Greg Gurenlian, Jerry Ragonese (both of the New York Lizards) and Chris Mattes (Florida Launch) have seen  numerous coaches instructing and giving personal lessons on face-offs and feel that some of the instruction is pretty good, some of it is bad, some of it is out of date, and a lot of it is unethical. They created The Faceoff Academy to bring together their ideas to create a system of training that is fundamentally sound, cutting edge, and encompasses the evolution of the face-off athlete. The Faceoff Academy is coming to Delary Beach’s Seacrest Soccer Complex on February 1, 2014.  There is a youth clinic for 4^th – 8^th grade from 9AM – 12PM and a high school combine for 9^th – 12^th Grade: 2PM – 5PM. “Players at the X are getting more and more athletic and now need to be able to do more than just scrap for possession.”  The Faceoff Academy wants to cultivate and build face-off men for the next generation who can dodge, shoot, play great defense and become a “Quarterback” at the X. The stated goal of Faceoff Academy coaches is to develop players who can put their team in position as a leader of a face-off unit and also as a leader of a team; teaching the entire game starting at the face-off X. They are committed to teaching players the right way to face off and not how to cheat or how to get away with “what the ref gives you.” The Delary Beach event has youth clinics as well as a high school combine.  All parents and coaches are encouraged to come for free and participate in the instructions and discussions so that they can use the knowledge to help better their own teams and organizations.  These events are intended to draw whole communities together to learn and get better. The Faceoff Academy wants to use their site and events to help educate everyone on the process of recruiting and how it works.  The Faceoff Academy recognizes athletes that have quick hand speed, center of gravity, and the ability to adapt and anticipate.  The goal is to give them an opportunity to play at the next level. The event will start with a youth/novice face-off skill clinic, teaching the basics, the ins and outs of the face-off and will finish with an advanced level/HS “Recruiting Combine” that focuses on developing high-level techniques as well as knockout style tournament play.  Highlights will be filmed and posted on YouTube.  Players will be given a numbered jersey so that they can be evaluated and followed on video. At the end of each year The Faceoff Academy evaluates all high school combine participants and hand select the top 100 athletes from our tour.  Those 100 will then be invited to the Northeast for a two-day National Showcase.  This Showcase will be taken very seriously and it will be intense and very competitive. College level referees attend the knockout portion of the competition.  After the competition results are sent to every D1, D2, and MCLA coach in the country. For more information or to register visit www.TheFaceoffAcademy.com or send an email to info@thefaceoffacademy.com. You can follow The Faceoff Academy on Twitter @Faceoff_Academy.