Laura Seth, FA performance analysis and insights manager, looks at how young players can learn away from training.

We now live and interact in a digital world where live football – both at home and abroad – and a whole host of football-related content are available online and on television.

With the winter months now upon us, the weather – or currently tier restrictions - may compromise the time you have available with your players on the grass. However, this is also an opportunity to look at coaching through a different lens and to see how learning opportunities based on the game can still be provided for your players.

Whether it’s watching live football on television or a highlights packages online, as a coach, you have the opportunity to develop fun and engaging off-field coaching sessions and activities that can stimulate learning and help to develop game understanding, ownership and responsibility.

By encouraging young players to watch and interact with football content regularly, you can encourage regular analytical and problem-solving skills that can be transferred back onto the grass.

Here are some examples that you can use with players to facilitate learning and develop analytical skills away from the grass.

8-11

At this age, players like to admire and imitate older people; they like to share their thoughts and reactions and enjoy working in cooperative environments.

Encourage them to watch a highlights show on TV, like Match of the Day, and ask them questions such as the following:

• Pick your three favourite goals - why have you chosen them?
• Which goalkeeper made the best save and why?
• Which players would you select for your team of the week and why?

Alternatively, you could challenge them to watch a live game and, for 15 minutes or so, focus on their favourite player – or a player who plays in their favoured position – and identify two or three things that they did really well that they could then practice in their next training session.

12-16

At this age, role models are very influential. Players also like to be set tactical challenges and are capable of problem-solving; they like to find their own solutions and value presenting their own ideas.

To facilitate learning and develop analytical skills away from the grass, why not ask players of this age to do the following:

• Watch an elite team and identify the characteristics that make them elite.
• From this week’s games, choose your favourite left-back/central midfielder/number ten and explain why.
• Watch a team that plays with a structured deep defensive block and identify ways they can be broken down, and how goal-scoring chances can be created against them.

The tasks could be done individually, in pairs or as part of a small group and enable players to interact with their peer group, enhancing friendships and to develop team cohesion.

With all of the examples above it’s important to consider the skills and attributes that you're trying to develop with your players through your on-pitch training sessions, and then to consider how you can create opportunities away from the grass where your players can practise the same skills.

You can follow this up with a conversation with the player at your next training session and then ask them to try and recognise similar scenarios and make the appropriate decision in the training session.

What do you think about Laura’s idea? Have you tried something like this before? Let us know in the comments below!