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[Jamie]
Hello and welcome to Coachcast by England Football Learning, the coaching podcast that brings you insight from people across the game. We're Jamie and Katie, and today we're joined by Chris Lowe, who's returning to answer your coaching questions. Well, Chris, welcome back to the show, how are you?

[Chris]
Really good, thank you.

[Katie]
Really great to have you, thank you for joining us. For anyone that hasn't tuned in to an episode before with you, do you mind just giving our listeners a bit of a brief reminder of what you do?

[Chris]
So, I'm part of the grassroots coach development team, and within that team, I am the Education and School Sport Workforce manager, which is quite the mouthful, for the north of England. So, we work with education partners and stakeholders who look to develop high-quality PE. We also support and develop those working in and around education.

[Jamie]
Lovely, fantastic. Thank you very much for that, Chris. Now, you've been on this podcast a few times now, which we're very grateful for, by the way. We thought that we'd do something a little bit different today because of that.

[Katie]
Yeah, that's right. So, instead of asking you for your top tips in 30 seconds, we're actually going to ask you to reflect on your journey, and for you to give us your favourite coaching story.

[Chris]
So, it's probably not a specific story, but I look back really fondly of being that PE teacher for 16 years, and it really sort of laid the foundations of my coaching journey in my first school. Learned lots, had some really good mentors, worked with great kids in the extracurricular teams, the representative teams, after school, before school. Built up some really good relationships, hopefully developed them as players and people.

Worked with some great kids, perhaps assistant managers as well and referees, and helped out with inter-school fixtures. Just really good memories and laid the foundations of my coaching journey. I think it's really important as well, that.

[Jamie]
Lovely.

[Katie]
Really lovely, really, really nice. It's always nice to have a little bit of a reflection as well, isn't it? Kind of where you've been and kind of to where you are now.

[Jamie]
Yeah, absolutely. Now, for this episode, Chris, it's a little bit different to the ones that you've been on before, because we've sourced a variety of questions from across our channels, so from the community. And a big thank you to everybody who has submitted questions and contributed to this episode, we really do appreciate it.

So, we're going to put some questions to you. Should we dive in?

[Chris]
Yes, why not.

[Jamie]
So, the first one, how do I keep my defenders motivated when we're practising finishing drills?

[Chris]
I think, when you're designing these practices, you've got to look at realism and relevance. So, you've got to make it relevant to your players. I think, when you're designing these activities, starting points are really important for your defenders.

So, making it real, making it relevant. Not setting it so it's too physical for them, but also for motivation. I think, if you make it directional and if the defenders win the ball, they've got to have some sort of target or incentive.

So, have a goal at the other end so, if they win the ball, they've got that incentive to go and score a goal. And then, can you set them some targets?

So, if you're doing an activity, say, 10 times, maybe think, right, can you win the ball and score, I don't know, six or seven times? Maybe do wave practices as well, so they get an opportunity to rest and it's not too physical. But I think the key here is to make it... that realism and that relevance to them.

[Katie]
Very nice. Almost some form of reward for your success at winning it, which is really, really nice.

[Chris]
Definitely, I think we all need incentives, don't we? Especially to work hard to win that ball, and then, we want to see some sort of outcome, and we all love scoring goals, even defenders. So, if they win that ball, given that incentive, put a goal or a target at the other end, and then they can break out, win the ball, and get that reward that they deserve, because they've worked hard in their role as a defender.

[Jamie]
Absolutely, love that.

[Katie]
Yeah, love that. If players don't offer many passing options, the player receiving the ball may be unable to find the next pass. So, how can you help players develop their ability to find space to offer good passing options to their teammates?

[Chris]
So, I think, with a lot of these questions, it depends on their age and stage. I'd look at the six capabilities here, and in particular, I'd look at scanning, you know. How can we develop the scanning abilities of that player? So, again, it's age and stage, sort of dependent, but I'd look at maybe some interference games, maybe some tag games to develop the scanning, and then look at some other, maybe modified, some overloaded games, some matched up. Maybe look at some two-player core moves that can help with that scanning and that ability to sort of create space.

Yeah, and I'd definitely look at a focus of scanning and two-player core moves in this respect.

[Jamie]
Brilliant. I suppose it depends, like you said, there's a bit of context, I suppose, in terms of age groups, but also, I suppose, why players might not be offering options. Like, is it also like thinking about, like, on the psychological side, are people a little bit nervous and hiding away from the ball and maybe not having the confidence to get in space to want to receive as well?

