BetterFootball.net » Coaching Method http://betterfootball.net Soccer Coaching Drills and Session Plans Tue, 05 Mar 2013 09:35:55 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Use VARK To Get The Most Out Of Your Players http://betterfootball.net/soccer-coaching/coaching-method/vark-communication-styles/ http://betterfootball.net/soccer-coaching/coaching-method/vark-communication-styles/#comments Sat, 18 Feb 2012 18:12:11 +0000 Dan Bolas http://betterfootball.net/?p=2366 soccer coaching chalkboardAs a football coach, I work with the whole range of players; from youngsters taking their first steps in the game to ex-academy adults playing semi-professionally. These experiences have taught me that not every individual will respond to everything you try and coach them. Whereas some coaches may palm off these players as ‘difficult’ or ‘bad players’, I have found that if I adapt the way I deliver my session I can engage and ultimately get through to these players.

VARK

Anyone who has been involved in education during the past 10 years will be familiar with the term VARK. This is an acronym for Visual, Auditory, Reading & Writing and Kinaesthetic, four different learning styles that children (and people in general) use. However grassroots volunteers may be unaware of the importance of these different learning styles and the effect their use can have on an individual. Indeed, the effectiveness of a coaching session can be drastically improved by accommodating all of them. Before I go into any more detail, I will point out that there are going to be times when it is impractical to cater to every learning style. It should also be noted that, whilst most individuals have a preferred learning style, nobody learns exclusively in one style. This means that someone who is a Visual learner will still be able to take on board information in an Auditory way, and vice versa. With this said, let’s take a look at the four learning styles, and how they may be used in a coaching environment.

Visual Learning

I am sure most coaches have explained a drill over and over and still had players who “aren’t listening” or “just don’t get it”. In most cases these kids will be visual learners who simply need to see a picture to understand the practice. As a coach, the key with Visual learners is to make use of a variety of coaching props and materials. Tactics boards and white boards are fantastic, as they allow the individual to focus their attention on something physical. This could be in the form of tactics boards, print outs, iPads or videos of your coaching drills. Whilst this may seem slightly unusual, think about your audience. Young people (from the ages of five upwards) will attend schools which use whiteboards, wall displays and projectors to teach basic skills such as reading, writing and counting, making it a technique they will be used to, and respond to.

Auditory Learning

Auditory learners prefer to hear things explained to them. The children that sit attentively during explanations and who tend to recall your Q and A answers later in a session are usually predominantly auditory learners. Sometimes these players aren’t looking directly at you when you talk but they are concentrating on your words. Auditory learners also like to have information given to them in a structured, almost linear fashion, in which progression and development comes in a natural order. These players might also prefer to verbalise their points as opposed to showing them to you. As a coach, accommodating Auditory learners is a case of making sure what you are saying to them is clear and well organised. Delivering a session by explaining the set up, structure and rules will make understanding for Auditory learners much easier, and allowing them to run back the session to you verbally will help them consolidate their own understanding. When dealing with Auditory learners, think about the language and terminology you are using. Asking a seven year old to “push out” is much less effective than asking them to “move forwards”. Using a hundred words to explain something you could have done using ten only confuses players.

Read – Write Learning

Read – Write learners prefer to deal in text as opposed to other means of information, and this includes answering questions by writing as opposed to verbally or by doing. They work well using key words or lists, and learn by silently reading to themselves to take in information. As a coach Read-Write learners are very difficult to provide content for as, ultimately, football is a physical activity that requires practical involvement. Having the ability to recall the name of a move or trick is not as beneficial as being able to perform the trick, and therefore Read-Write learners will usually have to adapt to one of the other learning styles when it comes to being coached. However providing challenges on written cards, referring players to websites that can help consolidate their learning, and providing whiteboards and flipcharts with key information at training will engage Read – Write learners. This is something that can be built upon more and more as tactics are introduced in their early teens.

