Coaching a foundation phase team can be a thankless task. As much fun as being on the field running a session, coaching a game and seeing a kid progress can be, a lot happens behind the scenes that most are oblivious to.
Early mornings, miles of travel, field setup, disagreements, chasing payments…the list is endless.
Of course, we put up with these as the enjoyable moments far outweigh the challenges.
That is not to say the enjoyable moments do not have challenges of there own.
Players not turning up to practice, poor behaviour and sportsmanship are just a few.
The good thing is that there are tactics we can use to minimise the negative impact that these challenges pose.
The following 5 challenges have been commonplace with the 100’s of players that I have coached in a 20 year career. The strategies given have been used with successful outcomes for all.
Non Attendance
During my last year in the US, I coached a U12 boys team whose average practice attendance was 7 players.
For 9v9, this was frustrating to say the least.
Game day meant that at least 4 players were not fully sure on what I was asking of them. They had no point of reference from training.
In order to try and manage this, I implemented the following
Setting Rules – Players were guaranteed a minimum of 50% game time over the course of the season. Players who missed any practice in the build up to a game would not be considered for a start.
With this team, 2 would have to start, which I based on previous performance.
Communication – A start of season meeting was held with the parents to explain the rules.
With parents paying $1,000 a year for their children to play, the least I could do was give them all of the information prior to making the decision to sign a cheque.
Similarly, parents were as forthright with me in letting me know ahead of time if their son was going to be unavailable.
Showing Empathy – Some families have more than one child to consider. Single parent families are a norm in the modern day. Family emergencies happen. Friends who haven’t been seen in years may be in town just for that day.
As hard as it may be to hear, there is more to life than football for a lot of kids.
For my U12’s, 2 were playing school soccer (which due to nationwide rules, takes precedence over the grassroots game). 1 missed half a session a week due to being in scouts, equally important in their development as a person.
Another had a parent who would not respond to any kind of message – text, email, voicemail. There’s no a lot the kid can do in this situation.
Behavioural Issues
Before children come to their football sessions, they spend 6/7 hours of their day at school.
That’s 6/7 hours of being told what to do by an adult.
After that, they then head to football…to be told what to do by an adult!
Is it any wonder that some children may misbehave at your session?
I know that I could not handle going through that all day, every day. Expecting that level obedience from everybody is unrealistic. It can be minimised however.
Set your standards – Have some basic standards that are to be adhered to every week. My personal standards are that cones and bibs are to be placed in colour coordinated piles at the end of practice.
Bibs must also be laid out flat.
Players cannot sit on their balls and all coaches hands must be shook at the end of the session. This does not change.
Be consistent – My background as a teacher has allowed me to see that kids appreciate routine.
With low level autism being diagnosed more and more, a step away from this consistency can play havoc with a kids mental state.
Though you cannot control how a kid may act, you can control your own mood and behaviour. Keep that as consistent as possible, along with the rules you set.
Time on Task – Keep track of how long the players are active and standing still. Some coaches are not aware that they may keep players standing still for 40-50% of a session. Players have energy to burn, so use it to your advantage.
Poor Sportsmanship
When you were a child, did you ever throw a tantrum because a game didn’t go your way?
Yeah, me too.
As young children our experience of setbacks is limited. Things not going our own way can lead to irrational behaviour. This is not limited to the youth game.
We’ve seen pro’s have a decision go against them and make a 2-footed challenge in reaction. Young players are learning to control their emotions, and we as coaches can help them.
Leave it – Talking to a child in the aftermath of poor sportsmanship is like having a chat with a brick wall.
You’ll get nothing back.
Emotions are high and the blame game is likely to come out. Leave it until later in the session or even until the next practice, when you are both thinking more calmly.
Ask – Why did they react in that way?
Getting them to talk about the root cause by answering questions will be far more beneficial to their growth than simply telling them.
Some of them may not understand why certain behaviours are unacceptable when things don’t go their way.
Don’t turn it into a group thing – Show the players some respect and talk about it 1 to 1, rather than in front of everyone. They may already feel embarrassed and will appreciate not being made to feel more so.
Players Leaving
“They are not YOUR team. You are THEIR coach.”
I was once told that by a former colleague of mine. It changed my viewpoint on coaching a team massively.
Rather than being precious about “my” group, I started looking at the players I could help for however long I got to work with them.
Feel proud – Some players have the opportunity to play at a higher level.
That speaks volumes about the impact that you have had on their development and the coaching you have delivered.
Instead of feeling upset that they have gone, see it as being proud of a job well done.
Opportunities for others – A player leaving means that you now get to coach someone else.
I had a couple of girls join an FA funded Centre of Excellence back in 2012. That meant I brought in some players, one of which wrote me a letter at the end of the season saying how accepted she felt, the wonders it had done for her confidence and how she had fallen in love with the game.
That was as satisfying to me as the players who were grateful for the chance to play at a higher level.
Acccept reality – People leave in all walks of life. Employment, residence, relationships.
Youth football is no different. Be at peace with it and move forward.
Players That Don’t Pass
“My players are 7 years old and won’t pass the ball…WHAT CAN I DO?!” is a common question among the message boards on social media.
It’s understandable. After all, adults would pass, so why don’t kids?!
I’m sure if you’re reading this you’re aware, kids don’t see the game in the same way that we do.
There are a number of considerations we have to take in order to manage this situation
Understand the mindset of a child – The social mindset of children is a lot different to that of adults.
Where as adults are comfortable in bouncing between different social circles, foundation age children generally have a steady build up of how many people they feel comfortable.
For U8 players, it’s their best friend.
U10 children are comfortable in small groups (3/4) and U12 will have a larger group of friends (6/8).
Tailoring passing practice around this mindset will help encourage players to understand when to pass in a game.
Give them a reason – Lesser experienced coaches will often tell players to pass without giving them a reason why. They will also not show them why it is beneficial.
Kids need a reason to do something.
Instead of telling players “pass to Jimmy” try “look up next time Freddie. Jimmy was wide open and in a better position to score.”
Similarly, demonstrating why it is beneficial in practice allows visual learners to gain a greater understanding.