I reckon to watch the high level coach’s training is a better way to develop. SometimesI reckon to watch the high level coach’s training is a better way to develop. Sometimes I watch AFA Pro Coach’ s training of my club. The specific things I focus is the details of his session. Maybe we coach the same subject. However, I still need to learn and improve in term of time control and details of guidance.

I also watch the video of The FA channel on Youtube. Jot down the coach point of the sessions. Observe how the experienced coach intervene, what are their coach style. Depend on those, I could summarize and progress my philosophy to help my player.

Hope this could help you, Tim. Thank you.

Xin

That's really helpful, thanks Xin. Also great to see that the Youtube videos are helping you! Thank you!

watch any other coach wether theyve just started or are in the professional game, people have great ideas whatever their experience.

watching plenty of games on playback, but most important to me is understanding the players you work with.

last season with my u16's i changed everything about the way they played previously.

This was because the amount of players e had in certain positions didnt lend itself to the old style/formation of play.

We changed from a 4 to a 3 at the back which meant educating the couple of full backs we had into good centrebacks giving us a gretaer depth in defence. teaching new skills to the high amount of midfeilders we had 

it took almost 6 months of the season in training/matches, learning for  myself and the team sometimes having to stick to my guns or trying to explain to them the importance of trust in one and other, when all i could here in the first few weeks was "we cant play like this" "we need to go back to 4 at the back" and we finished second in the league.

i personally think the players finished the season better for it and the feedback was good.

but what ive learned is you have to be brave in making decisions, you have to be prepared to change formation/style every season if necessary, but you always need to communicate with your players to make them feel part of the whole process

watch any other coach wether theyve just started or are in the professional game, people have great ideas whatever their experience.

watching plenty of games on playback, but most important to me is understanding the players you work with.

last season with my u16's i changed everything about the way they played previously.

This was because the amount of players e had in certain positions didnt lend itself to the old style/formation of play.

We changed from a 4 to a 3 at the back which meant educating the couple of full backs we had into good centrebacks giving us a gretaer depth in defence. teaching new skills to the high amount of midfeilders we had 

it took almost 6 months of the season in training/matches, learning for  myself and the team sometimes having to stick to my guns or trying to explain to them the importance of trust in one and other, when all i could here in the first few weeks was "we cant play like this" "we need to go back to 4 at the back" and we finished second in the league.

i personally think the players finished the season better for it and the feedback was good.

but what ive learned is you have to be brave in making decisions, you have to be prepared to change formation/style every season if necessary, but you always need to communicate with your players to make them feel part of the whole process

watch any other coach wether theyve just started or are in the professional game, people have great ideas whatever their experience.

watching plenty of games on playback, but most important to me is understanding the players you work with.

last season with my u16's i changed everything about the way they played previously.

This was because the amount of players e had in certain positions didnt lend itself to the old style/formation of play.

We changed from a 4 to a 3 at the back which meant educating the couple of full backs we had into good centrebacks giving us a gretaer depth in defence. teaching new skills to the high amount of midfeilders we had 

it took almost 6 months of the season in training/matches, learning for  myself and the team sometimes having to stick to my guns or trying to explain to them the importance of trust in one and other, when all i could here in the first few weeks was "we cant play like this" "we need to go back to 4 at the back" and we finished second in the league.

i personally think the players finished the season better for it and the feedback was good.

but what ive learned is you have to be brave in making decisions, you have to be prepared to change formation/style every season if necessary, but you always need to communicate with your players to make them feel part of the whole process

Thanks Lee. Barring observing your players is there anything else you do to develop your understanding of and with the players? 
And where do you watch most of the coaches and playback of games?

Hi Tim,

Where the players are concerned (juniors) , listening to their general chit chat during the first 10 minutes on arrival, the stuff you hear, good or bad can help massively.

It gives you a great excuse to start a conversation with an individual

With the coaches i like to see how they warm up their players and how they relay messages during game time, one thing that stuck with me a long time ago was instead of saying to a player "do this" i always ask "can you"

replaying games helps me with visuals on certain things im trying to help my players with ie. how teams press high and why,what formation are they doing it with, or how high the keeper is up the pitch.

just because your in a back 3 it doesnt mean you cant be brave and run out with the ball. heres a clip to show you

For me, being prepared to constantly learn and improve. I use CPD events, online materials, watching other coaches, and trial and error. For me some of the best ways the best I have developed is to give myself the time and patience to try new things.

Classic example is when trying to deliver a session I have seen a pro coach deliver with pro players, and it looks like a car crash at my sessions to begin with.  But I always allow time for the players to adapt and understand. Being brave and letting mistakes happen is my single biggest area if development for sure.

Planning sessions properly also helps massively, and not jumping around topics week to week. Build a philosophy and set of ideals you want the team to invest in, even if one of those ideals is just having fun.

When you have a season like I have just finished where fellow coaches say "I really like that idea or session" or players say "training was even better than last week, and last week was really good" I felt amazing.

This is why I coach, not for badges or trophies, and when you focus on what's right in front of you, not a pipe dream, you can set achievable goals for yourself which keeps you motivated to do more.

Rich Lewis

Sounds really good, Lee. Do you run any other activities outside of football to help your players get to know one another? 

Thanks Richard, that's really useful. Sounds like you are doing a great job. With the CPD events and materials are there any subject areas that you would like to see more of? and any particular coaches?