The Key’s to a Successful Coaching Session

Today I wanted to focus on a key part of a players development, your coaching session.

Coaching sessions varies for different levels; sometimes it’s one session a week, sometimes 3 or 4. Some teams train for an hour, some 90 mins and other for two hours. The amount of contact time will influence the players development due to quantity of contact, ball touches and play. However I believe all coaches can look at some of the advice and hopefully something in the below helps you to produce a better session. I hope the advice and guidance below is of benefit to you.

Pre-session organisation and planning

If we want to deliver a successful session, then it’s essential that time is put in beforehand to plan the session. What does this mean? What are your objectives and theme? Are you working on counter attacking? Build up play from the goalkeeper? Crossing and finishing? Because your theme should provide the framework and focus of your session. So if you don’t know what you are seeking to achieve, it’s going to be difficult to achieve a structured session which brings out the outcomes you desire. And without good planning, you fall into the classic structure of passing, possession, finishing, game. 

If you put in the time to plan, think about the practices and outcomes, consider how the session theme can flow through varying practices then you have a greater chance of having a positive, flowing and productive session. And the key part of organisation is that the players are more active, you have less anxiety as you know what you are seeking to achieve and the players and your enjoyment is high and positive – which feeds a positive cycle loop of positive energy, enjoyment and higher quality. 

When considering the planning a key element for me is the setup – you want to have your pitch(es) set up before the session begins so that there is very limited stoppages and transitions between practices. This will touch on more below but the key is simple setup, the ability to move two cones to move from a 20x20 box to become a 30x20 pitch. Are the goals in position ready to be used throughout without the need to be moved? I’ve seen players/coaches moving goals around taking 6-8 mins re-setting their pitch for the next part – losing valuable time. 

If you put the time into planning, consider the needs of players, the roles of support coaches, the ability to break off into two groups perhaps, then the session flows and the football is maximised.

 

Welcome and arrival

I cannot stress how important the welcome is for a player. If you’ve been able to setup before the players arrive, they arrive to a pitch all ready for them, and for them it all looks organised and prepared. Compare it to the session which takes 15 mins to setup and the players are waiting for the coach to be ready. Try to be ready for when they arrive – that way you can be accessible, welcoming and talk to the players, instead of stressing and moving cones and goals around. 

If you can’t set up before can I recommend that your support coach does a 10 mins ball mastery warm up with the players while you setup around him. Then the transition is seamless. 

The key here is that you find the time to be a positive host to your session – shake hands, a hug, a high five – whatever works for you. But make sure all players feel welcomed and valued. Put a smile on their face from the beginning. Then feel the energy rise and grow. 

A session which flows

I touch on this above but it’s very important for a successful session that the session flows. By this mean going from one practice to another. Personally I do like the development of a session which uses the format of ball mastery, technical, skill, SSG and believe that if you use this approach, then you continue with the same theme and develop it based around the pressure on the players; unopposed, opposed, format and numbers etc. Using whole part whole has the same element of consistent theme with key objectives to focus on. 

But if you move from one theme to another, if the set up of your technical can’t transition freely into the skill, then you are wasting valuable time and not enhancing learning. Make the session flow and your players will thrive and stay focused. The problem with taking time between practices due to setting up the next one, is that the players lose focus, become distracted and can be hard to switch back on. By not giving them 3-5 mins and instead letting them have 30 seconds drinks breaks and straight back in will gain greater focus and energy. 

Simple and effective practices
I cannot stress enough the importance of using simple practices. And by simple I mean the setup and the rules. If a practice requires 50 cones then perhaps it’s not the most viable. If it requires a complicated pattern of play which the players are confused by then perhaps it’s just too much for them – and even you. You end up explaining more than having the players active. Why not work within a box and create gates for goals? 

A simple setup can be a 35x25 pitch, with a 20 x 20 box in the middle. It creates a middle pitch and end zones and is ready to be used throughout with minimal need to change/alter the setup. Some practices are just overcomplicated with too many cones, too many instructions and can be frustrating rather than enjoyable. They also take away decision making and creativity. For me you should be able to explain the game in 20 seconds and let the players play after. 

High intensity and hard work 

Personally this goes without saying and the importance of intensity and hard work needs to be part of what the sessions I take require. The key about this is that the session plan and structure allows for intensity and that the players are engaged and challenged to work hard. The key is that your session is planned to bring this out. 

And also your role as a coach is to drive the environment you want. If you want intensity do you bring this in your coaching style and communication? Is your body language positive and energetic? Or flat and frustrated? If it’s cold do you hunch over, look miserable and hardly move? What message does this say to you players? You be the energy you want to see from your players!

