“How do I improve the communication in my players?”
“I can’t shut my players up away from the pitch, yet they say nothing when they start playing. How do I make them do it?”
“What tips have you got to get my players talking more?”
It’s a safe assumption to make that most coaches have asked these (or variations of) questions.
It’s understandable. Communication is a vital skill for almost any activity that involves a team. It’s also a skill that a lot of young players are not comfortable with and a lot of coaches struggle to effectively teach.
What Does Good Communication Look Like to You?
Communication, according to the dictionary, is “the imparting or exchanging of information by speaking, writing, or using some other medium.”
Therefore, it is not limited to talking.
Hand signals, eye contact, active listening, voice tone, body language and even movements off the ball contribute towards effective on-field communication.
We must also ask the following questions
Do we want players calling for a pass, or will saying the players name allow them to be heard more?
When is the right time to call and the right time to stay quiet and signal?
Is the player on the ball lifting their eyes or playing with their head down?
Will our players organise others off the ball?
What kind of communication takes place when we are out of possession?
Until we are able to define what effective communication looks and sounds like us, it will be unrealistic to expect our kids to pick it up
Once we know exactly what we are looking for, there are strategies we can use to help develop this.
Create an Environment that Allows Players to Talk
We’ve all seen (and probably been) that coach who calls kids in at Half Time and does nothing but talk.
Additionally, I’m sure we have all had a practice session where the players have no input into the coaching points.
I’d even go as far as suggesting that we’ve uttered the words “I keep telling them to, but they don’t do it.”
Many of us appreciate that mistakes are part of the game and as such we allow, even encourage players to make them. We know that they facilitate learning so the environment we create fosters that.
Communication skills are no different. If we allow players to talk, they will. If ours is the only voice that matters, they won’t.
So how can we do this? Consider making Q&A coaching a key part in delivering your coaching points. Rather than telling them the answers, ask them if they know.
If the answer is one word, see if they can develop on that and explain it more.
During games, ask players thoughts at half-time and full-time. What did they do well? What do they need to improve? How would they change things?
For those in the U11/12 age bracket, step away for a few minutes and give them chance to discuss how things have gone before asking their thoughts.
Encourage Different Forms of Communication
A lot of coaches feel that communication is limited to talking. As we’ve already stated, this is not the case.
Let’s take a look at the following scenario
You have a player getting ready to make a run forward to receive a through ball. The player marking them is on the inside, with no idea that they are ready to move. Do you
– Want the receiving player to scream “PASS!” and alert the defender to their position?
– Or make the run, signaling where they want the ball to played?
As with most things in football, there is no right or wrong answer here. Many will prefer option 2, to highlight a different form of communication being effective.
Each individual has a different personality trait. Similarly, everyone is at different levels of their development in terms of game understanding.
They may not feel comfortable saying anything during matches.
Going a step further, a player that I coach went through a period of wearing a hearing aid. The visual side of communicating was vital to her during that period.
Think about how your players can use hand signals to show what they want from their team mates and how your practices can implement this.
Put The Onus of Big Decisions on Players
Do you allow players to choose who the match day captain will be?
How about choosing the game plan for the day?
Have you been brave enough to allow them to select the starting line-up?
As a coach, it’s not easy to give up control. This is magnified when things might not be going well in games. I know I’ve fallen pray to that.
The question we have to ask ourselves is why, and when we ask that question, we must dig deeper than the surface answer.
Our role is to help children improve and grow. That goes for all aspects of the game.
At a recent session, some of the players told me the area was too small to have success.
My decision was to leave my ego at the door, take on board what they said and make the area bigger. The quality of the play improved dramatically.
Ask & Observe, Don’t Tell
“I keep telling them, but they just don’t listen!”
“I’ve told them a million times but they just don’t do it!”
Why keep telling them then?
Some say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
Despite this, coaches continue to pull their hair out when the kids they coach don’t act any different.
The 70-20-10 rule suggests that 70% of learning takes place through experience. Only 20% takes place through social interaction and 10% through formal education (coaching).
With that in mind, how we structure our sessions and coaching delivery will support our learning objectives.
Make sure you are taking the time to step back and observe the session. See what is happening and if you can note any visual communication taking place.
If you do (or don’t), step in and ask the players what they can do better and how they are going to do it. Support these answer with the why.
It will take time to sink in. Gradually, your players will show the communication characteristics that suit them.