In this blog, Neil Harrison, U10 girls coach for Nattyeford FC, talks about the art of noticing.

There are three key questions I ask myself:

• What do I look for during practices and matches? 
• How do I observe effectively when the picture is constantly changing? 
• How might my observations help me plan for future sessions/games? 

What do I look for during practices and matches? 

When I started coaching groups, I followed the ball all the time and didn’t really focus on anything but that. As time went on my confidence grew and my education continued. I then started to try and view individuals and small groups on the pitch and in training. It wasn’t easy as I kept wanting to follow the ball, but my coaching and understanding of players certainly improved since my change in focus.  

I am now able to see when a player is lacking confidence and am able to monitor it. If this happens a few times, I now intervene to help. For example, when focusing on defending, I can see when some players struggle with marking and I can work with them to get goal side. From an attacking perspective, I can see when players struggle to turn with the ball and can help them with practices to support them.  

How do I observe effectively when the picture is constantly changing? 

Like I previously mentioned, the game is fast and I used to follow the ball everywhere. I would also spend time with the game-changers on the side or would be writing things down. I now see a lot more of the game and I have started to move my eyes away from the ball. An example of this is when I take the time to observe the movement of individuals ahead of the ball when the team is trying to get the ball up the pitch, during an attack. I can then see and support those that might need a little helping hand.  

It isn’t easy, but time, practice and learning has made me realise how important it is to observe. The more I see, the more I understand.  

How might my observations help me plan for future sessions/games? 

Better observation skills allow me to help a certain player or group in the moment. I tend to use something I once learnt on a course from my tutor, Chris. His suggested approach was that; if something happens once it is a one off, twice is a coincidence and three times is a pattern. The third time it happens might therefore be the moment that I either: a) intervene to help the player 1 on 1, b) put them in practices and/or challenge them on match day over a number of weeks to help them around the specific skill or c) choose to log the development need in their 4 corner profile to work on in future.  

I also like that idea of 3 times is a pattern because if you see them do a skill 3 times well, it shows that they are developing and that I am creating the right opportunities to help them do so.   
 
What do you think of Neil’s blog? Do you have any questions for him? Or do you do other things to improve your noticing skills? Comment below.