The Coaching Thread

[ShelfSide18]

So last summer I sat there watching the glorious Andrea Pirlo making a mockery of England in the Euro's and realised that rather than just moaning about what I thought was wrong with our game, I should actually try and do something about it, regardless of how big or small a difference could be made. I got my FA Level 1 badge years ago but University, alcohol, 9-5 humdrum had got in the way of me acting on it, so I made a call and got myself to a local club to become a youth football coach. Time to walk the walk a little rather than the enjoyable but ultimately pointless posting on SC match rating and tactical autopsy threads, ranting at Alan Shearer's say what you see post match analysis and moving pint glasses around pub tables like Jose Mourinho on his tactics board.

It all seems rather grand when you start, you have all these ideas floating around your head fully convinced you know it all about football, that coaching the game you have watched for years will be a walk in the park - until all this gets completely trashed within minutes of your first session, as half your U7s need the toilet and the rest of them need their shoelaces tied.

So is anyone on here with me on the coaching bandwagon? Any coaches or anyone who always says 'I'll do it one day...' but never get round to it? It would be good to have a running thread on the matter, it is genuinely the best thing I have done for years, hard work but thrillingly enjoyable and I'm now in the middle of my Level 2 qualification, and booked onto the Youth Module Level 1, and also a beginners course in Futsal.

Be good to have a thread with shared knowledge and experiences, so using a piece of terminology I despair of hearing on youth football pitches every Sunday, 'get stuck in fellas'.

 

[knilly]

I don't coach, but have thought about helping out with my boys Sunday team, and that's as far as its gone so far.

My son also goes to a Spanish Soccer training session, run by a Cardiff City junior coach. And these sessions have really impressed me, its only 1 hour a week but its completely focused on skills, control, turning with the ball and using all parts of your foot to improve technique. Sometimes they play a game, most weeks they will be doing passing exercises and running in between cones with the ball, trying all the bits they have practiced throughout the session. They are aged between 7-11 and the coach seems to be very good helping the kids who are just starting to get into it.

 

[DEFchenkOE]

I've thought about doing this for a while, but have always been put off by the prices to get the badges and also it seems quite difficult to make it to any decent level if you haven't played as a pro.

Still wouldn't mind giving it a try one day though, love futsal by the way. I much prefer to play it than 11 a side these days as a casual player.

 

[ShelfSide18]

I don't coach, but have thought about helping out with my boys Sunday team, and that's as far as its gone so far.

My son also goes to a Spanish Soccer training session, run by a Cardiff City junior coach. And these sessions have really impressed me, its only 1 hour a week but its completely focused on skills, control, turning with the ball and using all parts of your foot to improve technique. Sometimes they play a game, most weeks they will be doing passing exercises and running in between cones with the ball, trying all the bits they have practiced throughout the session. They are aged between 7-11 and the coach seems to be very good helping the kids who are just starting to get into it.

That sounds excellent for your boy, I think there are actually some very good coaches around in the UK at the moment but there needs to be some overarching philosophy to bring them together towards a common goal, a long term strategy to develop talent like the Spanish / Dutch / Germans have been doing for years. I think there needs to be both a top down, and bottom to top rethink of how we do things here, because we are always left behind.

I've thought about doing this for a while, but have always been put off by the prices to get the badges and also it seems quite difficult to make it to any decent level if you haven't played as a pro.

Still wouldn't mind giving it a try one day though, love futsal by the way. I much prefer to play it than 11 a side these days as a casual player.

The prices are stupid, and another reason why the UK has fewer coaches in relative terms than the best countries at developing talent - my level 2 cost £350, luckily my club are picking up the tab of my Youth Module and the Futsal one is reasonable at £35. When I get round to doing the UEFA B, it's about £1000.

Things are changing with regard to ex pro's, although it's still an advantage and I think they probably get 'eased' through their badges and obviously they have connections in the game, but I'm now at the point where I realise that I can progress and make a living out of the game, but whatever comes from it I just love getting up on weekend mornings now and I'd love to be able to one day hand my notice in at work to go and do something I genuinely love. I also want to go and coach abroad too, that's one of the next steps for me.

