Davef

“Speak the language that everybody understands.  Instead of me saying he was avaricious, I would say he was bloody greedy.” – Bill Shankly I’ve seen many an inexperienced coach work wonders with a group simply by how they are around them.  Similarly, I’ve seen experienced, highly qualified coach lose the focus of their players as […]

COVID lockdown has given us a great chance to think outside of the box as far as coaching is concerned.  I have used it as a time to get to know more about my players.  This has been done by setting weekly creative challenges to go along with skills challenges, via the Heja app. Among

The Covid-19 pandemic has caused havoc all over and the footballing world has in no way been immune.  While things are starting to get back to a “normal” way of life, restrictions are forcing coaches to come up with creative ideas to help their players develop.  Some have resorted to conditioning activities.  For me, this

Many grassroots coaches only have an hour a week to practice with their players.  Taking lateness, water breaks, explanations and group coaching points into account, it’s not long.  Making our sessions as efficient as possible is going to benefit our players going forward. The following 4 ideas will help you get the most out of

As a volunteer, producing a season plan for your group of players often requires a length of time that is not present in your day to day life.  We all want to give our players the best education and sometimes it is not just possible to do that.  With the current worldwide pandemic seeing all

The current situation around the world has encouraged coaches the world over to be creative in terms of helping their players develop.  Of course more important things are at play here.  That doesn’t mean that we cannot encourage those players who want to continue learning with ideas on how they can do so. Of course,

One hour.  This is all most grassroots coaches have to work with their players during a week.  Sure, there are things we can do before and during games, but ultimately this should be the time for players to express themselves.  It’s really not that much time for us to help our players.  What they do

Planning sessions is a key part of any coaches repertoire.  Knowing what you want to achieve by the end of a session will help your players on the path to achieving success.  A session plan will see you put the building blocks in place to help them progress. Over the years, the way that I

2019 is in the books.  During my end of year debrief I looked over how my coaching has changed.  The biggest differences have been when it comes to gamedays, especially with my grassroots teams.  Even after 15 years of doing this, I’m pleased to say that I’m still willing to adapt to the needs of

“In Futsal you need to think quick and play quick so its easier for you when you move to normal football.” – Pele The idea of Futsal being ideal development tool has been around for the past 15 years or so.  Ronaldinho was seen as the ideal proponent of the game due to his mesmerising

“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