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SOCCER ASSESSMENT WOULD YOU LET PLAYERS JUDGE YOU?

WEEKLY

SOCCER COACH GOALS Learn • Train • Develop • Enjoy

GOALS GOALS SCORE LIKE AN ALL-ROUNDER

TURN&GO DRIVE FORWARD PLAY FROM MIDFIELD

April 10, 2013 Issue 311 • $4.99/£2.99

BETTER CORNER KICKS DANIEL STURRIDGE THE LATEST LIVERPOOL GOAL SCORER <

SOCCER TRAINING

WAYS TO

THE BEST COACHING SESSIONs

SOCCER SURGERY YOUR COACHING

HOW IMPORTANT IS IT?

EVERY WEEK!

GET GIRLS PLAYING

PROBLEMS SOLVED BY THE EXPERTS

VIDEO NASTY SHOULD YOU ALLOW YOUR GAMES TO BE FILMED?

Contents

The Importance Of Training WEEKLY

SOCCER COACH GOALS Learn • Train • Develop • Enjoy

April 10, 2013 Issue 311 • $4.99/£2.99

BETTER CORNER KICKS

GOALS GOALS

< DANIEL STURRIDGE THE LATEST LIVERPOOL GOAL SCORER

SCORE LIKE AN ALL-ROUNDER

TURN&GO DRIVE FORWARD PLAY FROM MIDFIELD

SOCCER TRAINING

WAYS TO

THE BEST COACHING SESSIONS

SOCCER SURGERY YOUR COACHING

GET GIRLS PLAYING

HOW IMPORTANT IS IT?

EVERY WEEK!

PROBLEMS SOLVED BY THE EXPERTS

VIDEO NASTY SHOULD YOU ALLOW YOUR GAMES TO BE FILMED?

Soccer Coach Weekly Issue 311

Soccer Coach Weekly is published by Green Star Media Ltd, Meadow View, Tannery Lane, Bramley, Guildford GU5 0AB, UK.

Telephone

+44 (0)1483 892894

Editor Chris Hunt chris.hunt@greenstarmedia.net

Head Coach David Clarke david.clarke@coach-soccer.com

Contributors James Evans, Andy Greeves, Louis Massarella, Mike Vincent Illustrations Mike Ronald Pictures Action Images Production ATG Media Production Designer Jamie Leeson Publisher Kevin Barrow kevin.barrow@ bettersoccercoaching.com

Customer Services Duncan Heard duncanh@greenstarmedia.net

To advertise contact Peter Coltart on +44 (0)1483 892894 Download media pack & contact here To subscribe to Soccer Coach Weekly call Duncan Heard on +44 (0)1483 892894 or subscribe online here

How often do you hear your players say “I can’t do that” or “I’m not good enough”? It probably only happens with the ones who don’t think it’s necessary to turn up for training. I was recently asked by a parent for my advice. Apparently the child was chosen for the school team, but the sports teacher was unhappy because he didn’t try in training sessions. “He feels he’s much better than the others,” the parent told me, “and he feels he shouldn’t have to train with them.” The school had dropped him from the team and his mother asked my opinion. Well, I cannot comment on what a school did but if you can’t be bothered to go to training, you will pay in some way. For a child to realise their potential, whether it’s in the classroom or out on the pitch, they will have to put in many hours of practice… and if they don’t, someone who has no natural talent can easily surpass them. My advice to the parent was to encourage him to do the training and to try other non-school teams to see if it was the coach and his methods that he found off-putting. But I made them understand that without training, his development would suffer. I remember a couple of seasons ago one of the teams I was coaching could only use a practice pitch once a month. It was nowhere near enough time to coach anything useful. The

In this issue...

SCORE FROM ANYWHERE

If you want your strikers to be all-rounders, look to Daniel Sturridge

SCORER

PASS MOVE SHOOT

Give your players the chance to score goals from varying distances Teach your striker when to shoot and when to tee up a team-mate

6 GET GIRLS PLAYING

England captain Casey Stoney offers her tips to engage girls in soccer

PLAY FORWARD

If you want to influence the tempo of a game, then Yaya Toure is your man

Practice makes perfect for young players

Picture: Tom Childers

SOCCER ASSESSMENT WOULD YOU LET PLAYERS JUDGE YOU?

