Why Soccer Alone Isn’t Enough: The ‘Cups’ That Fuel Player Development

Jennifer Dunaway
Jul 23
4 min read

Today’s blog post comes from guest contributor Coach Luis Jeronimo.

One day, while doom-scrolling Instagram, I stumbled on a training session that completely stopped me in my tracks. It looked like something out of an international pro academy—intense, educational, and totally unlike anything I’d seen before. I was shocked to find out it was happening right here in Ohio at 614Soccer.

Naturally, I messaged my friends at 614Soccer immediately: “How do I get my son into these sessions?” Four days later, I was standing on the touchline, watching Coach Lui break down the mechanics of acceleration. The way he explained it—not just clearly, but in a way that resonated with both me and a group of 13-year-olds—blew me away. It was obvious he knew his stuff, but more than that, he knew how to teach it.

After the session, we chatted, and he shared the “Cup Analogy,” which you’ll read below. My immediate reaction? More people need to hear this. Coach Lui generously agreed to turn that concept into a blog post so we could share it with all of you.

Why Soccer Alone Isn’t Enough: The ‘Cups’ That Fuel Player Development

By Luis Jeronimo | Pro Strength & Conditioning Coach | LJ Performance

INTRO

When most parents think about helping their child grow in soccer, the go-to solution is usually the same: more touches. More training. More goals.

But what if I told you that wasn’t enough?

True development isn’t just about getting better at soccer — it’s about building the athlete behind the ball.

THE ANALOGY (CUPS)Imagine your child has five cups. Each one represents a key area of performance:

Skill Cup – Touches, dribbling, passing, finishing
Speed & Strength Cup – Their engine: how fast, strong, and explosive they are
Movement Cup – Coordination, balance, and agility
Recovery Cup – Sleep, nutrition, mobility, hydration
Confidence Cup – Mindset, leadership, self-belief

Now imagine each cup holds 8oz of water. If we keep pouring into just one, it eventually overflows. Overflow looks like injury, burnout, or plateaued progress.

Let’s take it a step further. Imagine those cups have small cracks, slowly dripping over time. As your child grows, those cracks get wider. If we don’t keep consistently filling all five, progress slowly leaks away and the qualities that make them faster, stronger, and more resilient get harder to develop with age.

Think of it like learning a new language: the earlier you start, the easier it is to master. Can you imagine learning Mandarin today? Would’ve been way easier as a kid. Same goes for athletic development.

Building complete athletes isn’t a one-time pour, it’s a consistent investment across all areas that rewards time, structure, and intent.

WHY THIS MATTERS

Here’s what most parents aren’t told:

You can’t out-skill a speed deficit.
You can’t train through pain forever.
You can’t dominate if your body can’t absorb the demands of the game.

Most young players have one cup overflowing, and the rest bone dry.

WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT This is exactly why I started LJ Performance—to build complete athletes, not just better soccer players. To bring the pro-level environment I’ve been a part of my entire career into the hands of the next generation.

Our program blends:

✅ Pro-level testing (force plates, sprint timing, agility metrics)

✅ Strength and speed development

✅ Injury prevention and movement literacy

✅ Growth-stage-based programming

We don’t guess—we assess. We test, plan, and train with purpose.

FINAL THOUGHT

Whether it’s with us or another elite-level program, don’t wait until your athlete hits a wall. Start filling all five cups now so when the game gets faster, more physical, and more competitive, your child is ready to thrive. Let’s build the next generation of robust, skilled, and confident athletes together.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Luis Jeronimo is a professional Strength & Conditioning Coach in Columbus, Ohio. His experience spans Major League Soccer, Major League Baseball, USA Volleyball, and the private sector, where he’s trained NFL and NBA athletes prior to entering the pro team environment.

Now, through LJ Performance, he’s bringing the same level of intent, technology, and care to the youth space—helping young athletes develop not just soccer skills, but speed, strength, confidence, and long-term athletic development.

Luis is bilingual (English & Spanish), a first-generation Mexican-American, and passionate about empowering athletes through sport. Follow him on Instagram @Lui_Strength to learn more.

My U14 has been training with Coach Lui for the past two weeks. I’m not going to pretend he’s magically faster overnight—but what I can say is that he’s learning. He’s becoming more aware of how his body moves, how and when to make runs, and how acceleration actually works. And that kind of knowledge? It sticks.

I definitely want you to go follow @Lui_Strength on Instagram, from there you can access his content which is super informational and also does talks and podcasts and you can learn so much, for FREE.

But more than just sharing what Coach Lui is doing, is I want you to hear the message that there is more to being a great soccer player than being a good at soccer. You have to fill the other cups, not all at once but consistently.

More great links to fill your cups:

Inspire Mental Fitness - Online Mental Fitness Resources for youth athletes (Use Code: OSMD)

Foam Roller- Recommended by Coach Lui and we have this one at our house (Amazon Affiliate Link)

Mini Bands - Recommended by Coach Lui and we keep these in our soccer bags (Amazon Affiliate Link)

Resistance Bands - Recommended by Coach Lui and we use these in activation and recovery (Amazon Affiliate Link)