Kinaesthetic Learning

Kinaesthetic learners, by their very nature, learn by doing. They like to solve problems for themselves, take a hands on approach and would rather learn through trial and error than be told what is right and what is wrong. A characteristic of some Kinaesthetic learners is that they talk slowly and, when asked a question, will take longer to provide a definitive verbal answer. Indeed, a prevalence of kinaesthetic learners in the elite game may account for the monosyllabic responses many footballers provide in post-match interviews. As a coach, getting Kinaesthetic learners with a ball at their feet as soon as possible is the key. Ask questions in which the answer is a physical action is also an ideal way of engaging this kind of learner; for example, “how can you get past that defender?” or “can you show me a way of performing a trick using both feet?” Dedicating aspects of a practice to simply letting players have a go and working things out for themselves is also key when dealing with Kinaesthetic learners. This also allows you to see which players is not picking up certain techniques or methods. If you have a young child, or have ever seen one in their home environment, many of the skills they learn will be developed through Kinaesthetic learning. Verbally explaining how to walk or showing a diagram isn’t going to help a one year old to stand up and put one foot in front of the other. They have to crawl, stumble and toddle about until they eventually pick it up. Because bad habits can be established by constantly using incorrect technique, it’s important for coaches to identify poor technique early. But it’s also crucial that coaches give young players chances to work things out for themselves and gradually shape their technique.

