I have written and published several articles highlighting the importance of coaches and fitness coaches using objective, factual methods of analysis for assessing soccer players’ performance, from both the physical, as well as the technical and tactical viewpoints. Using standardized, objective methods of player assessment minimizes – and in some case eliminates – the influence [...]
Hi everyone, Welcome to the next edition of the Soccer Fitness Gols Video Blog. In this Blog, we will be providing weekly video content relating to all things soccer and fitness. In this edition, we discuss the importance of protein consumption for soccer players, including daily protein requirements, as well as whether or not protein [...]
For the past 10 years, my business has provided fitness testing, training, and coach education to soccer players, coaches and teams from countless different amateur youth soccer clubs across Ontario. During this time, I have had many discussions and conversations with the club head coaches, members of technical staff, and even the administrators and board [...]
Hi everyone, Welcome to the next edition of the Soccer Fitness Gols Video Blog. In this Blog, we will be providing weekly video content relating to all things soccer and fitness. In this edition, we discuss the science behind the technique of striking the ball with the instep of the foot, including some common coaching [...]
In soccer, the technique of striking a ball with the instep of the foot has always seemed to be more of an art form than an exact science. Players who have mastered this technique (a few modern examples include David Beckham, Andrea Pirlo, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic) have no doubt spent thousands of hours practicing it, [...]
Hi everyone, Welcome to the next edition of the Soccer Fitness Gols Video Blog! In this Blog, we will be providing weekly video content relating to all things soccer and fitness. In this edition, we discuss skilled performance and motor learning, and how this topic can best be incorporated into the teaching of soccer and [...]
Below is a link to an excellent article written by David Conn and posted on www.theguardian.com a few years ago. I came across this article recently through a link on Facebook and, after having recently been a participant in the 2016 National Soccer Coaching Conference at the University of Toronto this past weekend, I found [...]
Hi everyone, Welcome to the next edition of the Soccer Fitness Gols Video Blog (and the first edition for 2016)! In this Blog, we will be providing weekly video content relating to all things soccer and fitness. In this edition, we discuss the squat exercise, how to choose the right variation for soccer, and how [...]
In the last 10 years, the structure of youth soccer competitions in Ontario and Canada has undergone some significant changes. The advent of Soccer Academy Alliance Canada (SAAC) in 2006, the Ontario Player Development League (OPDL) in 2013, as well as changes to the competition structures of various leagues from Under-8 to Under-18 across Ontario, [...]
Last weekend, January 8th, 9th, and 10th, 2016, I hosted the inaugural Soccer Fitness Trainer’s Course, the first-ever coach education course in Canada focusing on soccer-specific fitness training for individuals and teams. For me, the best part of the course was not the lectures or on-field presentations themselves, but rather the group discussions that occurred [...]