Jeff Freeman is the Associate Head Women’s Soccer Coach with the University of Illinois. U of I or Illinois as it is commonly called is a NCAA Division I institution located in Champaign, IL which is about 1 hour south of Chicago, IL. Illinois is a member of the Big 10 Conference along with other schools such as University of Wisconsin, Rutgers University, University of Michigan and University of Iowa. 

Jeff was a part of Illinois’ 2013 team that made a Sweet Sixteen NCAA appearance. He has coached multiple athletes to high accolades such as All-American honors during his tenure with Illinois but also throughout his coaching career with University of Miami and Missouri State.  

While Coach Freeman has collegiate experience at the DI level, he has also coached younger kids at the high school and club levels. Throughout our chat, we discuss his coaching background, his coaching style as well as offering tips on how to keep active both physically and mentally. Jeff also gives some great recruiting tips that should be a part of your routine this spring. This is a can’t miss interview. Enjoy!

Coach: 

Jeff Freeman: Associate Head Women’s Soccer Coach at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. 

Topic 1: How Did Jeff Get into Coaching?

Coach Freeman got his coaching start at the JV high school girls level. He was a senior in college and got the opportunity to teach some HS girls and shares a fun story about his first experience with coaching. Because Jeff was a teacher, he was able to keep coaching after college and shares how he made his way into the collegiate game. 

Topic 2: What is Jeff’s Coaching Style and Philosophy?

Because Jeff has worked with multiple programs and multiple coaches, he’s shaped his coaching style through the trial and error of what he’s tried as well as what he’s liked about other coaches. Jeff also talks about the coaches he’s learned from and how those styles came together. Tip: watch college games and how the coaches actually coach.

Topic 3: The Most Challenging Part of Being a Coach:

One of the most challenging parts for Coach Freeman isn't actually coaching or being on the pitch. He shares with us his thoughts on what he finds challenging about the college coaching world but also how he’s learned from those challenges.

Topic 4: The Most Rewarding Part of Coaching for Jeff:

Jeff shares with me the most rewarding parts of coaching for him and the interpersonal relationship that grows during your time interacting with players/staff.

Topic 5: What Makes DI Soccer Unique?

Coach Freeman shares with us his thoughts on what can make the DI level different from other divisions.  He’s candid about the amount of development and amount of time that DI players are able to be on the field with respect to their training. 

Topic 6: Tips For Athletes to Stay Active at Home:

Coach Freeman and I talk about how to get athletes moving while they are at home.  He shares some great tips that their strength coach at Illinois suggests as well as simply making a routine. He also talks about some free apps to get you moving!

Topic 7: Tips For Athletes to Keep Their Mental Game Strong: 

Jeff and I talk about ways to keep or build on your mental game. He tells us how this can be the best time to learn some new mental skills because we aren’t at practice focused on the technical and tactical side of the game, and shares that the mental side can/should be honed in on. 

Topic 8: Tips For Athletes on Recruiting:

Because all athletes and coaches are in the same boat without being out playing or watching soccer games, Jeff talks to us about some tips for players on how to keep their recruiting process going. He talks about what athletes of all ages can do, with communication being key.

Topic 9: Where Does Success Come From: Talent or Mental Toughness:

Coach Freeman shares with us his thoughts on what makes a college athlete more successful. He explains what will help push athletes through the tough times and a long season. His response may shock you!

Topic 10: Most Memorable Coaching Moment:

As we wind down our interview, Jeff shares with us his most memorable team and what made that team special. He looks back fondly on what they could achieve and how that season ended up playing out. 

As you can see from coach Freeman, he uses his coaching past to build a bright current and future experience for his athletes. 

Transcript

Jess Gregory  

All right, everyone. Hello, thank you for joining us today. I am here with Jeff Freeman from the University of Illinois. How are we doing today, Jeff? 

Jeff Freeman  

Good, Jess. Thanks for having me on. 

Jess Gregory  

Yeah, so glad that you could stop by and chat with us for a bit. Um, I'd like to get started and kind of ask you how you got into coaching and hear a little bit about your background as far as that goes? 

