Articles by Coach Frank
Reader, Football is a game of trends, tactics and constant change. At the highest level, you often hear how the game continues to get quicker and the requirements of elite-level players in terms of physical performance and ability to quickly execute football actions continues to increase. Recently, I have been focussing on how to support my team to exploit moments of attacking transition, to dominate disorganised or broken defences. As much as many coaches want their teams to keep possession…
Reader, As coaches, we often all find ourselves obsessed with the technical and tactical. This is often the part of the game that draws us into coaching. Whether it’s outsmarting an opponent, developing players technically or helping our teams win games, these are all areas that coaches can influence. Beyond this, however, sport can be a vehicle to build character in young players, arming them with life skills for the future. One area of the game (particularly when working players aged 16-18)…
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…
Reader, One of the most important things we can do in our coaching is constantly reflect and try to consider the impact we’re making. Recently, I have been reflecting on moments, (particularly in games) where I have got it right, and some, where I have got it wrong. Good reflection could include thinking about our own performance, the interventions we make (or don’t make), the plans we create (and how much of that plan we deliver on), how adaptable we are in our approach, our own behaviour,…
Reader, Coaches are generally all short of time. Many coaches juggle work, parenting and family commitments and are left with little time to plan and prepare for every session. However, one thing I have reflected on a lot this season is the importance of detail, on and off the pitch. Personally, I love to plan and love to be organised. In coaching, I think this can be a real advantage. This week I was sharing messages with a coaching colleague who just won a youth tournament in Europe with a…
Reader, In March this year, I was lucky to spend some time with Kelly Cross and the coaching team at A-League club, Sydney FC as part of a high-performance study visit. Kelly is a world-class operator who has contributed to PDP in the past so it was superb to see the programme that he and his team built. Beyond developing players, the academy has a fundamental belief that the children in their care have a positive experience. One of the highlights of the visit was the simplicity and clarity…
Reader, Last week I had an enjoyable conversation with a coaching colleague around individualising player development. Before I went to England and coached in the academy system, I am happy to admit this was not an area of strength, or really, awareness in my coaching. This period in my development helped me understand how we can redefine success for young players and it forever changed how I coached. Too often I believe youth coaches are so team-centred when really, we need to strike a…
Reader, One of the most fascinating, challenging and enjoyable parts of coaching, is the mental game. There are so many dynamics at play when it comes to groups of people working together in teams. We can all easily be drawn to the technical and tactical elements of the game in our coaching, but understanding how a possible intervention could enhance (or detract from) individual or team performance, building relationships with players, the role of social dynamics, team connection and the…
Reader, I started playing football at age 4. My first football memories consist of running around on a wet, muddy pitch, scoring goals, the smell of the cut grass and playing football with my brother in the back garden. Funnily enough, not many of these memories are linked to coaches, tactics or session design. I just remember the games, playing until it was dark outside and being at football every weekend in the winter. Whenever you see a kid down the park with their parents, their siblings…
Reader, As the game evolves, many coaches and analysts talk about the speed of the game increasing. I’ve always liked to think of football as high-speed chess. Much of this speed (at the highest level) can be attributed to the modern athlete, who (in a professional environment) will be supported to develop the physical qualities of their game through data analysis, use of GPS, nutrition, expert strength and conditioning coaches and training programmes. So, if we’re working with young players…
Reader, Whether it’s session planning, tactical problem-solving or dealing with adversity, I believe one of the most important areas we want to develop as coaches, is adaptability. The team I am currently coaching has just experienced a tour where we played teams with a different style every day, having to solve problems under pressure with little preparation time. While we didn’t always get it right, the players learned some amazing lessons. Recently observing some of my coaches working on…
Reader, One thing I have reflected a lot on in my own coaching experience is the concept of emotional control. I love my players to stay calm, to feel confident and safe in the environment, and that they can make mistakes or make decisions and learn from them. However, the reality is, if you’re working with youth players they are very much still developing in every way, socially, emotionally, physically and technically. So, asking young players to self-regulate or control their emotions is a…