Here you will find lots of great sessions and ideas designed by our expert coaches, to help guide you with the delivery and development of your coaching sessions - and ultimately, to better develop the players at your club.
New sessions will be posted here on a fortnightly basis, for you to use or adapt to suit the needs of your players.
You can also ask our Team for any advice and guidance you need.
Questions
Q. I have entered my team into lots of tournaments this summer, have you got any tips for me on how to keep the players busy/focused during the day?
Tournaments, what a wonderful day out (weather permitting) and a fantastic opportunity for you to get some really focused coaching done. There is no better way for children to learn than to play matches, so imagine the learning potential of a day full of them.
Something you may like to try is to choose a specific focus for your team in each tournament – Let’s take dribbling as our example – now you have an entire tournament to set each and every player some challenges to do with dribbling i.e. “see how many times you can dribble in to the other teams half without losing the ball” your player is now focusing on whether they have enough space around them to complete a successful dribble (factoring in whether to pass or dribble).
Should it be too hard then you can simply change it for the next match to allow them to achieve some success. Now, this may seem like you are not helping your players to ‘win’ but, surely the ability to make all these correct decisions during a match will help them become a better player and team, no??
TIP: If you have a particularly competitive group why not produce a reward chart for your team, and reward stickers for players who work hard / completes their challenges, this way there is a trophy to play for win, lose or draw.
Q. I run an U10 team that have just missed out on the league as we let lots of sloppy late goals in so I want to get the lads fitter so we stop this next year and possibly will win the league. What can I do to make the fitness sessions fun?
Thanks for the interesting question. This subject creates a lot of discussion and especially amongst the coaches of the younger players.
I would answer to suggest various approaches where you can try things and see what works for you. Gone are the days of running children around the pitch doing laps and long queued relays in order to make them fitter.
To keep their concentration levels up and stop them conceding late goals I would be playing lots of repetition and match based practices that recreate the scene of match day such as attack vs defence 5v5, 4v4, 3v3, 2v2 and 1v1 etc and then introducing 'Defending Principles' (individually and as a team blocking, getting side on to show away from goal etc).
I as a defender would say that if the team kept possession better the other team wouldn't have it to score and this will also support fitness and concentration issues as well as the more important 'Technical' aspect (as prevention is better than cure!)
These will have a fitness aspect due to the nature of the game and the intensity of them. I often use their age or the number of players on the pitch I.e 2v2 to equal a 4minute game where they will play this intensely anyway or also 1v1 equalling 2 min's this will build in a specific time to encourage the fitness to come out rather than running them. This is also more fun for the children as the ball and even us as coaches find it more interesting.
I would end the session for the last 15-20 min's in the same size match (5v5 or equivalent) and for it almost to end 0-0. This will help keep your players focused and doing something that's enjoyable and realistic.
Keep varying your sessions with these ideas in mind and I think it will help over time. Please as a note of caution understand that this may not happen for you straight away but be persistent and give it time.
Finally if you like what you are hearing I would strongly recommend keeping an eye out for our summer coach education sessions, as we plan on tackling this issue around the county.
Q. This week my son's team has a big top V second match and the 'best player' is unavailable so the manager has gone and found two replacements from another League for this one match. Unfortunately, my son is the one who will miss out, and he is very dis-heartened by what has happened. Can a manager do this? Can you advise on how I can approach the manager without just coming across as an angry parent?"
I am fully sympathetic to your situation and I can reassure you that you have every right to feel aggrieved for your son. It is an on-going challenge that us as Skills Coaches are trying to overcome where we find managers of youth football teams putting winning ahead of player development and more importantly player enjoyment.
My advice in the first instance is to approach the manager in a calm way, ask if he can explain his decision so you are able to clarify it has been made due to his/her desire to win and not because of any other reason. It may well be worth asking what his/her philosophy is going forward, will it be to develop the committed players he/she has in training every week or will it be to win, win, win.
If you have concerns regarding this then the matter should be raised with the clubs Welfare Officer and it will then be down to that person to discuss with the club officials and manager the club policy around this issue (I would be very surprised if a club didn’t back you).
If none of these strategies resolves the issue then you can contact the County Welfare Officer Robert Peace at rob.peace@suffolkfa.com or by phone 01449 616606 to seek further information.
Top tip
A developmental philosophy has the following benefits:
*Natural progression of teaching your players the right way to play is important
*Everybody feels important, regardless of ability, and grow within a positive environment as a player and person
*Increase self-esteem and confidence which is neccessary to get positive effect
*Keeps everybody in football and sport in general and reduce dropout rates
*Builds up positive relationship between coach and players
We feel if you adopted this approach then winning will often (not always), take care of itself if players are treated fairly, having fun and improving their skills
Q/ I'm 17 years old and am very interested in getting involved with coaching football. Where's the best place to start, and what courses are available to me?
For any 16-17 year old starting out, the JFO (Junior Football Organisers Course) is a great starting point. The course runs for around 6 hours and introduces young leaders/coaches to the fundamentals of planning and delivering sessions.
It also touches on coaching styles and the FA Four Corner Module and the fundamentals of movement. Also as part of the course, a festival is organised to see the candidates coach, referee and utilise the skills picked up whilst attending this great introduction to coaching and leadership. The JFO can be run as either a one day course or as two 3 hour blocks.
The JFO course is predominately run through High Schools but can also be delivered through local football clubs. On completion the student receives an FA certificate and is therefore a great way to 'add value' to their portfolio and CV going forward.
If the young leader is over 16, they can of course attend the Level One Award. Some clubs will help subsidise the cost if the young leader is volunteering at the club. Therefore the JFO may well help secure some club funding prior to taking their level 1. The course remains an important step on the ladder to develop any ones coaching and development.
Also and a potentially more exciting prospect is the new 1st4sport Level 2 Leadership Through Football (QCF) Award developed in conjunction with the FA. This award is now being rolled out specifically for students aged between 14 - 19 years of age.
It covers coaching, planning and evaluation it also has units including; Movement & Handling, Working with Small Sided teams, Refereeing Mini Soccer and running Festivals.
The qualification sits on the Credit Framework so 'credits' towards qualifications such as Diploma's can also gained during the process, and not forgetting successful completion of this 56-90 hour course rewards you with a level 2 qualification!
Any young Leader or young coach getting involved with these projects within Suffolk has the potential and opportunity to join the Suffolk County FA Football Futures Programme.
The Football Futures programme gives the young leader support and further opportunities to volunteer and take part in both club based and occasional Suffolk FA organized activities. Once again this is a fantastic way to develop and add more experience and value to their learning and CV.
If you would like to know more about the Suffolk FA Football Futures programme or the courses mentioned, please contact Sue Wells on: 01449 616606 or at suzanne.wells@suffolkfa.com