PositiveMe® is an incredibly simple and complete educational approach which trains the brains, minds, emotions, and behaviours of junior football players.
By combining science and skills for life, coaches and teachers can empower and develop the maximum potential of their players and support them in becoming amazing human beings through the practice of sport.
Our user-friendly method applies the power of Positive Psychology, Neuroplasticity and Cognitive Training in a very simple and effective way for teachers and coaches to provide mental training to compliment the physical, technical and tactical training of their players.
For Players
For Coaches
Holistic Approach to Prepare a Junior Athlete.
The Six Pillars of PositiveMe®
How does it work?
The PositiveMe® Series has been created by a group of professionals who are passionate about education, sports, and the wellbeing of children.
Our methodology includes a set of original and exciting kids’ activity books designed for children of different ages. They are complemented by a set of innovative coaches’ handbooks created by professionals in the areas of psychology, education, and sport, which are packed with simple and easy ways to help improve coaching and unleash the maximum potential of players, giving them a competitive advantage!
Each age-appropriate player activity book is filled with easy-to-understand information and exciting activities which gives players the opportunity to learn and reflect while having fun! Children will enjoy learning about how to control their emotions with the super-cool PositiveMe® Team! They will also train their brains through our mind-blowing Cognitive Training challenges! Learning to be an awesome teammate, becoming your best positive self, and developing skills for life is a key component of the PositiveMe® methodology.
There is a NEW PositiveMe® book with a different set of topics and activities for each year that children grow and learn, giving continuity to their training and development.
A METHODOLOGY THAT IS CURRENTLY USED ONLY WITH PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES, BUT WHICH YOU CAN USE WITH YOUR JUNIOR ATHLETES NOW!!!
Are you a coach? Get excited!!! The PositiveMe® Coaches’ Handbook not only includes fun and easy neuroplasticity games to elevate your training sessions, but it also includes weekly templates to assist in the organisation and delivery of your training sessions and gamedays! Plus it contains self-assessments, mindfulness and visualisation scripts to use for your team’s goal setting, and a coaches’ week-by-week copy of all the lessons learnt in the kids’ activity book, to refer to for your team talks.
THE POWER OF POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY
Positive Psychology is taking over the world! From schools, educational institutions, businesses, and organisations, people are turning to the power of positive psychology to strengthen their relationships, enhance personal resilience and impact their lives in a positive way.
Why Neuroplasticity?
The brain is one of the most important organs of our body. Neuroscientists have discovered that our brain has the ability to change, learn and adapt to new situations through training. They call this ability neuroplasticity.
Through the practice of sport, players are exposed to an unlimited number of new situations and variables at any given time. At a young age, the brain contains more neuroplasticity and can adapt more easily to new learning.
By training the neuroplasticity of young players, they will learn to process information faster and make better decisions based on any particular game situation. Players will learn to make quicker decisions and perform automatically, giving them a competitive advantage over players who take longer to react.
Our PositiveMe® Neuroplasticity Games have been designed to be fun and challenging. They aim to improve the memory, focus, decision making, coordination, speed, balance, footwork, agility, and reaction time of junior players.
It’s all about Wellbeing!
Wellbeing is the state of feeling healthy, happy, and experiencing life with purpose and satisfaction.
The PositiveMe® Methodology has been designed to support the wellbeing of players by giving them tools to create healthy habits, enjoy life and experience happiness through the practice of sport.
Positive self-talk, building good relationships, receiving praise and encouragement, practising mindfulness, showing kindness and gratitude, performing regular physical activity, setting boundaries and promoting help-seeking, are among the many good behaviours which are covered in PositiveMe®.
Research has proven that players who display good physical, social and physical health perform better.
Cognitive Training for Juniors ….Exciting!
Cognition is the ability we have to extract information from the environment by using our senses and to use such information to make and execute decisions. The quality with which players process information and execute better decisions depends on their ‘cognitive capacity’. Cognitive capacity is a trainable ability and involves many different cognitive functions such as game intelligence, mental speed, spatial ability, judgement, game memory, pattern recognition, reflexes, reaction time, anticipation and attention. This type of mental training contributes to a better PDE on the field (Perception, Decision making and Execution), and how to intelligently play the game.
PostiveMe® Cognitive Training consists of a series of fun and challenging pen and paper activities designed specifically to train the 5 core cognitive skills: Perception, Focus and Concentration, Visual Processing, Memory and Pattern Recognition)
Merchandise - Coming Soon!
FAQ’s
Do players need to take their activity books to training every session?
No. Most of the activities will be completed at home. A few activities in each book can be completed as a team or with a teammate. Coaches can ask their players to bring in their activity books when they choose to. This could be to share their ideas or for a quick check up.
Our football season goes longer. What can I do?
The PositiveMe® Activity book is designed to run for 24 weeks. If your season is shorter you may ask your players to complete more activities per week. If your season runs longer, you may wish to elaborate on the topics on spend more time at the beginning working on the topic of teamwork.
How long should it take players to finish one lesson?
The lesson is short and simple to read and understand. The matching activities have been designed to take 5-10 minutes. In each activity book there is one creative activity that may take slightly longer.
