Kick Deck – A quarantine-friendly way for young athletes to stay active

BY JANIECE CAMPBELL

“I absolutely love these cards. They make for a different, fun training session, or a fab game for baller friends. Wish I’d bought them sooner!”
Robin F.

“This is awesome! It is such a fun way to train; I have been doing a lot more training since I got it. I have noticed a huge difference on the field. I can take it anywhere I go and it’s not the same drills every single time.”
Ashlyn F.

These are just a few of the abundant five-star recommendations for Kick Deck, an innovative deck of cards meant for youth athletes to construct their own custom workout routines from the comfort of their homes.

Created by Scarborough native and professional soccer sensation, Skylar Thomas, his ultimate goal is to provide an opportunity for young athletes around the world from any sports background to better themselves and succeed.

“I know there are a lot of kids out there that don’t necessarily have the opportunity to continue to progress and to be involved in sports. I think Kick Deck gives them that chance, especially in communities where teams aren’t available, they can’t afford to play, or they don’t have the proper equipment to take their game to the next level,” says Skylar.

“I look back on my career and see that I had so much support from my friends, coaches and my parents. I had so much support and I want to make sure, as best as I know how, the youth today have support and opportunities just like I did.”

Skylar’s love for soccer came at a young age, particularly after moving to the city of Pickering at five years old. Subsequently, his father told him to pick any sport and enjoy being a part of a team. Due to limited availability, he chose soccer, which was an odd choice in the eyes of his family. Out of Skylar’s immediate and extended basketball-loving family, he was quite frankly the only one to choose soccer. But as soon as he set foot on that turf, he referred to his initial connection to the sport as “love at first sight.”

Officially omitting basketball, volleyball and track and field from his other options, he fully dedicated his time and focus to soccer by the age of 13. Eventually going on to attend Syracuse University on a four-year full athletic scholarship, he obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Economics in 2015, a major that he would put to great use about four years later.

“During my 4th year, while I was in Charleston, South Carolina, I started my own soccer training business. Kids would come to me for individual training while they would also do team training. But in between that, they didn’t know how to continue developing. They were struggling to develop at home. I just so happened to have some really ambitious kids that wanted to take the game to the next level which thankfully, that pushed me. So, I sought out to solve that problem – how can kids train on their own at home?

I began making homework cards, and I’d write down different exercises on the cards – which were really just sheets of paper. I’d write down these exercises, but I didn’t explain it too well. And obviously it wasn’t fun for them to do homework. So, one day while I was playing cards with my teammates, I had the idea of throwing 52 different at-home exercises on a deck of cards. With that idea, I bought a blank deck of cards and started scribbling on them, writing down different exercises. I started testing it on my players, making adjustments and making sure the exercises were right and measuring the difficulty. About after a year of testing and creating a product that worked Kick Deck was born.”

An outstanding idea created back in 2019 has been sold across the globe to over 15 different countries to date and has gained several partnerships, including digital sport media company First Touch Football Canada and renowned brand ambassador and four-time MLS cup champion, Dwayne De Rosario.

On November 9th, 2020, Kick Deck unveiled their latest addition – Kick Deck ABC. This new product is geared towards young aspiring players, specifically ages four and up, looking to stay active and develop their physical literacy.

“The original 52-card deck is for ages eight and up. During quarantine, I was doing online sessions with a group of kids that were looking to stay active and get their touches on a ball while at home. I realized that some of the exercises in Kick Deck were too difficult for the kids that were eight or younger. It made me realize that I needed to cater to another demographic.

Kick Deck ABC is the 26 fundamentals that a young soccer player needs to master in order to take their game to the next level. On each card, there’s a letter from A-Z. I’m super excited about this because I think it gives kids the opportunity to learn the alphabet, how to read and how to count all in one deck.”

Nearly unfazed by COVID-19 from a business standpoint, Kick Deck is the perfect remote training regimen. With very little training equipment, precisely just a soccer ball and a small amount of space, the deck is sure to give young trainees unlimited challenges while cooped up in the house.

“I think that the pandemic has affected my business positively. It’s definitely tragic that we’re still restricted, and how the pandemic is damaging homes and taking away jobs. I’m very understanding that it’s been a difficult time for a lot of people. However, people are at home and no longer training with their teams. They’re looking for opportunities to grow at home, and I think Kick Deck is an at-home product. It was built to assist youth development at home and it serves a purpose during quarantine for sure.”

Kick Deck has made their mark worldwide and strives to assist young players from all over the planet to achieve their greatest potential through training. Skylar Thomas notes that this is only the beginning, as his team has many future endeavors in store.

“An app is something we’re thinking about but I’m very worried about the repercussions of that. For anyone with the app, of course you’d need a device, Wi-Fi and a few different things that Kick Deck doesn’t need. All you need with Kick Deck is a ball and a little bit of space. It also takes kids away from their phones/tablets, which I’m a fan of and I think parents are too.

Right now, we’re just focussed on diversifying into different sports. I think the concept has been proven and I’d love to see how the basketball market would respond to a basketball deck and so on and so forth for other sports.

We’re also looking to put on a virtual camp. I’m really excited about that because we’ll be providing opportunity for the kids who usually wouldn’t be able to participate in sports for whatever reason. We’ll be able to provide the kids with a Kick Deck, a ball, a shirt and give them all the tools they need to continue to develop or at least be introduced to the game all while being at home. For the kids that want to participate past the camp, they’ll have the chance to enroll in a club that we’ve partnered with in the area, that will allow them to play during the spring season. I love that I’ll be able to give back to the community and introduce soccer to kids. I know how much it can provide, and how much opportunity you can have if you’re connected to a sport that you’re passionate about and willing to grow within.”