I know you may look at the prices and be put off, but if you can find the money to get a badge or 2 and get a coaching role then you won't regret it.

 

[DEFchenkOE]

Good points SS, it's true that attitudes do seem to be changing a bit and the country as a whole has recognized a need for change with the new national centre etc.

Agree it would be nice to be able to make a living out of coaching, good luck on your way and you should keep this thread updated.

Yea one day I may just do it, I think if I had any sons I may have done it by now but having 3 girls I'm more likely to take up netball coaching if they had their way!

 

[ShelfSide18]

Good points SS, it's true that attitudes do seem to be changing a bit and the country as a whole has recognized a need for change with the new national centre etc.

Agree it would be nice to be able to make a living out of coaching, good luck on your way and you should keep this thread updated.

Yea one day I may just do it, I think if I had any sons I may have done it by now but having 3 girls I'm more likely to take up netball coaching if they had their way!

In some quarters the attitudes are changing I think, others certainly not - some of the unbelievable stuff I hear on the touchline is beyond me. I think there needs to be more direction from the Fa, bold moves need to be made, but as ever they are being too conservative and only a few babysteps get made.

Girls football is growing mate, nudge your daughters in that direction!

 

[ShelfSide18]

Great session with the U13s this morning, lots of skills, trickery, clever passing, kids being creative on the ball and me and the other coach just let them play, no shouting and screaming and the kids, shock, played with smiles on faces and put on a show - love it.

England can create brilliant, technically assured players - for too long we've failed our youth.

 

[Turbo]

I run an under 12's team and been with them since the end of the U7's season. Youth football is both rewarding and frustrating as hell with the worst thing being parents. If I could work without the parents inteferance then I'm sure most players would be of a better standard. There is too much negativity from parents in general and the kids feed off that. I've had four key players leave me over the last twelve months just through parent issues three of the four players were more than happy with the team and club and all four were given better than average chances within the team. One parent thought they'd get better opportunity playing for a team a year older, one gone down a division as the dad only wanted him playing in advance positions, one player left as his dad was a real problem in many areas and I couldn't work with him. The last player left who was actually the first to go left as his dad thinks he's better than he is (don't they all) and the pressure was too much for him after dad tried getting him trials left right and centre. Anyway the kid has fallen out of love with the game and only plays school football now.

 

[ShelfSide18]

I run an under 12's team and been with them since the end of the U7's season. Youth football is both rewarding and frustrating as hell with the worst thing being parents. If I could work without the parents inteferance then I'm sure most players would be of a better standard. There is too much negativity from parents in general and the kids feed off that. I've had four key players leave me over the last twelve months just through parent issues three of the four players were more than happy with the team and club and all four were given better than average chances within the team. One parent thought they'd get better opportunity playing for a team a year older, one gone down a division as the dad only wanted him playing in advance positions, one player left as his dad was a real problem in many areas and I couldn't work with him. The last player left who was actually the first to go left as his dad thinks he's better than he is (don't they all) and the pressure was too much for him after dad tried getting him trials left right and centre. Anyway the kid has fallen out of love with the game and only plays school football now.

Yep, Parents - massive pain when it comes to youth football, sometimes deliberately, sometimes without knowing - it's very frustrating.

So far this season we've had a parent altercation which resulted in the game being stopped which was highly depressing, we had a parent who volunteered to run the line for us (credit due there) but then proceeded to try and marshal our defensive line for the game and then came over and tried to take our team talk at half time.

It's always the loudest ones though, they shout instructions out all game and transfer fear into the kids, they then play with less freedom than they do in training because they've got idiots barking instructions at them, incorrect instructions most of the time too. They forget that these kids are 12, that playing a game should be a learning, developmental experience and that ultimately they need to make their own decisions on the pitch, not what some loudmouth moron is shouting out which nearly always is them putting a premium on winning the game rather than enjoying themselves, and learning and becoming better players.

If you play out from the back, they panic because they think it's risky, and yes I would agree with them on that without giving a shit. If we concede by playing out from the back then no worries, we'll try again and again rather than just lumping aimlessly forward. If a player shows the ability to dribble past players, great, even if they lose the ball or they had a better pass on. I want them to enjoy the ball and get comfortable with it and learn when to make their own decisions, rather than have parents frighten them into being scared with it and 'get rid'.