How many lessons should players complete every week?
Players are required to complete one lesson per week. There are a total of 24 lessons per book made up of 4 short lessons per topic and 6 topics per book.
Do parents have to help?
Parents can help by checking that their child is completing their weekly activity and helping them with the reading if necessary depending on the reading level of their child.
Do I have to be an experienced coach to run PositiveMe®?
No, PositveMe® has been designed to support coaches of all abilities and backgrounds.
How can I bring PositiveMe® to my club, school or academy?
Pre-orders can be placed through the ‘Order Now’ link. Simply select the number of team sets you require for each age group. We will be in contact to arrange payment and delivery. For more info and exclusive club, school and academy benefits, contact us at info@positiveme.com.au to discuss how you can purchase and begin implementing PositiveMe® into your organisation.
Can I buy PositiveMe® for my team only?
Yes! The minimum purchase order for PositiveMe® is one Team Set. This includes 1 Coaches’ Handbook and 10 Player Activity Books. Additional Player Activity books can be added to your Team Set to give you the exact number of books you require. Orders can be placed through the ‘Order Now’ link. Simply select the number of team sets you require
Is PositiveMe® available for other sports?
Yes, keep an eye out on this space. PositiveMe® for kids who play basketball, footy, tennis, netball, cricket, baseball, rugby, ice hockey, and gridiron is coming soon!
Marcelo Carrusca
Marcelo is a versatile, dynamic, and highly skilled Argentinian professional footballer with more than 15 years of experience playing and working in highly competitive leagues across South America and Europe. Displaying a natural talent on the field, he was recruited to the Under 20s Argentinian National Team and represented his country 16 times. His career skyrocketed when he participated in the 2003 U20s FIFA World Cup where he played alongside football legends such as Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano. After his success playing with Cruz Azul from the Mexican league and Galatasaray FC from the Turkish league, Marcelo Carrusca re-joined Estudiantes in Argentina to play in the 2009-10 season during which he participated in the FIFA Club World Cup.
In August 2012, he joined Adelaide United and was considered to be one of the best players in the A-League. He was hand-picked to be part of the combined “All-Stars” team and played against world famous teams such as Manchester United in 2013, and Juventus in 2014.
Marcelo has spent a lifetime playing football and has worked closely with internationally renowned coaches such as Carlos Bilardo, Alejandro Sabella and Diego Simeone, acquiring extensive knowledge that he often shares with players under his tutelage. An idol to young footballers, Marcelo continues to inspire young people to participate in football through the Marcelo Carrusca Football Academy, where he coaches hundreds of kids and focuses on promoting good health and strong mental and physical performance.
Marcelo is married with two beautiful children and enjoys family time, reading and watching football games.
Chrissy Hernandez
Chrissy has a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Education from Flinders University and has spent the last two decades teaching children in the classroom and through private tuition. A passionate educator, Chrissy focusses not only on building a child’s intellectual knowledge and skills, but is also motivated to improve relationships and behaviour outcomes for children who have complex needs and are difficult to engage.
Undertaking additional study in Neuroscience in the context of children’s learning, positive education, social emotional literacy and wellbeing programs, Chrissy has integrated a range of methodologies to help students improve executive functioning skills, physical and emotional wellbeing, and resilience. Chrissy’s expertise extends beyond the classroom, and in her spare time she has taken up the role of Assistant Wellbeing Director for her local football club and runs wellbeing events and presentations designed to engage the community by promoting positive education and wellbeing through sport.
Chrissy grew up in Adelaide, South Australia, where she now lives with her husband and son. As a mother of an eager young footballer, she loves to watch him grow as a player and shares in his enthusiasm for all things football. Chrissy is also a trained musician and prior to becoming a classroom teacher, shared her love of jazz by working as a professional saxophone teacher. Chrissy is passionate about travel, and through her experiences in Australia and abroad, has taken time to build networks and engage with likeminded professionals, developing a strong understanding of different educational systems, their challenges, and successes.
Freddy Santos
Freddy, a Colombian born Australian, is a professional in psychological science and education, who is an advocate for inclusive sport and the wellbeing of juniors. He obtained his Bachelor of Psychological Science from The University of South Australia and among other qualifications, has completed post-graduate studies in Positive Psychology at the University of Melbourne.
Freddy believes that life is about creating experiences which bring individuals joy and maintain their mental, physical and social wellbeing. Staying true to his beliefs, he provides psychological counselling services for adults and children of all ages. Throughout his professional career, he has mentored hundreds of clients to achieve their personal goals of performance enhancement, weight management and positive mental health. He also performs as the Wellbeing Director at his local football club and at the Marcelo Carrusca Football Academy.
As a semi-professional footballer, Freddy has been affiliated with Los Millonarios Football Club in Colombia, and since retiring from his semi-professional career, has been awarded a coaching licence from the Australian Football Federation. Freddy now shares his love for football by coaching children in Australia.
Freddy is a down-to-earth family man who lives with his beautiful family in Adelaide, South Australia. He enjoys travelling and exploring new cultures, cooking South American cuisine, listening to salsa music and maintains a deep connection with his cultural heritage.
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