Transforming Athletic Development with René Wormhoudt, KNVB (Royal Dutch Football Association) & Athletic Skills Model

René Wormhoudt is the High-Performance Coach (Strength & Stamina) of the Dutch Men's National Soccer team and CEO / Co-founder of the Athletic Skills Model Company (ASM). ASM is built around the philosophy that all athletes benefit from multidisciplinary training, providing educational programs for coaches and instructors, developing training materials, and designing formats for fields and courts that allow for multidisciplinary practices and training.

Inspired by the work of Professor Geert Savelsberg two decades ago, René started to challenge the belief of coaches that early specialization was beneficial to youth players, outlining its detrimental effect on the overall development of motoric skills of athletes. With the support of the legendary soccer player/coach Johan Cruyff, he reformed the renowned soccer academy of FC Ajax Amsterdam, and partnered with Professor Savelsbergh to develop new initiatives that transformed Dutch thinking on sports education and coaching. René is co-author of four books including The Athletic Skills Model: Optimizing Talent Development Through Movement Education.

VIDEO: Opening day of the innovative and inclusive Skills Garden in the city Almere (The Netherlands). Designed by ASM. https://youtu.be/iqImFHe1cLc

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/renewormhoudt

With special thanks to Netherlands Business Support Office (NBSO) Texas for their support.