Parents don't realise the fear and pressure they put on their kids, it's fucking horrible.

 

[Liquidator]

So is anyone on here with me on the coaching bandwagon? Any coaches or anyone who always says 'I'll do it one day...' but never get round to it? It would be good to have a running thread on the matter, it is genuinely the best thing I have done for years, hard work but thrillingly enjoyable and I'm now in the middle of my Level 2 qualification, and booked onto the Youth Module Level 1, and also a beginners course in Futsal.

Good on you, fella. And anyone else who is coaching our youth. Totaly get it with the nightmare parent thing - you only have to watch a parks game to hear 'em spouting their nonsense.

 

[ShelfSide18]

Going to try and keep this thread alive!

Anyway, seen the good, bad and ugly of youth football recently.

Some of my players were racially abused the other day, thankfully our county FA have fined the club and are investigating those involved, but it depresses me that my players are called monkeys in 2013.

My coaching style for youth football (up to about 14/15) is very much based around creating the right environment for the kids, not being too prescriptive and stopping them play every 2 seconds, just create games and situations which allows the game to teach them and on the pitch I'm really enjoying watching them play. Amazing what they can do when you let them make their own decisions, they are becoming more confident and last sunday played some beautiful football. I can't explain how rewarding it is to see kids you coach play good football, smiles on faces and enjoying themselves.

Unfortunately I came across another idiot coach recently, shouting at his kids all game long, every time they tried to play football near their goal they would get shouted at to stop mucking around and get rid, and then he instructed a defender to 'sort these idiots out in defence'. We desperately need to kick this shit out of football.

Training tomorrow, session planned for playing through the lines, even if it's pissing down with rain I can't wait.

 

[DEFchenkOE]

What area do you coach in ss18? London?

 

[ShelfSide18]

What area do you coach in ss18? London?

Yup.

 

[Norgie]

I coach an u8's side (youngest is in it) and I help out with my eldest team (u14), really enjoy it. However the gulf between the two attitudes is incredible. U8's are enthusiastic and willing to listen, want to have fun and learn. The u14's are typical teenagers and want to argue, mess about, think they know better and lose the plot if they are losing.

Anyway I reffed the u14's game last night (only a friendly with another age group of team in the same club), I have a new respect for ref's, I'm not a qualified ref but know the rules, but a) it was knackering keeping up with them on a 11 a side pitch lol and b) it's tough to get in the correct positions to see things. Fair play to all the grassroots ref's for doing a tough job for not a lot really.

 

[WalkerboyUK]

My lad is just having a training session with a team he is potentially going to join next season. Already a massive difference to the coaching he had at previous team.
Previous team had one coach who seemed to sail along on basis he coaches at Watford’s academy. I never saw anything that convinced me the boys were learning or improving.
Never any isolated goalkeeper coaching for him either.
New team has 3 coaches and a GK coach and already he’s having a session with that coach.
Already been invited to train with this season’s team and work with that keeper.
That is going to help him massively!!!

 

[Norgie]

My lad is just having a training session with a team he is potentially going to join next season. Already a massive difference to the coaching he had at previous team.
Previous team had one coach who seemed to sail along on basis he coaches at Watford’s academy. I never saw anything that convinced me the boys were learning or improving.
Never any isolated goalkeeper coaching for him either.
New team has 3 coaches and a GK coach and already he’s having a session with that coach.
Already been invited to train with this season’s team and work with that keeper.
That is going to help him massively!!!

What age group is your lad playing at?

 

[WalkerboyUK]

What age group is your lad playing at?

U15, going into U16 next season

 

[Norgie]

U15, going into U16 next season

It's really difficult at grassroots for goalkeepers, I've found not many teams do individual coaching for them which is wrong. However, on my level 1 coaching course there was nothing isolated to teach you how to coach goalkeepers. I've played in goal (albeit 5 a side) so I know how to help my lads but a lot of coaches won't have much experience with coaching goalkeepers.