I always feel that a team reflects their coach – so what do you want your team to say about you as a coach? What example are you setting? 

Lots of active time 
In my previous role as Head of Coaching I carried out dozens of session observations and one of the main issues I had was the balance of active/inactive time. In a 90 mins session I challenged the coaches to try to have just 20% of their session as inactive. Which was 18 minutes. It is amazing how hard it is to achieve this. But as I’ve mentioned the key of session planning and organisation can save and utilise valuable minutes. 

The use of constant drinks breaks after every intervention can become over 10 minutes of inactivity. And the interventions themselves can begin to add up, especially when each one last 1-2 mins. One of the best advice I’ve had was to focus on intervening for no longer than 20 seconds. Work on being concise, precise and focused. The players want to play and ultimately the longer you talk the less they listen. The intervention then becomes a frustration rather than a chance to learn. So you must learn to limit intervention, be quick and to the point. By doing this you maximise the playing time, they are able to get into a greater flow state of focus and enjoyment. 

You control the session in terms of the structure, so seek to maximise it for the players. 

A good tip is to use a stopwatch and time your interventions and break periods.

Ball manipulation

As a strong proponent of Coerver Coaching and their technical skill methods I am a big believer of ball mastery and skill development. Each player to have a ball at the start, to have hundreds of touches early on, to build that technical base. It’s key. And I would do this from the youngest to senior players. There isn't an age when this isn't needed anymore. 

My advice to coaches is to practice yourself and develop your own skills – so that when you demo you have a good ability to show the players. Make sure all parts of the foot are worked on, both feet and incorporate juggling also. The players ability to manipulate, control and master a ball are key to their successful development in the game. Don’t just use this is a ‘warm up’ although it is – focus on this as an important part of the session. 

Your energy and how you frame these practices determines the effort the players put in. 

Use of games – 1v1’s, SSG’s, realistic, goalscoring 

I believe 1v1 and 2v2 games are great for the players. 1v1 games help to develop players ability to beat and evade defenders, using skills and body feints to get away from pressure. They need to be exposed to this to help them improve further. Using a goal or mini goal to shoot/pass in to helps here. Make sure to focus on pressure from the front, behind and left/right side – players then learn how to deal with varied situations within games. 

Small sided games are brilliant and allow for tactical work as well as lots of attacking and defending moments. 

Try to use finishing and goalscoring early on in your practices - I've seen sessions which have two goals available and which aren't used for 75% of the session! Madness! Players love scoring goals, the repetition of finishing is key. Make your 1v1 games with a finish and see your players become more impactful in games.

Block practices

In terms of timings I have to admit that I am really big on precision of timings. As I've said, if the session is planned correctly then the transitions and movement between the practices are layed out and planned. This allows the chance to maximise the work and the active time for the players. And it also allows to make sure the players get at least a 30 mins game at the end. Because lets be honest – the players love to play a match. But if you don’t plan and stay to timings, you end up going over and all of a sudden there’s only 10 mins of the session left. I’ve seen it so many times. And so the players get an 8 minute game! The game is essential, it is as representative of their match day as possible – the learning from the game is fundamental. So we can’t neglect this. So make sure to stick to timings, use your watch and follow your plan. 

And this is where block practices come in. If you want to limit interventions, give the players more active time, allow them to play more, then block your practices. This means that if you are doing a possession game and you said you wanted to do 3 x 3 mins games. Then you don’t stop the session during the 3 mins. You allow the game to develop, the players to make mistakes. They are then able to develop better ability to deal with transitions, to have more repetition and chance to practice  enhancing fitness with continued work over x amount of time, to stay focused on the task, and not to worry about making a mistake without the concern of being stopped and the mistake highlighted (consider how beneficial this is for a player if a session is stopped and the coach highlights the player – especially a young player.)

So using block practices gets so many returns for the player, but it also allows you as coach to drive the practice, or to observe the players without the need to come in to intervene. It also allows you to consider what key point you want to highlight when the 3 mins period is over. During their 1 mins rest this is a chance to put across a key point which can help the players. Or to change a rule to test and challenge the players. Then they play again. I can’t stress how important block practices are for my sessions. And how much more enjoyable the players find them. You certainly get a greater intensity. Adjust the timings accordingly. 

