Sometimes as soccer coaches we can get frustrated with our teams performance and want to shout instructions from the sidelines. Although it may make soem coaches feel good it is counter productive. Discover how to give clear and understandable instructions from the touchline, every time.
We have all watched the trainer who stands by the side of the pitch during a coaching session or competitive match, shouting orders to his players, only for things on the pitch to stay the same.
The orders are bellowed repeatedly but the same thing happens, nothing changes.
In the end up the coach becomes exasperated as he can see what is going wrong on the field but he is unable to communicate effectively with his players, unable to make them understand what he wants changed. Could this coach be you?
If so, here are three simple ways to aid you in communicating better with your squad.
1. Do the team understand what you want them to do?
The team can only carry out your orders if firstly they know exactly what is needed of them. As well as taking in and understanding what they should do, being aware of what they SHOULD be doing is another point.
Assume you've given the full back instructions to push up and assist a winger.
The full back moves up and positions himself near the winger but keeps behind him as he considers his role as mainly a defender. He's correct in thinking his chief job is averting the opposition attacking his goal but he needs to appreciate the advantages of combination play, as well as how he can attempt to make space or create chances for the winger.
As a coach you should set up situations both orally and visually that will allow the players to understand the bigger picture and not just how they should play, but why. This is called positive training and is valuable in helping players learn.
2. Always explain your demonstrations!
Demonstrations are an excellent way of showing the team how to play well and can be made even more so by explaining carefully why this is so. This enables players to make the association.
Using plain and simple language should be the overall objective of the coach.
Most coaches have been around a while and have picked up lots of football terminology but this may be confusing for young players.
3. Instructing during a game.
Three things I find valuable during a session are:
* Conditions
If I want my team to practice a specific tactic, we usually set up a small-sided match with a condition involved.
For example, we may focus on initial passing when positioned in the final third of the field.
to help understand when to use the first time pass I'll mark out the final third of the pitch. We'll practise moving quickly and running when not on the ball by strikers, so they learn to make chances for a first ball directed to them by the supporting teammate.
We'll concentrate on the importance of the player realising where the space is, or where the runner is before he is past the ball so he can strike it. One thing I'll ask everyone is the major plus points of passing first time in the final quarter of the pitch.
I'll want replies such as: greater communication is needed when the game speeds up, the ball moves quicker and you need to see what's going on around you.
* Freeze Work
During a session, I will occasionally shout 'Statues!' The players know to freeze precisely where they are and not to try to encroach on where they should have been.
Using this technique, you can show the players exactly where they ought to have been positioned. Ask them first where they themselves reckon they should have been and this will encourage them to work things out for themselves.
* Directing Play
Sometimes all that's required is to have a quick word with the player when he's running past, to remind him of tactical instructions, or how you'd like him to play.
If a player is on the opposite side of the pitch then what happens? There's no need to halt the match, just shout the name of whatever player you wish to instruct and hold up a tactic board with a reconstruction of play on it.
Illustrate to the player what occurred and ask him how he could have done it differently. Show him how by using the tactic board then get him to repeat what he interprets from it.
Follow the links below to learn more about various coaching techniques you can use and the arguments for and against each method.
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