Personality, Einstein, Cotton Shirts and Apple Pie......

Hello All - I trust all is well as we carry on from one day to the next alternating umbrella's for sunscreen and bug screen. I am a day late this week with my Blog entry as I try to create some anticipation and wonder with my one follower whom I am sure spent most of Tuesday hitting refresh, wondering and waiting for the latest post. Truth be told I was waiting for the result of the England match this morning as I secretly hoped for much to write about regarding doom, gloom and a failing football nation BUT they won so I will have to hold off on such topics!

A few updates - Tino Fusco filled in admirably for Shaun Lowther on the CHQR 770 World Cup Show this past Tuesday and gave Calgary a wee glimpse into his ever shining personality which I eluded to in my last post. Here is a sample of the live broadcast: 770 - " So...Tino are you watching the World Cup?" Tino - "Yes." 770 - "Do you enjoy the Vuvuzela?" Tino - "No." 770 - "What is your involvement in the game?" Tino - "I coach." there you have it...30 minutes of one word answers oh the charismatic one.

Speaking of Shaun - what a good sport but what an ever growing easy target - pardon the pun. We had ordered new academy shirts this season and had to switch manufacturers with much discussion into sizing and so forth. Shaun insisted we go with pre-shrunk cotton for obvious sensible reasons. This small detail needs to be shared because he came skipping, and jumping into the office after the recent English triumph but suddenly froze as he looked down at the reflection staring back from his desk - "Troye did you not order the pre-shrunk cotton? I think my academy shirt has shrunk I will need to speak to Karen about that"......lol. Lowther quote of the week - "May I see the desert menu?". I think the diet is over. Sorry Shaun I have to do it...I get requests to take the micky of you.

I would like to share a great piece of coaching advice I stumbled across through ByteSize Coaching contributed by Andy Donahue:

Einstein - the Golfer

In the late 1930's a young golf instructor had the formidable task of trying to teach the game to the renowned physicist Albert Einstein. The instructor had all of the eagerness of youth without the wisdom of age, so it must have been a sight seeing this young man trying to help Einstein develop a swing.

Unfortunately, what Einstein had in mental ability he seemed to lack in physical dexterity. His hand-eye coordination wasn't the best, and Einstein kept missing many of his shots. After each miss the young golf pro dutifully pointed out what Einstein had done wrong.

-"take the club back more slowly"
-"choke up on the club"
-"keep your head down"
-"don't open up the club face"
-"you're jerking the club when you transition into the downswing"

Finally, the obviously frustrated Einstein asked the young golf pro to hand him a few balls, which the golf pro did. The, throwing four balls back to the pro at once, Einstein yelled, "Catch!"

The pro dodged and weaved but failed to catch a single ball. Einstein raised his finger and offered, "Young man, if I throw you just one ball, you can catch it. If I throw four balls at once, you can't catch even one. So when you teach, make only one point at a time!"

Einstein's admonition - make only one point at a time - is good advice for youth soccer coaches as well.

Design your practice around one main point. Then provide a variety of games and activities throughout the practice that allow you to illustrate this point!

Moving along - Calgary United is set and almost ready....to do battle with Vitoria of Brazil this coming Friday Evening and the support from nsdsc has been fantastic! I hope to see you there and also hope to entertain on the pitch.

David Bailey with us from Bolton this week - great guy, fantastic vision and someone whom I believe will truly help this club reach the next level as he already has left us with considerable insight and resources. It is gong to be hard not to support Bolton this coming season!

Team of the Week - NSDSC Saints 98 - something special about this group - they work, they compete and they are improving leaps and bounds. I absolutely love training this team - well done ladies.

Well that's all this week - good luck on the pitch and enjoy the soccer.