VARK in Practice

As a coach, take a look back at your last session and think about how you delivered the information to the participants. If you have a session coming up in the next few days, think about how you may incorporate one or two new techniques in to cater for all learning styles. If possible, try and identify the predominant learning styles of one of your better players, and one of your weaker ones. See if by changing the way that you deliver information to that weaker player, you see a change in how they perform in training. You will be surprised by how often a simple change in the style information is delivered changes the resulting actions. How do you accommodate different learning styles in your coaching sessions? Let us know in the comments below...]]> http://betterfootball.net/soccer-coaching/coaching-method/vark-communication-styles/feed/ 2 The Secret To Improving Players? Less Is More! http://betterfootball.net/soccer-coaching/coaching-method/the-secret-to-improving-players-less-is-more/ http://betterfootball.net/soccer-coaching/coaching-method/the-secret-to-improving-players-less-is-more/#comments Fri, 18 Nov 2011 12:08:55 +0000 Simon Lansley http://betterfootball.net/?p=2186 Raymond Verheijen Delivers Soccer Coaching SessionQuality and not quantity is the secret of successful coaching, according to Raymond Verheijen. The 39-year-old, Assistant Manager to Wales boss Gary Speed, believes it is vital that clubs at all levels understand players improve "because of better training, and not because of more training". "Less is more," says Verheijen. "If you do the same exercise more frequently in a week, that's more of the same. What you really need is better training, which means within the exercise you have higher demands. "For example, first you do a certain exercise on a certain pitch size, and then you make the pitch size smaller, and then smaller. The same exercise but less space, less time, increasing the demands, and that is how you improve players." [caption id="attachment_2189" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="Raymond Verheijen Talks Periodisation With Coaches"]Raymond Verheijen Talks Periodisation With Coaches[/caption] Verheijen insists football is a game of intensity, not endurance, and that more coaches should recognise this when preparing their players for the season, or even just the week ahead. Over-training can lead to fatigue, which affects a player's 'speed of action' and increases the likelihood of injury. Players should always be fresh, as well as fit. The controversial Dutch coach recently linked up with long-time cohort Guus Hiddink again to launch the UK Football Academy, which aims to share best practice among elite and grassroots-level coaches. Verheijen explained that Hiddink sees the UKFA and its Dutch version as a way of giving something back to the game, which is why coaches at all levels are welcome to attend. He said: "Too often it seems you have to work at the highest level before you can meet the best people. "We say, if you want to go to the highest level, you can meet the best people. We believe this will help more people grow and get to the highest level, and ultimately at that highest level you will get better people. [caption id="attachment_2190" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="UKFA Coaches Raymond Verheijen and Guus Hiddink"]UKFA Coaches Raymond Verheijen and Guus Hiddink[/caption] "When I spoke to Guus Hiddink in 2008 about this idea, first of all he was thinking about his legacy and giving something back to the game, in a way that a lot of people can benefit from it. He said he didn't just want to give something back to the elite in football, I want to give this to as many people as possible in football. "That was how he described it and so we agreed to develop a coach academy, in which we bring the best experts from all over the world to the Dutch Football Academy, the UK Football Academy, or wherever. Let's make it accessible not only for the top people, but for everyone." The UKFA is currently holding a mentorship on 'Periodisation in Football' at Molineux, and next February will stage its first national symposium at the Emirates Stadium. Verheijen, Hiddink, Speed and Sam Allardyce will be keynote speakers, with sessions specifically set aside for grassroots and amateur coaches. Delegate places for the UKFA's 'Meet the Elite' symposium are priced at £145 + VAT. For further information or to book places, visit www.ukfootballacademy.net]]> http://betterfootball.net/soccer-coaching/coaching-method/the-secret-to-improving-players-less-is-more/feed/ 3 Practice Makes Perfect – But What Are We Practicing? http://betterfootball.net/soccer-coaching/coaching-method/practice-makes-perfect-but-what-are-we-practicing/ http://betterfootball.net/soccer-coaching/coaching-method/practice-makes-perfect-but-what-are-we-practicing/#comments Mon, 21 Feb 2011 20:43:30 +0000 Pavl Williams http://betterfootball.net/?p=1400 fourfourtwo performance soccer coaching adviceIn my latest article for FourFourTwo Performance I discuss the importance of meeting player's expectations in coaching sessions and the benefits of using small-sided games to achieve this.
As a coach I often ask what is it that children expect when they come to football practice? On a more fundamental level I ask what is it that children think football is? I'm sure for many children football is waiting in a line to kick a ball at an adult. At least that is the impression I get when I see a lot of the practices coaches prepare for their players.
You can read the full article on FourFourTwo Performance here →]]> http://betterfootball.net/soccer-coaching/coaching-method/practice-makes-perfect-but-what-are-we-practicing/feed/ 0 Coerver Method with Alfred Galustian http://betterfootball.net/soccer-coaching/coaching-method/coerver-method-with-alfred-galustian/ http://betterfootball.net/soccer-coaching/coaching-method/coerver-method-with-alfred-galustian/#comments Mon, 14 Jun 2010 10:23:50 +0000 Pavl Williams http://betterfootball.net/?p=1374
5-foot1
