One from me - we are u12 football next season.  In terms of decision making we have some players whose default is to control and pass the ball (even when a dribble may be more appropriate) and others who will default to dribble mode and try to take it past 3 players when a quick 0ne-two would see them through on goal.

Any thoughts on how to get each of these sets of players to start thinking about the appropriate decision to pass/dribble rather than automatically hit their default?

Thanks

Kev

One from me - we are u12 football next season.  In terms of decision making we have some players whose default is to control and pass the ball (even when a dribble may be more appropriate) and others who will default to dribble mode and try to take it past 3 players when a quick 0ne-two would see them through on goal.

Any thoughts on how to get each of these sets of players to start thinking about the appropriate decision to pass/dribble rather than automatically hit their default?

Thanks

Kev

Great question, Kev - we'll put this to one of our guests on Tuesday and will get an answer for you posted here as soon as possible!

Thanks for the question Kev. I currently work with U12's and have similar questions. 

Have added a couple of points below that I consider when planning and designing practices; 

- How well do I understand and know my players? Why are they defaulting to this?

- How much will the practice encourage players to make decisions? What constraints/ restrictions can I apply to the player or practice to encourage players to make more decisions.

Think of the Practice spectrum- Unopposed/ Interference/ Overload/ Match up. The closer you get to the overload/ match up end of the spectrum the more decisions the players will be asked to make. 

Happy to keep the conversation going. 

Hope its a useful start.

Thanks

Andy

Kevin, thanks for interacting with this forum and your question is a good one. What we have to understand as coaches is that permanent changes in behaviour takes a long time (for some players) so patience is needed. The decision making part of football is the most difficult part and that is what usually sets the best players apart from the rest. A good place to start is to begin to recognise and give your attention to those players who do try to release the ball at the "right time" or dribble at the most effective time. Over time, this will begin to make other players think, if I want a well done or if I want the coach's attention then I have to start taking some slightly different decisions. This approach will create a safe and secure environment based on support and encouragement in the hope that players will respond appropriately. Asking the players to reflect on the outcomes of their decisions is also useful and will help them develop an internal feedback system so that eventually they won't need you as much because they will begin to acknowledge whether the decision they made was an effective one or not. It's a long process but with the right approach we can build trust with the players at the same time that we help them improve their decision making. Good luck. Pete