How much do you charge? - I charge $25 per session and accept cash or e-transfer. Thank you for paying before each session.
Where do your training sessions take place? - Most of my sessions take place on the Pauline Johnson school field, near the Aquatic Centre.
How long is each session? My sessions are usually 45 minutes to 1 hour in length. I love coaching and am happy to coach for the full hour, but we work hard during our session (with lots of breaks) and for some younger players sometimes slightly shorter sessions make for better results.
Are parents allowed to watch? Absolutely! However please remember that your child needs to be listening to me. Parents should not be offering advice to their child during the session or 'coaching the coach'. Please feel free to watch the session but thank you for sitting a little ways away from where we are training, where your presence will not be a distraction, or maybe taking a walk around the field.
Can parents ask questions after the session? - You sure can! I ALWAYS have a minute to talk with mom or dad about how your child is doing and to show you 1 or 2 simple things you can do with your child between our sessions to help them to continue to develop their skills.
What gear does my child need? Soccer cleats and shin pads. Please also bring a water bottle and a snack. We train rain or shine so if the weather looks a little bit iffy then a light rain jacket is an excellent idea.
What if I need to cancel or reschedule a session? - No problem. Sometimes things come up, but thank you if possible for giving me 24 hours notice so I can work with another player or otherwise make good use of my time. I understand if you need to cancel the same day as your child's session, but thank you for paying for the session as this is time in my day that I have set aside for your child.
What skills do you work on in a typical session? - We will cover a LOT in each session, and your child will probably get 2-3 times the number of quality touches that they would likely get in a typical team practice. The skills that we typically cover in each session include:
Foot skills
Dribbling
Ball control and first touch
Skill moves
Fitness (speed and agility)
Passing
... and everyone's favorite 'Shooting!'
The important thing to remember is that your child is UNIQUE and that I will adjust the focus of each session to the things that will be most beneficial to your child as a player.
Do you practice heading? - Nope. Heading is an important skill in soccer, but at this age children should not be heading the ball. It is important that young players learn how to safely head the ball BEFORE they reach an age where it is an expected part of the game, and it can be trained safely by focusing on technique and using foam or soft rubber balls, but because heading is a bit of a 'tricky topic' I do not practice it in my sessions.
Do you accept multiple students in a session? - Occasionally, but it depends... In some cases siblings or best friends can work well together... or not. My goal is to get the MOST out of each training session to help your daughter to become an amazing soccer player and to stand out on the pitch. In cases where I have 2 students with a similar level of skill I may occasionally suggest an additional 2 player session where we can focus on 1 on 1 attacking and defending and more complex passing drills.