Davef

“I do extra training every day.  I’ve done that since I was a young boy.” – Wayne Rooney One of my favourite moments as a coach is when player see a situation in a game that has been worked on in practice and provide the solution to make it successful.  It’s a wonderful thing when […]

“Children must be taught how to think, not what to think” – Margeret Mead Many a youth Football team has a player who gets easily distracted.  Just yesterday I had to say the same players’ name at least 10 times as she was looking elsewhere/lying on the floor/speaking to her mate…it’s not an isolated situation

“We can’t improve what we don’t asssess” – Michael Hyatt Self awareness is a skill that few people actively work to develop.  As foundation age coaches, it is a skill that we must possess in order to get the best out of the players we work with, the session we deliver and our own performance. 

“I don’t have time for hobbies. At the end of the day, I treat Football as a hobby. It’s something I love doing” – David Beckham Practice should be enjoyable.  One of our roles of coaching foundation age players is to make sure that players leave our sessions already looking forward to the next one. 

To look at the skills you must develop at U8, click here Receiving on the Back Foot/Half Turn By U10, players are becoming more naturally inclined to pass the ball as opposed to going alone.  This is down to both the social and cognitive natures of the age group.  Children also have increased foot-eye coordination

“The best decisions aren’t made with your mind, but with your instinct.  The more familiar with a situation you become, the quicker, the better your decision will be” – Lionel Messi Skill development takes a long time before it comes ‘instinct’.  As coaches, one of our roles is to ensure that players are learning the