Designing practices that keep players engaged and achieve the outcomes you’re after can be a challenge. Which is why, in this episode, we’re joined by FA youth coach developer, Taff Rahman to share loads of practical guidance on how to design effective and engaging practices.

We discover Taff’s journey into coaching, from his time with the Arsenal youth reserves and the Tottenham Hotspur Academy to joining The FA where he supports coaches in their environments with their players. 

We dive deep into practice design, covering the key principles and most important things to remember when designing your practices. No player is the same, and understanding your players’ needs so you can tailor practices around them is vital. You’ll learn how to adapt to players needs and stay responsive when their needs change, as well as identifying when things need a shake up during practices. 

In this episode, we cover: 

• The most important thing to remember when working on practice design.
• The main types of practice. 
• The three ‘R’s to consider when designing your practices. 
• Invasion game principles and why they matter. 
• How to tell if your practices are going well. 
• The benefits of having a co-coach. 
• How to stay responsive to the needs of your players. 
• How to reuse old practices and get more value out of them for your players.

Transcript: S5 Ep2: The essentials of practice design with Taff Rahman