04: Grow Coach Newsletter

Soccer Coaching: Developing Resilience

Jan 18, 2024

A warm welcome from JustCoachMD. We are happy to have you on board.

Here is what to expect:

What is resilience plus tips on how to develop it?
Coaching tips and action steps to develop resilience.
Session Share: Three Team Game Squad Practice.
Problem/Fix: Identify and fix a common error young players make.
Spotlight: How to coach feints.
Coach Project: Complete the three tasks to improve player resilience.

‘‘Resilience is being able to Overcome Adversity. You Experience, You Fail, Hurt, Fall, But You Keep Going’’

(Mogahed, Y)

What is Resilience?

Resilience is a set of attitudes, behaviors, and responses to short or long-term adversities. These responses can be expected and normal or unusual and unexpected. In soccer, it refers to a player’s ability to withstand challenges, setbacks, and pressure, both on and off the field.

If Resilience is coming back from frequent struggles. Then Attitude is the ingredient to get you through it. To develop resilience, players must.

Work on things that can be changed.
Adjust to things that cannot be changed.
Recognize that struggle should not put you off your goals.

Truly resilient people move forward despite the struggles and pressures that come their way. This moving progressive attitude is a fundamental feature of resilient people.

It’s important to note that being resilient won’t restore you to your former glory. Instead, the learning and information provided throughout any struggle can change you for the better.

Resilience is an individual response however, it can be influenced by external factors such as coaches and teammates. The more supportive these influences are, the more helpful they can be to the individual’s perception of the situation.

To develop resilience your attitude is essential. You can learn skills to help you adapt to your struggle. The lessons that you learn through challenging situations act as future preparation for those that lie ahead.

The concepts of the article are inspired by the book above by Neenan K.

Benefits of Challenging Situations

The way you see yourself changes: You can go from worried and scared to committed and determined. Often Players don’t know how to make the change.
Support Networks: You get to see who your true supportive influences are. Who is willing to help and also people who are not. This can strengthen your feelings and relationships with others.
Shift your thinking: Challenging situations can help you change your view of something and help you prioritize things.
Experience emotions: You get to feel emotions that maybe you have never felt before.

Tough situations often bring with them negative emotions. It’s important to note when experiencing negative emotions that having a flexible not rigid response is vital to the speed at which you overcome or deal with the challenge.

During these times there is information that needs your attention. The player needs to identify what that detail is and then take action quickly. Negative emotions are NOT the problem. They become a problem when they stop you from taking ACTION STEPS to change.

Making the Most of Bad Situation:

When a challenging moment arrives players can use the following steps to help themselves overcome it. Don’t overthink it, just:

Distinguish between what you can and cannot change.
If the situation can be changed, take immediate, necessary actions.
If it can’t be changed then work on changing your emotional response to it.

Behavior can be divided into action tendencies and clear actions.

For example, let’s say a player has made a mistake and responded poorly in that moment. You ask them about it later and they can tell you what they should have done (action tendency).

The player needs to get to a point where they acknowledge the emotion in that moment but ACT instead of delaying to rectify the situation or struggle with their mistake (clear action).

Manage Your Emotions

Resilient responses from soccer players will often include emotional pain or frustration. It’s tempting for the player to react poorly or not react at all because they do not want to fail/struggle or mess up again. In the short term, this process can work as it avoids consecutive struggles.

This can become an issue for the players as they are teaching themselves that responses to setbacks are unbearable and should be avoided whenever possible. The players will not take the risks they need to to become better performers.

Resilience is forged through challenge, struggle, and the willingness to take it on anyway. Poor reactions to struggle are often the player’s way of avoiding or delaying so they do not expose themselves to setbacks.

IMPORTANT

Players do not have to win/overcome every struggle. Performers will not get to a point where resilience has been mastered and they won’t feel overwhelmed by anything.

Instead, encourage the player to focus on getting their ratio of helpful responses (clear actions) higher than that of unhelpful responses (action tendencies). The 80% of the time helpful and 20% unhelpful responses are a good target to shoot for in building a resilient mind.

‘Resilience is Ordinary, Not Extraordinary’

Everyone can be resilient. It’s not magic, it’s not a gift from the gods, you are not born with it. Resilience is learnable.

How to develop resilient players?

It’s on them:

Players need to take personal responsibility for their journey. They need to acknowledge their pains and struggles. Be willing to use trial and error to overcome (80% helpful,20% unhelpful). Establish their support networks (Coaches can be a great help and offer support).

It is in the doing:

Resilient behaviors come down to action. It involves doing things that make them uncomfortable, or they do not like to do. But they do it anyway for the longer-term benefit the action brings.

Shared Struggle:

Each journey looks different, there is no clear map to success. Players should be open to sharing what they find tough and seeking out actions that can be helpful to them.

Attitude shapes actions:

Thoughts, emotions, and behavior are the three components of attitude. A player's attitude toward struggle involves coping with and processing these factors. Players must be open, flexible, and adaptable to try different methods to overcome adverse situations.