The Coerver Method is all about developing great technique. In this in-depth interview Alfred Galustian, Director of Coaching at Coerver and Technical Advisor to the Premier League, explains how the system has developed over the last 26 years and how the central curriculum of player development was decided upon and expanded. You can download the MP3 of this interview here. There are lots of great ideas in the Coerver system and this is evident in the adoption of similar methods at some of the world's top clubs (Arsenal, Bayern Munich, AC Milan to name a few). But grassroots football players can benefit most from their coach integrating some aspects of Coerver coaching into their sessions. In particular the small-sided games and skill practices featured in the Coerver DVDs are well worth a look. If you'd like to find more about the Coerver method you can pick-up the Make Your Move DVDs here. You can also find out more about Alfred and the Coerver community in the UK by visiting the Coerver site at www.coerver.co.uk The books mentioned in the podcast can be found on Amazon using the links below: Talent is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else (by Geoff Colvin) Outliers: The Story of Success (by Malcolm Gladwell)]]> http://betterfootball.net/soccer-coaching/coaching-method/coerver-method-with-alfred-galustian/feed/ 0 10 Top Tips : Be A Better Soccer Coach http://betterfootball.net/soccer-coaching/coaching-method/soccer-coaching-tips-2010/ http://betterfootball.net/soccer-coaching/coaching-method/soccer-coaching-tips-2010/#comments Sat, 02 Jan 2010 17:14:03 +0000 Pavl Williams http://www.betterfootball.co.uk/?p=763 ten-soccer-coaching-tips-2010The start of a New Year is a great chance to reflect on our coaching and a perfect opportunity to improve our soccer coaching practice. Here are 10 top tips for making this year your best year of soccer coaching yet. 1) Specify And Write Down Your Soccer Coaching Philosophy - your philosophy helps you in every aspect of your coaching; from planning sessions to dealing with parents to your conduct on the sideline. Writing your ideas down will help you to crystallise your thoughts, identify inconsistencies and be more specific. 2) Create A Long-Term Plan For Your Coaching Sessions - A long-term plan helps you to cover all areas and ensure that you're not focusing too heavily on one topic. For information about effective long-term planning and maximising your player's development take a look at The Echo Method... How To Triple Your Player’s Understanding And Make Your Coaching Stick 3) Take A Step Back - Consider the Number 1 reason why you started coaching a youth soccer team and identify at least one way you can improve in that area. For example, if you started so that your kids got to play - can you give every player more match-time or can you allocate more training time to games? 4) Keep A Coaching Logbook - Get into the habit of writing down 'What You Do' (and Why) for future reference. Even if you already do this when planning, also evaluate 'What Works Well' and 'How You Would Improve Next Time' at the end of your session. 5) Teach Your Players A Warm-Up And Use It - You can see the elements of the 'Perfect Soccer Warm-Up' in this post. A warm-up reduces injuries, improves intensity and leads to much better focus and it only requires 8-10 minutes at the start of your session. Teach your players how to perform a warm-up and develop the habit of performing it before every match and training session. 6) Base Training On Small-Sided Games - If you are still using line-drills and static practices to develop player's basic techniques, change it up and start using small-sided games instead. At least visit our Soccer Drills and Small-Sided Games section to get some new ideas. 7) Get Your Players Involved In Their Learning - Engage your players in your sessions by setting them problems and allowing them to create as many different solutions as they can. If you want to prompt your players, ask a leading question and then leave them to discuss the answer in small groups. Set your player's simple homework tasks (call them 'challenges' to avoid negative connotations) such as "Learn a new trick you can demonstrate next week" or "Create a unique set-piece routine using three or more players" - encourage your team to practice ball control and think about the game outside of your limited time with them. 8) Develop Your Knowledge - Ask Your Club To Fund / Invest In A Coaching Course. If you're a Level 1 coach, ask for Level 2. If you're a Level 2 coach, get on a UEFA 'B' course or enrol on an age-appropriate coaching course. (For US-based coaches visit http://www.nscaa.com for equivalent courses) 9) Become A Better Player - Players have more respect for coaches who are able to effectively demonstrate soccer skills. If you are not a natural footballer, find somewhere to play the game - whether this is in a recreational league or in a kickabout with your kids - you will get to practice you technique, develop your game understanding, and see the game as your players see it. This is in addition to the obvious fitness and social rewards. 10) Have More Fun - Remember that football is a game that we play and that's all. Don't be afraid to mess around, laugh at yourself or drop all plans and let the kid's play every now and again. Make 2010 your most fun year yet!
C J Sorg
]]> http://betterfootball.net/soccer-coaching/coaching-method/soccer-coaching-tips-2010/feed/ 2 Bad Weather Soccer Coaching Strategies http://betterfootball.net/soccer-coaching/coaching-method/bad-weather-soccer-coaching-strategies/ http://betterfootball.net/soccer-coaching/coaching-method/bad-weather-soccer-coaching-strategies/#comments Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:33:45 +0000 Pavl Williams http://www.betterfootball.co.uk/?p=659 Soccer Coaching in WinterUnfortunately, in the UK football is a winter sport and therefore coaches inevitably face some abject weather at some point in the season. Around Manchester we've had heavy rain almost every day for the last three weeks so I've had to think about how I, and other soccer coaches faced with similar issues (of postponed games, waterlogged pitches and lack of contact with players), might address one of the biggest problems this presents. (If you have any thoughts about dealing with wet weather then please let me know in the comments at the end.)