Jeff Freeman  

Yeah, I knew early on, I wanted to coach or continue my soccer career. The the professional aspirations didn't work out. So, you know, while I was in college, I knew that I wanted to be a teacher wanted to be a coach. So that was kind of where I got started, actually, my senior year of college I picked up my first coaching job. I was a JV high school girls coach at a local high school. Funny story that we were we went through preseason and we I taught them all they didn't know anything about soccer is a small town.I taught them all the basics about soccer and we went to kick off the first game. The referee blew the whistle and the kid just looked at me. Oh, we never talked about kick off a soccer game. I didn't know how to kick off a game. So that was, that was my first experience with coaching. And, you know, I got into high school platform right out of college, I was a high school teacher and a high school coach on the boys side, a volunteer for the women's team at Missouri State University where I went to school. And when their assistant left that following season, I jumped on board. So that was my first college season, all the way back in. I think it was 1990 to 2001 will go 2001 I think was my first college season. So yeah, it's been it's been a great ride and a great journey, and the game has been really good to me. 

Jess Gregory  

Nice. Sounds like fun. Um, with that regard, then since you've kind of I won't age you here, but since you've kind of grown through in soccer and have been coaching for a while, are there any coaches that you kind of emulated their style or maybe kind of picked up on some things that they doon the field that you maybe do now as well. 

Jeff Freeman  

Yeah, I think we're always kind of finding what we like and what we don't like from the people that we surround ourselves by and our coaching friends and the people we see on TV, even from a coaching standpoint. So, yeah, I think I've kind of taken what I think has been the best of all the people that I've worked with and tried to put it together a little bit and build my own philosophy as a coach. You know, I, I played for a guy who was very blue collar, very gritty. And we had a great success as a as a college team in that environment. So I've certainly taken that piece but I've also coached alongside some great tactical coaches, you know, currently, Janet Rayfield here, Illinois. So I think I've really grown from a tactical standpoint too. So, I feel like I have a little bit of a blend where I really want to be blue collar and gritty but at the same time, be tactically really smart. And I'm not a yeller, you know, occasionally. Occasionally, I'll get set off a little bit, but rarely Rarely Am I really raising my voice to players I think I want to teach more than anything else. 

Jess Gregory  

Mm hmm. That's awesome. Um, that's also another quick tip for kids is that they should be watching college games so they can kind of get a feel for how you guys are running your programs and not just kind of taking those one off conversations that a camp or Um, you know, kind of learning from you guys by watching I think, 

Jeff Freeman  

yeah, absolutely. You know, the the behaviors that we have at a camp or just in a recruiting environment, hopefully are the same as we have as coaches, but I can tell you that they're not always the same. I know lots of coaches who you would think would be one way but then we actually see him coaster the other way. So I think that's a great point. 

Jess Gregory  

Yeah, absolutely. Now with that regard, what is kind of the most challenging part of coaching for you?

Jeff Freeman  

Yeah, um, you know, the challenging part for me isn't actually the coaching part. I think the other things that we have to do are I should say get to do from a coaching standpoint in the office from a paperwork standpoint and NCAA standpoint, that's probably the most challenging part for me because I really just want to be on the field as much as I can. But with that said, I think lots of players have lots of different learning styles. So understanding how to get information across and lots of different ways so that players understand what you're asking them to do what how you want them to play. That's the most challenging part is figuring out the delivery method that's appropriate for everybody. 

Jess Gregory  

Yeah, that's a great point, because there's definitely more than one kid on every team. So you're gonna have to figure out how to get them all on the same page. So now on the flip side of that, what is the most rewarding part for you? 

Jeff Freeman  

The players for sure, I mean, just, you know, the interactions every day and getting to see them and probably the part I missed the most right now during during all of this. But just seeing them grow as people and as players and the development that occurred Over the four years that we have them at the college game, but also I also coach on the youth side. So, however long you get to see them on the youth side as well, 

Jess Gregory  

Now you kind of touched base on it just a little bit when we were asking about the rewarding part. So what kind of makes division one soccer a little bit different. Sounded like you've coached in different divisions and you've coached you know, little guys, what kind of makes division one either different or just unique from your perspective? 

