The Alimond Show
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Parsa Izadpanah - Coaching Beyond the Field: How Mindset Training Transforms Young Athletes
"Leadership is a multi-million dollar skill set." This powerful insight from Parsa Izadpanah encapsulates the philosophy behind Future Elite Soccer, where developing mental resilience stands equal with technical prowess. In this illuminating conversation, Izadpanah shares the extraordinary journey of building his youth soccer training program from scratch during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.
Born in Iran and immigrating to the United States at age 10, Izadpanah's personal story of adaptation and resilience deeply informs his coaching methodology. He vividly recalls the sacrifices his parents made, leaving behind a comfortable life to create opportunities for their only child—a driving force that sustained him through countless 2 AM editing sessions as he built his business from the ground up. What began with just 80 social media followers has blossomed into a thriving program with over 20,000 followers and a distinctive approach to player development.
At the heart of Future Elite Soccer is what Izadpanah calls the "mentor mindset"—a carefully calibrated balance between challenging players to their fullest potential while creating a safe environment where mistakes become learning opportunities rather than sources of shame. This approach stands in contrast to traditional coaching methods that Izadpanah observes tend toward either excessive aggression or insufficient guidance. The results speak for themselves through stories of remarkable breakthroughs: a discouraged player successfully executing a rainbow flick over an opponent after a timely pep talk, another evolving from tears after mistakes to self-regulated resilience three years later.
With summer camps continuing through August and futsal team tryouts beginning in October, Izadpanah's vision extends toward establishing a full academy where his program's influence on developing not just exceptional players but extraordinary human beings can expand. His advice to fellow entrepreneurs resonates beyond sports: put purpose before profit, deeply understand your "why," and remember that truly transformative work requires serving others rather than self. For anyone working with young athletes—or young people in general—this conversation offers invaluable wisdom on nurturing the mental fortitude that transcends the playing field.
My name is Parse Zafana. I'm the founder and CEO of Future Elite Soccer, based in Ashburn, Virginia, Northern Virginia, to be exact.
Speaker 2:Awesome. Now take me back. What drew you to the world of coaching and soccer?
Speaker 1:Give me a quick in the back, like when I say back in my day like a few years ago, and that's something I noticed that there's a big gap between the talented players and the mental side. And there are a lot of talented players but when they reach a very challenging moment, whether in their soccer career or just real life, they kind of crumble, so not having that mentorship or guidance on how to deal with those challenges. So that's where I decided to form Future Elite Soccer and Mindset Training to make sure that is a solution as much as we can in that regard.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, I love how you saw that need and you came up with your own solution, your own way to address that. Yeah, you kind of hit on the first question, like what made you start Future Elites and what the gap was that inspired you to create something different. But I wanted to touch on the fact that you started your business in 2020, which was a crazy year, as we all know. What was kind of going through your mind as you launched a new venture during such a hard time?
Speaker 1:I honestly thought COVID would be done in two, three months. I think y'all did. I was actually formed on March 25th 2020. So that was like peak COVID time and I thought, all right, it's going to be done in June. Time Would be good to get started officially.
Speaker 1:That wasn't the case, as you know, but I think it was just that I was very serious about it and there was no plan B and I didn't really enjoy working for someone because I experienced it and it was very not built for my personality. I like to have that freedom to do what I actually want to do, want to do. So when I formed that, it was you know, there's no plan B. Like I mentioned, it was that we're going to get done. So I had my best friend to help me out with shooting the videos.
Speaker 1:I remember I used to wake up 6am in the morning, go to the field, shoot a lot of videos and edit all myself at night till like 2am, then do it again over and over and over again. And I mean when I formed that social media account that is now 20k plus followers, we started with 80 followers with my family, members, friends and all that. So it took a long time to get where we're at, but I believe that's why it's so enjoying and it's very joyful to look back at and dang. We've come a long way so far.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, I bet that's so fulfilling. You built this truly from scratch. What kept you going at 2 am? Was it just that need that you had for something like this, or what was your driving force?
Speaker 1:I think the main important thing or there's many factors- yeah.
Speaker 1:One is a more so of a selfish way for myself that I want to make something for myself. But the most important two things that I can think of is my family and the youth. By family I mean, like I was born in Iran and I came here when I was 10 years old, and my parents, my family. We had a very good life over there, but they sacrificed everything to come here for me and I'm an only child, so they literally sacrificed everything for me, and when I look back at that, they literally sacrifice everything for me. And when I look back at that, it's like, okay, these are all worth it.
