In order to maximise their potential, and thrive under whatever challenges the game provides, players must be creative, independent decision-makers. Therefore, a crucial component of coaching is helping players learn to think and act for themselves. This, in turn, requires us to give them autonomy in their developmental journeys. Below, we discuss ways to empower the kids we coach, and encourage them to take ownership of their learning and development. In This Article Encouraging Accountability within Our Teams A key step to giving players ownership…
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Are learning and performance different? In this article, Nick Soderstrom discusses how teachers or coaches can enhance performance by stretching individuals and discusses the key differences between the two. You’re teaching a concept in class, working through examples and explaining the steps. You have your students do some practice problems and they seem to be getting it! After a while, the bell rings, you dismiss your class, and you leave for home feeling satisfied with your students’ progress and your teaching methods. The next day,…
The value of self-reflection cannot be underestimated in development environments. UK Sports Head of Coaching, Nick Levett shares his thoughts on the benefits of the reflection process. One of the crucial elements of a high quality learning environment is the importance of reflection. In order to learn more about the players and their reflection skills, here are a few reflective questions for the players to consider at the end of the practice session or game. These can be delivered and linked in a variety of…
Coaching youth sport is complex, challenging and rewarding. In this Masterclass Discussion we speak to Founder of Changing the Game Project and youth coaching expert, John O’Sullivan. PDP Editor, Dave Wright hosts John for an in depth discussion which dives into a range of topics including women’s football, John’s work in the youth coaching space, specialisation, organisational culture and creating learning environments for young people. John is a leader in driving change in youth sport, a long time PDP contributor and has some fantastic ideas…
Safety may not be the first characteristic we associate with exceptional coaching environments, but, for our players, a sense of security is essential to being able to learn effectively. Below, we draw upon the knowledge of several experts as we explain why safe coaching environments are so important, and how we can engender a culture of trust, security, and enjoyment within our teams and clubs. ] In This Article The Importance of Safe Environments If we’re to give kids the best chance of enjoying football…
What does learning look like and how do we know it’s taking place? In this article Cognitive Psychologist, Nick Soderstrom discusses various practice approaches and some considerations for those who are leading learning environments. Let’s face it: We want things to be easy. Like rivers that flow around mountains instead of going through them, we usually seek the path of least resistance in our lives. We choose the escalator over the stairs and the movie over the book. But it’s clear that easier isn’t always better….
When it comes to learning, development or performance, what is ‘The Zone’? In this article, motivational researcher and rugby coach, Jonny McMurtry shares some ideas as to how we can help athletes get into the zone. Driven by my on-going reviews of my current research and listening Coach Reed Maltbie’s recent podcast regarding Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximial Development, I wanted to look deeper into the theory, applying ideas against recent articles and incidents in the coaching world to highlight my perceived importance to this matter….
Making mistakes — and learning from them — is essential to developing as a coach. Below, in our guide on soccer coaching for beginners, we discuss ten of the most common mistakes made by new coaches — and how to avoid them. Transplanting Approaches from Other Teams It’s tempting to observe the best professional teams and attempt to replicate their approaches. But we must account for our environment; factors like culture, the players we’re working with, and our collective aims all underpin the most effective…
How do you communicate with your players? In this article PDP Technical Advisor, Dan Wright shares some fascinating reflections and advice for coaches on how to effectively question and communicate with players to make sure they genuinely think about solutions within the game. Over the last few months I have found myself using the question used as this article’s title a lot. I’ve done so with an aim to challenge players to think about their game, or perhaps more specifically what they had noticed whilst…
Warren Grieve is an AFC Pro License holder and Technical Director at Football NSW in Australia. In this interview, PDP Editor, Dave Wright sits down with Warren to talk coach education, learning environments and more. This conversation covers a range of topics including: This is an insightful discussion for developing coaches, particularly those who have an interest in pursuing formal courses and qualifications. Image Credits: Unsplash
PDP Lead Researcher James Vaughan highlights recent experiences adapting to new environments to discuss the research around affordances, forms of life and scorpion kicks. At PDP we often talk about the importance of the player development environment. We encourage coaches, clubs and parents to take a holistic view – a view that considers the immediate and long-term influence of cultures, societies, organisational structures and global systems. However as well as this zoomed out view, a holistic approach also incorporates a deep appreciation of the environment. The…
A young player will experience many challenges on their player development journey, many of which are outside of their control. PDP Editor & UEFA A licensed academy coach, Dave Wright highlights the importance of truly understanding the player as an individual, outlining the benefits of an approach that helps us understand how constraints shape players’ non-linear development. As adults we spend an inordinate amount of time worrying about systems, statistics, formations, results, tactics, outcomes and all the organisational factors that go on when working in a…
Ben Bartlett, Senior Youth Coach Educator at the Football Association, gives some fascinating real-life examples to explain the importance of aligning a team’s ideal model of performance with the capabilities and behaviours of its players and the practice of its coaching. There is a Japanese proverb, highlighted by James Kerr in his book ‘Legacy’, which states that “Vision without action is a day-dream; action without vision is a nightmare”. With this in mind, lecturer and coach developer Bob Muir proposed the model below, asking coaches…
Ego. Why does it dominate coaching? Player Development Project Editor & academy coach, Dave Wright challenges the place of ego in coaching questioning where it comes from, the difficulty of removing it and accepting that as a coach, you may not have all the answers. “The kumara (sweet potato) does not need to say how sweet he is.” It’s game day. A cold winter’s morning, you look outside, it’s gloomy, but there’s no rain. Game on. You’ve planned and prepared for weeks through a gruelling pre-season….
In this Masterclass webinar replay, Player Development Project hosted Head of Coaching at UK Coaching, Nick Levett. Nick is joined by PDP Co-Founder & UEFA A licensed Coach, Dave Wright as well as PDP Technical Advisor & UEFA A licensed coach, Dan Wright. Nick has a huge amount of experience in coaching and development, having previously been Head of Talent ID at The FA and he has also worked as an Academy Coach in England. In this discussion Nick, Dan and Dave dive into a…
How do you differentiate between each individual’s learning experience within your group? No single player’s experience is the same. In this article, Reed Maltbie discusses how you can ensure that you understand the needs of every player in your group. “This is easy. Watch me again. This is how you do it.” It was getting more difficult to mask my frustration. I had been trying to teach my 11-year-old son how to do long division for about 45 minutes now, and my patience was wearing…
In this article, UEFA A licensed coach David Garcia shares his thoughts on the benefits of chaos and failure within coaching environments. “You’ve got to live at the edge of your capabilities. You’ve got to live where you’re almost certain you’re going to fail. That’s the reason for practice. Practice is controlled failure.” – Will Smith Indeed, practice is controlled failure. It should be a realistic preparation of the game. It’s preparation where your players will fail, but will learn how to grow from that…
In this Masterclass Discussion, FA National Women’s Coach Developer, Amy Price shares her unique approach to player development with Dave Wright & Dan Wright in a highly engaging conversation. Amy shares research on how coaches can use the principles of video game design to engage young players in their own development, setting challenges, designing tasks and encouraging problem-solving. Amy outlines how players can take ownership of the task and you can ‘level’ up the challenge as you go. This is essential viewing if you want…