As a coach are you outcome or process driven?
Hi Everyone, thanks for your patience over the last couple of months. I’ve had lots of different things happen in my personal life which meant this newsletter had to take a back seat. Now I’m back to some semblance of normality, I can get back to telling you about the exciting things all football coaching that I’ve found over the past week (or two months in this case). This week you’ll find putting process before outcome, team talsk for youth players, and brain examines in the Netherlands. Enjoy!
The top ten
First up is an article from socal youth sports on putting process before outcome. They outlined the research into the benefits such as higher self-esteem, resilience, and better fundamental skill development achieved through a focus on individual progress, skill development, and problem-solving through game-like scenarios. https://www.socalyouthsports.com/2023/04/11/process-before-outcome/
Next up is England’s learnings tweet on using their “hat-trick” rule when players make mistakes. I think this is a great idea and something I’m going to try an implement. It’s so easy to jump in and correct straight away but are we removing a learning opportunity for a player by doing so?
https://twitter.com/EnglandLearning/status/1646902140906905600
David Hincliff here with a thread about affordances. This can be a tricky subject which I believe is brilliantly outlined here by David. From outlining affordances (also known as opportunities to act), how to simplify them, draw attention to them through practice.
https://twitter.com/davidhinchliffe/status/1647669373820182530
Next is Nabil Murad’s 6 paradoxes he feels youth coaches face. confidence vs humility, short-term vs long-term, and competition vs collaboration are 3 of the 6. Do you agree with his 6 or do you think there are more?
Ever wondered how to best conduct a team talk to youth players? Well, sporting resource has a tweet with some things to think about as you construct yours. game feedback, reinforce success, encourage improvement, connect with players, visual aides, encourage discussion, make it interactive, and keep it brief. All common sense things and not to be all done at once but still a timely reminder.
https://thesportingresource.wordpress.com/
Next up is Gavin Murphy’s 7 points on football, skill acquisition, and ecological dynamics. From the fact that football’s complexity (ever-changing situations) means players must have training grounded in ecological dynamics to training being designed for a variety of situations that reflect the game in its full dynamic and unpredictable nature. Have a read and see what you think and how this could influence your session design.
https://twitter.com/gmurphycoaching/status/1650185203673972737
Do your players find it hard to communicate on the pitch? Well foundation age coaching have five ways to help you encourage your players in this area of development. Know what good communication looks like, create the right environment for them to talk, encourage different forms of communication, allow players to make big decisions, ask & observe. What do you think? Any more to add?
Whilst this article is for goalkeepers the points ring true for all players and even us as managers. Fear and anxiety can severely impact goalkeepers, but by shifting focus, setting controllable goals, and changing their perception of nerves, they can overcome these challenges and improve their performance. Working on the mental aspect of the game is crucial for success in sports. Read through for more in-depth explanations. https://www.knpsportpsychology.com/post/3-ways-to-overcome-fear-as-a-goalkeeper
Philip O’Callaghan is a favourite of mine. Lots of interesting articles and tweets. Here is another one but this time taking us through a study on shot execution in basketball. interesting takeaways, make the practice like the game. Those who practiced with defenders performed better than those who didn’t. From the variability in their pre-shot movement (finding a way to get their shot off) to the difference in ball trajectory. Again another thing to add to your thinking around your session designs.
https://twitter.com/Mr_Tennis_Coach/status/1654927829878841344
Fascinating article on how the AZ academy in the Netherlands is run and their tests for determining the potential of players. Brain tests???? Not something that grassroots coaches can apply but still shows the importance of cognitive skills and being able to train and improve them.
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