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…
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Pressure is part of sport. So how can coaches help players embrace or reduce this significant psychological factor to enhance creativity and freedom when performing? Psychologist and Lecturer at Staffordshire University, Dr. Martin J. Turner shares examples and research in this area. Prior to the 2018 World Cup, Jurgen Klopp, the coach of Liverpool FC, suggested that the media could help the England’s men’s football team by reducing the pressure “a notch or two”. He told journalists to “maybe take the numbers 1966 [when England last…
Old school player development tells us, ‘winning is everything.’ The problem with focusing on performance outcomes though, is where does that leave us when we fail? What happens when we lose a match, a tournament or face rejection from a squad? How can we bounce back? Professor Carol Dweck from Stanford University has extensively researched success and discovered that our mindset matters. Players with a growth mindset are more likely to achieve in the long run because they embrace challenges, persist through obstacles, believe they…
Youth soccer needs to base the development process on “play” and then find the right moments to encourage technical and tactical information, says Tom Turner. Coach Developer, Mark O’Sullivan interviewed Turner to get a more detailed understanding of his views on US player development. Tom Turner is director of coaching and player development at Ohio Youth Soccer Association North, USA National Instructor and member of the US Soccer National Coaching Committee. “I consider myself a teacher who coaches soccer,” says Tom. “The primary objective with young…