Biography
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There is only one course instructor for this course at the moment. John DeBenedictis, who did the research and put together the course, will be the instructor at your course. DeBenedictis has traveled throughout North America presenting his unique lecture on scoring goals. He was one of the keynote speakers at the NSCAA (National Soccer Coaches Association of America) Coaching Convention in Indianapoils in 2013 speaking to a standing room only crowd of over 500 coaches. He was also a guest speaker at the NSCAA conventions in 2004 in Charlotte, North Carolina, and 2005 in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. In 2007, DeBenedictis was invited to speak in Santa Clara, California for the California Youth Soccer Association’s annual coaching conference and convention.
DeBenedictis holds the unique distinction of having spoken to the largest soccer coaching audience by any Canadian born coach. Over 1,000 coaches attended his sessions at the conference in Baltimore.
DeBenedictis is in his 40th year of coaching and has coached at all levels including internationally. He also ran his own soccer camps with Tony Waiters, former English International goalkeeper and Canadian National Team coach. He played goalkeeper for York University helping them win the National Title in 1977. He signed a semi-professional contract in a professional league called the "National Soccer League" with Toronto Ukrania.
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DeBenedictis completed his Honors Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Physical and Health Education as well as earning an advanced certificate of coaching from York University. He holds an NSCAA Advanced National Diploma and a CSA Pre B Provincial License. He has extended his studies by doing extensive research into the cognitive processes used for performing tasks as it relates to perceptual motor-muscular learning. He has focused his research to include studying visual motion perception as it relates to different situations that soccer players encounter. DeBenedictis also studied super-star athletes from a variety of sports to see what they did differently in their human perception motor-muscular development process. His findings are unique and different when combined with the goalkeeper’s point of view on stopping goals. All this information formed the basis for his unique course, which led him to seek out different soccer facts that have helped players understand what it takes to be a great striker. He was able to take his experience as a goalkeeper as well as his coaching experience in dealing with adolescent athletes and blend it in with sports psychology to develop a program that will connect with the atlete in delivering the powerful information derived from his research and findings.
DeBenedictis was also the first coach to bring the Wiel Coerver Dribbling and Ball Possession techniques to Canada demonstrating the techniques across Ontario to coaches and players. DeBenedictis also produced a video on Ball Possession and Dribbling techniques geared to North American kids which is being re-issued and re-edited and some segments are out on You Tube. Many of the players he has coached or instructed went on to play professional soccer in Canada, the USA, and Europe.
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He has also written numerous coaching articles for soccer publications and sport psychology web-sites across North America. Some of his articles have been instrumental in introducing change in player development programs with soccer clubs across North America.
DeBenedictis is author of the book, "The Last 9 Seconds" which just came out in 2013.
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DeBenedictis is the founder of Golden Goal Scoring Course.