“It is vital that young players are given the opportunity to develop” team started the season well because I got the parents to bring them to an outdoor pitch I had use of and they started the season in good form. But when the nights got dark and it was necessary to use a floodlit pitch, again the team had nowhere to train apart from the once a month training. They began to struggle during games and as the opposition advanced, they stood still. The parents and organisers of the team put their collective heads in the sand and refused to budge on the matter. It was a season wasted. It is vital young players are given the opportunity to develop and, in the case of the boy at school, that the parents encourage the child to go to

8 TURN and GO

A game to teach your midfielders how to drive forward with the ball

training. This is one of the reasons I spend hours creating sessions that players find fun and make them want to come back to week after week. The learning points of the sessions are brought about in many cases because the players are enjoying training and putting effort in. As a coach you need to make sure your sessions are not only getting across the coaching points you want to make but are enjoyable for your players so they want to come back next week.

David Clarke

TIP OF THE WEEK

9 FAST FORWARD

Show your players how to catch their opponents out of position

10 WORLD OF COACHING

Your stories from the strange and wonderful world of coaching

11 SOCCER SURGERY

Your queries answered, including advice about whether to allow players to be filmed

12 THE BIG DEBATE

Two grassroots soccer coaches debate whether to let players assess their coaching abilities

Create A Strategic Plan Teams lacking long-term forward planning are leaving themselves open to doing the same thing year after year. If you want to improve your team you must make time to think about critical issues, including coach education and player development.

Issue 311

SOCCER COACH WEEKLY

GOALS GOALS GOALS Sturridge shows his versatility in front of goal

Score From Everywhere If you want your strikers to be versatile all-rounders capable of finishing from a variety of positions on the pitch, just look to Liverpool newcomer Daniel Sturridge for inspiration

t’s no coincidence that Liverpool look a much more dangerous side since the signing of Daniel Sturridge in January. Despite never quite becoming a first-team regular at Manchester City or Chelsea, the 23-year-old is an excellent all-round attacker. And, as he proved when he scored eight goals in 12 games on loan at Bolton in 2011, given a run in the team, he can be a prolific goalscorer. Sturridge has always been a player of great potential. Asked what his strengths were when he first broke into the Manchester City squad, he said “dribbling, goalscoring and all-round finishing. I also have good vision on the pitch”. Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has been prepared to go even further. “He’s going to create chances. He’s got searing pace and power.” But perhaps Sturridge’s best quality is his ability to take up various positions across the forward line and score many different types of goals – something your

strikers would do well to take note of. As a youngster, Sturridge says he modelled his game on number 10s like Pelé and Maradona. At Chelsea, he was often deployed on the right side of a three-man attack, cutting inside onto his favoured left foot. More recently Sturridge has said his best position is centreforward, but as every striker will find, being able to play in all of these positions can only be a good thing, no matter where on the pitch you start the game. Against Manchester City in February Sturridge played as a central striker behind Luis Suarez, but often appeared in the inside-left channel, where he could receive balls in front of him without having to break stride to bring it on to his left foot. His excellent chipped finish against the UAE for Great Britain at the Olympics came from such a pass. Against City, Sturridge proved he could finish with power as well as precision, picking the ball up 25 yards out in a

position normally occupied by Suarez and smashing in an equaliser. If you want to have your players scoring like Sturridge, then variety is key. Have them following these drills and they will soon possess the confidence to finish from anywhere.

Words by:

Louis Massarella Activities by:

David Clarke & Mike Vincent

RESPONSIBILITIES OF A STRIKER What does a striker do? It may seem obvious but if your players have a better understanding of the role it will help them become more all-round attackers. > Shoot at every opportunity with accuracy and power > Drive forward in possession of the ball – get on half-turn to link with advancing midfielders/wingers > When midfield has possession, move across the line of defence to create space for the ball to be played in to > When players in wide areas cross the ball, attack cross by finding space between opponents > Use creativity in tight areas in and around penalty area > When defending try to pressure defenders on the ball, forcing them to play back or wide

Issue 311

SOCCER COACH WEEKLY

GOALS GOALS GOALS

Scorer A testing training session that will give your players the opportunity to score goals from varying distances and using different kinds of finishing shot

WHY USE IT

A great functional practice to encourage forwards and attacking midfielders to score from varying distances and angles. It highlights fast and efficient movement in the attacking third of the pitch and will improve your players’ composure in front of goal.

