NASL Preseason Tour | Jacksonville Armada FC Training

The second day of the NASL Preseason Tour consisted of watching Jacksonville Armada FC train in the Florida sun - guess it's not the Sunshine State for nothing. While it was hot, it didn't stop the Armada FC players from putting in a strong training session.

Fun First

To open up the morning session, Jacksonville took part in a soccer tennis competition. Once the ball was put into play, the teams of two would rotate through either side, leaving the last team standing as the winner. Jacksonville played several rounds to start the day, bringing forth plenty of laughs and smiles to kick off Tuesday's proceedings.

That feeling when you win a round of soccer tennis at @JaxArmadaFC training: pic.twitter.com/VmmLAcNxeF

— NASL Insider (@NASLInsider) February 28, 2017

Sweat, Sweat, Sweat

During the about 90-minute session for the Armada FC, there was no question about the effort put forth by the club. There was also no questioning the amount of sweat pouring down in the very warm weather. Coach Mark Lowry put the players through their paces in smaller-sided games, while the goalkeepers worked off to the side. Eventually Jacksonville was in more game-related situations and working on some tactics as practice started to wrap up. 

Learning To Coach

After the session was over, I spoke to several players during sit-down interviews, as well as one with Lowry. During his interview, Lowry discussed learning to be a coach, starting at the youth levels, and the difference of coaching professional men. The coach who had success after taking over the team at the end of last season elaborated about his coaching philosophy and how it formed.