Jeff Freeman  

Um, you know, I don't know that there's really a ton of differences. Because the game is the game. So I don't think there's really a ton of differences. The rules really change. I think, what what the difference between Division One, two, and three is more than anything else. I think we're just allowed to have more contact with our athletes and see them more and train more. And we still expect them to do more outside of what we're doing when we see them. So I think the amount of time spent on the ball and the development that I think can occur because of that is probably the biggest difference between levels for sure.

Jess Gregory  

Well, there wasn't a trick question. I just like to hear everyone's kind of perspective on that, because I think it gives players a nice idea that they can play at a great level, no matter what division so that was a great answer. Appreciate that. Now, that being said, Everyone is stuck at home. We're all doing these face to face meetings now and trying to just have some sort of human interaction it seems. Do you have any tips for kids that are stuck at home how they can stay physically active either with the ball or without? 

Jeff Freeman  

Yeah, it's hard in it and you get to laying on the couch and watching TV and get comfortable and don't want to get up. So I think first you just got to get up and do something. And that really doesn't matter what and our our strength coach has been awesome those last couple of weeks putting together activities for our team that include like, curls with a backpack, and squat Throwing a backpack full of books and curls with with water jugs filled with water. So I think finding ways to still work out and do things is really, really important. Fortunately, a lot of platforms are free right now. So, you know, I know peloton the peloton app is like three months free right now. There's lots of soccer apps, there's an endless supply of videos on YouTube I think right now things to do. So you really just got to get creative and find what you can do in the space that you have, whether that's a garage or a backyard or in your living room floor. Really just try to get creative and it's gonna be important that we spend time with the ball because we're not with our teams and the we need to continue to progress as players because everybody else is so we've got a really got to make sure that we are finding ways to get active and spend time with the ball and exercise and stay fit too. 

Jess Gregory  

Nice. Yeah, those are some great tips there because I know a lot of kids think that they can just sleep in and not do much during this time, but they should definitely Try to stay active. 

Jeff Freeman  

Mine, as well, I think they can sleep in everyday too. 

Jess Gregory  

Right? This is true. Now, how about on the mental side? Is there anything that you would suggest that they do to stay mentally active and mentally prepared for that next level? 

Jeff Freeman  

Yes. So there is some silver lining in all this. And I think the mental side of it could be really the biggest one. I was a beneficiary of good visualization skills when I was a youth player, and a college player. And I really benefited from the visualization part of things without really having any professional coaching or lead in how to really do it. And that stuff is out there too. So the amount of mental training that we can actually do if we focus on it right now could really be huge. Because we spend all our time with the ball. We spend all the time doing technical and tactical things, but we don't spend nearly enough time on the mental side of the game. And this is a time period when we can really spend the most time that we probably ever will get a chance To on the mental side of the game, so I really encourage players to find visualization activities and things that they can do. And, again, there's lots of platforms out there. They know how to type in Google and find it and find some coaching, coaching on how to properly visualize, but I think that's that. I think that could just be a really great tool for us over the next, you know, however long this this last? 

Jess Gregory  

Yeah, absolutely. Well, they definitely should have time for that as well, as long as they're keeping a routine, kind of get that physical activity and the mental activity going down. So great tips. Now, the other thing that we I've noticed is that kids, especially seniors are pretty freaked out right now that they're not out on the pitch being able to be seen and videotape themselves to send out to coaches. Do you have any tips for them to maybe calm them down a little bit on the recruiting side of just general tips and on what they can do right now that they're not on the pitch? 

Jeff Freeman  

Yeah, and it's difficult and I can't imagine what that like to have kind of your senior season ripped out from underneath you a little bit. And at the college level, our spring sports just ended. So I know that's a difficult time period. And I know all this is college coaches are conscious of that. And we're also very well aware that we can't go recruiting can't see players. So the more video you have backlogged or you can get it from your coaches, whatever the case is, and send that out, now's a great time to do that, because we have some time to watch it as well. More time we used to have so I know lots of coaches that are still recruiting the 2020 recruiting class. There's been you know, coaching changes and programs that need players so there's there's still places out there that need players and they're looking to lock down players for 2020. 

