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The Blog

Emotional Muscle, what is it? PDP Contributor & President of New Edge Performance, John Haime discusses the importance of emotional state on performance and provides some practical advice for building emotional muscle in football. Working with some of the world’s leading athletes in mental/emotional development has taught me many lessons about what is important to be a consistent high performer. One thing I have learned for sure is that emotions run the show in elite performance and they certainly do in football. Head and heart…

How much impact does positive visualisation have on performance? Roy Skillen examines the effect of this powerful process using examples of some of sports best performers. Sydney Australia, 21st of November 2003. Jonny Wilkinson stands 40 yards out lining up a penalty in the dying seconds of the Rugby World Cup Final. England trail by one point and this is surely their last chance of claiming their first world crown. But rather than showing any sign of nerves there is a confidence about his stance,…

Hakon Grøttland is the Head of Player Development for the Norwegian FA. The Player Development Project were lucky enough to have an inside look at how Norway develops young players and how this is influenced by the nation’s culture.   Hakon Grøttland never played football at an elite level due to injury. However, he counts himself lucky in that the series of events which led to the end of his playing days meant he could start his coaching career early. It is clear from talking to…

Susan Salzbrenner, founder of Fit Across Cultures discusses mindfulness and its benefits to athlete performance. Dennis was concentrating. “This is it. You got this! Stay focused. Just like in practice. Don’t miss this. It will cost us the game”. With the last seconds on the clock, he takes the last free throw. The score is 79-79. He shoots and …misses. A routine situation like a free throw in basketball, a serve in volleyball, or a penalty in football or hockey are habits that you have practiced…

Javier Mascherano’s rise from squad player to first team regular at FC Barcelona is a example to young players everywhere: Seeking out challenges, switching positions, playing to his strengths and selflessly putting the team first Mascherano is a role model for all.   Mascherano is an example of a player with a positive mindset. He has adapted, evolved and grown as a player at FC Barcelona. However it could of all been very different if it not for this – career defining – tackle. Playing to his strengths …

Dan Micciche has a reputation as an innovator and someone who encourages creativity in player development. Player Development Project, Editor Dave Wright was lucky enough to have 90 minutes with Dan to discuss his own story and pick his brains around session design, creativity, positive learning environments and more. In part one of this two-part feature interview we went on a journey inside the mind of one of The FA’s most talented young coaches. Micciche’s Evolution as a Coach After a number of years working…

Kellyn Acosta is a homegrown talent from Dallas, Texas who now has 50 appearances for FC Dallas who finished as Western Conference Finalists in 2015. PDP Editor, Dave Wright spoke to Kellyn about his player development journey.   Now 20 years old with two U20 World Cups behind him, Acosta is a product of the club’s academy. A young player with big ambitions who speaks fondly of playing street soccer constantly as a key part of his development, we caught up with Kellyn to discuss…

The art of observation. What details should coaches be looking for? Todd Beane explains why it is important for a coach to ‘observe’ their players rather than just ‘watch’ them. Are you watching or observing your players? Many consider these two words synonymous. To watch is to observe and to observe is to watch. But, I find a distinction here that may help us become better at our craft. Let’s take a look at the definitions. Watch: to see what is done or happens. Observe: to regard with…

Bio-banding. Is it the answer or just another challenge in youth player development? In Player Development Project Magazine Issue #10, Cruyff Football and Ajax consultant Steve Lawrence gave some background to relative age effects, explaining why they occur and identifying the use of cut-off date rules as the causal culprit. Steve is at the forefront of research in this area, and in this follow-up article he explains the concept of bio banding and suggests how to solve the issue of relative age effects. Concerns about…

How can play impact performance? PDP Lead Researcher & International Futsal player, James Vaughan examines how important play is when it comes to finding solutions in a high performance setting. Last month New Zealand played against the Solomon Islands in the FIFA Futsal World Cup qualifiers in Fiji. Tied at the top of the table this game was the tournament decider, the game that determined Oceania’s representative for the upcoming World Cup in Colombia. Four years of preparation and sacrifice on the line during 40…

Founder of TOVO Institute, Todd Beane examines how young players soccer brains process and filter information via ‘RAS’. Are you focused on the right stuff? Believe me I know very little about the brain so if you have a P.H.D. in brainy stuff just humor me. Apparently, we all have a RAS (Reticular Activating System), which is a part of the brain that filters information collected from our senses. Actually most data to which we are exposed does not make it through this filter, which is…

PDP Contributor, TEDx Speaker & Founder of Raising Excellence, Reed Maltbie delivers 10 practical steps on coach communication in the age of millennials who have grown up on social media. “One could change the world with 140 Characters”. February 8th, 2007 at approximately 6:57PM PST, Jack Dorsey “tweeted” this now famous line.  At the time, Twitter was still in its nascent stages as a company. These words changed Twitter forever. Even in 2007 they wielded a powerful effect on the company and its small group of rabid…

Player Development Project Assistant Editor, Jon Hoggard asks when is creativity deemed disrespectful?  Do coaches have double standards or show bias depending on who is brave enough to take the risks that lead to some of the great moments in football. Twitter went mad. Opinions flew all over social media. Newspaper columns were written, some praising, some condemning. Readers commented back and forth, for and against. What caused the furore? Barcelona scored a penalty in a run-of-the-mill 6–1 win against Celta Vigo. It was the…

PDP Technical Advisor, Dan Wright provides an in depth analysis of how Leicester City have managed to defy the statistics and implement a ruthlessly efficient counter attacking game plan which sees them sitting on top of the Premier League table heading into Spring, 2016. Leicester City have shown during the 2015/16 season there is more than one way to win a football match. Throughout the top European leagues the teams with superior possession dominate the standings, all except the Premier League. In fact, Leicester are ranked poorly…

PDP Lead Researcher, James Vaughan recently  attended a seminar by Joan Vila Bosch – Head of Methodology at FC Barcelona. Speaking in Christchurch, New Zealand – Joan described how and why FC Barcelona are breaking down the coaching language of war surrounding football. Moving away from what he called ‘the language of war’, Joan’s department is using scientific principles to define FC Barcelona’s game and crucially the language they use. Joan explained: “As people we are defined by our words” The language of football transmits the ideas, beliefs and values…

Player Development Project Magazine Editor, Dave Wright was fortunate enough go behind the scenes at Liverpool FC Academy with U21 Manager Mick Beale. Following on from our 2015 interview, Dave gets Mick’s views on developing better people and watches the U21’s train prior to their match against Middlesborough. On a gloomy day in the North West, I arrive at the Liverpool Academy with fellow coach and friend, Dan Wright to meet with U21 Manager, Mick Beale – a man who was featured in Issue 7…

Todd Beane has been a contributor to The Player Development Project since our inception. A Co-Founder of Cruyff Football and the Cruyff Institute, Todd has a passion for positive player development. We caught up with him to ask about his latest venture, TOVO International and what his philosophy involves. Todd, you’ve got an obvious passion for player development. What has inspired you to create the TOVO training program? My ambition reaches far beyond the development of talented athletes. I want to nurture capable leaders who…

Pressure. What is it and where does it come from? Former professional golfer and President of New Edge Performance, John Haime examines this challenging concept, investigating how you can harness the power of pressure and turn it into a positive.   Does pressure in soccer really exist? Well, according to some researchers and experts, it really doesn’t. It’s all dreamed up by you to make it difficult for you to perform when it counts. According to a noted study (Beilock 2010) people create pressure for…

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