Reader,
One of the beautiful things about football is it can be played in so many different ways. The game can be a subjective beast. Whether it’s different cultures, history, playing styles, formations or tactics, the game can be interpreted in so many ways.
The same goes for the players themselves.
Every individual will have a different movement history, a different training age or background in the game. Perhaps their family played the sport, or maybe it’s the first time anyone in their family has taken up football.
Skills can be transferred from different sports into football adding to a player’s repertoire and of course, players will all have different attributes.
One of our earliest articles was written by PDP Lead Researcher, James Vaughan which examines the idea that “Who we are is how we play” – a worthwhile read on the impact of the environments we grow up in and how we subsequently express ourselves in sport.
This week, I have been speaking to some colleagues about several high-potential players whom I currently coach. It got me thinking about how coaches see players within the game, and how we watch the game.
It’s easy for coaches to want to fix things, or as Professor Stephen Rollnick explains, to be a ‘deficit detective’ looking for things the player cannot do that we coaches (with all of our infinite wisdom, knowledge and qualifications) can improve.
One of my biggest learnings while working in professional clubs in England was to adopt a ‘strengths based approach.’ Within the academies, it is commonplace to recruit players for what they can do, hone in those attributes and make them better.
This doesn’t mean players don’t have areas of development that we need to support them with, but it means we empower players to do what they do best. If you’re a great dribbler, dribble, drive, run with the ball and take players on. If you’re a great passer, put them in positions where passing is difficult, and the player is stretched.
Three things to consider
- Do you design sessions with individuals in mind? Do you put them in appropriate positions based on their attributes or needs?
- When watching players, do you focus on what they do well, or what needs to be improved?
- How do you engage in performance conversations or identify individual targets for players that they can focus on within sessions?
One thing for you to try this week.
Design a session for your team, but within that plan, ensure that you cater to 2-3 individual players, their strengths and give them something clear to work on in line with those attributes.
Challenge them, observe them and provide feedback during or after the practice.
One critical resource on the topic.
Check out this PDP guide on how to develop individual plans for your players.
