Articles by Coach Frank
Reader,
I’ve been coaching for 21 years now. I often look back and reflect on some of the things I did as a young coach and wonder what I was thinking, but you don’t know what you don’t know and the best thing about coaching is the more experience you get, the more you realise you have to be comfortable living in the grey.Over the last few weeks I have had some great discussions with colleagues in the coaching space about some of the contemporary challenges we face in youth sporting…
Reader,
Over the years at PDP we’ve often talked about ‘redefining success’ in player development. For me, there are a multitude of factors which define success in youth football, but three that stand out are…
Enjoyment and connection – keeping players in the game
Developing a learning culture to help players to maximise their potential
Supporting individuals within a team context
However, one of the things I see constantly is an emphasis from adults purely on the scoreboard. This…
Reader,
Recently, I was involved in a game for youth players aged 15-18 and found myself frustrated. As the game unfolded the noise from the opposition dugout became louder, more constant and more deafening. In fact, the commentary was so consistent, I genuinely didn’t know who was “coaching” the opposition team given there were three voices barking instructions. Every moment of the game was followed by commentary, instruction, yelling at the referee and ‘joystick’ coaching. These…
Reader,
Wherever you go in the world of football, there are dozens of models, tactical approaches, football philosophies and playing styles. The subjective nature of the game is what makes it so exciting, often debated, unpredictable and enjoyable to coach.The PDP team have often discussed ‘moments of the game’ in various webinars, Q&As and Masterclass Discussions with expert guests. For coaches learning their craft, these moments can be a useful guide to create a theme or focus, but in…
Reader,
Not yet, or yet, shows a belief that we are on a trajectory of learning. An ascension, so to speak, as we develop. We were not born with all the skills, and our abilities are not final; we can get better and accomplish tomorrow what we couldn’t today. – Reed MaltbieDo you reflect on how you engage, converse, feedback or challenge the players in your care? We cannot underestimate the power of our coaching interventions and the impact of words. Throughout my coaching career, I can…
Reader,
In an ever-changing world, it can be said that families are busier than ever. As a result, children who engage in sport can be drawn into this. Seasons get longer, pre seasons get earlier and sports demand more and more of those who engage. So how do we find a balance and ensure young people don’t burn out from sport? Or worse, fall out of love with sport?In organised youth football settings around the world, it’s not uncommon to hear stories about demands for kids to specialise…
Reader,
Coaching is fundamentally about people. Over the last two decades or so I have forgotten a lot of scores, but I could tell you hundreds of stories about the pIayers I have coached at all ages. Whether it’s young professionals who have emerged through the academy system, or the school kids I worked with as a first-time coach, I remember so much about the people involved.Current Middlesbrough 1st Team Coach, Aaron Danks spoke of the importance of ‘connection before correction’ in…
Reader,
In a recent LinkedIn post, PDP contributor and Co-founder of Myfastestmile, Mark Upton shared this quote from an article from the USA. ”That word – ‘elite’ – has become a marketing crutch, if not an all-out lie, in sports. This is especially true in youth sports, where the sale of nearly everything these days seems to lean on some kind of elite status.”Elitism and status culture in youth football (and sport) is rife globally. The cost of sport continues to rise, and clubs around…
Reader,
One of the beautiful things about football is that there are so many ways to play the game. A key role for coaches working with young players is to support the development of game understanding, whether that’s in small sided game formats, or 11v11 football. The longer I coach, the more I believe the game is fundamentally about space as opposed to formations, but of course formations allow us to deliver tactical outcomes both in and out of possession. My view is that our priority…
Reader,
Athlete development and talent identification are complex topics. I have recently been involved in a process around player selection for a team I am coaching.The players in question are between 15 and 18 years old and throughout the process I had to continually remind myself that having just met the group in February, I really knew nothing about them outside of what I was seeing on the training pitch.I’ve been fortunate to be able to keep the playing group wide, and engage with…
Reader,
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One of the things I loved the most about working in the English academy system was the number of exciting 1v1 players who could break the game open with attacking flair. In these academies, we always coached from a strengths based approach,…