Re-evaluating The Coaching Approach

How would you describe the environment of your last training session? Was it a learning environment? Did your players get the objective? How long did it take?

Are You A Gambling Man, Coach?

Indulge a completely unrealistic scenario, because this is what it's going to take to become a more effective coach. You have been called up to run ONE training session, and you have 30 minutes. Following your session, your team will play on live television. If they win, you will be venerated as the world's best coach, a million dollars will be prize money for the team and you can a managerial contract with any team you like for the next 10 years. If they lose, not only is the whole world watching, but you will lose your credentials and never coach again, not even as a volunteer. High stakes? Make them higher with whatever stipulations you like.

This proposition should get you thinking. Would you have the team run laps for 10-15 minutes to warm up, like you are doing? How about dribbling around cones? Coaches do not always maximize the time available. We spend a lot of time on things that are not important. But we've done them for years, so they must be right. Besides, they were part of practice sessions when we played. That shows how important they are. Right?

If you wouldn't have time for it in the 30 minute high stakes scenario I painted above, you don't have time for it now. Drop it and focus on those things that really affect the game. And not just the outcome either, but the process. Throw the team into a circle and have them pass the ball around, one touch. An inaccurate pass or two touches gets you in the middle. Work to get the ball back. Split the team into several circles so that everybody gets lots of touches. Turn up the heat by saying the ball must be won back in less than 10-15 passes. In a few seconds, you have set it up so that your team has to practice passing, control, marking, adapting, and a lot of running if you're the guy in the middle. Most of all, the team has a bit of fun while their at it.

NEVER PUNISH PLAYERS WITH "FITNESS." Running is a necessary part of the game and your players should never see it as a punishment. They need to associate running with improving their game so that they will run on their own. Instead use positive reinforcement. Reward the player who enters the circle the least number of times with choosing teams, the captaincy in the next game. Whatever works for your team.

Proceed to your situations:

• 1 v 1, 2 v 2
• 2 v 1, 3 v 2
• Work on your drills/plays- whatever you have prepped. 

Is It The Kids, The Way You Teach Or Where You Teach?

Because we are so concerned about our players mastering the drills, more often than not, we tone down the intensity of practice sessions. I want to suggest a continuum of intensity that all coaches should use. A safe, slow environment where we, as coaches can interrupt the game to manually move players and re-issue instructions is perfect for teaching new drills. It means the team can grow and develop injury free (hopefully), since nobody is flying about with two-footed tackles against their own team mates. In practice, the pressure we have have to deal with is nothing more than the 'learn from your mistakes' kind. We get do-overs. Training is absent the threat of losing the tournament if you miss your penalty. There is none of the emotion of playing when refereeing errors (whether intentional or not) are costing you the game. We all believe in building  players' self-esteem, so we employ the psychological tactic of compliment- criticize (constructively!)- complement. We correct in the most positive way, giving supportive feedback, loudly applauding the willingness to learn.

On game day, on the other hand, the atmosphere isn’t as forgiving. When the result is on the line, coaches, parents and even the players don’t always display the same level of patience or forgiveness as they do in a training environment. In these situations, players suddenly find themselves uncomfortable and anxious. Stress anyone? In an attempt to alleviate their stress, they forget what they learned in training and fall back on the habits of their comfort zones. That's why the drills performed perfectly in practice breakdown. "We practiced that, didn't we?" To put it simply, they don’t know how to adapt their comfort zone to react to the situation while also applying the new skills they learned in training.

This discussion on the effect of safe, low-intensity practice vs. volatile, high stakes game situations is intended to highlight, the obvious fact that these environments are different. How coaches and players respond in each is different. So why do we fail to acknowledge this so consistently? Why do we not account for it? This is the art of coaching.

Here are some suggestions.

Internship. This is the whole premise of sending players out on loan. We've seen it countless times, maybe done it a few times ourselves- playing a team several classes lower (or years younger). A thrashing is guaranteed, boosting team morale. But that morale will collapse as easily as it came because the skill level is not developed. An equally matched opponent will not be easy to bully and team might win, but will struggle. A better skilled/conditioned opponent expose your weaknesses so blatantly you will feel as if you haven't done any work at all. To leverage the idea of internship, send two or three of your players to play with a team a level higher. Obviously, it helps of that team's coach shares your philosophy. The will come back with a greater sense of responsibility, and nuances of the game that are difficult to produce in a practice environment. If you chose well, they'll be better skilled too.

A second look at internship is to play against teams of better quality. Note that research suggests that if the difference in quality between the two is too big, the lesser will not be able to learn anything. The trick is to find an environment Gray Cook describes as 'the edge of ability.' That means the tasks at hand are challenging, and they produce manageable mistakes. The boost in morale that comes from winning, or putting up a good fight (even if your team loses) is matched with an increase in awareness and skill. The excitement is palpable when players discuss how they almost (or did) win a battle with a player they know to be bigger/stronger/faster because the difference between them is not overwhelming.

The last suggestion is the simplest. Most youth coaches have players that play the game, but have no interest in watching it. Yet as coaches, we make time to watch the pros. Next time you have a tournament, see how close to the time your practice session starts most of your players will arrive when they could arrive earlier and watch others play. The emotional ride of supporting a team through a penalty shoot out; of knowing Manchester United could not possibly beat Barcelona (I knew that in both Champion's League Finals) but pulling for them anyway; or being a Crystal Palace fan for 1 day, knowing that if they do the impossible- take a point or three away from Liverpool, then the old enemy will be denied the Premier League championship for yet another year; insert your own emotional roller coaster here- most young players haven't a clue what this is like. Encourage your players to watch more games. They might learn a thing or two.

Acknowledge the differences in practice and play environments. Acknowledge the differences in yourself and your players in the environments. Harness them. You might find everyone defining new comfort zones, under pressure or not.