Yesterday night I watched the opening match of the 2014 FIFA Women's U20 World Cup, between Canada and Ghana, at BMO Field in Toronto. It was a great game and very exciting to see so many of the players I worked with as part of the Canadian Women's U17 team 2 years ago at the [...]
Here is a great article from the 'Changing the Game Project' website. It discusses some of the draw-backs to the 'early specialization' model in youth sports. Many of the points raised in this article are directly applicable to youth soccer here in Canada, and I really like the fact that the arguments made in favor of 'late specialization' are all [...]
Great article from ESPN FC, about the 'business' aspect of developing players in professional academies. In my opinion, this business is just like any other - it requires a significant investment of money, as well as time and work, in order for it to pay off. Let me know your thoughts. Drop me a line here to [...]
With the FIFA Women's U20 World Cup (hosted here in Canada) less than 1 week away, many here in Canada are becoming interested in 'player development' - that is, what exactly is the best pathway for talented young Canadian girls (and boys) to reach the highest levels of the game?Here is an interesting article written by Jason De Vos, former [...]
In my career, I have spent a lot of time and done a lot of research trying to determine the optimal energy system training variables for soccer players. Soccer is a sport that involves intermittent high/maximal intensity runs, with varied amount of recovery between each run. While the performance of the high intensity running is anaerobic (it relies on muscular strength [...]
Below is a link to a great article written by The Soccer Observer. It discusses a proposed change from a 'part-time; (Fall only) season, to a 'full-time' (Fall/Spring) season in college soccer, including the rationale for the change, and proposed benefits. I've been involved in university soccer here in Canada for the past 15 years as a [...]
Not quite Rocky, but I've definitely noticed some small improvements in strength, both upper body and core. Workout # 5, here I come :@ July 20, 2014 - Squat hold: 121.8 seconds - Front plank hold: 151.2 seconds - Push-ups in 60 seconds: 50 - Crunches in 60 seconds: 62
With the 2014 FIFA World Cup over, now is the time to begin analysis of the tournament. As a sport scientist, I am inclined to try to look at the games to see if there were any new or unique events or trends than can affect the way players must be prepared physically. While some [...]
It's a little late, but Thursday this week I squeezed in a quick workout after work. While this may not seem like much, for me, it was the first time in over a year I've done a workout on a week night. This is a start, a good start. Tomorrow, Workout # 4 and [...]
We are proud to announce that the Soccer Fitness Gols mobile app is now available for download on Android smartphones on Google Play! Click here to download the app now.Soccer Fitness Gols is the first mobile app offering customized fitness programs built on soccer-specific sports science that fits easily into your hectic lifestyle. [...]