Reader,
Without a doubt, ball mastery is crucial in supporting young players’ skill development. Not only is ball mastery important in order to play the game, but it supports players’ confidence and competence at all levels.
Scouting or identifying players is very subjective, but when I was working in England, I recall asking scouts what they looked for most in a player technically? More often than not, most would talk about receiving the ball, or the ability to ‘deal with the football’.
I am a firm believer in encouraging young players to be brave and stay on the ball, particularly in those early years.
So often, we hear things on the sideline like “pass it!” Or “kick it out!” Whilst it may be well meaning, this kind of language doesn’t help children stay on the ball, as often they will try to please a coach or parent.
We have to consider what we value in football in our respective cultures. Is it players keeping the ball and taking risks? Or is it playing safe to win an U10 game?
Two things to consider.
- Ensure you have a ball mastery component in every session you deliver. Give players time on the ball to experiment and ramp up the challenge with interference or opposition.
- Can you set players’ challenges to practice at home or away from training? Time on the ball will help their development.
One thing for you to try this week.
- Try implementing one of these ball mastery activities within your practice and see how you can adapt it.
- Get the players to lead in ball mastery sessions, demonstrating their skills and encouraging peer to peer learning.
Tell me how you went! Did you see any positive outcomes? Interesting insights? Hit reply to this email and tell me all about it.
One critical resource on the topic.
Check out this Masterclass Discussion with top academy coaches, Nathan Thomas and Nathan Philip which focuses on developing 8-12 year old players and the importance of ball mastery.
