Coming from a position of influence in young players’ lives, we continually aim to create ‘perfect’ environments for development. Mark Upton co-founder of myfastestmile, explains the organic learning curve that occurs without our involvement, and often beats all of our over-engineered solutions. I believe things get more interesting in player learning and development when we take a much broader view and consider it over longer periods of time and factor in the experiences young people have in their daily lives, inclusive of (but certainly not restricted to) coach-led practice…
Talent Development
Uncovering the pathways which help players develop and continue to thrive in sport.
TOVO Institute Founder, Todd Beane looks at the way we view weaknesses on the football pitch. How can we create an environment that encourages players to develop their weaknesses rather than play to hide them? It might sound a bit crazy to encourage weakness. However, as coaches we must encourage weakness by applauding players when they fail for the right reasons. Keep in mind that coaches are trained to correct errors that they see. These are called “coaching moments” and it works like this: a training session is being…
Youth soccer needs to base the development process on “play” and then find the right moments to encourage technical and tactical information, says Tom Turner. Coach Developer, Mark O’Sullivan interviewed Turner to get a more detailed understanding of his views on US player development. Tom Turner is director of coaching and player development at Ohio Youth Soccer Association North, USA National Instructor and member of the US Soccer National Coaching Committee. “I consider myself a teacher who coaches soccer,” says Tom. “The primary objective with young…
Football in the USA is on the rise, with increased participation, international success on the pitch and big names playing in MLS. Yet producing world-class talent is what separates the USA from the world’s elite nations. In his regular column, TOVO Institute’s Todd Beane discusses how the USA can cross the final hurdle of player development in a nation focused on physicality. Let me be politely blunt. While the USA is doing wonderfully with respect to growing the game in terms of participation, the country still has…
Why are we always in a hurry to turn children into mini-adults? The topics of premature professionalism and challenging parents dominate youth football. Former US Men’s U17 Coach, Erik Imler shares his thoughts on the upside of a long-term approach. Recently, I found myself in a conversation with a group of youth academy (U9/U10 age group) directors from a neighboring club…a big club. We were discussing the new US Soccer youth initiatives – the number of players on the field format – to be more…
In June 2015 I visited Gulu United, the only full time football academy in Northern Uganda. The driving force behind the academy is Adrian Bradbury, a Canadian who lives in Gulu with his wife and two sons. In this post, Owen (12) and Issac (15) give you an insight to an ‘away day’ in Uganda, as the boys travelled to Kitgum a 102 KM journey across dusty, uneven roads. Hi my name is Owen Bradbury and I am 12 years old. In January, my family…
Check out this Live Webinar replay with some of the best coaches in England as we host our second ever Masterclass Webinar. Filmed in 2016, we welcome, Mick Beale (Liverpool U21 Manager), Stuart English, (Brentford FC Head of Coaching) and Jon De Souza, Brentford FC U21 Manager to a live webinar discussion with the PDP team. All of these coaches have since moved onto leadership roles and senior coaching positions at Glasgow Rangers, Birmingham City FC and Colchester United. PDP Editor, Dave Wright will lead a…
By James VaughanBounce is the nature vs. nurture debate reinvented and super-charged for sports enthusiasts, coaches and parents. Award winning sport journalist Matthew Syed delves into his own past, unearthing the key elements that led to his success. Matthew was England’s #1 table tennis player and a triple commonwealth champion.Syed starts by painting a behind the scenes picture of his upbringing, reflecting on the unique opportunities and idiosyncrasies that shaped his earliest table tennis experiences. Using his story of lucky learning opportunities and random experiences…