling) and groups rotated through all three, before players signed autographs and took photos. Click on the images below to see larger versions.

Finishing Camp (60 Participants - All Ages)

As part of the club's new long term plan to broaden the range of opportunities we offer to our players, a striker-specific camp was piloted in March. Three groups of 20 participants were given a four week course of instruction from coaches with a history of playing attacking positions. Sign-up proved so popular that we plan to run it again later in the season.

Psychology Course (10 Participants - U14+)

As far as we know, Broomfield are the only club in the state to offer an intensive eight week psychology course to our players. This is entirely classroom-based and includes presentations, group exercises, individual analysis, and concluded with a session from the US National Team sports psychologist. Topics covered include mental preparation for games, concentration, visualization, and team motivation. We will be running the course several times this year.

Referee Course (41 Participants - U13+)

Blast hosted a Grade 8 referee class over a weekend in February. 41 candidates took part and successfully passed the course, providing us with a wealth of new talent for our referee pool. Mike and Dianna did a great job of explaining the intricacies and subtle nuances of the laws over what was a very productive weekend. Given the popularity of the course, we hope to run another class in the summer.

We have arranged a soccer-specific nutrition seminar at Broomfield Auditorium on February 23rd at 7:00pm. Tickets will cost $3 for any Blast player or parent and go on sale from today at the Blast Office. Nutrition is extremely important to soccer, so we are very excited to be able to offer this seminar.

The course will be presented by Curt Thompson of Nutrition Coaches and will cover the following topics: - How to properly hydrate for soccer; How to eat when traveling to away games; Timing and content of pregame meals; Surviving the nutritional challenges of tournament play; How to survive a Fast Food situation; and Recovery foods -- what to eat and drink after a game or hard workout.

Fitness Camp (300+ Participants - All ages)

Our pre-season fitness camp ran for the week of January 26-30th at Broomfield High School. Over 300 players took part from all age groups. Themes included endurance, strength, stamina, and technique. A large number of coaches helped out with running sessions designed by Broomfield Track Coach Jaime Morrison.