The session starts with an attacker going 1v1 against the defender, using a skill to get past to set up a chance at goal

The defenders in the centre can only move when the attacker’s shot either goes in the goal or is saved

After shooting at goal 1, the attacker has to beat the two blue defenders in the centre to get to the ball set up by the crosser and shoot at goal 2

The attacker must finish past the keeper with an accurate shot into one of the corners of the goal

SET UP

Set up the practice in the attacking third of the field. We have used four defenders, two ‘crossers’ and four attackers. You need balls, bibs, cones and two goals, with a keeper in each.

HOW TO PLAY

The attacker dribbles at the defender, cuts infield, and finishes on goal 1. Straight afterwards he makes a penetrating run to meet a cross and finish on goal 2. He then becomes the new crosser. Defenders provide varying degrees of pressure to close down and track the movement of attackers. Practice alternately takes place from left and right sides of pitch.

TECHNIQUE

Players must attack the defender at pace, creating sufficient space to shoot quickly. Subsequent movement to finish from the cross should be timed and angled appropriately. It is critical the attacker gets in front of his defensive marker to attack the ball.

Now the session is run the opposite way. Try to make sure your attackers use different feet to shoot with as the session changes direction

Activity by: Mike Vincent

Player movement

Ball movement

Shot

Run with ball Issue 311

SOCCER COACH WEEKLY

GOALS GOALS GOALS

Pass Move Shoot This is a great session for getting attackers to be open to the pitch and it will help your striker learn when to shoot and when to tee up a team-mate

WHY USE IT

This session is all about recycling the ball through midfield to get it to a target player, who has the option of passing to a supporting player or taking on the keeper himself.

Players B and C start at the centre cone and must react to a pass to the outside cone. Here player B has received a pass from player A

Note how player B has turned his body so he can see both the passer (player A) and the player he is going to pass to (player D)

SET UP

Use half a normal pitch, with a goal and a keeper. Place a cone just behind the D of the penalty area and one on the far side of the centre circle. Put three cones across the pitch half way between the penalty area and the centre circle, with one in the centre of the pitch and the other two 10 yards either side.

As soon as he has passed the ball player A must run to take the place of player B in the centre, ready for the next round of passes

Player D receives the ball from player B and passes to the outside cone for player C to run on to. Player D then takes Câ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s place in the centre

B A

HOW TO PLAY

Players must work around the cones with player A starting in the penalty area and player D in the centre circle. The other two players (B and C) must start by the middle of the three cones. The ball is passed to the outside cones and B and C must react to the their respective passes.

Player C receives the pass from player D and then passes to the new player who has replaced A at the starting point

TECHNIQUE

Players B and C must be able to see A and D, who are at opposite ends of the pitch. Play builds up to a striker who must use skills on the edge of the area to set up a scoring opportunity by turning and shooting or using the support player.

A C

The player turns and attacks the goal, using a supporting run from player C if he needs to. Once the shot has been taken the move begins again

Activity by: David Clarke

Player movement

Ball movement

Shot

Run with ball Issue 311

SOCCER COACH WEEKLY

THE ART OF COACHING Casey Stoney captaining Team GB at the Olympics

Ways To

Encourage Girls To Play Soccer

Casey Stoney has won over 100 caps for England and captained Great Britain at the 2012 Olympics. She is also a qualified coach and has worked at the David Beckham Academy. Here she offers SCW her tips for keeping girls interested in soccer 02 BE POSITIVE

03 WORK WITH SCHOOLS

As a coach you need to make your training sessions for young female footballers as enjoyable as you can. Sport is such a powerful tool for engaging youngsters and by putting the focus on fun, it will hopefully allow girls to fall in love with the game and want to remain involved with it for a long time. Be patient, allow for mistakes and in a match environment don’t put pressure on your players.

A positive attitude is essential to encourage youngsters to keep wanting to come back to train and play. I’ve worked with some of the best coaches in this country and at club level I constantly feel I’ve been encouraged, nurtured and that I’ve learnt from my experiences. Telling girls “well done” and “you did x, y and z well today” is so important. At this age it’s all about your players having a smile on their face.

