Quiet on the Sidelines Mark Potter Head Football Coach, Bangkok Patana School without distraction. This is something that has stuck with me.
Be loud during the week, quiet at the weekend.
I
have been questioned a few times as to why our coaches are quiet on the sidelines as opposed to some of the other coaches we play against in fixtures and tournaments. I would like to take this opportunity to offer some insight and hopefully give some clarification on what may be occurring.
Concentrate without noise Over many years of observing my wife drive, she will often listen to music, the radio or a podcast while driving. She then goes about singing along or offering her thoughts on what she is listening to. This is always the case until she is lost or needs to park - then she immediately turns off the radio. At first, I thought it was quite sweet and never really questioned it, until one day I asked her why she had just turned the radio off - she told me to “shut up” and proceeded to park. After she parked, I asked her again and she said that having no noise helped her concentrate THE FOBISIAN: June 2021, Term 3, Issue 36
My previous job before arriving here was working with elite players back in the UK in a Premier League academy. My old boss Paul ‘Noddy’ Holder had a few clear maxims that he expected from his coaches, one of which was "be loud during the week, quiet at the weekend”. I have brought this ethos with me to my role here at Bangkok Patana School. In training, I have asked our coaches to be loud and to reinforce key messages from the session's topic (similar to a learning outcome within a classroom), taking the time to speak to everyone; as individuals and in small groups. We should be descriptive and prescriptive, setting the highest standards using technical but age-appropriate language. In matches, I have asked our coaches to observe and offer positive reinforcement, whilst adding 'reminders' only when needed. I have asked them to control their emotions, to never raise their voice to a shouting level, and to only use their 'coaching voice'. On occasion, especially during festivals for the younger children in our programme, I have asked them to observe from afar, giving the
players opportunities to learn, play and make mistakes with absolutely no fear.
To remind and not chastise Reminders come into play when a young player continues to make the same or a similar mistake over and over again, in this instance, I have asked the coaches to offer some guidance on how to get out of that predicament. This should always be done calmly and fairly without showing any frustration or exacerbation. They should address the child by name first (so they know you are talking to them) and offer clear and concise information. Reminders also come into play when one of our players are not representing our school appropriately or not displaying the right levels of commitment, hard work and attitude. Some children require these reminders more than others!
Your role In my experience, I have found that during match situations (playing against external teams) young players have far too much to think about without having to respond to and action the instructions from the adults on the side-lines. This is their opportunity to show their learning. This is their opportunity to succeed or fail (both are fine).
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