[00:00:09,400] [Jamie:] Hello and welcome to CoachCast by England Football Learning, the coaching podcast that brings you insight from people across the game. Today we're chatting to Nimesh Patel, an FA Regional Coach Development Officer for the East, to discover his journey so far, his advice for coaching across different areas of the game, and his top tips for working on defending. Welcome to the show Nimesh, Thank you very much for joining us. [Nimesh Patel:] Good morning.

 

[00:00:33,420] [Louise:] Really good to have you on. Can you start us off by telling us a little bit about your role at the FA?

 

[00:00:38,640] [Nimesh Patel:] Sure. So I work regionally across the east of the country. So that covers six counties from Northampton to Bedfordshire, right across towards the east, which then goes away to Norfolk and Suffolk. And my remit in coach development is to support coaches in a diversity and inclusion remit, such as underrepresented coaches from black and Asian backgrounds, disabled coaches and female coaches in the game to either get them into coaching football or find coaches that are currently with groups, with teams, with clubs that want to be aspirational and try to get to professional football and support them with a development journey to bridge the gap that we currently have with under-representation both in grassroots football and in the professional game.

 

[00:01:27,040] [Louise:] Perfect. [Jamie:] Well, just before we dive further into your journey and find out a little bit more about you Nimesh. As this is a coaching podcast, listeners might be on the way to training now. So we feel like it's a good idea to give them some great advice at the top of the show. [Louise:] Yeah, we'll call this your arrival activity. Okay. So just to warm you up and get you into the swing of things. So we'll give you 30 seconds and you've got to give us as many top coaching tips as you can in those 30 seconds. [Nimesh Patel:] Okay. [Louise:] Is that okay?

 

[00:01:55,760] [Nimesh Patel:] Yeah, sure.

 

[00:01:57,340] [Louise:] Okay. Okay. Got a little bit of music. So when that starts, you can begin.

 

[00:02:01,240] [Nimesh Patel:] Okay. Okay. Okay. So the first thing I would say is when you get to your coaching session, try and get your players to help you set up areas to give yourself a bit of breathing time. Set up sessions that might be easy to work with alternate numbers, odd numbers, more numbers than you've planned. So players can just jump straight into your sessions. I would also say try to vary your own coaching position. So when you're delivering a session, try and position yourself in different areas so you can see different things and notice certain things. Set some challenges. Ooh, just missed the last one. [Louise:] Flew through that though. [Nimesh Patel:] Yeah. [Louise:] Do you want to finish your last tip?

 

[00:02:38,260] [Nimesh Patel:] I'd say the last one was to just try and set some challenges for players. So when your players come to sessions, if you've got players that may be struggling or finding things easy, try and give them something individual to work on to give them a little bit of target as well as your actual overall theme.

 

[00:02:52,540] [Louise:] Lovely. [Jamie:] Amazing stuff. Thank you very much for that. Well, let's dive right in then and find out the first place that we usually start is kind of find out what was your first experience of football like? [Nimesh Patel:] Yeah, it's a good one. So I thought about this on the way here. I was thinking, I think my dad sort of first started working in like a local leisure centre and it had like an indoor sort of like carpet, little five-a-side pitch, which was like a multi-sports area. So it had like basketball nets and different parts of equipment and it was where I was I think I'd say five or six years old just going in taking part in like a multi-sports type session with like a big massive sponge ball and thinking this is way too big for me how am I going to play with it? But you were also then in there in a session with kids who were really older than you. And you were thinking, right, how do I manage this against players who are a lot older, players that some were a little bit younger. And I think it was just having fun. And because it was like a multi-sport session, you were trying different activities and using different bits of equipment, which was great. So I'd say that was my first experience of playing just in a local sports hall on like a carpet surface and just playing loads of different games with different kids.

 

[00:04:01,020] [Louise:] And then with that, so that's playing football, but what was your first experience of coaching like and where did that start, all that interest?

 

[00:04:09,780] [Nimesh Patel:] Yeah, so there was a like a local club that I was, I think I started playing there and that was Leicester Nirvana and it was on a local, local park close to where we were currently living. And it got to the stage where I wanted to try and do some coaching and give back and think, you know what, I'd like to maybe give this a go. So I got in touch with a local organisation called Kickstart in the local area And I had a great mentor. I didn't know at the time that he was gonna be a great mentor, but it was someone who just sort of, here's a session, can you come and support it with me? And he was a really highly qualified coach, but he didn't really let on that he had coaching qualifications. It was more just, can you come and support some sessions? And I think it was an under fives or under six mini kicker session, and it was in an assistant position. So I was just going in, helping out, setting out some cones, getting to know some of the players and just giving them a fun football experience. But it was really challenging because players when they're five, six year old and they're all chasing the ball and some of them are crying, some of them are playing with each other, they're doing their own thing. It was quite manic, but it was such a good experience to go into that and try to support these little kids and all they wanted to do was just kick a ball and have fun.

 

[00:05:19,840] [Louise:] Did you have an idea of what you were stepping into when you went into it?

 

[00:05:23,300] [Nimesh Patel:] No, so like I think I was just like looking online or planning a session and thinking, right, all the kids are going to behave and we'll get them into lines and we'll do these different things. And you get there and it's just crazy because they're all doing different things. They're running around and you're almost trying to sort of just manage them rather than actually even doing any football. And I think as the weeks went by, I sort of learned I'm here to actually just help them enjoy football, whatever that looks like. There wasn't really any tactics or anything about strategy or let's play in certain positions. It was just can I help these kids fall in love with playing football and support them with some of the skills that I was working with, with the head coach?

 

[00:06:02,880] [Jamie:] What did you enjoy about that first experience, but then also with coaching in general? [Nimesh Patel:] I think it was sort of coming out of a comfort zone and trying something different. So I always used to have this like idea that I wanted to be a P teacher and I wanted to always be a teacher or something along those lines. And I thought, you know, why not go in and try and coach football? Because I grew up with it with, with like my dad and I used to go around with him and he used to play football and run sessions and games. And I was always around him. I thought, you know, I'd like to maybe give this a go myself. And I think I learned really quickly about how to manage a session, how to manage sort of behaviour, but not really understand the topics behind it. So I would go there and plan a session and I'd plan it to manage behaviour and manage difference in the session, but I'd never really thought about, yes, that's what I'm doing here. It was more, I'm going to put on a football practice, but at the same time, I'm going to support the players and support the other coach in doing so.

 

[00:06:59,340] [Jamie:] What key attributes and skills do you think make a good coach or should I say like a transformational coach at all?

 

[00:07:05,460] [Nimesh Patel:] Yeah, that's a really good question. I think the key skill is that you have to love what you do, whether you're a volunteer or you're in a paid capacity, you have to get up and have that love. And I see a lot with coaches on a Sunday morning when I go and watch my nephew or my niece and you think actually they've given up their time to put all this together for players and the weather might not be great and they've got to deal with the parents, the players. And if you don't have that love to want to get up and help those players, you're going to find it hard, you're not going to want to do it. So I think ultimately a quality is that you have to try and find a love for it and understand that you're trying to help young players or older players if you're working with older players. And another great quality I think is really important is it's actually not so much the technical and tactical understanding of the game but it's about how you portray yourself with players. So having the right image, being a role model, the way you come across with your body language, how you speak. I think all of those things away from actually having any technical or tactical knowledge are sometimes some of the best coaches and I Always ask players that I currently coach and say who's the best coach you've ever had and it's never the one that's given them different tactics or showed them something that they've never done in a game. It's actually how they've been made to feel by that coach and the long lasting relationship of someone that's made a session fun for them, made it enjoyable for them, taught them something, but actually it's just how you've made them feel and make them feel wanted. I think that's one of the best qualities you could have as a coach.

 

[00:08:32,200] [Louise:] You mentioned someone at the beginning of you, kind of who got you into the coaching in the first place, but were there any other inspirational people that kind of made you feel a particular way that you can think of?

 

[00:08:42,900] [Nimesh Patel:] Yeah, I think so the first guy who I mentioned, Dan Levers, his name is, and he was working with the organisation, but he was also part of a professional club. And it was more just him knowing that I was going to make mistakes. And I think I had like an entry level qualification at that stage, and I was working towards my level two. But it was the fact that he was allowing me to just experience it and know that I might not get everything right. And the sessions might not look great or look pretty, but he'd given me an opportunity and put some trust into me. So he was someone who I really looked up to. And he then opened doors for me to take me into some of his own coaching sessions. So he took me to some professional clubs and he introduced me to certain people and showed me things. And he may not have known he was doing it at that stage. I think he was just being a good person, but I'll always remember him for opening the doors and showing me what coaching initially was. But since then I'd say someone who's been a mentor for me, I'd say over the past 10 years now, is Pav Singh who works in our coach development team up in the North. And he first started in Leicestershire where I was currently working in a role for the county FA, and he was a coach developer. And he sort of took it upon himself to support me but also go above and beyond what he needed to do. So he would always be on the end of the phone or he'd always make time to come out and see me coach and give me that extra support that he didn't need to do because There was so many of the coaches out there, but he found the time to do that. And he's supported me in becoming a tutor and he's been a massive inspiration for not just any coach in the game, but underrepresented coaches as a South Asian coach, as a pioneer in my opinion for in this country in coach development. So he's someone who I'd say has really helped me in my coaching journey. And I'd also then have to say a coach when I worked in an academy called Craig Jones and it was my first experience of coaching in an academy and I was put as a coaching pair in an under 11s team. And again, going back to the first coach I mentioned and some of the qualities, it wasn't so much how he understood every aspect of the game, even though he did, it was how he made me feel and how he made the players feel. And seeing some of his attributes and getting the best out of players was second to none. And he's someone who I still try and keep in touch with. And he was just someone who was so good at working with that age group that he maybe knew it or maybe didn't know, but the players just loved his sessions and his mannerisms, how he was.

 

[00:11:02,960] [Louise:] What would you say it is that you've taken from those people?

 

[00:11:06,420] [Nimesh Patel:] I think it's again, putting the person first. I think that's a common theme that for me now, as I'm a lot older in coaching, that I start to see is seeing something in someone as a coach and supporting them with that being on the end of the phone, that supportiveness, someone on your shoulder just giving you a bit of tips or a bit of advice to steer you in the right direction. Again, going back to the technical tactical side of football and thinking if I go and work with a coach who's maybe highly skilled I might pick up something. Yeah I think you might but it's more about personal soft skills which are really important and I think I've picked up some of those from each of those individuals.

 

[00:11:41,500] [Jamie:] Going back to your career in the mesh, can you tell us a little bit about your journey from that first experience of coaching up to finishing university and then obviously come in and join in the FA?

 

[00:11:50,820] [Nimesh Patel:] Yeah, so I think I did my my level level one and level two quite early when I was quite young, I'd say 19, 20, 21, got into then coaching like a local grassroots team And I think I just then found different various roles. And I think what was really good, which probably happened randomly, was I had quite varied experiences in coaching, not just coaching maybe the same team or same age group, but younger age group kids, older age group kids, seniors, females and males, disabled players working in university settings. And it's given me a really broad coaching sort of journey to say I've sort of meandered and weaved through different elements of coaching. And I've gone through did the level two, went to university, did a sports science degree, which helped me massively with what I do now, but just in general, and was fortunate enough to undertake the UFA B when it first transitioned from level 3 as it was years and years ago to actually changing to UFA B and I had a really tough journey on the UFA B because it was so out of my comfort zone from where I'd currently worked and the gap between the level two and the UFA B I found personally was huge. So I remember doing my assessment and feeling the pressure of having like a formal assessment and we don't have those anymore it within the FA in coaching programs. And it was sort of like a pass fail. You had 40 minutes to try and showcase everything you could and you had to get everything right. I failed first time. And I remember driving home being really upset, thinking, you know, what have I done wrong here? This is my passion. But going back to the drawing board, you know, working on myself, being resilient and then coming back, I think, 18 months later to get through that qualification. And that I think really helped me. From there, got into different coaching positions. So I worked in an academy. So I worked at a local academy in the Midlands. I worked in university settings. I worked with the women's team, a para-disability team, and then was fortunate enough to get a place on the A licence after, I think it was seven years in a row of trying to get on the course because it was just the pinnacle of coaching. And I've only recently finished that, I'd say 18 months ago now. So I'd say my coaching journey has spanned from when I was about 17, 18 to now at 34. It's taken me that long to go through level one all the way to finishing the A licence about 18 months ago. And I've worked in different areas of the game from grassroots to professional and non-league. I think it's just given me a real holistic view of coaching and I think it's helped, randomly I'd say to an extent, from having those different experiences.

 

[00:14:32,080] [Jamie:] Do you think it's made you then a more well-rounded coach having so many different experiences behind you? Is that helping in your setting that you're coaching in now?

 

[00:14:40,640] [Nimesh Patel:] A hundred percent. I think I went in as a coach and I think I used to plan meticulously with coaching sessions And someone asked me if I wanted to go and work with a non local non-league team. And I thought, you know, why not give it a go that the playing standard might be higher or it might be a higher ability. So I wanted to test myself. And I remember going into that environment with some ex-professional players, some senior players who had played in the conference or had, you know, two, 300 appearances. And you get one thing wrong in your coaching session and they were straight on you, like, what is this? Why am I doing this? And the language was different and it wasn't sort of really what I was used to. And it was a complete shock for me to then be like, oh my god, what do I do here? You know, the players are having too much say, I'm not really getting to coach much what I want. And it was a real sharp learning curve for me to then really hone in on my craft, so to speak, and say, right, I need to be really, really on it with these players, because otherwise if I get one thing wrong or the session's not quite right, they're going to be at me. And it really helped me with my organisation and my timings within sessions to make sure that I was really good at that. And that was a really good experience for them when I went back into working with younger age players and seeing those bits where I'm trying to manage behaviour or manage difference and I knew in myself if I'm able to do it with senior players who have played professionally and managed some of their behaviour and their language and their body language, I could easily do it working with younger age players. And that was something that really helped me. I think also then working in the para-disability format and the women's game really changed my mindset of coaching from just working with boys and men's coaching in how you have to understand the person who's in front of you, who you're coaching. And I remember delivering a supporting a session of blind football with an ex colleague in Leicestershire and thinking to myself, whatever I planned, am I actually going to be able to get these outcomes right for someone who can't see the ball and is focusing purely on the sound of the ball and their prior knowledge of some of their spatial awareness. And it made me really go back to the drawing board and think about what practices I was doing and what actually is going to be the benefit of the players. And then that touches also onto futsal. So I got into a different format of the game and worked in like a 5v5 indoor futsal format and the pace of the game was crazy. So I remember thinking about working on a certain tactic or a topic, and within three or four seconds the ball was in the goal and I had no idea how it got there. And I was thinking, oh my God, the pace of this game is crazy. But again, it gave me another element to my own sort of coaching sort of experience and those different experiences have helped me now because I feel confident enough to walk into any setting with any age group and be able to deliver a coaching session for them.

 

[00:17:27,500] [Louise:] So you've mentioned working with in disability football, Do you have any top tips for coaches that might be working in that space?

 

[00:17:34,400] [Nimesh Patel:] I think just to have an open mindset of going in and I think maybe visually seeing someone that might be an amputee or might be blind or might be deaf and thinking visually how you see that it may not be what you're normally used to or seeing someone in a wheelchair. And I remember my first experience of working with, with the blind football team was a young man came in with a guide dog. And I was thinking, you know, how do I help this person? What do I say to them? How do I make them feel comfortable? And it was just having an open mind and actually realising you're just coaching a person in front of you, it's no different to anybody else. And you've just got to find the right way to do that. And I was able to sort of, you know, have a conversation, take the player over to where the pitch was, help them with their equipment that they needed to put on. And then I think it was just sort of not so much being in that comfort zone, but actually appreciating the fact that these athletes that may not be in the normal mainstream program are actually super athletes. So I think that sort of opened my eyes to say, actually, they don't see themselves with the limitation. So why should I try to limit what I want to do with them? And that really helped me in terms of my own personal skills because if you've got someone in front of you that you need to build that relationship with and make them feel comfortable. Again, it's nothing to do with actually football. It's actually just getting to know the person and being able to create that, that two way communication. So I think those experiences for someone to go into go and work in a para format would be to just have an open mindset and these players, they will really surprise you because I remember we were doing some stretching and one of the guys, he was fully blind, was telling another player on the position their leg should be and he'd already realised that because he's gone through that experience and understood how you should maybe hold your position and I was blown away by the fact that they actually are so in tune with everything that is going on and some of the football they played was unbelievable. So for them to actually hear a ball and in blind football the goalkeeper is actually fully sighted So they were taking like penalties and you've got someone making a noise on the frame of the goal. So the, so the player knows this is the frame of the goal. And then they've got an opportunity to strike the ball and some of the finishing, the techniques, unbelievable. And I think it was more that inspiring nature of me going in there and feeling inspired by watching these superhumans take part in football, whatever format that was. So I would encourage any coach out there who might be in the mainstream programme to find their local disability format, go through the county FA and you know, say, you know, does anybody need any help? Can I go and watch a session? Because you will learn so much from it that you could then take back into your normal coaching.

 

[00:20:13,660] [Louise:] What player pathways are available in disability football?

 

[00:20:17,080] [Nimesh Patel:] So there are several pathways and it starts with sort of England talent days which are for 7 to 16 year olds and the pathway there is they can move into talent hubs which are on like a regional level and you can find that those hubs if you just go onto Google and type in Parafootball or the Disability Pathway FA and you'll be able to find a page dedicated to that. You then have regional levels which move into national emerging talent programs which go from 12 to 19 year olds. And then there's development squads over the different disciplines of the game. So local county FAs would be the first point of contact if you were a disabled performer wanting to get into a team or you may even be the one performer with a disability that's currently with a mainstream team and you're thinking, I may be hidden here or how do I actually go and find out how to get some more support within my own discipline? And then you can use one of those different areas and from the county FA through those talent days for seven to 16 year olds, where we can do some identification to then find the next generation for talent.

 

[00:21:25,560] [Jamie:] How can a grassroots coach ensure their sessions are inclusive for all players? [Nimesh Patel:] I think the main thing is to, it goes back to getting to know your players. So if it's a brand new team, I'd say the first couple of weeks, you may just run games, small games to understand your players. You're going to have players in there who may be trying to get ahead. You might have players who you might class as the normal, they're able to do most things, classed as sort of this is okay, they find everything quite easy. And you've also got those ones who are forging ahead or striving and you're thinking, right, how do I actually support those who are finding everything really easy. So to make it an inclusive environment, you've got to first understand your players, understand where they currently sit, and then think about the practices you want to deliver with those players. So if I put someone who's really fast against someone who might be a little bit slower at that stage, I've got to think about the repercussions of the social side or the psychological side of the player who might get beaten and why have I put that player against that player? What am I getting out of that? What's the player getting out of that? So understand that to make your sessions inclusive, you've got to understand your players and understand the practices you do need to fit the purpose of those players, but also just things about your organization. So setting out areas, making sure you've got a safe area, which players understand they know where their medical things are, they know where their drinks bottles are, the area is safe, you've gone out and checked the goalposts that you're using and the pitch, you've got your respect barriers out if it's on a game day to ensure that you've actually got a really safe environment for your players here that they feel that they're comfortable. Also going into making your sessions fun. So we want an inclusive environment where players feel safe to express themselves and enjoy their practices. So if I constantly tell the players no that's wrong and penalise them or criticise over something that they're trying to do. We're never really going to help develop those skillful players that we want. So when players try to emulate their icons and their idols in the game. So if I say to a player I want you to be able to dribble like I want you to be able to dribble like Phil Foden or Ella Toon and if I then criticise them and stop them from trying to do that, it doesn't set an inclusive environment where players have that fear of wanting to make mistakes. So We want an environment where players are safe, make as many mistakes as you can, because coaches will also make mistakes. You're never gonna get a session 100% right. I've delivered sessions and I've delivered the same practice hundreds of times. And it's taken me that long to try and perfect a certain practice. But it's not to say one element of it might not be right or one might not be just right. So sometimes it's having that view as a coach and it's putting your own hands up. And I've done it just this week in a coaching practice with my university players and saying, I'm sorry guys, you know what, the area size isn't right, I need to amend this to make it better for you. And if they see that you can make mistakes and that's okay, then players will also be able to do that and they'll feel more comfortable.

 

[00:24:26,200] [Louise:] Yeah, that sounds like really important stuff that is just really good to try and get Right.

 

[00:24:30,720] [Jamie:] Looking at your journey so far and working across different areas of the game, how have your communication skills improved? And what top tips do you have to help coaches to improve their communication skills? [Nimesh Patel:] I think one thing that I've always tried to be good at is to have clear, consistent messages that are simple. And I think someone told me, I think it was a coach educator on a course years ago and said, if you can't simplify a really complex message, you don't really understand it. So how can I simplify something that's really complex to a group of player or an individual that's really simple that's going to help them? So I think having clarity and not having too much to say is a really good tip in terms of communication. Purely on the fact that players, it might even be like a halftime team talk and just going back to two or three messages. I remember going on a coaching course and I had an in-situ visit for my tutor and I spoke for 13 out of 15 minutes on my halftime team talk. And in hindsight, I'm probably thinking, there's no way those players are going to be able to take on board everything I've said in those 13 minutes. Maybe simplify and give them two to three messages to think about, which is going to help. But also with your communication, being able to understand and have empathy and motivation within your tone of your voice and how that voice carries, it may be that you understand something really well and it's about how you then get that message across to your players. So if I'm working with young players, they want energy, they want they want to feel that motivation. So I've got to really have that myself. Going back to some of the like I said at the start with some of those personal skills, it's again, not so much the technical tactical detail that's going to help, it's more actually how am I actually speaking? Is it motivating? Is it, have I got energy in my voice within my body language, how I'm communicating? That's gonna help those players want to try something. But also, the non-communication side of it, so non-verbally, what's my body posture like and my body language? If I'm standing there with my hands crossed and I've got a frown on my face, the players might be thinking that the coach thinks something's wrong here, or am I doing something wrong? But if I'm showing an open body position, I've got a smile on my face and I'm using maybe hands to gesture and give applause or a thumbs up. Those non-verbal cues are really important to help in terms of both young players, but also senior players. So I think communication needs to be going back just clear, consistent messages with your tone and how you carry it, having energy and that motivation behind your voice, but also making sure that you're representing yourself with good non-verbal body language at the same time.

 

[00:27:11,280] [Louise:] So with communication and body language in mind but also any of the other skills that we've talked about, Are there any key differences coaches should be aware of when working with different age groups or differences when coaching between boys and girls?

 

[00:27:25,520] [Nimesh Patel:] Yeah, it's a really good question that someone asked me recently, what are the differences between coaching boys or men's football to girls and women's football. And I think there's no difference between them. It's again, just trying to coach the players you have in front of you. And it goes back, I think, to the clarity of your messages and the tone. So if I'm working with young players, whether that's boys or girls, it's making sure they understand what I've said, have I clarified, are they clear, but then those same messages if I'm working with senior players might be more detailed because it may be more tactical or technical in terms of what I'm asking to do with the strategy. And it might be that I have to be really clear with my voice and I may change to be a bit more autocratic in how I speak, a little bit more short and abrupt because players might want information but they want it quickly then and there. I need an answer or I need some help, can you give it me? Whereas with younger players, it's more around giving them questions and giving them the ownership. So it might be, I frame a question for a young guy, it might be, can you try to beat the player in front of you? Whereas if I'm working with a senior player, I may then add and bolt on a little bit of detail behind that so it may be what type of body movement have you used to get past that player and when you get past them, can you link in with X, Y, Z or it may be the team pressing you or it may be the unit you're working with. So it may be how you sort of scaffold the information for players, I'd say is the only difference between both boys and girls and working with older age groups. [Jamie:] Changing our focus a little bit here, just before we recorded this episode you were telling us an aspect of the game that you're particularly interested in is defending and pressing. So we thought that it'd be quite good to get some insight into that before we move on to our community chat feature. So firstly, do you want to give us a little bit of a definition of what is pressing?

 

[00:29:16,880] [Nimesh Patel:] Sure, So pressing is putting direct pressure on the player with the ball so that they can't play forward easily. So the nearest player to the ball is the first person to press. [Jamie;] And do you have any key messages that could help players work on pressing?

 

[00:29:33,780] [Nimesh Patel:] Yeah, so it's sort of broken down sort of before, during and after with pressing. So some top tips before, it's just, can you sort of see the path of the ball, the opponents and your teammates, and try to make sure you can see the space the opponents want to use. If I'm then able to see that I can then try to make sure that I get myself in a position to protect the goal or dangerous spaces and get into a position to hurry the player on the ball. And then going to during, actually how you actually press, it's to quickly close down the space to disrupt and hurry the opponent and try to move quickly and then slow down so you're not too close. Using your body to not be beaten and try to force the players to either go backwards or away from where you are. And then after you've pressed, it may be to adapt your own position, staying calm and using good techniques if you've won the ball back. And if you've won it, can you now try to support a teammate who's pressing with you?

 

[00:30:38,160] [Louise:] And would you say that you have any advice on how they can introduce defending and pressing at any age group?

 

[00:30:45,840] [Nimesh Patel:] Yeah, so a really good one is just actually playing a non-football game as handball. So I've started to do this with on some CPD programs for for young players but also something that I've done with seniors and it might be regardless of the numbers two teams with an end zone area on each side. And you get the ball and you say to them, right, you can only play a chess pass or over the head. And by putting the ball in the eyeline, it's easier for players to try and see where people are because the ball is closer to where your eyeline is. And it might be that I say to a team, wherever the ball is, you've got to try and stop them from getting to an end zone, but the player on the ball can't run with the ball, so they have to pass the ball. So it gives us an opportunity to get players around. So going back to some of the things we said around pressing in terms of trying to get there quickly, and then slowing down so we don't go too far, and then trying to get around the player that has the ball to put them in a position where they can't progress any further and defend an area that you're looking at or a space that you're trying to defend. And when you actually try to get the ball back, are you then in a position to then try and launch or counterattack yourself? So I'd say a handball game would be great to start with, and then you could turn the handball game into an intermittent practice where every time the ball went out or was scored, you could just tell the players to put the ball on the floor and go back into football. So they've got an intermittent way of learning how to press. And you can then change where they press from. So you might put some cones out in an area and it might be a red cone, an orange cone, a green cone and say the red cone, everybody has to be really high so we could work on high pressing. You may then move them back further and say right we're actually going to defend from this green cone and allow them to go a bit further so you're supporting players with pressing later. [Jamie] How can coaches help players improve their ability to defend as a team then?

 

[00:32:37,660] [Nimesh Patel:] So, to defend as a team it initially goes around three messages so players on the ball, players around the ball and then players away from the ball and that links in again to any format so that could be 5v5 it could be 7v7 9v9 all the way up to 11v11 And if the player on the ball has made an attempt to go to press, so it may be a striker or a forward player that's gone to press a defender. If that player goes on their own and the rest of his or her teammates stays away from the ball, it's very hard to try and press an opponent that may have different avenues to pass the ball around or away. So it's really important that the player on the ball is supported by players around the ball. So can he or she have teammates that are understanding, okay this might be a moment where we can press. We're going to actually try now to attempt to get the ball back, but we have to do it collectively. So if one player goes, and it might be, for example, in 5v5 in a 1-2-1 formation, that the forward player goes to press the ball, but the two players behind also go. So that way, if we try to force them into an area or a direction, we're actually trying to set a sort of a trap or a decoy where we might go to try and get the ball back. We then also need to really make sure that we work with players away from the ball. So again, linking into that 5v5, 1-2-1 formation, it might also be where the goalkeeper is, but also that one defender at the base. So if we've gone to press the ball, can we all go together in that direction to close an area of the pitch so that when we do get the ball back we're then able to move forward with it or move into another direction. So I would say if we want to help our players understand that it's a team effort to press, they must need to understand what it looks like for the player on the ball, those that may be around the ball, but also those that are away from it at the same time.

 

[00:34:36,739] [Jamie:] And finally, what are your top tips for planning a session that's focusing on defending? [Nimesh Patel:] I think if we're working on defending we want to put players into practices which mirror what happens on a game. So if I'm telling one player to press four players, the realism of that is quite low because when is that really gonna happen in a game? So I'd like to make sure that my practices are as close to the game as possible, and players are playing in realistic positions with relevant distances. I think distances are really crucial when we look at pressing. So if I'm asking a player or a team to go and press an opponent, but the distances are too short, and then we go into the match day on the Saturday or Sunday, and I'm asking them to cover twice the distance or three times the distance, we lose the realism of what we've actually done in that attempt to press the ball. So some top messages might be to work in an area of the pitch which is relevant, make sure the distances on where you're pressing are the same and realistic to a game, and also the number of players in that practice need to be the same as what you face on a game day.

 

[00:35:47,080] [Louise:] A really great mix of advice and tips there, so thank you very much for that. Now we're going to move on to our community chat feature, which is basically where we take some questions that have been on the community and see if you can help us out with a bit of an answer for some of our community. So, I found a couple that I thought would be really good ones for you to answer. So, our first one is, I was put on coaching a mixed age group two years ago. My daughter is a year below. She is a good player but small and pretty much always gets pushed off the ball. We are moving up to the under 11s 9v9 next year. So the question is should I keep her at under 10s and let her compete against girls her own age and break up the team or should I keep things as they are and let her stay with the team that she loves? They're finding it near impossible to make a decision. So have you got any thoughts on that?

 

[00:36:42,260] [Nimesh Patel:] It's a really good question and I think football aside I think we've got to look at football as the driver for young players to reach their potential, whatever that may be, and look at it as it's not just football skills that we want to help young players with, it's actually life skills. So If we remove the young girl from the current team with relationships of her peers and her friends that she has in that team, to then take her away and move her to another team, she's going to lose out on existing relationships and the communication and the fun and enjoyment she has going to training or games with that group of players. And that's the bit we have to make sure that we support the players with. So I'd keep the player in the team purely on the fact that if there is existing relationships and she enjoys playing with the team, I'm not going to remove her from that on something that might be taking place physically. So touching on there, what the coaches mentioned around getting pushed off the ball. So we don't know, we don't really have a crystal ball of what the player's age, maturation, stature would be as they go through adolescence, physical development, or across the four corners in the game. So she may be really small and get pushed off the ball at that age group that she currently is. But in two or three years time, she may have a growth spur and be at the same level as others or even be at the top end and be the one that might be pushing others off the ball. And because we can't really state at this stage what that player might look like and the journey the player may take on, we have to just do our role as a coach to help them in those scenarios. So A great way to frame that to that young girl being pushed off the ball might be, are there ways in which you can hide the ball and keep it away from an opponent? And when you're hiding it and you're shielding the ball, what does your body look like? Because if you get a player that's able to shield the ball against someone, the only way that they might be able to get the ball is possibly to foul, but it also gives you an opportunity on the ball to be able to find a different pass. So an example that I might give might be someone like Raheem Sterling. So not the biggest of players, but someone who understands how to shield or hide the ball against defenders that he may come up against who may be twice his size physically in height and in physical power. And it's maybe going back to the young girl and saying, what about some of the players that maybe are in different age groups that are maybe really small, but sometimes some of those small players are able to move their body in ways and have a tighter turning circle than players who may be taller or bigger in stature. So can we put that player in positions in training or in practices where we give them an opportunity to shield the ball, hide the ball, and be able to try and turn with the ball to help them, but at the same time, understanding that speed bumps are going to happen and there are going to be games where that young girl is going to get pushed over the ball, but she's going to get back up and she's going to have another go and she's going to keep trying, and that's what we have to praise, that intent to keep going. And in training practices, can we try to put that young girl against someone who may be in similar physical size to help them have some success in terms of what it looks like to shield the ball? But also, if we're in a practice against someone who might be physically bigger, why not give some safe zones in that practice? So it may be that we're playing a 5v5 game or a 7v7 where this currently coach is at. And saying, the two wide channels or the two narrow channels might be unopposed, so that young girl might be able to go in there for three seconds and nobody else can go in there, so she can't be tackled. It might then give her an opportunity and give her a little bit of confidence to then make a pass or dribble out or drive into another area to find a different position to be able to shield or hide the ball again. And if we start to do that, at some point, that girl will go through some physical changes, and as she starts to develop, not only has she had an opportunity to develop some of those skills in shielding the ball against bigger physical opponents, but she's also learned how to deal with playing against someone who might be bigger and knowing that that's okay and I might get pushed off the ball a few times, but there might be an opportunity where I actually shield the ball in a really good way and get past that player. And that's the bit we have to try and applaud. So going back to the coach, keep the player within the team. Let's not lose sight of keeping that player within a friendship circle that is going to help her for the future. And we can do our bit as a coach to help with some of those skills on the football pitch?

 

[00:41:33,520] [Louise:] So that was a really great answer. So we've got another question for you. Should we be using formations at under seven and under eights? I'd really like to get some views on what's best practice. I'm finding that not everyone agrees with using formations at such a young age. I'm aware of not playing children in the same positions and letting them explore every position on the pitch to find out what they enjoy. But I gave my group some positions as they wanted support with where they should be on the pitch, during kick offs and set plays.

I gave my group some positions as they wanted support with where they should be on the pitch, during kick offs and set plays. Would be great to get some views, especially as they move up to 7 a side going up to under 9's.

 

[00:42:12,380] [Nimesh Patel:] It's a really good question and I think there's two ways of looking at it. It's an opportunity to implement and try something. But at the same time, what I would say is the minute the ball is kicked in a game, so whether that's at 5v5, 7v7, 9v9 or 11v11, the players are going to look in completely different positions and they're going to be in areas of the pitch wherever the ball is. So the formation is sort of just a guide and a bit of a backbone to say, this is a skeleton of what we might try to play from. But the minute the ball moves, it's like chaos. And grassroots football, a young mini-soccer, it's like egg-chasing. You know, players are going to surround the ball. Formation is not really ever going to look like what you might have if you stood them there before you blew the whistle. And we have to just sort of embrace that and say, actually, it's gonna look a little bit messy. But I like the idea of giving them a little bit of pitch geography. So at 5v5 we want to look at it as building up pieces of a jigsaw. So that 5v5 with a goalkeeper, Those four outfield players may be set up as two and a two, as a box sort of shape. It may be as a diamond, as a one-two-one, or it might be even a one and three players in a line in front. Now, there's so many different shapes of what that could look like, but it's really important that the coach understands that when they add the next two players on from 5v5 going into 7v7, where are they actually going to fit in, and how is that going to help me as the coach, help them understand how to play football. So if we go with the first one, which is the box, and we have two players with two players in front, those two players that are at the back links directly into the next format of 7v7, 9v9, and 11v11, where those two players could be two central defenders when they move into 11v11 or 9v9, and the two players in front could replicate two central midfielders or two forwards. So that then links into the 11v11 picture. So we're just one part of the jigsaw at 5v5 with that formation, and when we add two players on, we're just adding the next part of the jigsaw up to when we we potentially would get to 11 of 11. So the coach might think actually where can I then add these two players in? It might be that we add one in defense so we have three and we add one in to the next line so we have a three and a three or it might be a three, two, one. There's no set answer or set formation, which works or which is best or right. It's about putting players in different positions. So each age gap or each format they move up. When we add an extra couple of players, it then links into what we're doing in terms of our coaching practice, and we're helping players learn different aspects of the game. So you may have a player that starts in the position at the base of a diamond in 5v5 of a 1-2-1, which could be a central defender or central midfielder, for example, but then moving that player into 7v7 and maybe putting them in a different position or a wider position so they experience something different. I seen this on a CPD program last week and a coach said to me, I've got a player, but he or she only likes playing in this wide position. And I said, if we don't give the player the opportunity to experience another playing position, what happens when they could get scouted, for example, and someone wants to go and take them into a different team, but plays them somewhere else because of their attributes and that player is now going to freeze thinking, I've never played there before, I have no idea what this position looks like, or I've got no appreciation of what is required of he or she in there. So we have to do our job as a coach to help players experience different positions to give them an understanding of playing in different areas. Again, going back to what I said at the start, we don't really have a crystal ball. We don't really know where a player is going to specialize as they go into maturation or older age groups. And an example is like Thierry Henry started off as a wingback or a winger and ended up being one of the most prolific center forwards that the Premier League ever saw. I think I also saw one with a goalkeeper who started off as a striker and then ended up as a goalkeeper. So we don't know where the players are going to end up, we've just got to make sure we provide them with different experiences so they can enjoy falling in love with the game across different areas, giving them those inspirational opportunities to play in different areas to hopefully try and develop more skilful players.

 

[00:47:02,180] [Louise:] Brilliant, another great answer. Thank you. Yeah,

 

[00:47:04,920] [Jamie:] Thank you for that, Namesh. Some really great advice. It's been great listening to that and hopefully those coaches who sent in those questions have got plenty to think about when they go back to training and can implement some of those suggestions. Fantastic. Sure, no problem. Right, well we are coming to the end of the show, but regular listeners will know that means it is time for our Swift Session feature.

 

[00:47:25,840] [Louise:] So this is another challenge for you. Okay. And it's another 30-second challenge. So on this one, we give you 30 seconds to come up with or to explain to us a session idea. Does that sound fun? Okay

 

[00:47:40,680] [Nimesh Patel:] I'm gonna give it a go and try and stay within the 30 seconds. Okay with this one I'll set a timer up, the time starts now. So this is a practice I called regain as a game and it can be any number of players but whenever you intercept or get the ball back if you score within four seconds you get double the number of goals. So it helps players with high pressing and it's a great way to get them active as a warm up or a main practice. And whenever you regain the ball, can you score within four seconds to get double the points?

 

[00:48:15,200] [Jamie:] Smashed it. Yeah, So much time left. The timer's still going, there's so much time left. Brilliant. Right, well, thank you very much for your time today, Namesh. It's been great listening to you. Hopefully you'll be back on as well in the future, but thank you very much for your time.

 

[00:48:29,440] [Nimesh Patel:] No problem. I've enjoyed it. Thank you for having me.

 

[00:48:34,400] [Louise:] Really enjoyed that episode Jamie, some really great tips and advice there from you. [Jamie:] Yeah, plenty of stuff to take away. [Louise:] What were you thinking about in terms of takeaways? It's hard to narrow it down but the thing for me was kind of saying like that safe, fun environment that lets people make mistakes. Ultimately, that's how you learn. But if you've got an environment that's forgiving and lets people make mistakes, people are willing to be more creative. And also tying into that, Nimesh mentioned the importance of how you make people feel, if you make them feel wanted and give them plenty of fun activities and I think that's a really good point that I'd take away from that.

 

[00:49:09,600] [Louise:] Yeah brilliant. I think I took away, I just really enjoyed his advice about kind of urging people to get involved in para football really in whichever way that they can and what's available to them and just when you are then coaching people in that space just really coach the person and get to know the person and actually don't see them as having limitations. It just sounds like a really exciting space to be a part of. [Jamie:] Yeah, definitely. I think that's a really strong point to end the show on. And I think, yeah, it's definitely taken the message of advice. I think it's great to go out, experience it, and to get involved. Really good point to pick out. Right, well, that is all we have time for today. But don't forget to check out the episode description for all the links to our platforms. There you'll be able to click through to the England Football Community. Podcast, or just simply to connect with loads of wonderful coaches. Yeah, we'd love to help you out with you coaching questions so please do go and check it out.