Problem of Motivation

One of my U13 players commented recently that he didn't like coming to training when it was wet because he gets cold and can't concentrate. A player from another team was thinking about quitting football because he had missed his best mate's paintballing party for a football match that was called off ten minutes before kick-off. And the reality is that teenage boys have a lot of competing distractions. It's completely understandable that playing on their PS3 or going to a friend's might be more appealing then traipsing down to a cold wet and muddy field on a Sunday morning. Finding motivation for training is, of course, also much more difficult when the weather is bad. I have a long-term outline for what I coach over the course of a season, informed by the fantastic development results the 'Echo Method of Soccer Coaching' gives me. This means that I might have a topic planned for a session well in advance. But the reality might be that otherwise interesting topics and fun Small Sided Games will not engender much enthusiasm when it is pouring down with rain. I recently had a lively debate on twitter about the merits of abandoning a session topic because of the weather, and how the way a coach approaches the session might change because of the conditions. A few of the interesting ideas that were raised are outlined below:

Soccer Training in Bad Weather

Drills and games which require players to wait in line or stand for any significant period should be avoided at any time, but this is especially true when conditions are cold, wet or both. (An unfortunate aside is that there is a real health risk to keeping young players stood still for too long in the cold.) Instead of line drills give every player a ball and challenge them to perform a skill correctly 10 times in 2 minutes. This can also be adapted so that there is a ball between two for passing or finishing skills. Play small-sided games where every player is involved at all times, this could mean setting up a number of simultaneous 2v2 or 4v4 games or you could use one of the practices from our Session Plans library. Don't be afraid to scrap a game that isn't working and don't be too precious about getting through your scheduled topic. One of the keys to great coaching is knowing how your players are feeling about a particular exercise and in wet or cold weather you should be especially aware of player's looking distracted (or just bored!). If you suspect the weather will be bad at your training session, mentally prepare a back-up game that you know your players understand and enjoy. We want our players to develop and enjoy themselves in every coaching session; but it is far better to send players home having had fun without learning anything, than the other way around. Turn the situation around by making the conditions a positive. One of the best sessions I have ever coached was on a pitch so heavily waterlogged that the ball wouldn't roll more than a couple of metres. We played eight 1v1 games on a pitch with six pod goals around the perimeter. Our players were forced to twist, turn and shield the ball continuously and then accelerate a few yards at a time when they could. The unpredictability and non-stop action kept the energy level incredibly high and every player developed skills that would come in handy in any match. When parents arrived at the end of the session they commented on how loud and boisterous their boys were. This was fantastic because I was worried they'd complain about the soaking wet and muddy kit, a result of one further rule which the soaking wet pitch had permitted us: compulsory Klinsmann dives after every goal!

Playing Matches in Bad Weather

Against our better footballing principles, it isn't always possible to pass the ball on the ground. When the pitch is very wet the ball will not reach its target, and when it is very cold the roll won't be true and the ball will bobble all over the pitch. I don't want to discuss all the possible permutations this might have on your team's strategy but it is always worth highlighting the conditions to your players before the game. Ask your players to take more shots on goal and look to play the ball behind the defence more often than normal. Players are prone to slipping and misjudging bounces, so balls behind the defence can exploit these mistakes - a defender facing his own goal on a wet pitch is in a (literally) sticky situation as dribbling and passing back to the goalkeeper are both very risky strategies. On the flip-side of this, ask your players to drop a little deeper when defending and ask midfielders to pressure the ball-carrier more intensely than normal. The ball will tend to stick, so the ball-carrier's passing options are reduced at the same time as running with the ball is much more difficult. In bad weather, coaching from the side-lines is also slightly different. Players will make 'mistakes' and errors of judgement; don't draw attention to them. If you notice that some players are repeatedly misjudging balls or playing poor passes, mention at half-time that opponents are misjudging balls and playing bad passes. Your players will recognise the same aspects in their own play and will probably make different decisions in the second half, but they will not perceive your comments as criticism and damage their confidence. Instructions during the game are likely to be obscured by rain and carried off by the wind so they need to be directly addressing an individual, very short and very simple. Before shouting try to think about exactly what the purpose of your instruction is, and what is the most basic way you can communicate this whilst being specific. If you cannot give a very specific instruction to a specific individual then save it until half-time or after the game.

Postponements/Abandonments

If the weather is so bad that your match is postponed then try to arrange an alternative as soon as possible. Of course, you are at the mercy of leagues, clubs and parents here but if an event is cancelled a day or more before then immediately seek an indoor or artificial pitch you can use at the same day and time and redirect your players there for training or just for a kickabout. Some clubs have emergency facilities for all their teams, but it's more likely that you'll have to take the initiative on this and just provide it yourself. You might also have to ask parents to cover the cost of the pitch, but all the effort is well worth it because playing football, at the time they were promised, is a massive psychological boost to your player's motivation and respect for you as a coach and the game in general.

Have Your Say

I'd be really interested to hear your stories, thoughts and ideas about football in wet weather - for training and for matchdays - in the comments section below:]]> http://betterfootball.net/soccer-coaching/coaching-method/bad-weather-soccer-coaching-strategies/feed/ 2 Why 99% of Soccer Coaching Sessions Suck… http://betterfootball.net/soccer-coaching/coaching-method/sessions-suck/ http://betterfootball.net/soccer-coaching/coaching-method/sessions-suck/#comments Sat, 07 Nov 2009 14:37:26 +0000 Pavl Williams http://www.betterfootball.co.uk/?p=598 Scrimmage vs Small-Sided Games for Coaching SoccerYou'll see it in almost every grassroots coaching session. Many coaches discuss every topic, every week, by using it. But it sucks! I'm talking about the 'scrimmage' or the all-in large scale match that opens or ends the vast majority of soccer coaching sessions at all levels of grassroots football. I used it mindlessly in the past and I guarantee that you can picture coaches from your league who rely on nothing else. But what function does it serve in a soccer coaching session?

