07: Grow Coach Newsletter

Soccer Coaching: Becoming a Better Coach

Just Coach MD

Feb 08, 2024

A warm welcome from JustCoachMD. We are happy to have you on board. We hope you are enjoying our content.

Here is what to expect:

Actionable tips on how to become a better coach.
Session Share: Three-team game practice.
Problem/Fix: Identify and fix a common error young players make.
Spotlight: How to coach turning.
Coach Project: Take some action to help yourself to become a better coach

‘‘Coaching is taking a player where they cannot take themselves’’

(Mourinho, J)

Hitting the ground running is important for any coach. There are nuggets of detail everywhere that support successful coaching. Quite often you will watch good coaches and good teachers and they make it look easy. It’s because they are prepared!!!

4 Tips to Become a Better Football Coach

A successful coach teaches age-appropriate drills and communicates their message. They have a plan of activities and the correct equipment for the players. They can maintain group control and maximize ball-rolling time.

Their session organization flows seamlessly and their drills promote inclusion and contain repetition of the skills players need to be successful. If you can use these concepts, you are well on your way to being a better coach.

‘‘ Before you can coach others, you must learn to coach yourself’’

(Cruyff, J)

01: Coach Age Appropriate Activities

Good coaches recognize that they need to coach to the group's ability. Forget about the adult activities you just saw posted online.

Have the players mastered the basics?
What do the players need?
How can you give it to them?

This will help you to establish what needs to be worked on within the game moment you are addressing.

Once the age-appropriate drills are in place the coach must think about the way they communicate the information. To provide a message that is clear and easy to follow. That way the players can implement what you are asking of them.

02: Coach the Players

Lots of coaches have a habit of just setting the players away and standing back. This is a mistake. When you step back you need to observe the practice. Focus on coaching points that the players require.

An essential part of improving as a soccer coach is getting your hands dirty and being ready to step into practice. You are there to coach and the only way to get better at it is to be present and focus on the needs of the performers.

Remember that there are a few things that can be coached:

The individual could be coached during any drill to support their understanding.
The whole group could be coached about a particular topic.
You may coach a unit or small group during a session.

Neither is necessarily more important than the other. Just make sure you get a nice balance between them all and try not to neglect any of them.

When you stop a session try to:

Make a coaching point.
Ask a question.
Set a challenge.

Try to keep any stoppages brief and to the point. Don’t spend more time on it than it needs, keep these interventions between 30 and 60 seconds. This way ball rolling time is maximized and players get to play.

03 Have a Session Plan

In a nutshell, make sure you come prepared with a range of activities that are age-appropriate and can be progressed or regressed depending on the needs of the performers.

Yes, you must be adaptable but never just turn up with no idea of what you are going to do with the players. Your plan is your map to a structured session. Try to have your cones in the correct place, and try to have as much of the plan set up before the players arrive at training.

This way you do not have to jeopardize the players learning because you could not be bothered to make a plan or you did not set up your space correctly and the players miss out on practice while you have to do it.

04 Have the Correct Tools

Coaches must turn up with the correct equipment to do the job. They must coach an effective session. A whistle is an essential tool, especially if you are new to the role, you will be able to stop and start the session without having to shout or know any of the player’s names.

Cones and disks are also essential to coaching as they are used to map out the areas in which the practices will take place. It is inexcusable not to have clean pumped-up footballs ready for each session. Set up your activities so the players are intrigued by what’s about to come.

The players need the equipment to be at its best to make it easier for them to perform the skills and actions required of them in a game. Competitive games would not be played with flat footballs. Flat footballs suggest a lack of care and look sloppy. ,

Players will complain and it just sends out the wrong message that you are not prepared properly for the session.

BONUS TIP: Play the Part

What is meant by this?

Arrive at training wearing the club’s brand, logo, and tracksuit where possible. This is important for safeguarding reasons and makes it much easier for people to identify who you are. The clothing you are wearing is also a bit like a job interview situation, in the sense that you are expected to turn up clean, tidy, and smart and present a good image of the organization.

