Are you coaching the exercise or your players?

Coach is fully prepared and ready for the training session with his team. He has all exercises selected and the whole training plan in his mind. He dedicates his time and effort to find interesting drill to present to his players. Every training step is designed in detail and your file is ready to become a setup. Perfectly organized number of equipment placed on the ground and training is ready to start. What happens next?

TRAINING ON PAPER VS

TRAINING ON THE GROUND

The main aim coach must have is the outcome from the session. What’s the players’ benefits, individually and as a team? On the paper, training session can be the best ever, but what’s actually counts is do players understand the challenge, are they able to respond to the task, and stay motivated to keep trying. The challenges should be set to match the level of the group and not lower, or too high. In both ways players will lose motivation and fail to perform in their optimal performance.

THE SESSION MUST BE SUCCESSFUL FOR THE PLAYERS, NOT FOR THE COACH

Many times coaches prepare exercises that are complex and too demanding for their players. What actually happens is that they end up teaching the way exercise should be performed and not what is the drill about.

Therefore, coaches should select or create exercises that are game related and that they simulate most possible realistic situations that actually happen in every soccer match. In that way, players will recognize situations and be encouraged to deal with them with their skill and talent. Players will find solutions and develop creativity.

Coach should observe the movements and players’ choices and correct them when is necessary guiding them to various options so they can make a choice for themselves. Initially, coach should explain to his players the purpose and objectives of the session and encourage decision making that is related to the timing of movements, selection of skills in particular situation, positive approach of the decision made, no fear of the failure and discipline to correct mistake.

ADAPT TO THE SITUATION

Coach must be able to adapt to the situation. Sometimes we think that session is fantastic and it will work miracles, but that actually doesn’t happen. Good coach will be ready to adjust and fit it perfectly for his team because coach knows his team, its needs and has his own philosophy that he follows no matter what.

EXERCISE IS GOOD ONLY IF YOUR PLAYERS LEARN FROM IT

It is of great importance that coach goes prepared to his session, that he prepares his drills, that he searches for the new ideas and propose variation of exercises. What he must be sure of is that they are only good if players learn from them; players are developing their talent, team is improving and all of that in positive atmosphere.

It is not what we prepare – it is what comes out of it.