Our first interview of 2021 is here!
For our first interview, booked an interview with Game Awareness.
Game Awareness is the company founded by two brothers, Sijad and Farshad Yaqubi who are trainers out of Ontario, Canada, who have a very innovative and different approach to training the next generation of soccer players coming out of Canada.
What I find absolutely amazing about Game Awareness and you can check out their training here on their website and many more videos on their Instagram account is their unique approach to training.
Their philosophy is that most so much emphasis is placed on learning the technique but not enough on the “awareness” aspect of the game which is the “key.” Think quicker, play quicker.
They have trained many youth players from many different clubs all across Ontario including many players from the TFC Academy.
Several of their trainees have gone on to play at very high levels and just recently, one in particular, has gone to play with the Feyenoord Academy in Holland.
Again, like I mentioned they train many up and coming players and also train professional players, including Emilio Estevez who went on from York United to Ado Den Haag, and several players from York United: Lowell Wright, Ijah Halley, Max Ferrari, and the CPL Champions from Forge FC: Chris Nanco, Mo Babouli, Montreal Impact: Kamal Miller, Vancouver Whitecaps: Ryan Raposo, and more!
When they train players they focus mainly on one specific part of the game – AWARENESS. Awareness has become even more important in the way soccer has evolved during recent years.
If you can think a little faster than your opponent it could result in not losing the ball, a goal, and a lovely play but if you cannot think on your feet or you think even just a second slower than your opponent it could result in losing the ball, one of your defenders having to make a professional tackle that could end up seeing the player get a red or yellow card, and it could also end up being a goal on your net.
This is why Game Awareness are so effective and unique in their training and why so many players keep going back for sessions. They teach you how to be more aware and that is why so many players see such an improvement in their game from just one session.
In the interview, we go in-depth about their progressive training methods, the different types of equipment they use like the vision goggles, the lights, and their robot! They also give us their thoughts on the Canadian National Team, the Canadian Premier League, Virtual Reality training, and some great advice about penalty taking.
So let's get into the journey!
Enjoy the interview, it's a must listen for anyone wanting to play quicker, think quicker, improve their awareness and overall soccer IQ.
And if you're anywhere near Ontario, be sure to check out their training.