Speaker 1:The 2 am the waking up early, the getting the rejections, all those things that you keep going. It's because you're doing it for the people that mean a lot to you. So that's one. And then the youth. Obviously, that's why I'm doing it, for I don't want them to go through similar things that I went through, and also my coaches, right now that they experienced those things. I don't want them to experience those things. I want them to have a guidance, mentorship to you know, have a better life in their teenage and adolescence aspect.
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely. That's so beautiful, Like speaking about your family and how that drives you, but also what you're doing for the youth. I really respect that. How does your personal journey as a player for 17 plus years influence the way you start playing from the womb kind of?
Speaker 1:sense. But, um, like I always remember being one of the youngest players in every team that I played for, and it was kind of a good thing because you're young and you're playing for the higher team. And I remember, like I was in eighth, I was in second grade, eight years old, and my school's uh team they requested me to play for the fifth graders team and it was a huge thing and I was nervous, you know, but the coach talked to me like I see this, that you are capable of doing that and that alone, just I mean 20, 18 plus years, and I can still think about like I remember those things, um, fast forward. I mean, I played at good academies in Iran but when we came here, unfortunately, like financial aspect, we weren't able to necessarily like register for the club soccer because it's it's quite an investment, especially now I know. Um, so I didn't really play travel soccer at all.
Speaker 1:I played four years of varsity soccer and I think, to be honest is that I've learned more. So on my last year of high school and just being a student of the game, like truly observing and watching and studying the players that are playing at a professional level, just watching those technical breakdowns. I think that's what allowed me to really be more successful as a coach, because it's a different game. When you like, it's important to play at a higher level. At the same time, if you're not able to convey your message, the players and the youth won't really grasp those information. And I've had that issue with a lot of coaches that I've brought in that play at a higher level, professional level, but they couldn't necessarily convey it and they expected the players to already know how to do certain things and all that. So yeah, I think a combination of both definitely helped me out to become a better coach in that sense.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's awesome. You focus just as much on mindset as you do on physical training. Why do you believe mindset is the missing piece for young athletes? Yeah, I mean it sort of goes into a little bit of what you just said.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I believe that anyone can do all those fancy skills and all those good stuff. When no challenges are occurring, it's a playful environment. But what happens when the parents on the side are yelling and when you play at a higher level, the fans are blowing With all those pressure that is building up. You mess up a tackle, you play at a higher level, the fans are blowing with all those pressure that is building up. You mess up a tackle, you mess up a 1v1 and then everything goes downhill. How can you bounce back from that?
Speaker 1:And I mean, even in the professional environment there are a lot of players that are still dealing with these situations. So it's very common and being able to help the players, help the youth to grasp how to catch themselves when they're going downhill, when those negative thoughts are building up, to catch themselves and not switch. You know, have that switch right away, just like a reminder of like who you are, deep input in the work behind the scenes. I think that's the most important pillar of becoming a successful athlete but also a human being, because life is going to throw you those lemons and how you deal with them is toy on you. The type of lemons that you deal with obviously is not up to you, but how you deal with it is very important, and that's why I believe the mindset aspect is such a crucial part of the game.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's that being so in control and so in tune with yourself that you're able to have that shift. It reminds me I'm a musician, so it reminds me of kind of performing. It's one thing to practice and to say I'm going to stay in this mindset, but when you have an audience and when you have all these different factors, it's really important to kind of do the same, to be able to address your mindset and make that shift, like in the moment.
Speaker 1:So I bet like it's a lot of nerves piling up when you're in front of a crowd.
Speaker 2:Yeah, cause it's a performance with performance with soccer as well. So, yeah, that's super interesting. What is one breakthrough moment you've seen in a player after helping them shift their mindset? If you can think of just one, I have multiple ones.
Speaker 1:Can I get two?
Speaker 1:Yeah, of course can I get two? Yeah, of course. One is, uh, this player in um during during wintertime futsal season. He's a very good player, but he was also going against a very good player in a 1v1 situation and he kept messing up. So that kind of got in his head oh I'm not good, I'm not good.
Speaker 1:And I just sent everyone for a water break and I was talking to him and I remember I just reminded him of how much of a skillful player he is and he said, okay, I'm gonna do a rainbow flick over over him. This time it's like, yeah, do it. And literally, I kid you not, he did a rainbow flick over him successfully and it was just amazing because I was like you see that you are capable of that and that was just beautiful. You know and I don't know that that that that moment I was so upset that we didn't catch it on camera because that was such a wholesome moment. But I'm glad that that conversation took place and I didn't just let him believe that type of mentality.