[Chris]
Definitely. Looking at, you know, that four-corner model, you talk about the psychological confidence levels, you know. How are they, perhaps, not looking to make mistakes, you know, and how does the coach respond if they do make mistakes? So, it's working across that four corners. I think that scanning's important as well but, you know, have they got the belief to be on the ball? Have they got the technical skills to be on the ball? How do they receive it? You know, and I think that's important, as a coach, that you set up practices to allow for that.

[Jamie]
So, the next one is, do you have any top tips to help midfielders work on rotations and setting pressing traps?

[Chris]
So, again, I'd look at the age and stage, and make sure my practices are relevant to that age and stage. I'd look at some 2v2, 3v3 rotations, look at the two- and three-player core moves. I'd let the players... get practices and activities which encourage the players to sort of recognise the moments, you know, where they can, perhaps, I don't know, swap, drop situations, run forward, look at activities which really promote those. So, again, look at the two- and three-player core moves, look at the rotations, look at some activities which are age- and stage-relevant.

With regard to setting pressing traps, again, age and stage, but talk with the players. Like, where do we want to win the ball back, specifically? Look at the opposition. Have they got any specific weaknesses? So, for example, if they've got two centre-backs and the left of those is a right-footed player, we might try and send them to that player, and then, what are our cues to sort of set that press? So, agree these before the game, talk about it in training, maybe at half-time, before the game, if you know the opposition.

What's the trigger? Is it a slow pass, or is it a bad first touch of that player that you're targeting, that weakness? So, it's little things like that and, you know, involve the players in the pressing strategy, involve the players in the rotations, talk with them.

[Katie]
Yeah, I really like that. I think some of that links as well maybe to some of our out-of-possession principles of play-around. So, we've got pressing, but then cover and balance, control and restraint. And I guess, sometimes, that needs to be adapted, maybe some of those languages might need to be adapted, because you might not talk about control and restraint, maybe, with a 10-year-old. So, have you got any top tips, just around that, for maybe some language you might be able to use when you are working, maybe, with Foundation Phase players?

[Chris]
Yeah, like you said, Katie, I'd talk about those out-of-possession principles. I'd try and keep it dead simple with that age group. You know, don't over-complicate it. Have some just nice, simple cues, some communication strategies, which will help the players realise what you're trying to get after it.

Don't complicate it with that age group. Keep it simple, keep it really clear with them, and then use it in your communication, both at training and on a matchday.

[Katie]
I love that. Next question. If a player was to panic when they're receiving the ball, what advice would you give them to help them stay calm in possession, and what could a coach do in training to help them?

[Chris]
I think your main aim here is to build the confidence. So, by the sounds of it, this player is lacking a little bit of confidence. Do some work across the four corners, which we've already talked about, in that psychological corner. You know, develop the confidence. You know, we're looking at ball mastery. So, how can you improve the confidence there?

You might do a little bit of technical work on how they receive the ball, you know. You might have a retreat line. You might have some activities with a bit of a retreat line to build that confidence up. Can you scaffold that learning again? You know, to give them the confidence and then keep building it, increasing the pressure. You want activities which will give them more space, more time on the ball, mention that retreat line. You know, you might have an assistant coach or another coach working with you.

When I'm involved with grassroots, there were two or three of us there, and you might use your assistant coach, just go and do a little bit of technical work with them, you know, to build that confidence up. Break it right back down, you know, and just see that scaffolded learning, build the confidence up. Look at the fundamental skills that you want from it, scanning, and how they're receiving the ball, and develop that and get your assistant coach working with them, you know. And once they've got their head up and ball mastery, then get them back in the game and sort of retrieve that learning and that love of the game.

[Jamie]
Let's get back to something that you mentioned for one of the earlier questions as well, is that sort of repetition and relevance as well to the game so that they're used to, in training, receiving the ball under a little bit of pressure, maybe in small-sided games, but then something that is a bit relevant to matchday, that it looks similar, it's realistic, and then therefore, they can hopefully take that confidence into matchday.

[Chris]
Yeah, but also, sometimes, you've got to understand that a player might just need to take a step back to go two steps forward. So, you might need to break that activity down to build the confidence up again. So, the use of that assistant coach, maybe on a one-to-one basis, and then bring them back into small-sided games and that realism and that relevance, and build it up again, you know, so they're confident again, because we all love to be confident, don't we, and play the game? So, we've just got to build that confidence up again with that player.

[Jamie]
So, for the next one, a coach is asking, can I have advice on how to get my Under-8s team passing, as they don't want to share the ball?

