Despite all the knowledge that we have at out fingertips in 2018, the sight of youth coaches acting like John Sitton on the sideline in games is all too familiar. It’s not entirely their fault. Courses don’t prepare new coaches well enough for game day coaching. It is an entirely different beast to practice. When all a coach really has to go on is their experience as a youngster, you can empathise with their behaviour.
When I started game day coaching for the first time, it was like I had a playstation controller in my hand:
“Pass to that person!”
“Run here!”
“DRIBBLE IT!”
I rarely let my players make a decision and treated every game as if it was MY World Cup final. Thankfully, through trial, error and working with around 400 coaches over the past 13 years, I’ve been able to rectify this. My style is now a lot more beneficial to players development and as such, their success on the field.
The following 6 ideas are staples of my game day performance.
Make your Pre-Game Routine Consistent
A lot can go on in a child’s life to affect their mood on a Saturday or Sunday morning. They could have had a bad week at school. They may have had no breakfast. It could be the day after a sleepover, meaning a 3am bed time. Any one of these things can have a player away with the fairies upon arriving at the field. As coaches we cannot control this. What we can control is making sure that our pre-match prep is as consistent as possible to ensure the players are in the right headspace come kick off.
My personal plan is as such
Arrive 1 hour before kick off
45 mins before – Warm up starts
Dynamic Activties for 10 minutes (1 minute per movement)
Water Break 2 minutes
33 mins before – 1 v 1’s for 8 minutes
Water Break for 2 minutes
25 minutes before – Passing and Receiving/Possession Play for 8 minutes
15 Minutes before – Starting line up, Game Plan and Referee Check
7 Minutes before – Combination Play to Goal (2 v 1, 3 v 2, 4 v 3)
2 Minutes before – Team huddle & water break, reminder of the 5 rules (Work hard, listen when spoken to, don’t be afraid of the ball, don’t be afraid of mistakes, enjoy it)
1 Minute before – walk onto the field
Kick Off
I’m very regimented with my pre-game. Warm up starts 45 minutes before kick off with no excuses. If players are late, it still starts. The cones are set for each activity in the 15 mins before the warm up actually starts. Covering 1 v 1’s, possession play and combination to goal allows the players to work on the 3 key attacking elements that I want my teams to have. More importantly, it helps generate the competitive spirit and will to win that we want on the field when the game starts.
By naming the team before the last activity, it allows the units (defense, midfield, attack) 5 mins to get accustomed to working with each other prior to the game. Finally, the team huddle is important to relax the nerves before we start and remind them that the qualities that I want them to show are more important than just winning.
Everyone will have different views on how to set up their game day routine. If you feel a defending activity is needed, then throw it in. But keep it in there every week.
Cone out your Formation
Having worked with children on both the Football pitch and in the classroom, it is evident that many don’t know their left from their right. It is something they will learn over time, but it does not always come straight away. I have also seen adults have near nervous breakdowns due to the fact an 8 year old, who has been asked to play “left midfield”, has wondered over to the right side. They have been unable to comprehend that a youngster doesn’t know the same as a 35-year old!
Game day is stressful enough for young players. There is an awful lot going on, so helping them understand what we are asking beforehand benefits everyone. A lot of coaches like the whiteboard, but my preference is to lay the cones in front of them in the shape we are due to play.
I first saw this from Tom Bray, a former colleague of mine who was using it at a tournament by the Jersey Shore. It allowed him to stand his U9 team in their starting positions, rather than just showing them. It also gives freedom to move players around. For example, if I want to highlight the overlapping defender, I can ask them what happens in a certain situation. Rather than just giving me a verbal answer, the players can physically show me on a micro scale. A rehearsal of the movements in a game.
The cone formation also allows our left-right players to see who should be where in relation to where they are standing. By U12, this shouldn’t be an issue, but for U8 & U9 players, it can be very helpful.
Speak to each Player Individually
This is a fairly new development for my game day routine, but one that I have found has great benefits. As much as we want our players to operate as a fully functioning team, we also have to consider that we are working with x amount of individuals. As a result, each individual has their own needs. Where one player may need to keep their focus, another needs to slow their game down. One player might just have to carry on where they left off, another needs to think about their passing technique.
Calling these individual challenges out during the team talk is not a good idea. Most children don’t enjoy being highlighted in front of others, unless it’s for something good. Even though your intentions are to help them, the opposite is often true. A small improvement to you can seem like an insult to them, especially if they have had a rough day.
Using the 1 v 1 section of my game day warm up, I pull a player to one side and let them know the one thing I want to see from them as an individual in the game. The 1 v 1’s don’t need much coaching – it’s all about creativity. I can trust the players to get on with it, hence speaking to individuals at this point. Players get personal attention, which makes them feel appreciated and I get my message across without embarrassing them. Win-win.