Too many players, or too few.

If the purpose of a large-scale match is to create a game-realistic practice, then an all-in scrimmage fails on every account. Unless your session has 22 players involved, the dynamic of the game will inevitably be different to that of a matchday. In most cases the practice game has 7, 8 or 9-a-side and therefore the defenders, midfielders and attackers are all playing with less teammates and against less opponents in their area of the pitch. If, instead, the purpose is to coach elements of positional play then it fails again. Jobs are replicated all over the pitch leaving players in positions where they cannot impact on the game. This negatively affects tactical understanding and motivation. Worse still, under the pretense of match-practice, players are required to stay in allocated positions which limit their understanding of key concepts of the game. For example, in a large game the central attackers don't need to learn about cover positions (so won't) and right full-backs can play for hours without their left foot approaching the ball. These deficiencies persist even though we would all recognise how a centre forward or a right back would benefit (especially in their own position) from developing these skills.

Developing Creative Play

But the biggest problem with an all-in match is that the sole focus is the final scoreline. This creates a disconnect as developing soccer players cannot effectively analyse how their actions lead to the outcome they are focusing on. What is needed instead is a more direct relationship between a tactic and an outcome. Small-sided games offer this simpler picture - our players' task is to solve the single problem in front of them as effectively as possible - allowing players to develop 'insight' into which actions have which likely consequences. Insight is a concept famously espoused by Johan Cruijff. It describes a tactical understanding of the game, an appreciation of movement and space, and the opportunities that it presents. In ;'Brilliant Orange: The Neurotic Genius of Dutch Football', a (highly recommended) analysis of the great Ajax and Holland sides of the 1960s and 1970s, David Winner writes,
"Opponents were not seen as foes to be fought and beaten; rather as posing a problem which had to be solved." - David Winner
In small-sided games the same picture is repeated again and again in quick succession. This creates the perfect environment for experimentation, for testing new skills and for developing imaginative creative play - the hallmark of Cruijff's much-admired teams (and of their spiritual successors Barcelona and Arsenal). Each picture in a small-sided game reflects a 'moment' that will appear in a full-size match. The final score of a match is ultimately the sum of the outcomes of these moments. If your team wins the majority of the 1v1, 2v2 and 3v3 battles during a game, the result will look after itself. The major advantage of small-sided games, therefore, is in teaching our players effective strategies to 'win' more of the individual moments.

Technique and Touches

There are far more well-reported benefits to training with small-sided games: Having so many touches rapidly develops strong technique and players grow quickly in confidence. In a match this presents as players asking for the ball, taking on opponents and losing possession less often. The rapid interchange of positions forces players to incorporate new skills and to develop understanding of both attacking and defending principles. This creates well-rounded footballers who are comfortable dropping back to cover an advancing teammate or overlapping from defence to create goal-scoring chances. Further, our players will improve their attacking play by learning where defenders want to be, and perform their defensive duties better by appreciating where goals are most likely to be scored. Small-sided games can be scaffolded so that players move from 1v1 upwards, adding more challenges and more decisions at each stage until the transition to a match is natural.

Using Scrimmages Effectively

There is one purpose that a scrimmage is ideal for; having fun. Let your players pick teams, then give them a ball and let them go at it. But when it comes to soccer coaching - switch to small sided games. Agree? Disagree? Let me know in the comments below:
Photo Credit: stevendepolo
]]> http://betterfootball.net/soccer-coaching/coaching-method/sessions-suck/feed/ 7 Be A More Effective Soccer Coach: The Echo Method http://betterfootball.net/soccer-coaching/coaching-method/more-effective-soccer-coaching-echo-method/ http://betterfootball.net/soccer-coaching/coaching-method/more-effective-soccer-coaching-echo-method/#comments Mon, 27 Jul 2009 22:59:30 +0000 Pavl Williams http://www.betterfootball.co.uk/?p=377 Echo Coaching - A New More Effective Soccer Coaching Method

Science and Schedules

As our season has just ended it is time to reveal the outcome of a fascinating year-long experiment with a methodology called ‘Echo Coaching’ - and the results are so positive that I’m sure you will want to apply this system to your own sessions next year. I’ve just finished a run of twenty weeks in which my players have practiced the application of more coaching points than in the preceding twenty weeks, and in which their ability to recall these coaching points has tripled. Soccer Coaching Echo Menthod Results

