Pico Union trains out of season

The Downtown L.A. Soccer Club, who originated in the Pico Union Area in 2007, is made up of many different kinds of people from different walks of life. Although the club has expanded to many regions of Los Angeles, it still rosters players from its home, Pico Union. In the off-season many of the coaches send their players to work with one man. His name, David-Copeland Smith.

David grew up with the game of soccer in Plymouth, England. His dad was a professional boxer in Plymouth. Although he grew up watching his father compete in the ring, David fell in love with soccer (or football as the Europeans would call it) at a very young age. He eventually moved to America with nothing but one bag, full of clothes, cleats, and hopes.

He believed in the “American Dream.” Smith says, “I moved to America in 2002. It is still alive and people say it isn’t, the American Dream is dead. But what people don’t understand is the amount of work that goes into the American Dream.” And David has certainly done the work. He created a technical driven workout system specifically for soccer players. The program is called, BeastMode Soccer. He created this business in 2010 while coaching other teams at the high school level. “I always wanted to help players get to the next level,” says Smith.

The next level may very well be playing for a club team such as Downtown L.A. Soccer Club. It may be a step from playing with a reserve squad to becoming a starter for the elite team. For some, the next level is playing college. For player Jo Blankenship, who knew David as she grew up playing for the Downtown L.A. Soccer Club, she wanted to play college ball. Blankenship says, “Personally, the basics are something that I haven’t been focusing on. David has helped me change that. A one touch pass no longer bobbles for me like it used to. Working with David helps me with the repetition of the basics.” Blankenship emphasized that David helps her simplify the game. Goalkeeper, Nick Prudhomme, says that “David has helped better my feet. I am pretty good with my hands but I needed to keep the ball under control when it wasn’t in my hands.”

For David, BeastMode Soccer was not just about creating a business to make money for himself. He wanted to bring out American players’ true potential. The American game is much different than the European game that he was used to. Comparatively, Americans play a more physical and less technical game. David wishes to create a technical driven culture of the game in the United States, so that players have the option to not only run through defenders but use skill to get around them. This company is more than a career for him. It is about developing players and bettering their games in the Pico Union area and around the rest of Los Angeles. He says, “Number one you have to find your niche and number two you have to do so much research into finding out how to succeed. And number three, you actually have to implement. And you have to prepare to make sacrifices for it.”

Not only does David run his training from his now home in Los Angeles, California. But he has further spread his knowledge of soccer to nine other locations across the country. He also built a new mental training program for all of his players. He calls it the “SWAG mindset.” The game is believed to be much more than a physical pursuit but it is also mentally challenging. Players are pushed to perform under pressure. The higher the level, the more pressure. Smith has worked with players at every level. He even implements many of his “SWAG mindset” techniques on the professional players he works with.

One of his players who he has trained from a young age back in England, Rachel Daly (who now plays for the English National Team), uses the program to stay focused for the 90 minutes of the game. Smith says, “It helps build players’ confidence.” Players often find themselves being their worst critics and talking themselves out of big games. David Copeland-Smith teaches players how to be confident without crossing the line into arrogance. Like a players free-kick or 1v1 move, a players mental strength must be trained in repetition.

Just like the muscles of your body the mind can exhaust, and therefor, must be trained. David is ready to help his players prepare to be great. “It’s more than wealth,” he says. “It’s freedom to be able to live the life that you want to live.” His lessons are learned on the playing field but they can be carried into every-day life as well.