Guide your Players with Effective Communication
Many coaches are excellent on the training field. They put on good sessions, give good feedback and information and leave the players feeling a real sense of achievement. Game day comes around and that goes out of the window. The way that they communicate with players is by way of instruction (do this), fear (DO THIS!) or the mis-conceived say nothing and let them figure it out.
Young players need guidance. They do in practice and also in games. How we do this as coaches, can have a huge impact on how they enter the youth development phase. Think about your game day communication. Does it include the following
Asking questions
Giving feedback post-decision
Explain WHY you are asking something of them
Cover visual and verbal communication
Asking Questions
I once had a player who had been conditioned to stand at the edge of the penalty box to defend her goal, while the rest of the team was in the opposition penalty box. Naturally, I wanted those playing defence to push up to the half way line when we were attacking, yet this girl would stand at the edge of the area.
“Holly, where should you be?”
This was a common question asked 9-10 times a game for the first 7-8 games of the season. It seems simple, but by asking the question and giving Holly a chance to answer, she got the sense of accomplishment of figuring it out for herself. Had I taken the route of telling her to push forward everytime, he dependence on me to tell her what to do would have increased.
By the end of the season Holly was wearing the captains armband and pushing the rest of the defense forward with her.
Giving post decision feedback
I am sure we have all had or seen that coach who felt the need to tell players what to do when they have the ball. I know I used to hate hearing my coach telling me to pass it to so and so. There was enough to worry about with the opposition, my team mates and the ball at my feet. I didn’t need or want to hear his voice. With that extra noise (and two left feet) my decision-making was average at best.
Post decision feedback has the benefit of allowing players to see the result of what they chose to do. They have an outcome to relate the feedback to. They can take the information given and either tweak what they need to do next time they are in that situation or it supports the positives of their decision. It is also a time when they are likely to listen to what you have to say, with less going on for them to think about. Man Utd have a rule in their academy where players can only be spoken to when the ball is out of play for this very reason.
Explain why you are Asking Something of them
Going back to my earlier example with Holly, it wasn’t enough to keep asking her the question. After she had figured out the answer and started to push forward, I would remind her “when you stand at the half way you can win the ball back quicker if we lose it and if allows an option to pass back if the team needs it.” I could have done with a dictaphone!
Giving young players the reasons WHY they do something is what makes it stick. If they need to look up next time, tell them why (can see whether to pass, dribble or shoot). If someone makes a good pass, explain to them why it was good (body shape, weight, accuracy, technique). It’s no different to explaining to a child why touching a hot iron is a bad idea, or why showing respect is a good idea. If we give them a reason why, it makes far more sense.
Cover Verbal and Visual Communication
For technical based coaching points, demonstrations are vital. The field is a big place with a lot of noise. For a player on the far side, they might not be able to hear every word you say. By demonstrating what you are asking (check their shoulders more for example), players can put together the words you are saying. For players who can hear clearly, they still may mis-construe your point. They may not fully understand Football terminology. They might still be thinking about what they have just done, so are not fully present in the moment. As communication is made up of more than just the words we speak, additional actions will support your message.
Sit Down, Stand Up
Sitting down when coaching a game for many is a difficult. Football is an emotional sport and emotions make people restless. I used to be like a chihuahua on ecstasy in my early coaching days! I couldn’t keep still. Thankfully, age and experience has shown me that this is not the way to coach youth football.
At the already mentioned Jersey Shore tournament, Tom Bray (really no surprise that this guy took a team to a National Championship Final in 2017) and I had a discussion about the how much we should stand in a game. He highlighted that he only stands when he had something to say. Outside of that he didn’t want the kids feeling his presence on the sideline when they were playing.
Having adopted this mentality ever since, I can confirm that it works a treat. The players are more relaxed and my coaching points are more streamlined and clear. By sitting down I also find I have more focus on what is happening, as I am not concerning myself with what I am saying or just the ball. Instead, I observe the whole field, so that when I do speak, 3/4 players are being impacted instead of one.
For those without benches at their home field, these pop up ones work a treat and give your subs somewhere to sit and view what’s going on as well.
Half Time Feedback
“What do you think you’ve done well?”
“What do you think you need to improve on?”
Before I say anything at half time, I always ask these 2 questions. For the development of creative, motivated, intelligent players, it is important to get them to think about these things. They have, on occasion, made a point that I have missed or forgotten about, which is of great assistance to me. People like to be heard as well and this gives an avenue for players to air their thoughts, positives and grievances.
Too often the first words that come out of the coaches mouths at Half Time are “gather in and listen up.” After 30-40 minutes of hard work, the kids first thoughts are most likely “I need a drink.” Their focus is not with the coach. Putting the onus of communication on them allows that focus to steadily come around. By the time they are done talking, they are all engaged and ready to hear what feedback you have for them.
Any other tips? Leave them in the comments box.