Quick turnover, limited lines, 

This is a common complaint that many observe in coaching sessions. The use of long lines, limited balls and therefore very little chance for much repetition due to a poor setup and a lack of planning. When I’ve observed individual players in these moments I’ve seen a player work for 20 seconds and rest/wait for 4 mins due to the line and waiting for his next go. I’ve seen it when there’s two goals and they only use one. I’ve seen 1 ball used when 10 are sitting there. I’ve seen one coach set for every player and get more touches than any other player in the team. It can be easily fixed. Play 1v1/2v2 games with two goals – decision making, realism and a chance to create/score and defend. The repetition is high. 4 players involved at a time, in a group of 12 would mean a rest to work ratio of at the most 1:2 and if done well could maximise their contact time and play. Make two pitches and play 3v3 x 2 – utilising two coaches (these games don’t necessarily need a coach to facilitate - trust players to play themselves) and importantly lots of play and limited waiting. 

Be more conscious of how much waiting your players are doing. It will help their enjoyment and quality. 

Lots of competition
Competition is not a bad word. In fact is the key part of an intense and enjoyable session. Football is a game and there are goals to score and scores to keep. You can create competition all the way through – keepy up and ball mastery challenges, 1v1 battles attack vs defend and SSG’s with 2/3/4 teams. 

Keeping score is a key part of this element as a coach – if you don’t know the score, or can’t keep track of it then you lose the competitive edge to the game the players are in. My tip however is be flexible about the competition, you can manipulate the competition to bring out consistency. For instance if one teams 6-2 on the first game, you now create a best of three format and see who can win 2 games. Whereas if it’s closer you might choose to use an aggregate and half time approach to keep the close game going. Having an element of flexibility allows for a strong and dramatic finish – allowing both teams to potentially win, for a player to be a match winner and for the players to leave the pitch buzzing because the final 5 mins were intense, close and enjoyable. 

Of course some won’t like losing, but that is where you provide the lessons of process over outcome and teach them the importance of learning to lose with class and dignity, while learning what they could do better next time. 

Embrace competition. You’ll create a vibrant energetic environment with competitive players who understand what it means to compete.

Freedom to try things/be creative – skills/expression
I can’t stress the key element of allowing creativity and letting players be skilful. So many times I’ve heard criticism of players attempting moments of ingenuity, or trying a skill they’ve been working on. How will they master and develop a skill if they never get a chance to practice, make errors and refine it? If we want creative players we must create an environment which allows, promotes and support skills and creativity. Long term this will bear so much positive development and expression. Be patient, nurture the talent and don’t criticise. Make your environment a place where players feel confident and able to express themselves – then you’ll develop confident and creative players and people. You create the environment remember. 

Use of positive communication 

Following on from allowing players to be expressive and creative, make sure you focus on what and how you say things. Communication has been found to be 55% body language, 38% tone and 7% the spoken word. So how you say it and the way you say with your body will be more important than the words spoken. So what does your body language say about you and how you react to good/bad moments? How does your tone change when positive/critical? And how do your players react to it? I actually think a coach should try to be genuine and authentic, not try to be false or be someone they aren’t – but be the best version of yourself. 

Try to work on your communication – how you react, how you speak to players as an individual and to the group as a whole. Even how you act around parents. Again, how you act and what you do will create your environment. Use a video camera to film yourself at training and games and see what you do which you didn’t realise. Analyse, reflect and seek to improve. There’s nothing wrong with personal development. 

Make all players feel valued and appreciated

There will always be players who offer different value in a team, who score the goals or defend better, there are some who lead the team, communicate, bring positive energy, makes other laugh. Some players hang on every word you say. Every player is an individual and is different in their own way. My advice is to make every player feel valued and appreciated. Speak to all of the players, not just your favourites. Make the subs on the side feel part of the team - use them when on the side - analyse the team/opposition and find value and importance from being on the side. 

Try to cultivate an environment where everyone is supported and respected, you’ll have a happier, positive and more supportive team. And then in the bad times the players will stick together and not blame each other. Remember this is a social activity and they want to spend time with their friends, yes they want to win, but they want to enjoy themselves. This could be some of their best memories. Make sure you do your best with them and make them look back at their time with you with feelings of happiness and joy. 

De-brief and relfections 

At the end of a session it’s a good time to reflect with the players about what you worked on, anything that came up for them or from your perspective and to consider what you will seek to improve next time. Highlight the positives and make sure every player is wished a pleasant farewell. Thank them for their time and effort. And leave with a smile.

As for you, later that night, reflect on your session, what went well and what could have been better. Did you do well with your setup, timings and communication? What could you do better next time. Because that’s what it’s all about, for players and coaches, just seeking to improve each day. Don’t be hard on yourself, stay positive and keep improving. 

 

Matt Whitehouse @M_R_Whitehouse