I do a lot of work coaching kids in schools and it’s great. Engaging with schools is very important for coaches, as it helps in the process of encouraging girls to play the game and join up to teams. In my experience, schools are very supportive of coaches getting their pupils involved in sport and in countries where girls’ football is still seen as slightly taboo, like in England, it helps it appear normal instead.

04 TALK TO PARENTS

05 TRY SOCIAL MEDIA

06 SPICE IT UP

The main message for parents is the same as for their daughters – girls are playing football to have fun. Talk to the parents of your players and tell them what a crucial support they are. Encourage them to be positive about their girls playing the sport and not to be too pushy or critical about their performances. There is nothing more demoralising for a young footballer than being told off by their parents after a match.

Social media is a very useful means of communication for girls and for spreading the message that football teams are out there waiting for youngsters to get involved in the game. I’d certainly recommend its use as a coach, as it will also let parents and schools know about where and when you train, when you are looking for new players and crucially, they can get in touch about bringing their youngsters along.

While you really don’t want to be critical of a youngster, or create a pressured environment, in my experience girls do like challenges and they enjoy any exercises that have a score attached to them. Counting how many goals each girl scores in shooting practice, or how quickly they can dribble round cones, can certainly increase the tempo and help add to the enjoyment of the training session.

> Casey Stoney is promoting the Danone Nations Cup, a global grassroots soccer competition to inspire children to get active Issue 311

SOCCER COACH WEEKLY

Interview by: Andy Greeves

01 MAKE IT ENJOYABLE

TURN and GO Yaya Toure: set to drive play forward!

Play Forward If you want a player who can influence the tempo of a game, who can receive the ball and instantly drive the play forward, then Yaya Toure is the man to emulate

ne of the basic principles of ‘pass and move’ is for the ball rather than the player to ‘do the work’ as a team shifts possession swiftly from back to front. Even in a fluent passing team though, the most obvious way to take a game to the opposition is with your players carrying the ball forward and looking to exploit the space in front of them. While conservative players will look to play a pass sideways or hold their position in a defensive area of the field, more dynamic individuals will always be looking to advance themselves and the ball. Take Manchester City’s Yaya Toure for example. As soon as he collects a pass, he’s off up the field with it, or looking to instigate fast, one-touch passing exchanges as he continues to move forward. With this approach to the game there is little surprise he is one of the Premier League’s most influential players, scoring nine goals for City and making a staggering 11 assists as they won the title last season.

Gary Neville once described Toure’s bursting runs forward with the ball as being like “a wipeout”. Key to this ability to ‘turn and go’ is his diligent surveying of the pitch in front of him – knowing where to find the space ahead helps him to exploit it. This means a key message that coaches at all levels of the game should pass on is the importance of players keeping their heads up and looking around as often as possible in a game. When you run a training session, make sure your players are concentrating on what’s going on around them if you want them to play like the Manchester City star. But it’s not just about awareness. “In England you need everything: power, strength, tackling, running,” says Toure. “The tempo level is very high. You don’t have the same time to control the ball and look to see where your team-mate is.” According to Toure, a player’s ability to burst into the space ahead is also reliant on power, physical strength and acceleration. Often a midfielder will

collect a ball with their back to play and can expect instant challenges from the side and behind. Having good upper body strength and balance will help your players perfect a skill that Toure is noted for – holding off opponents before rotating and changing direction to advance quickly forward. So, if you want your players to perform like Yaya Toure, it’s partly about power, strength and poise – and partly about plenty of time spent practising the drills on the following pages.

Words by:

Andy Greeves Activities by:

David Clarke

“Big Yaya Toure is some athlete. Do not be fooled by his huge frame. When he switches into top gear, that package of strength and power takes some stopping” – Jamie Redknapp assesses the skills of Yaya Toure

Issue 311

SOCCER COACH WEEKLY

TURN and GO

Turn And Go An end-to-end game to teach your midfielders how to pick up the ball and drive forward with it, creating attacking openings for the team in the final third of the pitch

WHY USE IT

The midfield players run this game. They must be the creative ones who receive the ball in all areas of the pitch and, either through team play or individual skill, get it into the attacking third.

Set up an area of 50x40 yards with a goal at each end. Split the area into three zones: two end zones of 20 yards and a middle zone of 10 yards. You need bibs, cones and balls.

