442 – License To Drill

Tactically and technically.

On first hearing, it's a phrase that makes me chuckle, invoking memories of every Craig Foster analysis where the Socceroos have underperformed.

But look at it a little deeper and you will find these three simple words are the new mantra for Australian football coaching in the 21st century.

Tactics and technique have always been important in our game but never more so since our move into the AFC. With the Socceroos playing as far afield as Tashkent and Tokyo, from monsoons in South East Asia to freezing friendlies in London, the "Two Ts" can be the great leveller in our game. You only need to look at our first Asian Cup group game in 2007 against Oman to see that a tactically and technically organised side can give the favoured team the run around.

The FFA have recognised this and with little fanfare have restructured the coaching education and development pathways in line with the AFC. With tactics and technique front of mind, this coaching "revolution" should help close the gap that was so apparent in games like the ACL Final between Adelaide and Gamba Osaka.

I completed my FA Prelim coaching course in England in 1989 but never took it any further. Injuries blighted any serious chance I had of playing the game at a high level, but I still turn out for my local over-35s in goal. With my work as publisher of FourFourTwo I'm heavily involved at many levels of the game and I found myself thinking more and more about moving into coaching.

You can spend your life being an armchair pundit, spouting clichés about tactics and technique - now was time to do something about it. I was about to take the FFA's two-week residential course for the C Certificate and officially enter the world of top level coaching.

As we all assembled at the AIS for the first time to be greeted by instructors Alistair Edwards and Harry Bingham, there was a distinct "first day at school" vibe, with all 24 of us checking each other out as we made our introductions.

My early trepidation is compounded as I realise I'm by far the least experienced coach on the course, surrounded by a range of ex-NSL players, a former Young Socceroos captain and many people who make a full-time living from the game. We're immediately split into two teams and I'm surprised to find myself co-captain of the "New England Revolution" team alongside Craig Deans, ex-NSL and A-League player and now coach of the Newcastle Jets youth team.

The criteria for passing the course are also explained at this time. There are three practical assessments of which you had to pass two with a mark of 70 percent and two theory exams both of which must be passed with a pass mark of 60 percent.

We're also handed the outline for the two weeks which dispels the notion that this was going to be one of those "turn up and cruise" courses - this is serious. The timetable has 50 sessions of one-and-a-half to two hours each, excluding assessment preparation work, a minimum of three hours a day on the pitch.

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As a final note of housekeeping Alistair also informs us that as soon as we are in receipt of our official kit, it is to be our uniform for all sessions and meals, which immediately renders useless the 14 changes of clothes my ever- attentive fiancée had made me re-configure my car to accommodate. Given this accounts for around 12 hours of every day, my first thought is that one pair of tracksuit pants is surely a misprint on the kit list but decide to say nothing.

The core focus of the C Certificate is to concentrate on the development of elite junior players, ensuring they are equipped with the technique (that word again) and skill to execute it in a game.

The first thing that strikes me is that there is a huge difference between putting on drills and actually coaching.

I look back to my own playing days and quickly realise I've never been coached properly in my life and immediately wonder how much better a player I could have been if I had. The course focuses predominantly on basic technique development and the progression of that technique into smaller versions of the game up to seven vs seven. We learn to appreciate that all elements of the full-sized game can be effectively coached in a four vs four situation and against this backdrop the value of the introduction of Small Sided Games at junior levels becomes even more apparent.

The two phrases that will serve as a lifelong legacy of this course for me are "width and depth" and "level and outside" the former referring to the shape best adopted to maintain possession and provide a platform for forward penetration and the latter referring to the optimum position to receive the ball in relation to your nearest defender. These are the ever-present mantras in everything we do and form the building blocks for all our practical on-field work.

The week leading up to our first practical assessment makes me realise that far from being a handicap, my lack of coaching experience may well be a blessing in disguise. I see many people wrestling with what they are being shown and how it may conflict with what they have previously been taught. I'm not sure anyone disagrees with what we're learning it's just that change doesn't always sit naturally and with the looming practical assessments, some people are faced with having to coach in a way they haven't had to before.

