Hi, Gary, 

I had a similar group last season!

In terms of first season priorities there is no right or wrong answer. It will depend on your approach as a coach (development focused, results focused etc.), how many times a week you train (so using your time effectively), and the longer term vision for the team (and your club structure) i.e. is this a team that will stay together as a group, or do you plan on moving players up and down between teams in your age group depending on their development? 

Question 1

What we are implementing this season is session blocks. We were reactive last season - a bad defensive performance and we'd focus on defending the week after - and vice versa. Some responded well, but others struggled and needed more structure. We set priorities in the summer in terms of which areas were key, and will work through those in 4 week blocks, so pressing for example for 4 weeks. We train twice a week, so are delivering basic, intermediate, advanced and then a recap week. 

The beauty of using the STEP model, and keeping your session design simple, is that despite the session aim being on one thing (e.g. pressing, via an 8 v 4 in a grid) your players are working on so many attacking and defending principles, and skills and techniques - cover and balance, passing and receiving, 1v1/ 2v1 etc. 

If some players find a session easier than others in the group then assess and tweak it - add conditions to challenge your stronger players, like restricting touches, making the space smaller, or setting grids up side by side and having an ability split. 

I am a huge advocate of ball mastery, and make sure I get some in at the start of each session - even if it's just for 5 minutes. I have seen their confidence on the ball and technical ability soar in the last two years. 

For game intelligence and positional understanding that's where small sided games come into their own. I have used swimlanes (flat discs on the ground) to split the pitch for positional discipline in the first few years, and avoid stopping the games if I can (unless it's something pressing). I prefer a drive by, when the player doesn't have the ball, or if it's relevant to the team - talk when the ball goes out of play. 

It's also important to note you can't coach everything in a session, so focus on clear aims, and be patient with the progress!

Question 2

Like teaching, every player is unique, so they will learn at different rates and depending on the topic - may enjoy/ progress quicker than others. Look at training and match days as a connected theme, and judge their development via performance/ application of the sessions in the game(s). So, if you have coached attacking principles in the week, such as creating space, have they done that well in the game? 

Something I have done this season is create a folder for each player, and encouraged them to complete a self reflection sheet after training and games. What went well, what do I need to improve etc. to build their emotional intelligence and ownership of their own development. I have avoided scoring them using any metric on different parts of their game - this can do more harm than good. 

I have also asked players to complete a learning questionnaire, so I can esure my session delivery targets the range of learning styles my players have. If you coach by vocal explanation for example, but you have a player who is a visual learner, are they struggling to complete the activity or are they struggling to understand expectations? 

More important than all the tools, advice, and principles in the game though is that they enjoy their football and get some form of win by the end of the season - whether that's scoring a goal, improving their passing, or becoming a more confident player.

If you reach the end of the season, and every player has loved it and wants to keep playing, then you have done a great job.

Hopefully this helps!

Lewis 

Hi, Gary, 

I had a similar group last season!

In terms of first season priorities there is no right or wrong answer. It will depend on your approach as a coach (development focused, results focused etc.), how many times a week you train (so using your time effectively), and the longer term vision for the team (and your club structure) i.e. is this a team that will stay together as a group, or do you plan on moving players up and down between teams in your age group depending on their development? 

Question 1

What we are implementing this season is session blocks. We were reactive last season - a bad defensive performance and we'd focus on defending the week after - and vice versa. Some responded well, but others struggled and needed more structure. We set priorities in the summer in terms of which areas were key, and will work through those in 4 week blocks, so pressing for example for 4 weeks. We train twice a week, so are delivering basic, intermediate, advanced and then a recap week. 

The beauty of using the STEP model, and keeping your session design simple, is that despite the session aim being on one thing (e.g. pressing, via an 8 v 4 in a grid) your players are working on so many attacking and defending principles, and skills and techniques - cover and balance, passing and receiving, 1v1/ 2v1 etc. 

If some players find a session easier than others in the group then assess and tweak it - add conditions to challenge your stronger players, like restricting touches, making the space smaller, or setting grids up side by side and having an ability split. 

I am a huge advocate of ball mastery, and make sure I get some in at the start of each session - even if it's just for 5 minutes. I have seen their confidence on the ball and technical ability soar in the last two years. 

For game intelligence and positional understanding that's where small sided games come into their own. I have used swimlanes (flat discs on the ground) to split the pitch for positional discipline in the first few years, and avoid stopping the games if I can (unless it's something pressing). I prefer a drive by, when the player doesn't have the ball, or if it's relevant to the team - talk when the ball goes out of play. 

It's also important to note you can't coach everything in a session, so focus on clear aims, and be patient with the progress!

Question 2

Like teaching, every player is unique, so they will learn at different rates and depending on the topic - may enjoy/ progress quicker than others. Look at training and match days as a connected theme, and judge their development via performance/ application of the sessions in the game(s). So, if you have coached attacking principles in the week, such as creating space, have they done that well in the game? 

Something I have done this season is create a folder for each player, and encouraged them to complete a self reflection sheet after training and games. What went well, what do I need to improve etc. to build their emotional intelligence and ownership of their own development. I have avoided scoring them using any metric on different parts of their game - this can do more harm than good. 

I have also asked players to complete a learning questionnaire, so I can esure my session delivery targets the range of learning styles my players have. If you coach by vocal explanation for example, but you have a player who is a visual learner, are they struggling to complete the activity or are they struggling to understand expectations? 

More important than all the tools, advice, and principles in the game though is that they enjoy their football and get some form of win by the end of the season - whether that's scoring a goal, improving their passing, or becoming a more confident player.

If you reach the end of the season, and every player has loved it and wants to keep playing, then you have done a great job.

Hopefully this helps!

Lewis