Happy Friday,

Last week we released a podcast with Princeton Men’s Offensive Coordinator, Jim Mitchell.

We received a ton of positive feedback on this episode. Coach Mitchell is one of the thought leaders in the sport and articulates his principles clearly.

Today’s note highlights how coach answered the question: what is the difference between good and great players?

We loved learning from him and think you will too. Read on below for our latest events and content. Let’s get into it.

The FCL Team

We get a ton of questions from our athletes about emails. When should we be sending them? What should they say? Who do we send them to?

There’s not a perfect strategy here, but we give some general guidance to our 2028s who are targeting D1 programs.

Advice: It doesn’t hurt to send emails now, but most college coaches are in-season and won’t get a chance to read through them.

You should definitely send out targeted emails prior to June with your summer schedules, highlight tape (make a spring one if you have quality film), GPA, and other relevant info.

You can also follow up with emails before specific events and tournaments to the coaches who will be there.

Once again, there is no magic potion here, but clear and timely communication helps.

Matt

Most players think greatness is a switch you flip when the game is on the line. They imagine the overtime winner, the fans rushing the field, and "rising to the occasion."

But the best of the best don’t rise to the occasion. They fall back on their training.

In our latest sit-down with Princeton OC Jim Mitchell, he broke down the one trait that separates the great from the good. The refusal to take a cheap rep.

Coach Mitchell pointed to Sam English (California Redwoods) as the gold standard.

Whether it was a high-stakes 6-on-6 or a simple line drill to start practice, Sam’s approach never changed. He never had cheap reps.

A cheap rep happens the moment you ease off because "it’s just a drill." It’s the mental lag where you decide that a specific rep doesn't matter as much as the next one.

Great players don't negotiate with their effort. They don't decide that one drill gets 80% and another gets 100%.

Coulter Mackesy, the greatest goal scorer in Princeton history, has one skill you won’t notice through film. To recognize it, you’d have to be there at practice every day.

That skill is simply being present.

As Coach Mitchell explains, Mackesy’s greatness was tied to his mental discipline.

Cheap reps are inevitable when your mind is drifting toward what’s for dinner or the test you have tomorrow.

Coulter brought focus and intention to the practice field every single day.

One of Coach Mitchell's core principles is deception. As he states, “everything you add deception to makes it better.”

You cannot build deception on autopilot.

To be deceptive, you have to be in a constant, active dialogue with your opponent.

You have to read the other team’s body language, you have to “talk” to the other team with your body language.

If you are not present, you lose the ability to read these subtle cues.

The “no cheap reps” mindset is extra powerful due to the nature of compounding. Think of every rep as a deposit.

Over four years, those reps stack up and great players will have a higher balance to draw from.

When the game is on the line, a guy like Coulter Mackesy is relying on the reps he put in when the rain was pounding or when he was stressed about a midterm.

The Challenge: Next time you’re in a "boring" stick-work drill, ask yourself: Am I being casual, or am I being consistent? Stop looking for the big moment and start winning the small ones.

Coach Class and Coach Dunn

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Many college teams moved star midfielders to attack recently.

Of course, you want your best offensive player to be on the field more, but there are other reasons why this change could unlock an offense.

✅ Want to see more breakdowns? Check out our YouTube page!

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