Jess Gregory  

So don't give up basically, if you're absent, 

Jeff Freeman  

maybe even just work harder right now because you have a chance and some time to 

Jess Gregory  

Yeah, absolutely. Now on that flip side, the freshmen sophomores, even juniors have a little bit more time and hopefully we're back in school by the fall. So that they can kind of get that next season going, any general tips for them on, on who they can contact and what they should be doing. It might even be the same as the seniors. But 

Jeff Freeman  

yeah, I think stay in touch. You know, again, email out coaches, let them know what you're doing. If you want to put together a fun house video, things you've been doing at home. Again, that's a way of showing your passion for the game tests as well. And they're fun to watch. So I think there's still definitely some things you can do. But the biggest thing is stay in touch because we are going to come out on the other side of this and we are going to start playing again and we are going to have games again. So the more you can stay in touch and try to keep active in the recruiting process, the better. 

Jess Gregory  

Awesome. Yeah, as you heard it first here, do not give up and just keep staying in contact with people. Those are some great tips. I appreciate that. Now, last question. I always ask every coach and this is not a trick question, but it has been thought as one. When you think back on your most successful season that you've had, whatever level that maybe, do you feel that the skill and talent stood out or the mental toughness of the players?

Jeff Freeman  

You know, I think when you talk about the grind of a season, especially the college game where everything's put into three or four months, it's definitely the mental side of things. Because you know, you're, you're not always going to have your best day on the field, you're going to be tired, you're probably going to be a little bit banged up. I don't know too many players that get through a college season without being a little bit banged up. So I think the mental side of things really becomes the most important you got to get up every day and know that you got to get better. You've got to keep moving forward and keep trying to win games and and also you guys stay in perspective that we got to take things one game at a time. If you're always looking at the NCAA championship at the end of the season, you're probably going to skip over some games, it's not gonna let you get there. So keeping a good focus on the task at hand on a daily basis is really mentally draining. And I think was so mentally important. So I would definitely say that the mental side is more important than the physical in the and that the talents had skill side of it because you've already have those pieces you're playing at whatever university or school because you are a good soccer player. So the mental side really, I think takes over at that point. 

Jess Gregory  

Yeah. Awesome. All right. Now I have one more question for you. I'm just curious if you can remember one game out of all these years that was your favorite game and kind of what made that special for you as a coach? 

Jeff Freeman  

Um, man, yeah, lots of lots of enjoyable ones. The first one that jumps to my mind was 2011 when we won the big 10 championship. We had gone on a 13 game unbeaten streak. And, you know, we're obviously ranked pretty high nationally, at that point had some really, we were a small team, we our average height was probably five, four or five, five. I think we had one player that was five, eight. Honestly At the time, so their ability to adapt and play a great game of soccer on a daily basis and pick teams apart who were much physically more imposing than we were. And in that big 10 tournament, we played Wednesday, Friday, Sunday, Wednesday, we went into PK so we played to over times one of the P K's in the quarterfinal semifinal. We went into double overtime and one in double overtime on a golden goal. And then in the in the final. It was in the second overtime that Vanessa de Bernardo who still plays Chicago, red stars, finish the ball off to win the game in the big 10 championship for so again, talking about the mental side of things, three games and in five days, all of them going the extra time and being able to win that championship. That was a pretty exciting moment. Yeah. Oh, that's awesome. That sounds really cool. And to have one of your former players go on and play the next level. That's that's also pretty exciting. Yeah. Absolutely. 

Jess Gregory  

All right. Awesome. All right, Jeff. Well, I really do appreciate your time today. Thank you for sitting down with us and giving these guys some great tips. And hopefully we can sit down again and maybe when we're all back out in the real world. 

Jeff Freeman  

Yeah, absolutely. Thank you again. I appreciate it. 

Jess Gregory  

All right. Perfect. Thanks.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai