Jamie:
Hello and welcome to Coachcast by England Football Learning, the coaching podcast designed to give you expert insight, session ideas, and a platform to discuss your coaching questions and challenges. I'm Jamie.
Louise:
And I'm Louise. In each episode of this season, one of our experts will dissect a specific topic, and then speak to a grassroots coach, with the aim of helping them and you provide more players with inspirational opportunities. So, here we are for another episode of Coachcast. In this episode, we're focusing on how the volume and variety of games you offer can benefit your players.
Jamie:
Our expert for today's show is Mark Neville, and he's sat with us now in the studio. Hi Mark, welcome to the show.
Mark:
Good to be here.
Louise:
Hi Mark, thanks for your time today. Before we start, do you want to tell our listeners a little bit more about yourself and your role at the FA?
Mark:
Yeah, I was in youth development for 15, nearly 18 years, and joined the FA six years ago to do this role. I'm a FA youth coach developer, so I'm responsible for looking after the professional clubs in the area that I live, which is the South West, so... big up to the South West.
Louise:
Fantastic. Okay, so can you explain what you mean by volume of games, and also what do you mean by variety of games?
Mark :
Okay, let's start with variety. So, the adult game, as we all know, is 11v11. I guess, historically, in youth development, we've been in a rush to get to 11v11, for whatever reason that is. And as we've slowly gathered the evidence and understood the game, and how kids learn a little better, we understand that actually 11v11 is not really that suitable, particularly in the foundation years and into the youth development years. It's not a particularly suitable vehicle for kids to learn, express, and deal with it. We know the rich tapestry of kids is unbelievably varied in terms of their cognitive and social makeup, their physical makeup, their technical makeup. And they all change and move at different levels. So, to put them all into 11v11 on a large area, we know that's not right, so by variety we mean we can play about with how many people play a particular game, as long as we acknowledge it's got two goals, some of the normal rules of football, throw-ins, kick-ins, and goal kicks, all that sort of stuff. But we can go as low as 2v2, and really develop some interesting stuff with the kids. So we can go from 2v2 and every iteration up, all the way up to 11v11. I guess that the bit we're trying to go after is to get people thinking about what their players need at whatever stage in life and learning they're at. So, obviously, the foundation years we'd advocate. We use 2, 3, 4, 5, the smaller varieties, as often as you can to generate more instances of learning, more instances of trying things as you go. In terms of the volume, really interesting one. So, we'll probably play every week, which may or may not be enough, particularly if you're playing a larger format. What is that particular child getting? Say, at nine years old, playing 7v7, when really if we played at 3v3, we could almost times by 10 what they're experiencing in the game. Equally at guessing the volume, where we're talking about player interactions. So, the quality of the actions you undertake in the game, whether that's technical, tactical, running, shooting, scoring, stopping. And trying things that are different and unconventional. So, volume and variety, hand in hand, we've got an opportunity to really play with what the kids go through and experience and learn. And ultimately we can look to other nations who have a smaller population than ours and are nurturing some really technical talent. So, if we use the Belgium FA, for example, with their 3v3 model, some great players come from there, just by dialing up the number of opportunities, the kids get to experiment before us asking, and play the game and fall in love with the game. So, I guess that's what we mean by volume and variety. Variety of formats and how we can shape a pitch, and how we can shape the child's experience, and the volume or frequency of contacts they get with the ball or get with their teammates, and how often we do that.
Louise:
Why would you say it's important, and what returns do you get from ensuring that you have good volume and variety of games in your sessions?
Mark:
Again, we touched on the individuals and how individuals can fluctuate throughout their life, particularly peak height velocity ages, or, I guess, the teenage and the pubescent/pre-pubescent years where, if you look across a group of, for example, under 14 boys or girls, the difference in their height is incredible. You know, the difference in their physical stature, but also in their cognitive... their social stature is also different. So, if we throw them into the same game, we might be doing a disservice to some of the players that aren't quite fully developed, whether that be across any of the aspects of the four corners. So, if you think about using different types of game, we might, we've got a chance to improve and to enhance their opportunities to try things to experiment and to stay in love with the game, and we don't know, no one's got a crystal ball, no one comes out the other end, so we might be missing a really beautiful player. But there's been some lovely players that have been missed, shall we say, particularly in the academy system, and then have come back later, because they've been nurtured in the right way, somewhere else perhaps. So, it's really important that we give the kids a variety of experiences and affordances to go and try and play and enjoy. And that's grassroots right to the pro game, particularly, if I might say, the grassroots. Games programmes across grassroots and pro game will advocate a certain format at each particular age range. I guess, my message would be to challenge that as much as you can, and to look at the children in your care and really ascertain what they need. So, if they need more time on the ball and more decisions to make, shorten the format, make it smaller. Comes with a bigger physical punch, but the kids get more chances to play and to experiment and to express. And it's not to say the big game is evil. It's not, it's what we all end up playing. But it's choosing what's right for the children in your care, to keep them in love with the game, to keep them enjoying the game and enjoying expressing themselves, and being able, brave enough to try something new. So, I guess, that's why it's really important. We think about variety, and it's not boring. Then, you know, go and play futsal, go and try that. That's a great game in itself, but also a great support to football. There's loads of ways we can do it.
Jamie:
So, building on from that, what happens if you don't mix up the variety or, say, you just end up sticking to the same formats and pitch sizes?
Mark:
I think the biggest evil we might have is that children fall out of love with the game. We can't have that, it's a wonderful game. That's why we're sat here, isn't it, all of us? We're sat and discussing, it's a beautiful game, we love it, and it fires our nation, as Gareth and the female squad have just shown us. It's an incredible game. So we need as many children to stay in love with it, playing it as long as possible. You know, the benefits it brings us later on in life are massive, aren't they? So, if we just do the same thing as Einstein said, if we do the same thing and expect different results is a form of madness, is that right? Yeah, I think it is, isn't it? So, let's think about what we provide. And I've got to say, the Premier League and some of the clubs around the country have done some really interesting things around the games programme, and around formats and varieties. And we've got 16-, 15-, 14-year-olds playing smaller formats, and really enjoying themselves and using the term, "I really enjoyed it, I felt like I was eight again". I felt like I was, well, we should always feel like, you know, until you make a job out of it or whatever. But it should always feel like that. So for me, if we don't change it, we might be stuck in our way somewhat, and we might be losing some talent, we might be losing people to the game that otherwise could feel the real benefit of it.
Jamie:
How do coaches increase the volume and variety of games? Like, what would that look like in a session?
Mark:
I guess, again, we'll go back to that point. Think about the children and players you've got in your care, what do they need? And if you think they need tight, fast, quick areas to... to express, to challenge themselves in, then play on small areas and play in small formats, so they get lots of repetitions of doing things. You think they need bigger areas to run fast and feel what it feels like to run without the handbrake on and hit bigger passes, we'll play on a bigger area. And I guess the next bit is then to think about how many people you need on it. The general rule of thumb is that the less people you've got on it, the smaller the format, the more interactions, the more actions and quality of actions are going to be up. The bigger the number of people on it, the less personal interactions you're going to get, less actions you're going to get. But you then trade it off for you starting to watch the game and understand the game. Now, obviously that needs to be age-specific. So, if you're a foundation coach, I'd advocate the smaller side of the game. If you're heading towards youth development phase, professional phase, then let's think about what the players need to watch the game, and understand some off-the-ball movements and some responsibilities and positions. The thing I'd like to add to that is think about the weekend or the match day experience for the players. So, if you are a grassroots coach, pick the phone up to the person you're arranging the games with, have a genuine conversation with them about what you'd like to try or would like to experience. The more we connect as humans, and we start realizing it's the kid's game, the child's game, not the adult game, the more we can start thinking about what we're offering the children for the benefit of their game and their love of the game. So, rather than me v you and my ego versus your ego, and we're going to win this game, let's think about actually what comes out the other side. Recently, one of the professional academies did a player-led game. So, the players were in charge of all the substitutions, the players just picked the team, they ran the strategy and, lo and behold, they really enjoyed it and won the game themselves. And it's their achievement then, rather than the coaches'. That's brilliant coaching for me, that's a great idea. But this thing around picking the phone up and speaking about, actually, what if we played 5-to-5-a-sides before we play the 7v7 or the 8v8, or what if we played two 6-to-6s across the pitch, and then we play the 11v11? Because we've dialed up all the interactions, and kids are gonna get more shooting, more stopping, more passing, more... more goalkeepers doing things, brilliant! Then we play the 11v11, and there's your adult game if you... for you to learn as well, so it's just smashing some conventions. I think we've got a real responsibility as adults to decenter ourselves. Remember, it's the kid's game.
Louise:
Should you try to include lots of volume and variety into one session, or would you want coaches to do it over a number of sessions?
Mark:
I really love that question. Yes is the answer, you want them to do over lots of sessions, I think. My interpretation would be, rather than thinking of a session of 60 or 90 minutes, and that's it, you're done. Think about the learning of the players over the year, over the month. And think about the diet you're providing them. So, back when I was in club, we used to call it the Japanese meal. So, you know when you sit around and then the sushi comes around on the conveyor belt, and it's really interesting. You go, "Well, I'll have one of those, and that was..." And so you're constantly interested with loads of incredible flavors rather than one big thing. You sit down, go, "Oh, that was probably a bit much". I think I've probably done that. So, we used the terminology to represent what we offered the kids, lots of really interesting, highly flavoursome meals that are... boom, done. And then on to the next one. So I would advocate the same. Think about your month or year, six weeks, or however you want to think about it, and what you're offering the children, and if it's 7v7 every week, or 5v5 every week. Then think again, think about what you can do. One of the clubs I'm lucky enough to support, in fact two of them, recently did, with under 13, 14, 15, 3v3, 6v6, and 8v8, all going at the same time with the same squad, and just rotated through, the scores carried around, and the kids came off, and guess which one at 13-14 they really enjoyed? That's right, it was the 3v3, because they got more stuff to do, scored more goals, tried more tricks, all that stuff, acted like big kids, brilliant. And that's what we need. So, next week, I think they're all going to do 11v11 at those ages, great. Because they've got a nice balance, and the Japanese meal is well and truly satisfied. We've got some little flavors going on, but it's not always the same. Won't turn up to do the same things and repeat and repeat.
Louise:
I really like that analogy. How can coaches judge if they're offering a good volume and variety of games?
Mark:
Look at what you provide on a Saturday-Sunday, and then I guess look at what you provide on a training night. And if it's always the same thing, and you find the kids a bit dull, a bit listless, a bit bored, or doing the same things, then you're not offering a varied diet. But if you look across it and you can look across the formats of the game, and go, you know, we did futsal that week. We did 3v3s into 7v7 that week, we did cut the sixes across the pitch. If you can look at it that way, then you're onto something. I guess the other bit we're not touching on is how you manipulate the size of areas. So, you can do some simple sums and times your length by your depth to get the amount of meters squared you've got in the area, and then divide it by the number of players, and then you roughly get how much square meterage per player you get. So, we know that futsal, as an example, you've got 80 meters per player. We know that the adult game, on a full-size pitch, is roughly 352 meters per player. So, that's a big difference, isn't it? So, if you can think about what you're offering that way, tighter, smaller, faster, more instinctive, less cognitive time to process things, less time to process pictures and select the right technique. So, more intense, particularly more physical, short, explosive outcomes. But if we think, on the bigger pitch, we've got more time to process stuff. We've got more time to be cognitive and think about it. But also bigger spaces to run in, more physical output in terms of high-speed running. That's also part of it in terms of variety, for me, and volume. And if we can think along those lines, we've got so much to add to the diet, that we can't possibly... the kids can't possibly get bored, and actually nor can the coaches, because you've got so much to play with.
Jamie:
What does a good volume and variety of games look like for each of the age groups, or is it relatively similar?
Mark:
I can't sit here and say there's a right or wrong, because there isn't, it's what you personally believe. I would advocate, I don't know, Pete Sturgis, if he was here, would advocate smaller formats, as small as you can possibly go for the foundation years and nurture those, while also nurturing a gentle understanding of the game as you go on. So, if we assume, rightly or wrongly, the foundation child is largely egocentric and centered around themselves, and as they come towards the end of that, they become more aware of each other. Even being egocentric, kids can be empathetic, so they can share. So, sharing, lending the ball, 2v2, 3, 4v4, 5v5 is brilliant for them. Loads of returns for that. And then as we go into into YDP, let's not jump straight into 11v11 just because they've gone to secondary school, and now they're 12, all going pre-pubescent. Let's remember that they still need stuff, you know. They're neurally pruning at this age, they're selecting skills and knocking skills back, and they're going through a whole host of changes. So, let's keep in love with the game, let's get them playing it. So, small formats again, 5, 6, 7, 8. The odd 11v11... great, well done, keep it there. But let's mix it up, let's get them thinking about the game and enjoying the game more, getting a higher frequency of the game. I'm going to say something probably controversial. I think, even at under 18 and 21, I think we should play 5-, 6-, 7-a-side games where possible. So, that sort of stuff, I'd be really interested to see that, if we could think about that.
Jamie:
How do you know it's helping them improve?
Mark:
It's a tough one. So, if you're seeing them every week, or you're seeing them more than once a week, it's very difficult to see past the slight improvements. If you're seeing them every six or seven weeks, you'll see big jumps. So, I guess it's knowing what you're looking for and having a lens around that. So, if we turn off that, we've got to win the game, and turn on that, what am I looking for? Who am I looking for? Have I noticed this development? I'm looking at that, I can see that.
Jamie:
Can you talk us through the practice spectrum and then explain where games sit on there?
Mark:
Yes, so if we think of the practice spectrum as a continuum, with blocked and constant practice at one end of it, and there's no right or wrong, there's no positive or negative end to the continuum. It's just... it just is. So, if we think of at one end of it, we have constant and blocked practice, which has a very low set of contextual interference. So, by that we mean, it's just me passing to you from a cone, for example. So, it's a very narrow focus, really great for technical work, really great for graining techniques and thinking about just isolating skills. No decisions, or very few. But we're really going to focus on this. So, we might do some technical coaching there, for example. And then, as we work up, we add more decisions. So, we can go to a variable practice, we have players passing between each other, so there's lots of different things going on, we might not be opposed, but now there's lots of noise and interference, and now we have to think about what pass we make and when we make it. And then right at the very end, other end of the practice spectrum is random, and as random as you can get is whatever game form is suitable for whatever ages in training at the moment. So, if we took 11v11, for example, and then people watching in two different teams, that's about as random as we can get it. So, if we accept that there is a much wider focus, lots of similar things happen, but the same thing rarely happens. You can't focus in on one particular technique necessarily. And there's massive amounts of decision-making. So, at one end, we have blocked and constant practice, low contextual interference, little or no decision-making, all the way up then to random practice where there's loads of decisions, wide focus and high contextual interference. Volume and variety would sit up there, and how we change the volume and variety would locate it either higher up the spectrum at random or slightly further down, because we modified the game slightly, but that's where games would sit. Great for skill development.
Louise:
So, how can you adjust the volume and variety of games on offer, if you have limited equipment?
Mark:
Even without goals, we can do this. You know, even without goals, and very few cones, we can still have a go at this. I think it was back in the 90s or 2000s, Manchester United did a great study with Dr. Rick Fenoglio around the 4v4 games programme. Brilliant, amazing piece of work. And the four game types were a normal game with goals, 4v4, still with keepers. Games where you could invade into a space, so you ran into a channel, and you ran and invaded and you got lots of different passes and dribbling and all that. Excellent. And then little mini goals that were in the corner of each pitch. Imagine four goals, the four-goal game. So, you could fire it in, you had to block and switch play, and do all that stuff. So, even with limited stuff, we could have, you know, the old adage, jumpers for goalposts and all that. We can still do it, it doesn't need a lot of money or resources. It just needs thought about what resources you've got, and how you use them to best suit the children in your care again. So, some cones and some jumpers is probably all we need, and we can still do 3v3s that way. If we haven't got enough goals, we can do line games, we can put targets up that they can hit. There's... the coaches out there are so creative, I'm sure, if they thought diligently about the children in their care and the games programme they offer, I'm sure they could do something different.
Louise:
So, finally, do you have any further top tips for coaches who, after listening to this, want to include more volume and variety in their sessions?
Mark:
I think the top one is to start with the players in your care, whatever age that might be, and then to look at what they can all do really well individually. And also look at the bits that they might need help with. So, once you've got that started and we can understand who's in our squad and who they are, and we've got a good relationship with those players, and the environment is good, and they want to try stuff and they're free to express, then let's start looking at designing games that help them either with the super power they've got. So, if they're good dribblers, you know, let's put them on a long thin pitch, and they've got to dribble around everybody. That would be really good fun. If they're really good at passing, let's make a big pitch. So, they've got to pass big areas, let's do that stuff. If they're strong, but they need to work on the technical stuff, well, let's make it a bit tighter, so they might have to look after the ball a bit better. So, it's thinking about the players in your care, thinking about how best to dial up the experience you want to give them, and then having a go, and like everything, don't be afraid if it doesn't work, because that's how you learn, isn't it? That's how we all learn. If we plan and do a review, we execute something, and it doesn't work. Okay, why didn't it work? Let's try it. I guess the last big one, and this particularly counts for the pro game, by the way, but equally for grassroots, is pick up the phone to the coach you're going to play against, and have the conversation about what's best for both sets of players in your care. And I'm sure you can come to some mutual agreement about what benefits both sets of players, that isn't just the normal game.
Louise:
That's great, thanks Mark.
Jamie:
Now, this is the part of the show where we chat to a grassroots coach to hear about their experiences so far, and to find out what coaching challenge they're currently facing. Earlier this week, we did exactly that. So, let's hear how it went and what advice Mark provided.
Louise:
So, joining us on the call, we've got Steven from Nottingham. Hi Steven, nice to have you on. Can you tell us a little bit about your coaching journey so far?
Steven:
Yeah, no problem at all. So, I've been coaching now for about five years, and it started with being given the opportunity to work with the civil service on the East Midlands Ladies football team, which was something that I've really enjoyed. It's been a fantastic opportunity, and it really kind of wet the appetite to sort of get in to do more coaching with those who've got a variety of ages and abilities, you know. We've got players playing at a very good level, two players who've come along for the first time to kick a ball for us, like the very, very first time. So, it's been a fantastic experience and something that kind of got me interested in doing more coaching. But I'd say that's probably taken off over the last year, in terms of when I took my son to a local football and coaching setup here in Nottingham, called Mapperley All Stars. And I got to know the guy who runs it, and he learned about my coaching, he wanted to get me involved, and it obviously went well, because, for the past year, I've taken on a group of 4- to 7-year-olds, which had boys and girls with mixed abilities. So, I do that once a week. And over the last two or three months, I have also taken on a group of 11- to 15-year-olds as well. Again, boys and girls, often mixed ability.
Louise:
Can you tell us what coaching challenge you're currently facing?
Steven:
Yes, sure. So, I think that one of the biggest challenges I face is kind of how best to prepare for sessions where we've got, obviously to a certain extent, a range of ages, but I think, more importantly, more noticeably, a really wide range of abilities, and got players that have perhaps touched academy level, playing with players that may be starting for the first time, or kind of just haven't got the... you know, the natural technique or physicality, or even self-confidence. So, you know, what hints and tips do you have to sort of prepare sessions that challenge those that can and need to be challenged, and bring along those at the other end of the scale as well, always in the same session?
Mark:
Hi Steven, good challenge, by the way. I guess, one of the things to think about, when starting a session, in the first place, I would start is, okay, what is the topic that we're coaching, and then, underneath that, who are the individuals who are going to rise to the top? I. e., who would really benefit, as a super strength, to help me here, or who is finding this area really difficult, and how do I best put them in a position to support them throughout the session? I guess then the rest of the session will... is down to planning and the Xs and Os job. And in terms of supporting those that are excelling and those that are striving, and maybe experiencing something for the first time, have a think about sparring partners. I guess the quality of the exercise you put on, or the type of exercise you put on, will dictate whether they need a sparring partner for a real challenge, or whether you think there might be an opportunity for one of the players who is perhaps more experienced to help the player who has just come in. So, we also get this almost social element, a social and psychological element where they're teaching, that's the best form of learning for that really developed player to demonstrate what they know with the player that might be experiencing it for the first time. It can be a tricky environment setup, particularly 4- and 7-year-olds. But kids will be honest and they'll tell you the truth. But in terms of sparring partners, is it somewhere where we can put two equally matched players together and they will get something from it? Is it something where I can put a player who isn't at a technical level yet with a player who is really good, and have the really good player teach the player who's not, who's just arrived at a subject? Does that kind of answer your question, Steve?
Steven:
Hey, Mark, that's really good, because it's kind of what I wanted to expand on in terms of, you know, if we do a session, maybe it'd be attacking and defending or something that could be passing where actually we do three versus twos or two versus ones, I'll always try and pair all the teams together of similar ability. Same like we have to pair people off as well. So, I'll always put the high ability with the high ability, and maybe the lower ability with the lower ability. I think it always felt right, but actually when I reflect on it and think, well, actually, the guys at the top of the scale there are getting through a load of work, the touch is good, the technique is good, the way they pass is good, so they're getting through a load of work. And then the ones at the other end just aren't getting through that volume, because they don't have the accuracy of passing, they don't have the weight of it as well. So, I think they never get to see what good looks like. So, the stuff about the sparring partners is really good.
Mark:
Brilliant, mate. So, one of them, many, many moons ago, when I had a different badge and ran around on a football pitch with academy players, we had a couple of ex-pros' kids in with us, and we used to go top and striving, so best performance and striving. And I remember this ex-pro saying to me, his son was in the striving group at the time, and he said to me, "Why don't you mix him in with them?" And I was like, what for? And, you know, they're doing really well. He's kind of got to earn the right, this is when I was young and a bit arrogant, a bit silly. You gotta earn the right to get into that group. And this ex-pro, brilliantly, he just sort of said, "Yeah, but what if, when he goes in there, "he gets to play with some players who can play "that brilliant pass that he needs, "who recognize the running that he's doing, "but also, he can then copy, mimic?" And it was like a light bulb moment, you know, like it really was like someone turning it on for me. So, the very next time we got together, we mixed them up, and we put the not so great players, who were struggling at the time or not developing as quickly as the others, we put them in their strongest positions with the lads who perhaps were excelling, and we mixed teams that way. And we got to see some really clever movement off the ball. We got to see some really good passes from the lads who, perhaps, were playing in teams of lesser ability, all of a sudden they're playing against players who can see the space, recognize the space, recognize the performance problem, make those runs, and they got to play their really good pass to that player that was doing a really good run, and vice versa, that really good passing of the ball got to see players who had been making all these runs but not getting the ball... does that kind of resonate as well? So, there's this opportunity to really scaffold and structure your environment, so that the players that are not at that level get to see what good is, like, exactly what you just said, get to see that run. And also, it might stimulate some form of social interaction, where the player, who is really good with the ball and wants to make a pass, coaches the player who isn't... you know, obviously it's our job as well, but obviously the players can do that really well, and that's a great way of learning for the kids to experience.
Steven:
Yeah, that's brilliant, Mark, because I think, you look at it and think, well, actually, if they turn up at these sessions once a week, and they don't want to be dragged down, or thinking, why am I doing this with a player who's not as good? I'm not getting the quality of work. But, actually, it's a real responsibility for them as well, isn't it? To sort of bring them along and take responsibility for not only their own learning but others' as well.
Mark:
Brilliant. If you're doing things like skills, in particular, and if you've got the ability to set homework, not homework, but a home challenge where we create like a topic of work, where we might sort of say, "Go and have a look at the Cruyff turn". So, you can practice that, when you come back next week, show me who's had a practice, and then, when they come back, if they have done that if you've got a couple of players that are really, really good at the Cruyff turn, for example, well, they become your mini coaches, and you can sort of say, "All right, come here, everybody who's not quite got it, "come and speak to Ruben", let's call him Ruben, "Come speak to Ruben. "Ruben is going to show you..." And, all of a sudden, Ruben's an ambassador and a mini coach. You can then go and help another group, and all of a sudden, it'll be cool to be this little ambassador and you'll see people nailing it. And then you get, by the end of the session, you might have 6, 7, 8 ambassadors who are almost working on a 1-to-1 or 1-to-2 level, helping the players that haven't quite got their technique yet.
Steven:
Mark, that's brilliant. Yeah, fantastic, thank you.
Jamie:
Steven, do you have any other questions you'd like to ask at all?
Steven:
Yeah, Mark, if I can, I've got a question on variety as well, because, I mean, I always like to prepare new sessions each week, I'm doing different drills, different activities, but actually kind of how often should we look to repeat drills and bring them back? Let's say I only get these groups once a week for an hour. So, when we work on something, and perhaps we've been working on it for 20-25 minutes, so, kind of where's the balance in bringing things back relatively soon to consolidate what we've learned, without crossing that, oh, you know, "why am I doing this again, it's boring, we've done it before" kind of response?
Mark:
It's a really, really good question. I love it, I love your thinking about creating pockets of interest for the kids. So, I used to talk about coaching, when I was in a club, particularly we talked about the Japanese meal. So, loads of really exciting flavors, but tiny, tiny little portions to keep everybody interested. And back when I was coaching, we would have a battery of games, a set of games about almost anything, like finishing games, games where you had to run with the ball to score, games you had to dribble to score, games you had to eliminate players with passes to score. And we would just deploy those depending on what topic it was. But the kids knew the game, the kids knew the game, what it was, weren't reinventing the game, it wasn't, "What is this and how does this make sense for football?" And they weren't learning my game, they were learning, I get to practice this particular set of skills. So, the variety is a sense of how you rotate that over a body of works in a month, six weeks, eight weeks, 10 weeks, however your club operates. But equally, getting kids excited about what we're going to play. Giving it a fancy name is always good. So, we're gonna play... we're gonna play island hopping now. And the kids know, in island hopping, that they're going to have to practice lofted finishes, headers, bicycle kicks, aerial control, and they get that excited about it. So, it's the same game, but they understand that they're going to learn these skills when they're deployed in this game. Do you see what I mean? It's not about creating a new game that's got added time, multiball, and 15 different balls, and, "How do I score in this?" You know, if you're having to ask how you score, all the time, we probably got a problem, but if they're familiar with it, and they can get to practice a set of skills, great variety, in that instance, hugely important, as long as you're not reinventing practices after practice, and coming up with something new and faddy every week, and the kids aren't learning the game, they're learning the drill. They're learning that particular moment, rather than an aspect of the game of football.
Steven:
Mark, it's really, really helpful, thank you. Yeah, because you can, I don't know, get too carried away, but, you know, you always want to bring something back, so it's fresh and different, but actually little tweaks and then I'd say consolidating that knowledge is, I think, actually really important as well
Mark:
100 percent, and then speaking about what we spoke earlier in terms of challenging the stronger players, the players that are striving. So, you can tweak where you deploy, you can tweak their roles within the game, depending on whether, like we spoke right at the start, whether you want to really charge that super power up, or whether you want to really help them with something that they're perhaps not achieving in the game at the minute, or finding something really quite tricky. So, back in the 70s, I hope I get this right, Bunker and Thorpe, who are two academics from Loughborough University, talked about teaching games for understanding. It's a brilliant body of work, amazing body of work. One of their... I'm not going into too much detail. One of their main concepts was, if we get the game form right, so in this case, if the session's right, the area size, the number of players on it, and the constraints within it, then it allows the coach to remove themselves from the game and the kids to really concentrate on the task that the game is providing. So, if we think about all our little small-sided games, or perhaps even a drill, we think about it in that way, that's a great way of getting like, "What are the kids getting from this when I do this? "What are the players getting when we put this on for them?" So, if we think about our game form, and our game form is right, we can definitely observe and then pick our moment to coach, but allow the players to experience the game.
Steven
Yeah, Mark, that's great as well. I think that the little tweaks you can do in those small-sided games to make them more... to add that variety to it, but kind of not changing the kind of rules, if you understand what I'm saying, in terms of how we're spending the first five or 10 minutes, trying to understand what the task is, if you know, so that's really, really helpful, Mark, thank you.
Mark:
You're welcome.
Jamie:
Happy with that advice, Steven?
Steven:
Yeah, thank you so much, it's been really, really useful.
Jamie:
Well, hopefully you can put that advice into practice in a session soon. Thank you very much.
Steven:
Thank you.
Mark:
Bye, Steven.
Jamie:
We're coming up to the end of the episode now, which means it's swift session time. This is where we challenge our guests to come up with a session idea that relates to the theme of the episode.
Louise:
Today, we're looking for a session idea that's fun, engaging, and can be quick for coaches to set up. Given today's topic, it might be a variety of activities that you want to try and fit in. But whatever approach you choose, you'll only have 30 seconds to explain your ideas. Are you up for the challenge?
Mark:
I am.
Louise:
Okay, let's set the timer up. Thirty seconds on the clock. Time starts now.
Mark:
Okay, it's a ladder system. So, you set up three games of football, 2v2s or 3v3s, whatever your squad size. Have a different activity on each one, so you can have end zones, you can have mini goals, big goals, but you start on the bottom pitch. If you win, you move up a pitch, if you draw, you stay where you are. The idea is to get to the top pitch, the Champions pitch, and every time you win on the Champions pitch, you score four points. If you lose on the Champions pitch, you are relegated all the way back to the start. Now, remember, if you draw, the team below you will jump you. It's a great one for competition.
Louise:
Well, I think you are pretty much exactly on time, apart from the whistle interrupting your final word. Are you happy with that? Is there anything else you want to add?
Mark:
No, banging!
Louise:
Great. Okay, so, before we finish the show, do you have any last key messages for coaches to take away?
Mark:
Obvious one, always think of the kids first, whatever age they are, they're still kids. Even if that's teenagers or in the professional phase, they're still kids. Think of the kids first, think about how you can best polish and help them with the things they're really good at, and enjoy the game, but also how you can then help them with the things they might not find that easy, or things they might need to work on to help them enjoy the game more as they go. And the last piece is just think of a convention or a norm that happens in football, for example, the 11v11 game. Think of something like that and use it as a stimulus to break it and do something different with the kids at the heart of everything you do. That's it.
Jamie:
Fantastic. Well, thank you very much, Mark, it's been great to have you on and find out about how offering a good volume and variety of games in our sessions can benefit our players. All right, that's all we have time for today. But if you want to find out more about what we've discussed in this episode, head over to thebootroom. thefa. com, and check out top tips adding variety to your coaching sessions. You can also visit our YouTube channel, England Football Learning, to watch our hot topic webinar, games programme, challenges, and returns.
Louise:
To keep in touch with all of our content, make sure you hit that "Subscribe" button on our YouTube, and follow us on Twitter, where our handle is @EnglandLearning. And if you want to chat about today's episode, or you just want to jump into a coaching conversation, you can do so on the FA community. We'll be back soon with another episode of Coachcast. So keep an eye on our social media channels, and wherever you get your podcasts from. From all of us at England Football Learning, thanks for listening.