For many on this course acquiring this qualification is critical to their career, none more so than Deans, who would find himself suspended from his position as youth team coach of Newcastle Jets if he didn't pass. The pressure is on for many and there's a realisation that this is a serious business.

It seems like we've only just got our bearings when we're given our first practical assessment topics to sharpen our focus. I'm given the challenge of improving player's ability to shoot with power. In 15 minutes we have to move through three progressions from an introduction exercise looking at the technique in isolation through a developmental phase involving increasing the pressure on the performance of that technique before ending, in most cases, in a game situation to show the application of that technique in a realistic environment.

Our sessions have to be mapped out in advance but the good news is we have two days to work on these in between our timetabled program. I find this way too long and find myself tinkering with mine. The instructors make themselves available for guidance and I spend a little time with Harry Bingham running through my session and everything seems in order.

By the time it's my turn, I've watched around eight of the group complete their assessments with varying degrees of success, but of course, it all looks so easy from the sidelines. Next it's my turn and I'm surprised at just how nervous I am with all the things to remember running through my head: "Get your coaching points out, progress the session at the right time, spot faults step in and correct and then get out again and let them play".

The allotted 15 minutes flies by and I soon have time to reflect on where I went wrong. The obvious mistake I made was simply not taking the time to get the balls in the goals at each end of the pitch for my finishing exercise of five vs five, therefore wasting a lot of time. Clearly I will have lost marks for this but the other pointer I get from Alistair in the short debrief was that while I jumped in at the right moment and correctly diagnosed the faults, I didn't then allow the player to show if he'd taken on board my coaching points.

In the aftermath of the first assessment, it's clear some people face a major wake-up call. Some appear keen to take feedback on board and others resort to a form of denial where they convince themselves the assessments don't actually represent a true test of coaching ability. This struck me as a waste of energy because just like you can argue whether the driving test is a true test of real world driving ability, whether you like it or not you have to pass that test to get your driving licence and in essence this course is no different. This presented a real challenge for quite a few people on the course and one that took some people a few days to get their heads around.

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However, the simple fact remained that many experienced coaches did not perform to the level expected on this course and failed their first assessments. In hindsight, I think the FFA are aware this might happen which explains why there's a full week between the first and the second assessment, giving people time to absorb their first effort and have time to adapt accordingly. After waiting in line like a 39-year-old naughty schoolboy outside the headmaster's office, I'm called in to see Alistair and Harry and I'm pleasantly surprised - and very relieved - to be told I passed my first practical by the skin of my teeth with a mark of 72 percent.

It's around this time where my attitude towards the course and coaching changed and I quickly became convinced of three things. Firstly, I had the potential to make a good coach; secondly, I realised how committed I now was to passing this course; and thirdly, if I passed it I made a promise to myself to do something with it.

It might sound like new age twaddle but I felt I owed that much to myself, my teammates who were doing the hard yards alongside me and to the instructors. I realised I'd feel a bit of a fraud if I did this course and did nothing with it as I had 20 years ago in the UK.

The middle weekend saw some light relief with only eight hours on the pitch over the two days and no lectures and Saturday morning I was put through my paces by Tony Franken, the current Socceroos goalkeeping coach. It's safe to say he had plenty of scope to work with as my keeping skills would be on a par with the 11 and 12 year olds this course is aimed at. That said the improvement in my positioning and handling is significant even in 90 minutes of work.

Practical assessment two is upon us and I'm tested on just how much of Franken's session I actually absorbed as I'm coaching goalkeepers on how to narrow the angle. This time I plan my session once and stick to it. Even though I'm not the best keeper myself I find it easy to articulate what I'm looking for from the players and I really enjoy putting on my second session. I'm confident in my subject, the session flows well and I get some genuine improvements from the lads I'm coaching. I get some great feedback for Harry afterwards and feel confident I've passed, giving me the two passes I need for the practical side of things.

