Pass the Passion
The late Tony Waiters, former English National Team Goalkeeper, Canadian National Team Coach, and respected author and clinician was a pioneer in identifying some of the problems first encountered in North America in regard to not seeing enough kids playing in the streets and in the parks on their own getting the experiences they need. […]
HONORED TO NAME – “Best of”
After completing 70+ sessions over four seasons, the ‘Behind The Bench’ International Webinars have established themselves as a highly successful event. In recognition of this achievement, the NSCAC has announced a ‘Best of’ selection from the first three seasons of the webinar series.” Jason Blake’s ‘Grassroots Soccer: Where Future Stars Get Started’ and Karl Dewazien’s […]
RHYTHM of the WORLD CUP
CRANK up the Volume to get the best sound effects for my son Joseph DeBenedictis’s World Cup music video. “Feel The Game” It’s hard to believe that it’s been 12 years since my son Joseph wrote this soccer song. The message of the song is now probably more relevant than ever! As a professional, he […]
Are You Prepared to Coach the Biggest Game in your Life so that YOU WIN?
One of the biggest jobs that a coach has involves making decisions. Coaches of younger players have to decide what skills to teach and how to teach them. They must decide when to introduce individual and team tactics and how to accomplish that. Coaches of older teams need to decide when to teach systems and […]
National Soccer Coaches Association of Canada (Presents)
Behind the Bench International Webinar Welcome to our thirtieth episode of ‘Behind the Bench,’ where we talk about the ins and outs of our beautiful game in Canada from a coaching perspective. This episode of Behind the Bench is hosted by the Vice President of the NSCAC, Valerio Rocca. Join us on this week’s episode […]
OUCH!
When it comes to getting stepped on by these new shoes, I can tell you that it really hurts. I was coaching a U8 (That’s Under- 8 years old) team a few years ago, and I was wearing a new light-weight turf shoe. A kid accidentally stepped on my foot with his bladed sole. I […]
Nutty Parents?
The crowd of 50 or 60, which seemed like thousands to these 4-year-olds, cheered at every opportunity and shouted words of encouragement. When I focused on them it was hard to imagine grown adults looking so foolish. It was certainly just as enjoyable as the game. As one player finally caught up with the ball, […]
Missed Penalty Kicks by Superstars and the Stress on Coaches
It was the 2016 MLS Cup Final and the game went to penalty kicks. Michael Bradley, the captain and arguably the best player on the field over 120 minutes for Toronto FC, stepped up to take his penalty shot. He missed. Stefan Frei, the goalkeeper and arguably the best player on the field over 120 […]
A Brilliant New Strategy to Use by Youth Coaches (NOT!)
It’s game day and the players are restless all day long. In most cases it’s because the day seems so long especially when it ends with a soccer game. The game is not foremost on their minds so there is no need to get all worked up so early about it. In fact, when the […]