HOW TO PLAY

This is an 8v8 game, with three defenders and a keeper in the back zone, two midfielders in the middle zone and two players in the attacking zone. Defending and attacking players are locked in, but midfielders are free and must press the opposition to win the ball and move it into the attacking zone. They should work through the three zones, always aiming to take the ball forwards.

3v2 2v2 2v3

s 20yd

s yd 40

SET UP

Play starts with goal kicks into the defensive zone only. The ball must be played from the back to start the forward movement of the team

s 10yd

The midfielders can go anywhere in the three zones. Here one comes to help out a defender before attempting to turn and take the ball forward

s 20yd

Here the red midfielder wins the ball and his first movement is forward, building irresistible pressure on the opposition

The forward movement has created an opportunity that the attacker takes on, moving into a position to get a shot away

Swift forward movement by the midfielders has created a 4v3 overload in the final zone and results in a goal

TECHNIQUE

Midfielders should be in a position to see the ball and both goals. This helps them make forward moves on and off the ball to get their team moving in the right direction. In counterattacking situations the midfielder should turn and go with the ball, catching the opposition on the back foot.

Player movement

Ball movement

Shot

Run with ball Issue 311

SOCCER COACH WEEKLY

TURN and GO

Fast Forward Fast forward movement puts pressure on the opposition as they try to win the ball back. This is a great session to show your players how to catch opponents out of position

WHY USE IT

Set up an area of 40x30 yards with goals at each end. The midfield is split into two sides of 15 yards each. Use an 8v8 including keepers split into zones: two defenders and the keeper are in the end zone, two midfielders are in the middle zone, and one attacker is in the final zone. You need bibs, cones, balls and goals.

s 10yd s 20yd

s yd 15

SET UP

s yd 15

The challenge of this session is for players to receive the ball in a position where they can move forward, just like Yaya Toure does. This means they must have their shoulders open to play whenever their team has the ball. This enables them to see the target in front of them and the player with the ball.

The goalkeepers play out to the defenders on their right hand side and play must go down that side

As the attacker operates alone, he must be on the move ready to lose the defender so he can receive the pass

s 10yd

Players should use skills to win the midfield 2v2 battle. Here a one-two opens up the chance to pass to the attacker

HOW TO PLAY

The attacker must play what he sees. Here there is only one defender to beat but sometimes it will be two â&#x20AC;&#x201C; he must negotiate an attack on goal

The session involves two balls at once and starts with the goalkeepers playing down the right hand side of midfield. Play goes both ways unless the ball is lost, when defenders can find two attacks coming their way. If the ball goes out, return it to the nearest keeper.

TECHNIQUE

Players have to look for cues, triggers and body shapes to read where team-mates need support, making the session very game specific.

Player movement

If a team loses the ball on one side of the pitch their defending zone could face two attacks at the same time

Ball movement

Shot

Run with ball Issue 311

SOCCER COACH WEEKLY

World Of Coaching

HAVE YOUR SAY When we debated whether coaches should allow young players to head the ball, your responses flooded in… > I don’t encourage my Under 9 girls to head the ball. It’s dangerous and several studies have established that, but you will only notice the brain damage at a later age. It should be forbidden until at least 18. I train my girls with light balls, as I think it is better to head with good technique than to let it just bump on your head. Arjen Florijn, Amsterdam > I let them head but I don’t actively encourage it or expect them to do so. Mark Finney, Stoke > I’m discouraging heading until 12 years old, though I did introduce proper technique. At younger ages we try to keep the ball down. I want to teach players that the first instinct should be to control the ball. I’m doing this both for health and technical development reasons. Scott Arnold, Irwin, Pennsylvania > Kids should be able to head but teach them to do this early, though obviously emphasise that keeping the ball down is the key. I’m not one of the ‘wrap them up in cotton wool’ brigade. Where will it all end? No tackling, no kicking as the ball too hard? Alistair Jones, Carlisle > Coaching technique is the key with regard to finishing with the head, or even moving the ball with it – all with the purpose of keeping possession or putting the ball in the back of the net. Heading to just head and creating a 50/50 ball at best is worthless. My motto is: ‘With a Purpose’. David Fry, Ligonier, Pennsylvania

