Coaching a youth football team


Norman King

Background and situation

Norman King coaches a youth soccer team of boys under 14 years old. Professionally he is the Client Services Director for International Financial Data Services, and he has used his learning from the football environment to help him improve the way he coaches his staff at work. Norman s formal training as a coach was on an FA Coaches course; he has also learnt from doing it and watching other coaches, including those who have coached him.

Football coaching is an excellent example of a situation when you are concerned with the overall performance of a team; the coaching of individuals is based on getting each to improve his or her performance in order to achieve the team s targets.

The process

Norman describes the process he follows as a stepped approach, focusing on developing basic skills such as ball control, passing etc. He starts with the basics and then gradually increases the degree of difficulty, trying to improve each boy s performance without making it so difficult that he loses heart.

The coaching takes place during practice, where the team will participate in different exercises and tasks , after which they will receive feedback on how they have performed. He also uses the actual games as an opportunity to observe their play and review the team s performance.

Positive aspects of this approach

The advantage of using simulated exercises followed by ˜doing it for real means that the boys have a better understanding of the context in which they need to use their skills. Being able to relate their learning to reality and match situations resulted in a deeper understanding of what they were doing and why; consequently their performance improved.

Challenges faced

Norman s challenges in coaching the football team were about getting to know the individuals “ who would respond to encouragement, who could take criticism. Some members of the team have learning difficulties, so Norman had to find ways of explaining the same thing in several ways and be sure that the messages the boys heard were the messages he intended to communicate.

Learning

  • Keep it simple.

  • Plan and prepare sessions.

  • Don t tolerate non-triers “ everyone can have a go, and to learn they must try something.

  • The enthusiasm and positive attitude of the coach transmits to the coachee ; it is therefore very important to display these attributes.

Top tips

  • Watch the experts.

  • Plan and prepare your sessions.

  • Be positive and enthusiastic about your subject “ this will transmit to your coachee.

Advice for the coachee

  • Ask questions if you are not sure.

  • Practise in real situations

  • Be committed.

Authors comments

Coaching is coaching, regardless of the environment in which it operates. A similar process can be followed in coaching people to improve performance in business, sport or hobbies.




The Coaching Handbook. An Action Kit for Trainers & Managers
Coaching Handbook: An Action Kit for Trainers and Managers
ISBN: 074943810X
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 130

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