Articles by Coach Frank
Reader,
One of the biggest challenges coaches face at all levels is ‘managing difference’. Players develop at different rates, they will have highs and lows when it comes to performance and within a team setting, players will need a different challenge point at different times throughout their youth football to maximise their potential.So what does this mean in practice and how do we go about it?The appropriate challenge for one player might be significantly different for another. With…
Reader,
If you’ve followed PDP for a while, you’ll know we have constantly tried to shine a light on the dangers of premature professionalism, discussing topics like specialisation, talent identification, growth and maturation, sports psychology, relative age effect and how to develop high quality environments for children. Player development is a complex melting pot and at times, youth football can get all too serious too soon.As the world-game continues to grow and the amount and…
Reader,I am lucky to be working in a role as Head of Coaching at a club with a great group of engaged and curious coaches. This means that every week, I spend time working with, observing and feeding back to coaches working from U13 to senior football.One area I am constantly focussing on is supporting coaches to ensure their practice design is realistic, that it looks like the game. When speaking with coach developers, and through my own experience in formal coach education,…
Reader,
Over the years of interviewing hundreds of experts for the PDP community, one question I have consistently asked is “what are the key characteristics of an effective coach?” The answers obviously vary, but one common thread that emerges from the best in the business, is self-awareness. Self-awareness is essential to understanding the impact of every intervention you make, every word you say, your body language on the sideline and of course it’s essential in showing empathy towards…
Reader,There is no doubt the game of football is getting quicker at the highest level. I like to think of it as ‘high speed chess.’ In recent years, we’ve seen teams like Liverpool have great success with highly aggressive counter-pressing and in 2016 we saw Leicester City win a Premier League title that no one expected which was based on organised defence and quick counter attack in behind. Transition is that ‘in between’ moment in football where we either go from defending to attack or…
Reader,
During my time coaching in England, there were so many lessons. One of the biggest learnings I took away was a better understanding of how to develop individuals within the group. I believe, whatever the level, our role is to ensure that we do our absolute best to cater to the needs of every player within the group.So how do we go about it? Firstly, know your players. Whether this is a simple 1 to 1 meeting at the start of the season, the development of an individual plan, a…
Reader,
One issue I continuously hear about, is that there is a perceived lack of genuine goal scorers emerging from many youth development systems. Without a doubt, the role of the number 9 has evolved in modern football. Whether it was the trend of the false 9, a long period where it could be argued that 1-4-3-3 was the formation of choice for so many that it meant strikers didn’t necessarily play in pairs anymore, or whether it’s simply that we don’t spend enough time training in front…
Reader,
Without a doubt, the beauty in football is how it can be played in so many ways, with different styles, tactics, shapes and philosophies. In the age of “Ange Ball” or “De Zerbi Ball” combined with the legacy of Pep and Cruyff, plus a game that is getting quicker all the time, I have been wrestling with the question of how much formations truly matter. Perhaps rather than focussing on our structure in and out of possession, it’s about how we exploit the transition moments to our…
Reader,
As the winter season comes to a close down-under, I have been reflecting on a highly enjoyable and challenging season with a group of young men I have coached in 2023. Like most kids, when I asked them their goals in February, their answer was pretty simple, and predictable. “We want to win everything!” This was a group of young men, operating in a culture where winning is highly valued, (possibly too much), they are highly competitive and many of them are already playing senior…
Reader,
When we talk about coach development, we generally think about formal coach education, qualifications, courses and licences. Without a doubt, the formal coach education process adds huge value, and even now I am still undertaking coaching courses to add value to my practice. It’s important to stay curious in coaching.The other side of this is that formal coach education can be infrequent, there can be a disconnect between contacts on the course and support in between, and at times…
Reader,
When it comes to youth football, our priority as coaches should be to create environments full of joy, connection, engagement and learning. We want our players to love playing the game, and ultimately, to return next season.Therefore if we are honest, game day should simply be an extension of the week, giving players a chance to play with their friends and practice what they have worked on with their team. So, for the vast majority of coaches – the answer to this questions is yes,…
Reader,
Passing and receiving the football is arguably the most important skill in the game. Players who can receive with quality, buy themselves time on the ball, and releasing the ball over various distances of both feet is a core skill. So how do we go about developing these attributes? This week, we’ve decided to share five of our top passing and receiving practices from the PDP Session Plan Library.Playing Through & AroundIn this practice, PDP Coaching Advisor, James Coutts…