It’s not good to be outnumbered

Two Players Short Of A Team Recently our Under 15s played a side that, like us, are relegation strugglers. With a full team I had hoped to beat them but we started with only eight players instead of 11, although after 10 minutes of the game a ninth player came along. Once he was on the pitch we played a 4–3–1 formation. I stressed to the team that they should keep four men in defence at all times. We actually played quite well, as we have two skilful lads who continually took on the opposition and held the

Scoring Shocker When 12 players from our roster were recruited to play in a tournament one weekend, it left our varsity with only nine players, including just four starters. I went with a 3-4-1 formation, with our backup goalkeeper as the lone striker. For four of our players this was the only game they played all season and just five players were in their regular positions. Our starting goalkeeper and sweeper managed to organise our three-fullback line brilliantly. We pulled offside traps successfully 16 times and our keeper played the match of his season, recording 25 saves. I was very proud of the team. Still, we tired at the end of both halves and lost 7-1, but I was shocked that we even scored. Troy Stegenga, Hollandale, Minnesota

ball up. Our defenders fought for everything but we finally conceded around the 20-minute mark and went in 3-0 down at the break – actually it should have been six. We told the players not to worry and that they should just enjoy the game. Early in second half we scored from a penalty, and with 20 minutes to go we got it back to 3-2 from a corner. I would have been happy with that but we equalised with five minutes remaining. They piled on the pressure and hit the bar, and we

had a goal disallowed for offside, but in the final minute we somehow nicked the winner. It was the best team display I had seen at any level. There was no great coaching involved, just a desire from the lads to win the game. We had been working on possession and one-touch drills in training during the week and I feel the ability to keep possession with quick passing was one of the keys to the victory. Johnny, North Dublin

QUOTE OF THE MONTH “Your confidence comes from your quality. If you take out your weak points, you will be more confident and perform better” – Words of wisdom from soccer legend Johan Cruyff

Emergency Fixture Have you ever had a game ended by a medical emergency? We were losing 3-1 recently when one of the opposing coaches said he felt faint and dropped to the ground. An ambulance was called, much to the distress of his son who was playing in the game, and as the coach appeared to be slipping in and out of consciousness he was rushed to hospital. We heard later he had suffered from a mini stroke but thankfully would be fine. Although our opponents offered to replay the game, as there were only a few minutes remaining we let the result stand. But it was certainly a dramatic way to end to a game. Alistair, Suffolk

Why not share your touchline tales from the world of soccer coaching. Email editor@soccercoachweekly.net or Tweet @SoccerCoachWeek Issue 311

SOCCER COACH WEEKLY

Soccer Surgery

Your Questions Answered THIS WEEK: Advice for a coach whose players aren’t making the most of dead ball situations, and an expert opinion on whether you can film your matches

Q “ Can I legally

film the matches involving my Under10s and publish the footage online?

”

Parents and coaches often want to be able to celebrate the achievements of their children when taking part in sporting activities through taking photographs or videos. And raising the profile of your club online is an important thing, as well as providing important ‘proof’ of all that time and effort. With only a few exceptions, local youth leagues shouldn’t want to prohibit you doing this, but most will certainly recommend that appropriate and proportionate safeguards should be in place to ensure a safe sporting environment for children and young people. The concerns often centre around images or footage encouraging grooming of children, or being adapted for inappropriate use, and though the likelihood of this is extremely small, the publishing of any sort of content must be agreed by the league committee and, of course, the parents of all players involved (including the opposition). And don’t forget to consult the players too! If you’re naming players, it would also be a good idea to use just first names, and always undertake a full accreditation procedure so that all footage is registered and properly stored. Many coaches get real benefit from videoing their players in action because it can act as a fantastic coaching aid, and this should be encouraged. Just, at first, be absolutely certain that everyone is ‘in the loop’. Answered by Matt Jones, from the England Child Protection In Sport Unit

Try a different approach to corner kicks

Q “ What are my players doing wrong with

their corner kicks? Our deliveries rarely beat the first man and very often just drift out of play

