One of the most frequently raised questions between coaches is what do you want, success or development for your players? In younger coaching groups, you would say development. But when coaching and running a team, where does your focus go? Should it be win at all costs or enjoy your football? You could argue that winning creates confidence, which would help the player whilst training and playing, or you could see the signs of pressure and anxiety in your players as they want to win for the coach. If the coach encourages a positive environment, does the child take on more information and without the pressure of having to succeed at the action you want to achieve, the player has more freedom to keep trying the action or skill being worked on. In grassroots football through to academy levels, my personal opinion is that winning is not the priority, it should be seen as an added bonus to being out on a pitch playing the game with how to win and beat teams being introduced as they become older. When do players enjoy being told or shouted at, does the game improve when they here “where’s the passion lads?” At a young age this is where the use of Small Sided Games (SSG’s) come into effect, can you teach young players how to pass, tackle and shoot through fun games that allow loads of repetition, and opportunities for everyone to succeed, and because players here the word “game” there is a buzz about play, increasing tempo and want to challenge without having to be told to win or being put down for getting things wrong. Being able to get repetition and time on the ball allows players to make mistakes and learn themselves whilst getting assistance, potentially resulting in the action being performed well during game play. No way is the absolute right way, I am learning new things all the time, seeing other coaches at different levels of the game to add to and develop my coaching ideas whether I am being told or shown, if I feel part of the experience I do think that I take more information in. Everyone learns in different ways sometimes they need to know what you want to get out of a session, how can you make your sessions cover as many of the ways as possible? If you learn by listening, having the action showed to you furthers the information as it can be linked from verbal to a physical action. And in that Match of the Day post match interview cliché, “at the end of the day” if the players are happy, enjoying their football is there a wrong way?
with Henry Kay
Henry Kay Head Coach Future Stars Football Coaching Accrington Stanley Development Centre Manager
All Session plans designed by Henry Kay, using the Session Template software by Academy Soccer Coach, whose services are used worldwide. Future Stars is very grateful for their support.
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