Why do we coach? Why do we lead? What inspires us to take on the challenge of being the talisman of any group? Dave Wright determines what it means to be a leader by examining the 2016 LMA and Premier League Manager of the Year, Claudio Ranieri. Whatever your context, whether it’s in the office, on the training pitch, leading a group of U8s or taking your Leicester City team on a magical mystery tour to Premier League glory, leadership is an art form that…
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What does it take to build and sustain football confidence? Regular PDP contributor and President of New Edge Performance, John Haime provides some practical advice for this crucial element of player development and performance. Every week in the top leagues in the world, you’ll see fantastic displays of skill – players trying things in the middle of games, taking calculated risk and using their great abilities. Recently, I watched Marcelo of Real Madrid put on a confidence clinic – trying things in the game that…
Player Development Project Technical Advisor, Dan Wright discusses the importance of knowing your player, building relationships and coaching the person. Building trust between coach and player is vital for success at all levels. If your goal as the coach is to aid development of youth players or to win the Premier League it is impossible without the relationship between athlete and coach. The intangible bond between athlete and coach is very noticeable, at training sessions, in conversations and at games and yet at the same…
Sean Reed is a coach who epitomizes a lot of people working in professional football in England. Sean is a man who has quietly gone about his work over the last 16 years in two of London’s top clubs from academy to first team level resulting in a wealth of knowledge and experience. We caught up with Sean to discuss his experiences in football fitness, cognitive development and coaching in the Championship. Sean grew up playing locally and at the school of excellence of Wimbledon…
The NextGen Series came to it’s conclusion on Monday May 16 with a great turn out of local football fans, eager to watch the home team, Ajax and check out some of the excellent young talent on display. The day started with Galatasaray taking on PSV followed by a semi-final clash of arguably the two form teams of the tournament in Ajax vs. Tottenham Hotspur. The intensity of the match was noticeably higher with Spurs trying to press and play with real speed. We…
Grassroots football is where all players begin: it’s the heart and soul of player development. Recently, the football world has been lit up by Manchester United’s bright young talent, Marcus Rashford. Jon Hoggard caught up with David Horrocks, Development Officer & Skills Coach at Fletcher Moss Rangers to discuss what’s happening at this humble club to produce so many pros. It is a corner of the world which rarely garners headlines, a collection of football pitches nestled in south Manchester by the River Mersey a…
How does a coach help a player maximise their return on training? Todd Beane, Founder of TOVO Institute & regular PDP contributor discusses the value in prioritising learning and maximising training time to get the most out of every session. Wouldn’t you want to maximize the return on the investment of your time and energy? As a teacher, wouldn’t you want to know that you are using every hour afforded to you to maximize learning? As a coach, wouldn’t you want your training to bring about…
Momentum is a huge element in all sport. Dr. Martin Turner of the Smarter Thinking Project investigates how can players take charge of their own performance learning how to ‘control the controllables’ and implement the control triangle. Momentum is a huge element in all sport. Dr. Martin Turner of the Smarter Thinking Project investigates how can players take charge of their own performance learning how to ‘control the controllables’ and implement the control triangle. Sport is a dynamic, constantly changing, and unpredictable environment to work and perform…
The Player Development Project advocates game based coaching and a constraints approach. Football is often over-complicated by coaches and it’s easy to forget how much can be taught within small-sided games where players have to deal with the three key elements of the game – attacking, defending and transition. Academy Coach, Dave Wright has used this session with players from aged 7 through to 17. In this blog post, Dave takes you step by step through this possession vs. progression practice, from the organisation to the different…
Can happiness impact performance? Former Professional golfer and President of New Edge Performance, John Haime explains how putting enjoyment before achievement can maximise performance. Sometimes things get fuzzy in sports and a reset is exactly what you need. Very often my phone will ring, or I’ll get an “emergency” text and an athlete client will be in a funk. Their focus unconsciously shifts to the many distractions around them – often to things they have no control over. Alternatively, an obsession starts with the outcome…
Nick Levett, former FA Talent Identification Manager & regular PDP contributor doesn’t sit on the fence. In this blog, Nick discusses the disconnect between academic research and actual coaching. This idea is one of the key motivations behind the establishment of Player Development Project and more recently, our research review section. Are academics isolating themselves and their research and if you do get access can coaches comprehend it? So I had a short moment of ranting earlier on Twitter, as I often tend to do,…
PDP Lead Researcher, James Vaughan examines the simplicity vs. complexity debate using one of the great quotes from Johan Cruyff and asks if we have misinterpreted its true meaning. “Football is simple, but the hardest thing is to play simple football.” Consider how this famous quote influences your training session design when the emphasis is placed here: “Football is simple, but the hardest thing is to play simple football.” Or here: “Football is simple, but the hardest thing is to play simple football.” I think this…
The world of professional football can be a fickle and difficult industry. Whether you’re in coaching, management or administration in football, there are certain elements that can give you a better chance of achieving your career objectives. Toby French, Founder of Careers in Football joins Player Development Project for a discussion on the challenges of carving out a career in the beautiful game. A qualified career professional, Careers in Football is an industry leader in the UK when it comes to guiding football professionals in…
This book review by Player Development Project Magazine Editor, Dave Wright of the best-selling book, Legacy by James Kerr outlines some fantastic examples of best practice. In this summary of some of the key points, Dave gives his view on the value of this book and shares several core concepts that you can utilise in your environment. “Excellence is a process of evolution, of cumulative learning, of incremental improvement” In your own personal development, having a breadth of reading and a desire to look outside…
Hakon Grøttland is the Head of Player Development for the Norwegian FA. The Player Development Project were lucky enough to have an inside look at how Norway develops young players and how this is influenced by the nation’s culture. Hakon Grøttland never played football at an elite level due to injury. However, he counts himself lucky in that the series of events which led to the end of his playing days meant he could start his coaching career early. It is clear from talking to…
Susan Salzbrenner, founder of Fit Across Cultures discusses mindfulness and its benefits to athlete performance. Dennis was concentrating. “This is it. You got this! Stay focused. Just like in practice. Don’t miss this. It will cost us the game”. With the last seconds on the clock, he takes the last free throw. The score is 79-79. He shoots and …misses. A routine situation like a free throw in basketball, a serve in volleyball, or a penalty in football or hockey are habits that you have practiced…
Dan Micciche has a reputation as an innovator and someone who encourages creativity in player development. Player Development Project, Editor Dave Wright was lucky enough to have 90 minutes with Dan to discuss his own story and pick his brains around session design, creativity, positive learning environments and more. In part one of this two-part feature interview we went on a journey inside the mind of one of The FA’s most talented young coaches. Micciche’s Evolution as a Coach After a number of years working…
Kellyn Acosta is a homegrown talent from Dallas, Texas who now has 50 appearances for FC Dallas who finished as Western Conference Finalists in 2015. PDP Editor, Dave Wright spoke to Kellyn about his player development journey. Now 20 years old with two U20 World Cups behind him, Acosta is a product of the club’s academy. A young player with big ambitions who speaks fondly of playing street soccer constantly as a key part of his development, we caught up with Kellyn to discuss…