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The Jared Montz Interview – Part One
Published by Ian John on March 24, 2009
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It is seldom in the world that something comes along that is truly unique and innovative; something that pushes the boundaries of what had previously been possible. Therefore you can understand my initial scepticism when I was told about “Jared Montz Online Soccer Academy.” I couldn’t begin to understand how this would work in practicality. So I began to dig a little deeper, and the more I read, the more I came to believe that Mr Montz had hit upon a potentially brilliant way to educate young footballers in the crucial skills of the game and to pass on the benefit of his wisdom and experience as someone who, against all the odds, fulfilled his dream to become a professional soccer player.
Jared Montz grew up in Louisiana in the 1980’s and 1990’s and at that time, the creole state was not a particular hotbed for budding soccer talent. Jared explains; “Growing up in the 80’s and 90’s in Louisiana, there just wasn’t the amount of people with soccer knowledge like there is in Chicago, for example. When you are young, parents are more likely to be coaching the game to their children. It is unlikely that any of the parents who coached ever played soccer growing up. In the end they’d read books entitled ’101 Soccer Exercises’ and try to translate that down to us and obviously it wasn’t always effective. We had a lot of fun, but our technique wasn’t the best!” It was this lack of informed, expert coaching during his formative years that would remain a bone of contention with Montz until he achieved his dream to become a professional player and beyond.
Jared is quick to point out that kids who apply to join his academy will not be automatically on the fast track to soccer stardom. The long evenings he spent as a youngster alone in his back yard, practising and improving his skills, despite the lack of quality coaching, instilled in the youngster a strong work ethic. A point he is quick to try and instil in any of his protégés. “A strong work ethic is very important. Each level you move up in the game, everyone becomes better. At the pro level, all the players are talented. The little things are what separate the good players from the great players at the top level. The biggest of these is a strong work ethic. The best players are always working hard, staying after training, showing up early and striving to improve. For me work ethic was everything, without it I would not have made it as a pro.”
Jared’s hard work paid off. After playing for Mandeville Lakers and Jackson Football Club, he attended Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida from 2001 a time which would culminate in 2003 with the team being undefeated national champions. Jared’s skills had been noted by many outside of University and in 2003 he played Semi-Pro football for New Orleans Shell Shockers and once again his performances impressed the scouts of the pro teams. In Spring 2005, Jared Montz years of dedication, hard work and determination paid off when he was signed by MLS side Chicago Fire as a full time football professional.
His boyhood dream, fostered when playing late into the evening in his back garden in Louisiana, had finally become a reality.
Part Two of the Jared Montz Interview to follow tomorrow. Jared has graciously agreed to give Decipher Soccer fans a free one month trial of his online academy. To receive your free one month trial visit http://jmsoccer10.com and use the code JMSDECIPHER when signing up.
To check out the innovative Jared Montz Online Soccer Academy click here
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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Nabyl Charania on Tue, 24th Mar 2009 12:40 pm
Great to see this type of innovative approach to bringing soccer to the youth. Good work Jared!
Jared Montz on Tue, 24th Mar 2009 12:53 pm
Thanks for sharing my story guys. Ian did an excellent job interviewing me and his questions were very well thought out. He did a brilliant job telling my story and I hope your readers enjoy the 3 part series. Thanks again!
Paul on Tue, 24th Mar 2009 1:02 pm
Great introduction, looking forward to Part 2.
Our daughter is signed up for Jared’s academy and so far we are very pleased. He offers several ways for players to track their progress and improvement. There are several skills videos, and frankly it’s a lot simpler than trying to search all over YouTube for something similar.
If you’re interested I say give it a go!
Asif Sachedina on Tue, 24th Mar 2009 1:56 pm
This is a very interesting way to bring soccer to the younger kids…great interview…will definently read part 2
Farhan Lalji on Tue, 24th Mar 2009 3:19 pm
Very cool, Pete Maravich and other ex pro basketballers have done a lot of work online, no reason why you can’t have footballers doing this too. Great work Jared.
Robin Montz on Tue, 24th Mar 2009 7:18 pm
As an insider (parent) it is very exciting to see Jared’s ideas become reality. I know that Jared would of LOVED an academy such as this growing up. The best part about this concept is that all the info is in the same place, you can learn skills, get motivated and even keep up with current soccer news. And once again as a parent, it is a good positive activity for your child. Thanks for writing this article! Looking forward to part 2.
The Jared Montz Interview Part Two | deciphersoccer.com on Wed, 25th Mar 2009 9:52 am
[...] This is Part 2 of the interview with Jared Montz. You can read Part 1 here. [...]
The Jared Montz Interview Part 3 | deciphersoccer.com on Thu, 26th Mar 2009 10:43 am
[...] Part 1. Part 2. [...]
Jared Montz’s Weblog » Blog Archive » English Football Website does a 3 Part Story on Me on Fri, 3rd Apr 2009 9:51 am
[...] be sure and check out part one by clicking here. I will be linking up the next two parts as they post them so keep checking back. If you like [...]