Speaker 1:Um, the next one is he's been training with us for, I'm gonna say, almost three years now and he started as a less confident player and just every time he messed up, just fully down. Sometimes he actually broke down, you know, like crying. But now I'm looking at him like the amount of resilience he's built and like he messes up a 1v1, he messes up a technique. He still shows that frustration, but he bounces back right away Like I don't need to remind him anymore and those things are beautiful because then you're, as you grow, you don't need me or you don't need the coaches to remind you. You've already built that muscle memory and the mindset aspect and that's our goal, because I don't want everyone to just come back oh, how do I do? Like, no, we're going to coach you for a consistent time, but the plan is to build you to that level of a leadership so you don't need us anymore.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and resilience, too, is something that is so important throughout life, so you're giving these kids skills for their entire lives. Once you build up that resilience muscle, you have that. So that's really amazing. What values do you lead with as a coach, and how do you bring those to life on the field?
Speaker 1:simpler terms, in a sense, aka humble beginnings. So an example like if you're juggling a ball and you can't do four in a row, all right, let's try with you. Juggle one, catch it, juggle two, catch it and just work your way up. Aka humble beginnings. That's one. The second thing I would say is resilience. Without a doubt it's you keep going, because in my opinion, I believe God truly rewards those people that are resilient about what they want to do, they don't give up, they keep going, and I think I think that's very important, not just in soccer, but just in life. And the third thing is kindness. Whether it's through sportsmanship or you see someone need help, just like lifting them up mentally, not necessarily pointing fingers or blaming them. It's more so you're lifting them up and being that leader that you want someone else to lead you in that aspect. So those three, I believe, are the most important ones, that I value the most, and also I want to make sure that we're coaching that and mentoring that for the kids.
Speaker 2:Yeah, not just for great players, but it sounds like for amazing human beings as well. Because all of those skills to translate into really any position of work or anything we need more kind people, we need more resilient people, more understanding people. So thank you for doing that Really great work. What does success look like for a future elites athlete beyond the scoreboard?
Speaker 1:I believe success for future elites athletes, would be the problems and the issues and obstacles that you encountered in the beginning are no longer bringing you down with also without our presence like you being able to solve those situations. You being able to catch yourself when it's the mental side or aspect, but when it's a technical side, you're able to break it down without our presence. It's something that I believe that's the most important part. If you don't need us anymore after a long period of time, I think that's success because you can translate that into your own life and then, hopefully, you can spread that to other people, you can teach those things and kind of like a domino effect yeah, I like that domino effect.
Speaker 2:How is your training different from what players might get in something like a traditional club setting?
Speaker 1:sure, I let the players answer that question, always, like we have a interview process, like especially throughout the camps, like I did last day, we interviewed a few of the players to ask these questions, because that question is something I always want to know, because I can say one thing it's very biased, but if I'm hearing it from the parents and players, then that means okay, we're doing something. Amazing. Number one is that the coaches make the players feel very comfortable. It's that there's no, they're not intimidated. They know that, okay, these coaches are good, but at the same time, they feel that, okay, they're here for me, they want to help me, and that's one. Number two is holding them at a high standard, like there's no slacking off that mentality.
Speaker 1:I think that also is communicating a little bit differently when it comes to the club coaches. They're either way too aggressive, which kind of pushes the players away, and that's when the intimidation I don't really like this team anymore happens, or they just don't say anything, and neither way is really the right way. Yeah, so I forgot the labels for those two aspects. Um, but I know this method of coaching. We call this the mentor mindset. You want to challenge them to the fullest, but at the same time you want to provide that safe environment for them that they know it's okay to make mistakes. So that balance that we call mentor mindset.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it sounds like a tough balance to strike, but something that you've been able to do pretty successfully, it sounds like so. Yeah, yeah, it takes a lot of practice, but I bet. You've worked with DC United, united youth, soccer and other top clubs. How do you tailor your approach when working one-on-one or in small groups?
Speaker 1:I say this with utmost respect. I believe the the clubs obviously are at such level for many reasons. Um, at the same time, I want to do things that are totally opposite of what they're doing Because in my opinion, I don't believe they're doing the right way in regards to youth development and again, focusing on youth development, emphasis on development. So I think, through my experience with those clubs and these United Soccer Camps that I did I was the director of the summertime for those things I've noticed what worked and what didn't. So taking away those things and adding my own spice to it, of course, to make the future leads way, but I would say it mostly helped me to not do things that necessarily pushes us away from youth development. I don't want to really get too much into that, because I think it would get too political.
Speaker 1:But just that as a surface level. I would say that is what I've learned through my experience with different clubs and academies.
Speaker 2:Oh, that makes sense. What do you say to players who doubt themselves or struggle to believe in their own potential? Do you have like a go-to or does it depend?
