On this week's edition of our X's & O's, we decided to look at a practice from last week. This is an example of how we can use one start to structure our entire practice. From this, we were able to work on various concepts and things that we wanted to emphasise. Our primary objectives... Continue Reading →
In this edition of our weekly X's and O's, we're going to look at one of our favourite practice games - the 12 Man Rotation. This is a drill that we do twice a week in practice to really develop some of the habits we believe are necessary to be successful in the game. 12... Continue Reading →
Part IV — Interesting and Challenging is a Key Feature In our previous post, we discussed two features (Goals and Feedback) that video games have which create engagement and excite players. The third feature that is different between video games and youth practice environments is that video games are interesting and challenging. Regardless of what game you play,... Continue Reading →
Video Games have three key features that engage participants and youth sports tend to miss out on these features. . . 1. OBVIOUS GOALS Regardless of what video game you are playing, there is always a clear objective. Take Super Mario for example — the objective is to rescue Princess Toadstool from Bowser. In order... Continue Reading →
LEARNING FROM THE BIG BOYS Part II — What Everyone else has figured out that we haven’t! In understanding the emotional aspect, I shared some of my thoughts about why practices need to be engaging and fun. In order to be fun and engaging, we need to understand the motives behind those players showing up. After... Continue Reading →
PART I — UNDERSTANDING THE EMOTIONAL ASPECT “How do you handle a situation where you have two players who are focused on the drill/activity and everyone else is messing around?” This was a question that was posed to me a couple of days ago after one of our youth team practices (U12). Our coaches wanted... Continue Reading →
Rend Sports 