I don't want to talk Super League...

Hi Everyone, Welcome to another edition of the Coach Insight Top Ten of the week newsletter. I know everyone and their dog has spoken about “The Super League” but I’m going to have my say. I can’t for the life of me understand what they were thinking, not the part where they want to make more money or want more control of how they make their money but the whole PR side. It’s got to be one of the worst PR disasters of all time. They made Boris Johnson and the government’s initial PR reaction to the Pandemic look smooth and well thought out! One theory is that something made them rush this decision, which looks like the conversations with UEFA on the new Champions League format, that if they hadn’t made the super league announcement would have meant they were liable for then announcing the super league. What has this got to do with this coaching, well you see, as much as it was an awful idea, there still needs to be conversations around football governance, the power that TV, UEFA, and owner have over the game. It all affects our players, our clubs, and our coaching courses. To think that UEFA and FIFA are the definitive moral leaders in our game and only have the fans and game at heart would be naive. Remember these are organisations that had members convicted or investigated for fraud, racketeering, and money laundering. The 12 were wrong for their idea and execution but one of the underlying issues still remains, do the people at the very top of the game put the fans, players, coaches, and all involved at the forefront of plans, or is greed still one of the biggest drivers….

Anyway enough of my ranting and on to the Top Ten Of The Week

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Top Ten Of The Week

1. Want to help your players prepare like a pro or just wondered yourself. Take a read here

   InnerDrive Sport Psych @InnerdriveSport

   Ever wondered how elite athletes prepare for a competition? Here's 6 ways you can prepare like an elite athelete 👇 bit.ly/3tra5c1

   

   bit.ly6 ways athletes can prepare properlyIt’s the will to prepare to win that separates the best from the rest. Here’s what good preparation for a big match or competition looks like.

2. Dan Abraham with some tips on helping players who exhibit unhelpful behaviors

   Daniel Abrahams @DanAbrahams77

   Things coaches can do to help players mediate unhelpful behaviours: -explore the coaching environment -set goals -create values -shift rigid & extreme attitudes using simple techniques from REBT -shift maladaptive behaviours using MI - skills of empathy, listening & questioning

3. The phenomenon of "choking" not being able to perform when under pressure. this excellent article outlines some of the causes of "choking" which in turn could help you when looking into why your players may be underperforming when under pressure, which can hopefully help you to help them overcome it.

   https://blog.innerdrive.co.uk/sports/why-do-athletes-choke

4. A Harvard Business Review Article here passed on from coaching the coaches. It's got mental models to help you become a better learner. Something that is key to coaching as you never stop learning but can you do it more effectively?

   Coaching the Coaches @coachingcoach_

   "The ability to acquire new skills & knowledge continually is crucial to success in a world of rapid change. If you don’t have the aspiration, self-awareness, curiosity, and vulnerability to be an effective learner, these tools can help you get there"

   

   hbr.orgLearning to LearnMental tools to help you master new skills

5. Do you have this in place at your clubs? Do you think you could achieve a ban on parents shouting instructions to players on the pitch? I'd love to try it but I know some parents just can't help themselves.

   Elliott Rushforth @Erushforth1

   Spot on. Something that stuck with me since reading @power_ray ‘making the ball roll’, “never coach whilst the ball is rolling”

   

6. Eric Laurie with a thread on the movement of Edison Cavani. I know every pundit is praising him at the moment but it's not without warrant, get your forwards watching this guy he does the basics to such a high standard that you wonder why more forwards don't do the same.

   Eric Laurie @EricLaurie

   Since arriving at Manchester United, Edinson Cavani´s movements in the box & ability to create separation & space for himself have not gone unnoticed, rightfully so. Not only is he smart in his movements, but just as importantly he is willing to make the runs. *SHORT THREAD*

   

7. Eric Laurie with another easy to read/understand graphic that would be great for those in the YDP

   Eric Laurie @EricLaurie

   1v1 Defending Principles

   

8. Former Arsenal, Chelsea, and England full-back Ashley Cole has done an article on the FA learning website on what it takes to be a top player in his former position. Some great insight here and also a link to a video where he goes through 1v1 defending

   https://thebootroom.thefa.com/resources/coaching/becoming-a-skilful-player-ashley-cole

9. The team at smarterscout have created a hashtag and thread on Twitter for people to follow grassroots content. Have a look through as I'll definitely be adding some of these to my reading list.

   smarterscout @smarterscout

   With the turmoil in football/soccer at the highest levels, we want to focus back on the grass roots. Do you have a podcast, blog, or site about football/soccer? Tweet us a plug, and we’ll share a bunch using the hashtag #grassrootscontent (so you can mute these if you prefer).

   

10. I know this isn't strictly about coaching, however, some fascinating stats from this study. The ball is only in play between 60-70 minutes of a game, which is why we've seen rumours of football taking a rugby, American Football, style stop clock.

    Chris Anderson @soccerquant

    Very interesting analysis, also in light of the idea of perhaps switching to a stop-start model of effective playing time. @CIES_Football - Monthly Report 64: Pan European analysis on the fluidity of football matches

    

    football-observatory.comMonthly Report 64Rapport mensuel de l’Observatoire du football CIES n°64 - Avril 2021

Thanks for reading through again. I hope it’s helping as we get back into the full swing of coaching again. As always if you know anyone who would like this edition or the newsletter in general please use the share buttons below.