Here is an excellent article from www.KidzFutbol.com. It is a long read, but contains a very informative and well written summary and comparison of the youth futbol (soccer) developmental systems in Spain versus here in Canada. What I found particularly striking was the presented ratios in Spain (as well as in other European countries) of [...]
With the advent of the Ontario Player Development League (OPDL) in 2013, some unique challenges have arisen for coaches working in the league, as well as in the top tier soccer programs in Ontario (Regional, Provincial, and National teams). Because the OPDL has been set up as a standards-based, "high performance" league in Ontario, and [...]
Below is a link to an article from www.changingthegameroject.com, which is quickly becoming one of my favourite websites! This article presents issues that many people involved in youth soccer here in this country should be able to relate to. I'd love to hear your thoughts about the topic. Drop me a line here to get [...]
Below is a link to an excellent article written by Simon Kuper, a soccer journalist, blogger for ESPN.com and co-author of the famous book 'soccernomics.' In this article he explains that the greatest reason why exceptional players like Messi and Rooney are able to play the game better than others has nothing to do with [...]
Below is an article written by University of Guelph-Humber Internship Student Andre Orlando (who is presently completing an internship with Soccer Fitness Inc.) and edited by me. The article discusses "macro" nutrition, or nutrition at the macro (nutrient) level, for soccer players, with an emphasis on pre-, during-, and post- training/game nutrient intake. Any soccer [...]
For me, going back to school has had both positive and negative effects on my life. Among the positive ones has been that it has forced me to do a lot of research and to write articles/papers about various different topics related to sports science. I recently was asked to write a report on exercise-induced [...]
Here is an excellent article written by Paul Cammarata from The Coaching Journey. It discusses the question of whether or not "talent" is innate/natural, or the product of several controllable factors including practice time and effort. Many examples of athletes from different sports are used, including soccer's Leonel Messi. I'd love to hear your thoughts [...]
In my present Advanced Exercise Physiology class, we were asked to write a small article discussing head injuries in our sport of choice. For me, of course, there was no choice of which sport to write about! Below is my report. Of note in this report is that the commonly recommended "secondary prevention" method of [...]
These days, most coaches and players seem to have recognized the importance and need for a "cool-down" - some form of light or low intensity cardiovascular exercise - at the end of a training session or game. Many of the coaches and even some of the younger athletes I work with are able to explain [...]
It's March Break, which means all the youth soccer players across the country have a week off of school, and many of them also have reduced soccer schedules. For me, March Break has resulted in my first free Saturday since Christmas! As a result, I thought I would post a video which has nothing to [...]