In charge Iceland is in the top seat of UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying Group A
If a country of just 329,000 people can beat the 3rd place team at the last FIFA World Cup twice in the last 6 months why can’t New Zealand do much better?
Practice and Recovery
Achieving excellence in the violin is vastly different from mastering a football. Or is it?
The Gold Mine Effect describes how high performance athletes are being developed around the world.
Author Danish sporting anthropologist, Rasmus Ankersen, travels around the globe trying to understand the plethora of talent in various locations. The focus of his study includes Brazilian footballers, Kenyan distance runners, Jamaican sprinters and South Korean golfers.
The Fallacy of Physical Size
Liverpoool’s latest 29 million pound signing, Roberto Firmino, was turned away from a trial with Sao Paulo FC without even kicking a ball.
“He’s not big enough” has to be one of the most dangerous statements a coach can make when evaluating a young player.
Brilliance Under Pressure
“I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed”
Michael Jordan
“The paradox of excellence, is that it is built upon the foundation of necessary failure.”
This theme, from Matthew Syed’s Bounce, is core to talent development but is it a central theme across our junior footballing environment here in New Zealand?
The Power of the Street
Diego Maradona’s prolific ability was the accumulated result of hours upon hours spent playing in the streets.
“Surely the secret of Lionel Messi is, as footballing philosopher Jorge Valdano argues, that he is the perfect synthesis of the Barcelona academy and old fashioned Argentine street football.”
Purposeful Practice
Cristiano Ronaldo’s brilliance is the result of hours upon hours of purposeful, expert practice.
“Practice must be purposeful, otherwise it is useless”
British Olympian Matthew Syed articulates this view in his excellent talent development book Bounce.
