Learn from the best: how to change a game
When playing soccer it is important to develop the skills and mindset necessary to create offensive opportunities for yourself and your teammates rather just playing the game. What I mean by this is to be a game changer. Read more
Raise your standard
I recently watched a video by the famous life coach Anthony “Tony” Robbins and couldn’t help but think that this is exactly what soccer players need to watch and hear. Many people incorrectly label Tony as a motivational speaker. Tony is not a motivation speaker, Tony is a life coach. What’s the difference? A motivational speaker can be anybody; it is someone who understands all the trends that lead to success and then tells others about these theories. Life coaches like Tony, on the other hand, are proven professionals. He has actually taken his message, gone out into the world and challenged people to change their lives. He has proven over and over that when you align your life goals with your life practices – or as Tony refers to it as “standards” and “rituals” – you can become better than ever at whatever it is you want. Read more
Goals You’ll Never Forget
I recently came across this goal from Portuguese side Vitoria de Guimaraes. Many soccer players in North America haven’t even heard of this club. When I heard Manchester United signed one of their strikers, Bebé, I had to look them up. Scoring a goal like the one below is extremely difficult and requires much practice but there are a few things one can learn from watching it over and over again that will help you perfect scoring a goal like this. Read more
The “Scorpion Goal”
When we talk about the best goals in soccer, every person on this planet will have a different opinion as to what that goal is and who scored it. There are amazing displays of skill where players take on an entire team and there are instances where a player scores a goal that requires great skill i.e. a bicycle kick. These types of goals make you jump out of your chair and cheer. But what about those goals that happen every now and then that leave you stunned. You have no words and you try to pick your jaw off the ground. These are the goals that are scored by soccer greats who have tricks up their sleeves some of us could only dream of. One of the best players of all time, Zico, scored a goal that only he can explain best: Read more
Soccer legends we forget about…
When you ask someone who they think the best players of all time are you will often get answers like Pele, Zinedine Zidane, Diego Maradona, or from the modern crowd you will get answers like Ronaldinho, Christiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi – and rightfully so! But what about players like Marco Van Basten and Johan Cruyff? Do you even know who these players are? Unfortunately, the modern day soccer player does not have these players on their radar. These soccer legends had just as much skill and talent as did Pele, Maradona, Zidane and etc. The soccer legends of today had to look up to someone as we look up to them, and it is these players that they looked up to. These are the players they mimicked; these are the players they learned from. Read more
Going premier or staying youth? Tips to solving this dilemma…
I was recently asked if a player the age of 17-18 should stay in their club team or move up a level and play in a local men’s premier league. If you or your child is in this situation, a number of things should be considered: Read more
The Beckham Free-Kick
Free-kicks in soccer have been discussed in previous blogs on Goalden but after recently coming across a new video that breaks down how David Beckham takes a free-kick I felt it was worth re-visiting this and sharing a few key points that stood out for me. Some of the point are listed below. They are also routinely missed, if not completely ignored by many players. Watch the video of David Beckham below and look for the following bullet points. Then in training try to apply them to your own free-kick. Read more
Soccer on the rise in North America
The New York Red Bulls of the MLS – whether they realize it or not – have embarked on a project that will change North American soccer forever. Earlier this summer they signed French allstar Thierry Henry and recently confirmed that they have added the Mexican legend Rafael Marquez to their lineup. For the New York Red Bull, at a micro-scale, this project involves creating a team that is built to make a championship run. At a macro-scale, they are raising the bar for soccer in North America as a whole. Marquez and Henry are both coming from arguably the best team in Europe: FC Barcalona. Read more
Learning from the Grass Roots
One of the beauties of soccer is that it is never too late to start the sport or improve your skills and knowledge of the game. A trend we are seeing for many soccer players in North America is they are learning and improving their games later in life. What is happening though is instead of focusing on developing a complete understanding and skill for the game, players and coaches are simply worried about winning games week in and week out. What has been proven is that there is a direct correlation to perfecting your trait and developing all aspects of your game at an early stage of your career and the success you will have later in your career. Teams in North America need to train their players to be complete players so that as they physically develop they will become more dominant on the field and have more successful careers. Read more