[Chris]
I think, at this age, dribbling is normal. We want them to have that ball mastery, we want them to have that confidence with the ball at their feet, and when they're confident with that ball at their feet, their heads will come up, then. And that's when you can start to create situations, practices, activities where, right, it might help to share the ball. So, at that age, I wouldn't rush it. You know, I'd really focus a lot of activities, a lot of small-sided games, a lot of two-player core moves on that ball mastery, and then, like I said, introduce situations where it might help them if they're sharing the ball. But I think, at this age group as well, your feedback and your questioning to the players is really important. So, you might do certain things like giving some feedback, well done, looking up, trying to find somebody. So, whatever it is you're trying to develop in the players, think how you're questioning and your feedback to them. Like, well done, right, when would it be a good time to share this ball? You know, and just drip-feeding little things in like that, but I wouldn't rush to get them playing at that age group. Let them master the ball, let them get really confident with that ball, and that'll come later down in their playing journey.

[Jamie]
Yeah, I like that idea of actually questioning. So, I imagine it might be usual if people are like, you know, there might be some coaches that are just shouting instructions, like whether to pass or wanting them to pass, but actually getting ownership over it a little bit and just saying to them, like, you know, questioning, what could you do in this situation? You know, what position could you do to help that player on the ball? And those sort of questions, I imagine, help. Is there anything like that you've experienced as well, Katie?

[Katie]
Yeah, definitely. I personally like to use Q&A with my players, because it actually gets them to problem-solve. I always say, they're the ones that step over the white line. So, at the end of the day, I want them to kind of be the masters of working out what they should do and when, but I do understand there is sometimes a certain point where maybe a stop and stand still might be of benefit.

I think, definitely at that age where we're really trying to not just develop them technically but cognitively, just getting them thinking about the problem-solving and the decision-making, I think, is a great tool. So, with that, Chris, how might that look, actually, if you are working with a YD player, like a player that's going through growth and maturation, maybe Under-14s, Under-16s? Would that look any different compared to like Under-8s?

[Chris]
I think you'd perhaps go up to your three-player core moves, and your activities will be slightly different, the formats will be different. There might be a little bit more technical information on the runs that they might make. And, again, I think your questioning is really powerful. You know, across the age groups, we want players who are problem-solvers. And I think, if you're questioning, if you give the ownership of the problem to them and they can come up with it, I think you're really winning as a coach.

[Katie]
And some stuff there around, I guess, like player voice and choice, and putting the ownership onto them rather than you as a coach coming up with all of the ideas for them of what to do and when.

[Chris]
Yeah, definitely. We love giving players a voice and a choice. It's their game, isn't it? You know, so we want those problem-solvers. We don't want to be robots, we don't want to be shouting from the sidelines. It's their game, let them play, let them work out the problems and let them love that game.

[Katie]
What top tips would you give to a coach or teacher to help them work with their goalkeepers?

[Chris]
I think goalkeepers, these days, they can learn a lot by just being that player, first and foremost, especially in the modern day. I think you see your goalkeeper as a player, first and foremost. So, let them play out, let them play as that sweeper, and then you can integrate it into your activities. Can you put a goal at the end? Do a directional practice, put a goal at the end, involve the goalkeepers. Or can they be a target player? Can you, again, incentivise them to... if the goalkeepers, I don't know, start a counter-attack. You know, you get so many bonus points for including the goalkeeper in the build-up play or that counter-attack. And again, if you've got that assistant coach, it might be somebody or it could be a parent with a little bit of goalkeeping expertise, you might go and do some, at a relevant time, go and do some one-to-one work with them, some technical work, or working across the four corners. Try and include them in your practices, but they can learn a lot from all the other activities in your sessions as well. And, you know, where relevant and where you can, you might do some focus work one-to-one with them, just away from the side where you're doing something else with the rest of your players.

[Jamie]
I think it's very important, including them and having them in practices. I can remember, when I was a kid, my friend was a goalkeeper, must have only been about 10, and I'd always question, like, just thinking, we're playing, practising on the AstroTurf, and he was taken to a dark corner of the pitch and an adult just booted balls at him. I've always questioned that. So, it's just like, why not get them involved? Especially if you're making it directional, whether it's getting them in an end zone or a goal. Like, it seems to make sense.