It’s not too clear from your question, but I suspect the problem here arises out of the fact you’re asking your corner taker to hit the space in the middle of the penalty area with each kick. Simply, you’ve got little chance of this happening on a regular basis. Kids below the age of 13 won’t have the power to get the ball to travel that far, and any footballer at any level will lose accuracy the further he is asked to kick the ball, so it’s no surprise that some corners drift straight out of play. If I were you I’d abandon the idea of trying to get any cross to go straight into the box. Instead, I’d construct a number of different short corner routines. Not only will this mix things up tactically, it will also enhance players’

”

technical control and passing skills in tight areas, and you’ll also be able to spread around corner-taking responsibility, rather than always giving the dubious task to the player who supposedly can kick the ball the furthest. What’s more, your players will love practising short corner routines in training. These practices are useful because they’re conducted in a confined space (the corner spot is bordered by two touchlines, after all), and players can apply what they learn to match situations in other areas of the pitch. Answered by Huw Williams, a youth soccer coach from Merthyr Tydfil with over 20 years experience

GET YOUR SOCCER PROBLEMS SOLVED If you have a coaching problem or a training dilemma that you want the experts at Soccer Surgery to cure, send your queries to Soccer Coach Weekly…

editor@soccercoachweekly.net

Issue 311

SOCCER COACH WEEKLY

THE BIG DEBATE

Would You Let Players Assess Your Coaching? THIS WEEK’S DEBATE: Would you welcome the idea of a 360 degree assessment, whereby players have the opportunity to assess your coaching performance in much the same way as you do theirs?

NO, DON’T ASSESS COACHES

YES, ASSESS COACHES

Michael Green West Worthing FC

“Who are the best people to analyse your performance? Is it fellow coaches, or parents, or the kids themselves? Personally, I’m sure it’s the latter”

“

I think if you’re going to get the best out of your players you’ve got to all be on the same level, and there must be a mutual respect that comes from the ethos that ‘we’re all in it together’. Teams governed by fear are often those with divisions – not only between the players and the manager, but between team-mates too. If you’re all on the same level then you should be feeding back opinions to one another. In my opinion, my job is to be a life coach as well as a soccer coach. And key characteristics of the way I think kids should behave are passion and honesty. As long as no one is overstepping the mark, it’s much better to have things out in the open and not to hide opinions.

A 360-degree appraisal should also help the players better accept constructive criticism or advice that comes back at them. Because everything isn’t one-way and if they’re able to make their own observations, they’re much more likely to take on board your comments regarding their own improvements going forward. And really, who are the best people to analyse your performance? Is it fellow coaches or parents, or is it the kids themselves? Personally, I’m sure it’s the latter. I think for most coaches there will be significantly more praise than there is criticism. And if there are complaints about training, or anything else, wouldn’t you rather know about your team’s areas of concern and have the chance to act on them?

HAVE YOUR SAY

”

Would You LET Players Assess YouR COACHING? Visit our Facebook page and log your vote at www.facebook.com/SoccerCoachWeekly or email your thoughts to editor@soccercoachweekly.net

“

Bradley Buck San Felipe, Arizona, USA

“Kids will find reason to criticise not only you but anything else they can think of – running around the pitch, even the fact they have to train at all!”

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of – running around the pitch, passing squares, retrieving missed shots, and even the fact they have to train at all! At the end of the day, a seven-yearold doesn’t know what’s best for him – that’s why he’s the player and you’re the coach! If you encourage this sort of 360-degree assessment you will end up entertaining viewpoints you simply don’t agree with. You won’t action them and the kids will wonder what the whole point of the exercise was. On top of everything else, I don’t know many coaches who have the time to start organising these sorts of assessments. There are quite enough other things to do, and surely any spare time should be spent practising key skills?

I think you need to keep a level of authority in youth soccer or the whole thing falls down. At the end of the day you are the coach for a very good reason and you need to impart your knowledge without criticism. If you start accepting criticism for the way you do things, some children will undoubtedly seize on this and demean the things you want to teach them going forward. Why would you want to encourage a potentially disruptive element from within the team? It’s a great compliment to suggest that your players are on the same wavelength as you, and have an understanding of the reason why certain things are done, but it’s just not true. Kids will find reason to criticise not only you but anything else they can think

HOW YOU VOTED

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Here are the results of a poll we ran in a previous issue of Soccer Coach Weekly, when we asked the question: Would you run a training session without a ball?

14% said yes 86% said no Issue 311

SOCCER COACH WEEKLY

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