Like 99% of football coaches on the planet I work predominantly with grassroots players and - as I'm sure you already know - they are very, well, 'different' from elite players. Now 'different' sometimes means they can't fire 60 yard laser bolts onto the laces of a teammate, or they can't move the ball so quickly it gives defenders a hernia. But mostly 'different' means they are at football practice for different reasons. Recognising this is key because if your session doesn’t line up with your player's motivation you are going to struggle to engage them. At best this means that player won't develop their skills as quickly as you'd like (and perhaps their parents expect). At worst this means the player will be bored, get disruptive and cause you all manner of headaches. Fortunately there's some very simple questions which can (almost) guarantee better engagement in your coaching sessions. Each one lines up with the 5 key motivations of young players in grassroots football:
- To have fun
- To play with friends
- To imitate their favourite players
- To develop new skills
- To play competitive sport
PerformanceEdge, vol. 4 No. 6 Get into the habit of stepping back from your session for 2 minutes and honestly appraising the practice according to these criteria. Note: If your practice can't run effectively for 2 minutes without your intervention then contact me ASAP; I have something for you!
The tool that I use to do this is called the 'F Test'. It is 5 simple phrases; "FUN", "FAIR", "FAITHFUL", "FOCUSSED" and "FORMIDABLE", which outline the basic requirements for all practices that the coaches I work with include in their sessions. Each of these elements can really reduce the risk of a coaching session - and here's an "F" word we all want to avoid - FAILING. Here's how to use the 'F Test' for yourself.
FUN Ask yourself, are players having fun? If they are then how can you make it more fun? Can you be even more enthusiastic, can you add humour, can you threaten goofy forfeits, what characters can you introduce? If they're not having fun (or you're unsure) then why not? As the number one reason that kids play football and, hopefully, the number one priority for you as a coach, it's crucial that the session you are running is a fun place to be. Yet many coaches forget this as they seek the 'perfect' ball manipulation drill or pursue 'military-precise' set piece organisation. If football isn't fun for the players then everything else is inconsequential.
FAIR Ask yourself, is the practice fair? Can every player succeed at least some of the time? Are players getting equal numbers of touches and playing in every role for similar lengths of time? Can your defenders escape and become attackers, or your neutral players score as well? If the practice isn't fair then how can you remedy it? Whilst often overlooked, perceived unfairness is one of the most common reasons that players leave training with a bitter taste in their mouths. Make an extra effort to make your practices equitable and you'll see a marked decrease in the number of frowns (unless you coach teenagers in which case they'll just look slightly less furious with you than usual).
FAITHFUL Ask yourself, is the practice faithful to the real game? Does the practice reflect a situation in a match? Are the movements required in the practice the same ones that bring success in a real game? Is the speed realistic to the pace of a match? Can players pass, dribble, turn, shoot and score like their heroes do in a real match? There are many reasons why all major Football Authorities now recommend Small-Sided Games as their preferred training method for developing young players. Along with the increased number of touches per player and the inherent fun of playing is that they allow players to learn in a realistic environment. If your practices aren’t faithful to the game then your players will not be learning to make the right decisions at the right moment.
FOCUSSED Ask yourself, are players getting as many focussed touches as possible? What are the players doing most? Is that thing relevant to the topic you've planned for your session? How can you give the players more of the kind of touches/decisions/situations that you want them to develop their understanding of? As proponents of Long Term Player Development The FFA understands the importance of having a plan. That's why they suggest that youth soccer coaches draw up a schedule of sessions, to ensure that all of the core skills are coached throughout a season. But at the micro-level it's also really important that within a session players get as many opportunities to experiment, fail, correct and succeed. If your session plan said "Finishing" but players spend 4x longer standing in line than they do kicking a ball then you need to have a rethink.
FORMIDABLE Ask yourself, do players find the challenges formidable? Are some players always succeeding? Are some players never succeeding? How can players be helped up to the next level? Can you increase the pressure, speed, precision, or the number of decisions? At its root the word "Formidable" means so difficult it is inspiring. In the same way that being forced to attempt an impossible task is endlessly frustrating, waltzing repeatedly through an easy challenge is boring. If you can do, give individuals separate rules within the structure of your practice so that every player has their own difficult but inspiring task. Players love a challenge as long as they can see a way to succeed and it is finding this balance which is key to delivering an enjoyable session that teases progress out of your players.
Hopefully the 'F Test' has given you something to think about in your own sessions. If you want to discuss any of the ideas then feel free to contact me or post in the comments. I reply to everything I can.
Pavl is a professional football coach and author specialising in youth coaching and development, about which he's spoken on the BBC and to many football websites (including his own football site BetterFootball.net). Like all the cool kids, he hangs out on twitter where you can contact him with coaching-related Q's : @betterfootball