Psychologically turning up this way suggests that you are prepared and take care of yourself. From an image perspective, it makes it more likely that you will care about the performers and do a good job with the players you are coaching.

A Final Note

COACHES, The pointers above are fundamental. If you can nail these down you should be well on your way to higher standards of performance. Don’t just stop there; coaching involves many other disciplines you can master. For example, you could focus on the detail you provide or the sequencing of your session activities.

‘‘A coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment’’
(Wooden, J)

Session Share: 3 Team Possession to Score

Aim:

Connect 4 - 6 passes then transfer the ball via the side space into the opposite zone.

Set-Up:

40 by 30 space, plus a 10 by 5 area centrally. Place a pair of mini-goals at each end of the pitch.
3 Teams of 4 players: Two teams keeping possession attacking (blacks) and (Reds) and one team defending (Blues).
Blacks and Reds are positioned in the outer zones of the pitch and Blues start centrally (dashed zone). The outer zones are 6v3.

How to Play:

The ball always starts with the attacking team. They connect 4-6 passes and then pass down either side of the central zone. The attacking team must pass to their player between the goals following each successful transfer of the ball.
The Blues win the ball and score in any mini-goal as soon as the ball has been regained. Blues can only press with 3 players.
Rotate the teams so each one gets to attack, defend, and support.

Problem: Defending a Wall Pass

Do your players struggle to defend against wall passes?

The defender is caught between two minds. Should they approach the passer or should they block the receiver? Quite often the player does neither and gets caught between the two decisions. This allows the attacker to draw them in and easily play around them.

This is a common issue I see with young defenders.

Look out for this next time you are coaching!!!

Fix: Block the Pass, Block the Man, Intercept the Ball!!

If this is something you see, the solution is to encourage the player to work on their blocking. The defender has to try the following options:

A) BLOCK the pass to the receiver then get down the line of the ball to close the space.

B) As the attacker releases the ball, BLOCK the run by stepping into and across the attacker's body.

C) A third option is to INTERCEPT the passing attempt, Encourage the defender to close the ball quickly, and then spread themselves (wide stance), so as the attacker attempts to pass the defender gets the chance to steal the ball as it’s moving between players.

This defender is deciding whether to stop the player from progressing or stop the ball. They cannot let both progress.

Topic: Turning!!

Why is it important:

Quick changes in direction to evade defenders: When a defender plants their weight onto one side of the body it’s tough for them to react to a change in direction. This gives the attacker a little more time on the ball.
Create space and change the picture the player sees: Each turn means that the attacker has a different set of options. If a space looks congested, turning away from the pressure can be a good way to sustain an attack.
Maintain possession in tight situations: The attacker can hide the ball from the defender by keeping their body in the way. Then as they turn they can secure a possession with a pass.
The physicality of the player improves Agile players who can move swiftly around the field. Enhanced balance and more coordinated movements.
Unpredictable: Makes it harder for the defender to anticipate the attacker’s next move.

How to coach it:

Touch: The attacker should take a touch out of their feet. This touch is to get the defender to plant their feet and put their weight onto one side of the body.
Technique: Select a foot surface to turn with and exaggerate the action as though the attacker is going to shoot, cross, pass, etc. Then perform the turn!
Tempo: Once the turn has been performed a fast tempo is required. The attacker needs to put distance between them and the defender.
Target: It’s important that the player completes the next action following the turn and secures the ball for the team.
NB: It is vital that players can turn off both sides. The player must practice turning with their left and right foot. If they fail to master the skill of being able to turn off both feet they will often turn into pressure rather than away from it.

Coach Project

Objective: Design a framework to help players dominate in 1v1 duels.

Task: Use the image below to help, some example content has been added:

Identify the core skills you would like to teach to your players.
Complete the framework guide for 1v1,1v2 and 1v3 moments.

Extension Activity:

Objective: Design an activity that meets your session builder goals. Use the planned activity with your players once you have completed your framework.

Why: To develop your session planning skills and help you plan realistic game-relevant practices. To help you see where a battle or duel could happen on the field of play.

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.