Flexible Thinking:

For players to adapt to new situations, resilient attitudes should be flexible by nature. Accept that struggle has occurred. Identify what is and isn’t under the player’s control to change. Try out different responses to overcome the struggle.

Powerful Thinkers: How the Coach Can Help…

The ABC model is a cognitive-behavioral thinking tool often used in psychology to understand the connection between activating events, beliefs, and consequences.

Soccer coaches can employ this tool to help players manage their thoughts and emotions during challenging situations.

Here’s an explanation:

Activating Event (A):
• This represents the specific event or situation that triggers a player’s response. In soccer, it could be, a mistake that leads to a goal, a bad refereeing decision, or any other event that elicits an emotional reaction.

Beliefs (B):
• B refers to the player’s beliefs or thoughts about the activating event. These beliefs can be either rational and helpful or irrational and unhelpful. Coaches can guide players to identify and analyze their thoughts in response to the event.

Consequences (C):
• C encompasses the emotional and behavioral consequences of beliefs about the activating event. Positive beliefs often lead to constructive emotions and actions, while negative beliefs may result in frustration, anxiety, or suboptimal performance.

Application for Soccer Coaching:

Here are some applications of the ABC tool. Please note that this can be a tough topic to address with players and may require more than a fly-by in training. It will need regular support, encouragement, and implementation.

Observation (Activating Event): Identify a specific event during a game or training session that triggered a notable reaction from the player. It could be a missed opportunity, a mistake, or a challenging situation.
Discussion (Beliefs): Engage in a conversation with the player about their thoughts and beliefs related to the identified event. Please encourage them to express what went through their mind during that moment. Explore whether their beliefs are rational and constructive or irrational and detrimental.
Challenge Irrational Beliefs: If the player’s beliefs are irrational or overly negative, work with them to challenge and reframe those thoughts. Help them see alternative perspectives and develop more balanced, constructive beliefs.
Explore Consequences: Discuss the emotional and behavioral consequences that followed their beliefs about the event. Help the player recognize patterns in their reactions and understand the impact of their thoughts on their performance.
Develop Positive Beliefs: Guide the player in cultivating positive and realistic beliefs about challenging situations. Encourage a growth mindset, emphasizing the potential for learning and improvement.

A Final Note

COACHES, it would help if you were looking to lead your players toward resilient behaviors. Shift their focus from unhelpful thoughts and behaviors to helpful and logical responses.

Help your players challenge their negative thoughts and respond in a controlled realistic way that relates to their current level of ability.

‘‘ALL THINGS ARE DIFFICULT BEFORE THEY ARE EASY’’
(Fuller. T)

Bonus Tip: 3 STEPS to Resilient Players

Here is a strategy that players can use to refocus during challenging moments. It involves 3 steps that the player moves through. This is something you encourage the players to learn and practice over time.

STEPS:

Remind and Step back: Encourage the player to use a positive statement about their mindset that they can identify with ‘Intensity is my Identity’. Get the player to imagine stepping back from the error, or challenge they are facing and repeat their mindset statement.
Refocus and Step Up: Now get the player to refocus by thinking about some actions they can control. Get the player to imagine stepping up and looking down on everything and seeing themselves performing the actions they used to refocus.
Respond and Step In: Finally get the player to respond by stepping into the body of the new refocused player who performs the controllable aspects of their game.

Session Share: Forward Passing and Running

Aim:

Retain possession of the ball and work the ball from blue target to target. Players use forward passing and running to transfer the ball successfully.

Set-Up:

40 by 30 space, place 4 x mini goals on the field, a pair of goals at each end of the field.
3 Teams of 4 players: One team attacking (Blacks), one team defending (Reds), and one team supporting (Blue).
Blacks and reds are positioned centrally and the Blues have two players between the mini-goals and 2 players fixed in the central zone.

How to Play:

The ball always starts with the attacking team (blacks). They use the Blues to move through the zones. Central Blues are restricted to 1 -2 touches.
Blacks must keep one player in the outer zones to offer options of a forward pass, the other attackers must move between the zones.
The Reds win the ball and score in any mini-goal.
Rotate the teams so each gets to attack, defend, and support.

Problem: Sloppy Passing Technique!!!

Are your players sloppy with their passing technique?

Your team has good possession of the ball and it seems like a simple A to B pass. The player passes the ball, it’s slow, off the floor, to the wrong side of the player, it puts the receiver under pressure and slows down the game.

The opponents are now behind the ball and organized, any advantage you had has now disappeared. Poor passing technique can often lead to losses of possession and putting your team under pressure.

This simple technique can be tough to master, don’t let it hold your players back.

Look at the players’ passing technique next time you are coaching!!!

Fix: Fast - Firm - Feet

If this is something you see, the solution is encouraging the player to focus on fast firm passing into feet. Coaches need to laser in on these three areas and challenge players via, skills practices and pressured situations. The coach must observe the players, spot the details the players need then share them.

