The level of play in this country has been improving steadily over the past several decades. Observing the women’s game in particular, one is drawn to conclude that this brings with it the task of attempting to maintain our superiority in those areas of the game that have served as a strong foundation for our success in the past, namely our winning mentality and our athleticism. It also forces us to develop those areas of our game that remain our weaknesses, namely our technical proficiency and our “soccer savvy,” sometimes referred to as “soccer brain” or tactical effectiveness.
In short, we see a lack of creative, problem-solving players who are willing and competent to face the tactical demands of the game. How can coaches develop players into independent, critical thinkers?
Coaches need to match the evolving needs of modern players with evolving methodology that addresses these needs. We need to ask ourselves what type of player we want to produce. Do we want players that are: structured or instinctive? Dependent on the coach or independent? Obedient to instructions or able to solve problems? Focused on the coach or on the game? There is a huge need to develop players that are instinctive, creative, take initiative, express their individuality, are able to think independently, understand options, solve problems, “own the game”.
There are times during the game when player movements and patterns need to be highly structured and disciplined — for example, attacking and defending restarts. However, even in this case the players who succeed are often the ones who are able to improvise or do the unexpected. And because so much of this sport is unstructured and constantly changing, players have to be creative problem solvers during free play moments. The coach’s methodology needs to reflect this element of the sport.
Coach-centered methodology
In coach-centered methodology, coaches often find themselves putting players through drills that require certain prescribed responses and solutions to problems. Here, the focus is on the coach. The coach not only creates exercises and directs the session, but also provides solutions and tells or shows the players how to think. Players thus learn primarily from feedback given by the coach. The focus is the coach’s expectations, and players execute the coach’s directions.
Player/game-centered methodology
In contrast, the player- or game-centered coach quickly gets players into game situations that challenge them to arrive at a technical and tactical solution. The focus is on the player. The coach creates a challenging game environment, and provides options for solutions to solving the problem that the game demands. The coach asks players what they think. The coach’s main goal is to develop independent, critical thinkers on the soccer field. Players learn primarily from feedback given by the game. The focus is on playing, and thus on solving soccer problems.
The coach has five basic methods available for imparting information to players. These methods are often referred to as the “coach’s toolkit”:
- Allow the conditions of the game to coach the themes. Let the conditions of the game bring out a certain aspect or solution.
- Coach the individual within the flow of the game. Provide suggestions as play continues, or pull the player aside (e.g. “Sarah, can you get wider to give yourself more space?”).
- Coach the team as the game continues (e.g. “Can we step together to keep them under pressure? They’re locked in their own end!”).
- Coach at natural stoppages.
- Coach using the “freeze” method.
Games vs. drills
Game-centered training implies that the primary training environment is the game, as opposed to drill-type environments. Practice games are what players actually face during competition. They are 100% realistic. Therefore, players become better at transferring what they have learned in training to the game itself. The game experience takes up 100% of training time.
Many drills are not realistic, so players find it difficult to transfer what they learn in drill environments to the game itself. This is not to say that drills that closely replicate one aspect of the game should not be used in training. Dynamic, demanding drill environments used at the beginning of a practice session often prepare players to play the game by breaking down the complicated picture that the game presents into manageable pieces.
Continuous play
Continuous play in training reflects the real game. It also demands rhythm. Players cannot go all-out for an entire 90-minute stretch. They need to know how to control the rhythm of the game so they can last the entire time. Continuous play also demands focus. During training, players must stay focused for long periods of time, just as they do during the game. To provide continuous play during training, coaches must coach “in the flow” of the game and not interrupt play with stoppages to make coaching points. Feedback on the field provides players with immediate guidance. This feedback applies to the real game and is therefore directly beneficial to players. It also for allows continuous play.
This approach allows the players to solve and “fix” their own problems. If the coach allows for continuous play, players are able to have practice regaining the game when things have broken down. They become better at being able to get from “plan-C” back to “plan-A”. If the coach is constantly “freezing” the action when things break down during play, the players never get the chance to practice this vital game skill, that of “fixing problems” when things have gone wrong.
The balanced approach
The above methods must be balanced and constantly evaluated with the end result in mind: What type of player are we trying to develop? Each of these methods has its place in helping to develop young players. Neither method should be used to the exclusion of the other. Therefore, the most effective developmental model for young players includes a balanced approach that employs direction — for the purpose of clarity (demonstration), structure (rules) and discipline (behavior) — within an environment that also allows players to experience the game (repetition) and encourages experimentation (discovery) and trial and error (lessons). Information and guidance from a knowledgeable coach, delivered at appropriate times during practice and matches as well as off the field, can play a vital role in a player’s development.
When providing guidance to players, the coach needs to keep the following points in mind:
- There should not be so much information that players get overloaded, nor should there be so little that players lack the necessary purpose to make decisions.
- Instructions should make sense in terms of what’s happening on the field and should be based on the principles of soccer.
- Players should be allowed some room to think for themselves, based on what’s happening on the field.
When teaching technique to younger players (U10 and U12), it can be beneficial to give them some amount of directed repetition, especially at the beginning of the session. The coach gives instructions throughout the repetitions of the different techniques and can provide specific examples of how to execute these techniques, through demonstrations and by allowing the players repeated opportunities to practice. This can be done in structured but active exercises involving lots of small groups and lots of movement — no lines or lectures. As the coach moves into the second half of the session, players should then be given freedom to practice these techniques in a free-flowing game.
The above approach to coaching and training will protect the integrity of the process, and ensure that players have the opportunity to continue to develop appropriately, being able to meet the demands of the game. It should be noted, that this is a substantial factor in player satisfaction as one of the factors often cited as to why players participate in sport is “skill acquisition”. This approach not only gives players opportunity to do so, but provides the player with a feeling of autonomy. They are free to expend whatever effort they deem necessary to achieve their goals. It provides the correct environment in order for them to progress.