Speaker 1:I think every player has a different situation. Absolutely, it depends on what the situation is and what their personality trait is. I always value a one-on-one conversation, even whether it's after the session or water break. Briefly, I think that allows the player to feel more comfortable and also figure out that this coach truly cares. Once that's established, it's now focusing on what is it that is causing that doubt. Is it the environment? Is it internally, or is it coming from outside noises? So, like I said, it's different. So if it's outside noise, all right. Why do you value their words so much? Why do you give those opinions so much power? Power? And if it's internal, okay, where is that coming from? Because that's not really you. Those thoughts are shaped from experiences and your surroundings. So those thoughts are not really you. So how can we? Now you know? So it's because I can just say believe in yourself, keep going. But I think those are just cliche things, that kids are not stupid, they. They've heard those things many times.
Speaker 2:But I think diving deeper into that it allows them to fully understand it and that's basically, I think, the way to go about it yeah, it's almost like a diagnostic approach to the doubt, the way that I see it and then really tailoring your approach based on what what you find and what they're kind of experiencing. That's really cool. What's been one of the proudest moments so far that you've had since launching future leads, if you can think of just one?
Speaker 1:yeah, it's a lot right seeing how far we've come, and when I say we, I mean like the people behind the scenes, the people that like the coaches, the staff, because obviously without them I wouldn't be where I'm at, and I I really really appreciate, and some of them that have been with me for a long time, and even the new ones that are truly bought in, and people behind the scenes like those staff members as well. I think I'm really proud of the team that is being built and it's a work in progress. It's not an easy thing and I've noticed and I've learned that, especially as an only child, because you get everything you want in a sense, and then now you have to lead others. You have to make sure you're serving them. As an only child, you don't serve anyone. So learning how to do that it's been one of the best challenges that I'm so blessed to be facing, so that's definitely one of the many blessings that I've seen so far.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's a great answer. I really love that. What advice would you give to other trainers or entrepreneurs who want to build something purpose-driven like you have?
Speaker 1:If you're in Northern Virginia't enjoy future soccer. No but, jokes aside, I think number one is putting the money aside. I think if you're chasing the money only, it's going to divert you and you're not really going to last long in the business. I think number one thing is to truly ask yourself why do I want to exist here as a soccer coach, soccer trainer? And if you have the answer for that, then why is that so important? I think if you answer those two questions, you'll be able to find a way that's great advice.
Speaker 2:What is your long-term vision for future elites? If you have a long-term vision laid out, um, and how do you hope your players carry this mindset with them beyond the field?
Speaker 1:you already answered that, but if there's anything else you want to add on that, yeah, I'd say our vision as a, as a company, is to form our own academy and that way we can have full influence on the kids, on the players, because right now we're seeing each player on this in a sense two or three times a week, but having our academy is gonna allow us to see them almost seven days a week, so that way we can have more of that influence that we want and developing that mindset training program more and more for them. And, of course, as we grow is to have successful teams, successful in meaning of developing them on the technical aspect but, most importantly, as leadership development, because I believe leadership is a multi-million dollar skill set. So if they're able to translate that into their lives, they're going to be set for life. So, yeah, that's the number one vision for future leads.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and you're so determined, so I won't be surprised when this academy exists, let's say, in a year maybe. I know that you wanted to touch on your summer camps that are remaining, and then also futsal teams tryouts in November. Can you tell us about?
Speaker 1:that, yeah. So we've had three camps so far in the summertime and the players absolutely loved it and the energy is just vibrant. So we have two more week-long camps. One is August 4th week and another one is August 11th week, so back to back. And then we have a three-day camp to finish it up, august 18th to 20th. It's for 8 to 15-year-olds. It's a lot of focus on technical development. Each day is a different technical focus and we have a lot of prizes. On Friday we give away $100 Nike gift card or Adidas, and then at the end of the period of the camps, we're going to announce one lucky winner for the World Cup 2026 ticket, since it's going to be here. So that's going to be fun as well. So we'll announce that in September, once all the August camps are finished as well. So, yeah, every camp that you register for is a raffle ticket entry that you get for those things. So it's a lot of excitement and a lot of players are looking forward to that.
Speaker 1:And yes, and then futsal. I'm a big believer of futsal. I believe that's a foundation of soccer. It helps the players to become quicker with their decision making and just technically much more savvy. So that one. The. The tryouts are going to be in late october, early november and we're going to start the team practices and so forth late in november and the season's going to start in december and so forth. It's a lot of good competition. We play against some good teams. This is our third season doing the futsal season, so it's a lot of good stuff that we're learning every single season and I'm excited for this year.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it sounds so exciting. I love the little prizes. I totally agree that futsal is an incredible foundational skill too, so it's really cool that you do that. But yeah, is there anything else that you wanted to share with us today?
Speaker 1:No, I mean thank you for having me yeah of course I hope it was a valuable podcast for whomever is listening. So yeah, no, thank you for having me.