These fixes are a great way to tidy up a team’s ability to retain possession because the pass the player receives is easier to deal with.

Fast: Relates to the ball speed, make sure the passer gets the ball from A to B as quickly as possible. There are times (the player can’t turn) when a slower pass might be needed. But generally encourage the ball speed to be fast.

Firm: The players should have a locked ankle to ensure the contact with the ball is firm. Striking the ball with a loose ankle reduces the accuracy of the pass. Players should be encouraged to use the insides and outsides of the foot to pass.

Feet: Involves playing accurate passes along the floor to the receiver. Ideally, the pass should:

Put the receiver into a forward-facing position.
Give them more time on the ball.
Give the receiver clues about the next action (turn, set the ball, pause)

Note: Passes do not always need to be into feet. Sometimes passes into space are required (especially when through on goal). Passes in the air are a good way to play beyond pressure. Generally, though fast, firm, feet passes are safer, more efficient, and harder to defend against.

Topic: Feints!!

Why is it important:

Deception: Feints allow soccer players to deceive opponents on the field.
Create Space: They open up tight spaces and create attacking opportunities for players.
Goal Scoring Chances: Feints can play a vital role in and around the box to set up scoring chances for self or others.
Dominating Duels: Feints help the attacker to dominate the 1v1 moment by misleading the defenders.
Maintain Possession: Using the feint is a way of keeping the ball and controlling the speed and tempo of the game.
Adaptable: Mastering feints allows the player to be more versatile on the pitch. Players should try to match their position up to feint moves that suit the type of pressure they may face most often.

How to coach it:

Body: Emphasize sudden, explosive body movements to deceive the defender. Teach players to use their hips, shoulders, head, and eyes in unison to sell (disguise) the feint effectively.
Ball: Use quick footwork and precise touches of the ball during the feint. Highlight the importance of being two-footed as this can make the feints more unpredictable.
Pace: Encourage players to vary their pace before the ball (slow controlled) and after the ball (speedy and explosive), this makes it difficult for defenders.
Space: Exploit the spaces that feints create by driving into them with the ball and committing defenders to come after you.
NB: Timing of feints is essential. Ensuring they are executed when the defender is off balance or they have committed their body weight in the wrong direction.

Coach Project

Part 1: Scale of Mental Intent

Objective: Use a mental intent scale to help players choose where they want to position themselves in terms of performance.

Task: Have the performers look at the following questions and answer them honestly. How good do you intend to be? (Coach does not need to see). Use the prompts with the (%’s) and have the player establish their current level of mental intent.

<40%-50%: Is this something you want to do?

Context: If your intent is here you need to think if this is the sport for you, do you want this, and if so some change is required both intentionally and habitually.

60 - 69%: Are you just turning up?

Context: Bottom of the group, just turning up, easily found out, poor mental habits, poor effort, no determination, a pushover.

>70%: Are you training to train?

Context: One of the many, content with just being there, a sometimes performer who lacks discipline and commitment, and thinks they want to be a player but current habits do not match the intent to move up the levels.

>80%: Are you training to compete?

Context: Intending to be one of the best in our domain, disciplined and committed, perform most of the time, and see myself as the best of the rest.

>90% Are you training to win?

Context: Want to be the best in our domain, resilient and adaptable, second best is not enough, driven to get to the top of the game.

100%: Are you training to dominate?

Context: Being the best a few times is not enough, I want to create a legacy and and have a hunger that cannot be quenched. I want to be the best player at my age and level.

Part 2: Scale of Mental Impact

Now get the players to use the scale of impact to provide an honest answer about their actual performance. (Coaches do not need to see this).

Objective: Use the scale of mental impact to discover where they sit in terms of impact.

Why: There is often a gap between where the player thinks they are and where they currently sit. This is known as the performance gap.

The player needs to bridge the gap between intent and impact.

Part 3: Develop a Mental Blueprint

The following example relates to a player who does not react well when possession is lost. So this is an out-of-possession blueprint.

Mindset: The player needs to develop the right attitude towards the impact they want to make. Example ‘Intensity is my identity’. Mindset is about how the player needs to feel.
System: What is the plan when a loss of possession comes up? Example ‘Regain the ball or Regroup with my team’. The system relates to seeing the problem and thinking about the action required.
Skillset: This refers to the doing element. The action that the player must take to be successful. Example ‘ Reaction to sprint close down and take the ball or the reaction to make a recovery run to get behind the ball.

To discover the content for a player’s mental blueprint. Get the player to finish the following sentence…

‘I would like to be a better performer but it’s an inconvenient fact that…

This will help coaches to discover the aspects of the game their players need help with. The mindset, system, and skillset blueprints can be developed from this.

This week’s coaching project tasks were designed and adapted from the book ‘Perform under Pressure’, by Evans C. (2019).

Please feel free to get in touch or share your ideas, actions, and interventions. We would love to hear from you. If you have any questions post them here and we will do our best to answer them.