Ben Brannigan Brings Pro Soccer Skills

Guest Intro

Ben, we’re lucky to have some time with you today. You bring a cross-continent, professional sports background to your coaching work.

We look forward to learning more about your pro-soccer career.

Now that you’re no longer playing, you also have a specialized soccer development program. We look forward to hearing about that as well.

Lastly, you have a Masters in Sports Fitness and Nutrition and are kind enough to coach non-soccer hopefuls. We look forward to learning more about your coaching business and what someone should expect if they choose a former pro athlete as their online fitness coach.

Now Let’s Get to the Good Stuff:

Q: We know you had a pro soccer career prior to starting your fitness coaching career, but what about before that? What did it take to make your first pro team? What inspired you to go in that direction.

A: Short answer: wasn’t good at school, lol. Was naturally good at sports, not super-skilled but had a tenacity about me that I wanted to always improve and always gave my all to my teams. That’s what made me stand out from others. So I have been told anyway.

Q: Soccer players have a unique fitness profile compared to other elite-level sports. Tell us a little bit more about what expectations are for pro soccer players and what’s required to be in that kind of shape?

A: Well, to be a soccer pro these days is a huge task to undertake for any human. The game has gotten so much quicker in recent years.

You basically need to have a sprinter's speed and a marathon runner's endurance. You also need to have great upper and lower body strength, too.

In my opinion it's the most tasking sport on the planet. Sorry, Rugby, AFL and GAA players.

Now if you want to do it, yes, you can do it. The only expectation I put on players is that you give it your 100% effort. If you give that you will have a chance, as long as you have the required ball skills also and some soccer smarts upstairs, too.

Q: So obviously, you did pretty well in Australia. You then moved to Europe and England specifically. What was different between the two leagues? How was the approach to fitness different?

A: I was only a teenager but the biggest difference was the higher standard of games and more games and more training.

The approach to fitness was pretty similar I have to admit.

The main difference was as we played more in England, we had a lot more running sessions in preseason than in-season, whereas in Australia we did it hand in hand. The weather is a little better in Australia.

Only a small bit of strength training actually happened in the UK then, compared to Australia where there was more. I’m thankful for being introduced to strength training early in Australia to be honest, because it helped with the rest of my pro career.

Q: You had a chance to play with and against quite a few star players in the Premier League. What did you learn from them? Are there takeaways that mere mortals can use in their own lives?

A: The main thing I took was looking after your body was so important!

Rest and recovery being the keys to a healthy body is one of the biggest tips I received from those days.

Q: What was proper nutrition like back then for pro soccer players?

A: It was pretty good, not what it is now but pretty solid.

I was lucky as I could literally eat what I wanted, and be okay back then and pretty much the same now, too.

But the extras of getting the right supplements, etc. was great to have then and to be educated on that was very good because I make that a part of my fitness coaching today.

Q: Nutrition has become a big part of professional soccer training these days as well. We hear about Cristiano Ronaldo’s fanaticism, even bringing a special chef with him wherever he goes. What can you tell us about how pro soccer players eat? What about the best of the best?

A: I’ve heard those stories. He is an enigma though. Not everyone can have their own chef, lol.

But players are better managed these days at clubs when it comes to what they eat.

There's also another side where they have freedom to also enjoy what they like. Nutrition rules went over the top for a while, but I think it's more balanced now .

Believe it or not, players in all sports are actually human and they eat the same things as us, just they have some better nutrition coaching on what's better for you and when to eat it all.

Q: Now that you’re stateside, you scout and coach players looking to make the jump to the next level. Tell us about that. What are you seeing when you start working with a player? What are you looking to accomplish for them?

A: Well I work on two different sides: the college recruiting and pro recruiting sides.

Biggest thing is there used to be a misconception that speed and strength was all that was needed to make pro, but now it's come full circle so players and families now understand that it's the 3 S’s: skill, speed, strength, followed by mental strength.

With any player I work with, I just want to make them better than they were before I started with them and instill good fitness and nutrition habits that last a lifetime, not just their sporting life.

Not everyone is going to be a pro or play Division 1 sports in the US university system. But we are getting lucky now here in the US. The soccer ecosystem is growing and more and more opportunities are there, so it's better now than it was 10 years ago.

Q: For a younger player that might want to work with you eventually, what would you tell them to get prepared and stay on-course to have a shot to play pro eventually?

A: Work when no one is looking! Always be working on your skills, your body, your mind, and your schooling.

Soccer is a short career. You need to have your education also. I’m a big believer in that.

But if you work on the above, you will always have a chance. All you need then is show it on the fields and then hopefully, god-willing you’ll be seen, and you keep grinding until you get there…and then you grind harder to stay there!

Q: For your non-soccer clients, what should they expect from someone who has a pro athlete background? Is your approach different from say someone who took courses or came into fitness and nutrition coaching from a different path?

A: I can only answer for me on this, but you get full 100% dedication from me.

My approach is super-holistic and client-focused, and I go above and beyond for you always. At the end of the day, I want to make that person better after being with me than before. That’s always my goal.

Q: Lastly, let’s talk about how you administer your coaching business. You mentioned before you joined MevoLife, you used a number of tools and that some clients are slow to adopt online payments. What’s the ideal scenario for you? From an admin and coaching tools perspective, what would help you grow your business fastest?

A: For some reason folks are still scared of paying through new websites which really bugs me. 99% of websites are more secure than a Walmart self checkout or a bank website in my opinion.

What would make it easier for me is everything on one platform. From the admin side of things to be able to do marketing, loyalty fitness offers, landing pages, and blogs on the same site as your exercise and nutrition builders.

Then to be able to video coach online on the same site also and take payments there, too. All of this can be done!

Ben Brannigan Brings Pro Soccer Skills & a Masters in Fitness & Nutrition to His Coaching