The Staggered Repetition Principle

The brain is bombarded with information. As a result we are programmed to focus, filter or forget, 99% of everything we ever experience is ignored by our senses or dismissed as insignificant by our brains – allowing to focus on the 1% that might be important. And it is a good job too! Can you imagine being able to remember every word in every conversation you’d ever had, no matter how banal it might be? Instead we remember only the topic of conversation and (only if they are, literally, ‘memorable’) the person we had it with. To function effectively our minds must make generalisations and group similar information together so that it can access it quickly in the future. Unfortunately for us, many soccer coaching sessions are held in the same environment at the same time and with the same participants every week. This encourages our players’ brains to get lazy and group all of their training experiences together, remembering only the similar aspects. Also unfortunately, the text book method for coaching soccer is to coach one topic per session and then move on to a different topic the following week. Those lazy brains can find it pretty easy to dismiss the details when the topic is only ‘important’ enough for one session in a season. To add even more flies to the ointment, the brain has a ‘recency bias’. It gives greater importance to information that it pertained last and gradually less and less significance to information as time passes. This is haughty psychological babble for what we all instinctively know; after a while, we forget things!

The Solution

Soccer Coaching Echo Method Problem Graph As we can see in the chart above, players will forget 20% of a topic’s coaching points after just two weeks, and recall will tail off to 28% after a ten week period. If we expect our players to apply the coached principles in a game, it can be safely assumed that they need to be able to recall the key points - if not then why do we teach them? As their ability to recall falls over time, it stands that we will have to ‘top up’ their understanding at regular intervals. Of course we could return to the topic and coach it again, but the danger is that we will be caught coaching the same points in perpetuity and our players will not develop as well-rounded footballers. So the challenge for coaches is to find the balance between introducing new topics and revising old ones. Fortunately there are two aspects which help to solve this problem:
  1. Firstly, reactivation is much faster than new learning.
  2. Secondly, repeating information gives it more significance, so it is retained for much longer.

The Echo Method

Soccer Coaching Echo Method Results Graph The Echo Method is a system whereby the topics are planned over a long-time to maximise the amount of information provided and the long-term recall of this information. Part one of this planning method utilises ‘Staggered Repetition’, which means the topic is repeated just as recall would be expected to fall below 80% - topping up to 90%-100% and then waiting until the next time it drops. Over time the gaps between repetitions get longer and longer because the information is considered more important as the repetitions increase and as a result recall dramatically improves. Part two of the planning accounts for the fact that the coaching points can be reactivated relatively quickly and this allows multiple topics to be covered within a single session.

Making The Echo Method Soccer Specific

The main difficulty in developing a test for this method was in defining and testing “recall”. To do so we developed a series of homework tasks for our players, a short 10-mark test of their understanding taken 2, 4 and 10 weeks after a topic was last coached to them. Based on data from the first 20 weeks (single topic progressions) we were able to establish the ideal spacing for our repeated topics. Our schedule for the second 20 weeks of our experiment (practicing ‘Echo Coaching’) looked like this: Soccer Coaching Echo Method Session Plan Schedule One week after coaching a topic for the first time recall was below 90% (this is because not all of the information will have been taken in during the session) - therefore we immediately refreshed a topic the following session. After the second session recall was only above 80% for around 2 weeks so we refreshed the coaching points a second time at this stage. We then held the fourth session on a given topic a further 4 weeks on (7 weeks after originally coaching it). After this series of sessions we found that recall was still above 80% a further 10 weeks along (18 weeks after the original coaching session)!

The Results

Soccer Coaching Echo Method Results Comparison Graph With the same total coaching time:
    

  • Recall of the key coaching points was 288% higher after ten weeks using the ‘Echo Coaching’ method.
  • The number of coaching topics covered was slightly higher using the ‘Echo Coaching Method’ (14 topics in 20 sessions vs. 10 topics in 20 sessions).
  • Total time spent planning sessions was lower with ‘Echo Coaching Method’ as we used the same small-sided games to develop our coaching points in each refresher session.
  • Player enthusiasm was notably higher when we switched to the ‘Echo Coaching Method’, because they knew they were getting at least two different games in every session.
Hakan Dahlstrom
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