Overall there's a marked improvement across the board as people are now much more aware of what the instructor's are looking for and (whether they like it or not) what is required to reach the necessary standard. I get my mark for my second assessment and I'm delighted with an 82 percent mark which takes the pressure off somewhat as I've now achieved the two passes required to pass the course. I'm feeling good about myself until I have to get changed back into my single pair of tracksuit bottoms, which are now starting to get a life of their own and as I head to dinner I'm not sure whether it's the pants or my feet leading the way.

In between the second and third practicals we sit down to watch Australia vs Japan from the World Cup with our newly educated eyes. Alistair leads the laser pointer assisted analysis and we work through frame by frame looking at the plentiful examples of "width and depth" and the Socceroos adopting four man diamonds all over the pitch. It seems Guus was indeed a new age disciple and the players responded.

It really is an enlightening session but I become acutely aware that it's taken 45 minutes to watch the first eight minutes of the game and some on-the-fly mental arithmetic tells me at this rate it's going to be another seven hours or so until we see Timmy's historic first goal. Luckily, someone cracks a joke and amid the laughter Alistair presses the wrong button and we return to the main menu screen. It's the first thing he's mis-controlled all course but we all agree it's best to fast forward to the goals as people have assessments that afternoon.

For some the third practicals are tension packed affairs as many need a pass to stay in the game. For others, like myself, the pressure is off but I still wanted to pass to get the full house. I have another shooting session and to be honest I let myself down by probably being a bit too overconfident and forgetting the basics. That said I did enjoy one moment of stepping in and demonstrating a curling side foot finish which I nailed into the top corner and had to resist the urge to wheel away to the corner flag to celebrate. I remember just in time that I'm now a coach not a player, instead opting for the wry smile and a nod at the group as if I do that every day. I'm fooling no-one and they all piss themselves laughing.

The theory exams presented their own challenges for the group, primarily remembering things you were told over a week ago and hand writing answers for an hour and a half, something I haven't done since I left university. The first practical exam focused on the content of the lectures such as nutrition, skill acquisition and the role of a coach, while the second was more coaching focused including planning out two sessions on paper.

We congregate for the closing ceremony where everyone's presented with a team photo, a medal and certificate of attendance. All that's left to do now is wait the for the AFC to ratify the results. Those successful then receive their C Certificate along with a log book in which they have to record 50 hours coaching at a suitable level before being granted the C Licence. Then over a two year period, each C Licence holder has to rack up enough credits to hold onto their licence and after those two years those wishing to progress can apply for their B Licence. I return to my room relieved things are over but even more relieved to finally be able to free myself from my trackie bottoms.

The scope of what I learnt over the two weeks has only really sunk in during the weeks following the course. I now don't feel comfortable taking a seat in a bar or restaurant unless I have four props such beer bottles, salt and pepper pots or coins with which to demonstrate "width and depth" to anyone prepared to listen. The more I talk about it the more I'm looking forward to putting it into practice. As the emails rolled in from the other coaches on the course I realise we were probably too busy to appreciate the friendships we were developing are ones that will last for as long as we remain in football.

And as for my promise to myself? I have now been accepted as one the coaches for the under-11 Sutherland Shire Development Squad for 2009 and will be spending Monday evenings developing some of the elite juniors in my area. The season can't start soon enough and I'm looking forward to keeping for the over-35s after my Franken masterclass!

Like many areas of football in Australia, the coaching pathways are still a work in progress. The instructors stressed the content of the course had developed massively from the first group who took it a year prior and was likely to develop again as a result of our feedback. Just as our national and club teams are getting to grips with the challenges of Asia so are our coaching educators getting to grips with making the courses relevant for Australian coaches whilst still adhering to the AFC guidelines. I only hope next year's group get two pairs of tracksuit pants. 

Thanks to all the coaches on the course and Lisa Gatt, who made it all happen.