[Chris]
Yeah, you don't want a goalkeeper stood there for 50 minutes, just doing work on their own, do you? It's not good for them, you know. You think about the social corner. They want to feel... You're trying to build a team culture, you want them to be involved in that practice and patterns of play and being involved and getting to know your teammates. You know, there's time for that. You could do that quickly, focused in 10 minutes, some technical work as a goalkeeper, but then involve them in the game.

[Katie]
I go back to your point, Chris, earlier around the importance of maybe, like, wave practices. Waves are great for goalkeepers, in terms of those three R's, because you'll get loads of repetition of probably shot-stopping, but then starting the attack, then for the opponent, like the other team. So, in terms of that transition work of a goalkeeper, of making the save to them, as you've been in possession and starting the attack, wave practices can be really positive for that, can't they?

[Chris]
I think they're really good for, like you say, repetition, but because it's a way of practising, it's ongoing and players get the rest, I think you get that intensity as well. And I think goalkeepers love that intensity and making it real, making it relevant. And like you say, it's constantly happening, and then they get an opportunity to impact the game, and then, if they can make that counter-attack and set that up, I think wave practices are a really nice idea.

[Jamie]
Just for anybody that's kind of new, that's listening, have you got a bit of an explanation of what a wave practice actually is?

[Chris]
The directional practice is really where there's a constant activity going one way, and then, once that sort of activity, that first activity is finished, there's another wave again of the same activity, so you're using players. So, players get some sort of rest from the activity, and you're working on the same sort of principles, but instead of it being constantly, because it's a wave practice, you get that intensity. So, you do what the core theme is, or the idea of the activity, and then you come off and then somebody else goes. I think, Katie, anything to add there to that?

[Katie]
Yeah, no, perfect. And I think as well, the great thing about waves is, there are moments where you might be underloaded, overloaded or matched up. So, if you kind of go practice spectrum. So, if, in my environment, we sometimes do wave practices where it's 2v1, so two attackers against one defender, then that one defender is then joined by two attackers, so now the two that were attacking become two defenders and it's 3v2. So, you go from being the overloaded two to now you're underloaded 3v2 going the other way. And it's great almost, I guess, trying to support the players, in terms of how you find your spare player, because if you're overloaded, you should always have plus-one. So, just getting them to understand when we might stay on the ball and we might lend it to work out where the space is for our spare player to then try and finish. But, yeah, what Chris has said has nailed it on, in terms of the intensity, the game realism, the transition. Like, the game's chaotic, so wave practices are really great for bringing out that kind of chaos in. We're attacking, right now we're transitioning to defend, right now we're transitioning to attack. So, for me, I love a wave practice, they're probably one of my favourites. One to play, but also to coach.

[Jamie]
Brilliant, well done, both of you for that. Well teamed up there. For the final question in this little section, do you have any advice to help coaches improve their players' communication skills on the pitch?

[Chris]
I think, for coaches, it's really important to remember that communication is verbal and non-verbal, you know. And there's a couple of really good ideas out there, probably on England Football Learning. Invisible, Three in a Row, some really good activities where I think it's important, as a coach, you really sort of shine the light on. We are working on communication here, you know. Don't let it be sort of a little bit of add-on to a technical practice. Can you... You know, being an ex-teacher, I work in like half-term blocks when I'm coaching. We have a year planned, but then I work in half-term blocks. And we have three or four sort of learning principles, outcomes for that half-term block. Communication could be one of those, because it's really, really important, you know. And sure, right, for the next eight weeks, we're going to be working on communication. Make it a big part of training, make it a big part of your matchday. What does it look like? Ask the players what good communication looks like. We always say, come on, talk to each other, communicate to each other, but exactly what is it? Do the kids know? They probably don't, you know? Give them examples, share really good examples of it. When you're appointing your captains, don't just appoint one captain, you know. It's no good just having one really good leader and communicator. Share that captain, have a vice captain, include the kids in team talks, both your coaching sessions and your matchdays. And then, if communication is one of your go-to learning outcomes for those six to eight weeks, share it with your parents. You know, we're working on communication for the next eight weeks. When you're watching the games this weekend, look at your communication of your son or your daughter, or the players. Is it good? You know, and those conversations in the car on the way home, you know, instead of them being challenging conversations. You know, and we've all been there. Like, get the parents to talk about, right, what were your communications like today? Who was a good talker to you? Who was really positive and supportive to you? You know, what good things did you communicate? So, I think you've got to include it as part of your long-term plan, your medium-term plan. Include it as learning aims and objectives, share it with parents to back up that learning journey, then look for some really good games where communication can be a focus, like Invisible, like Three in a Row.

[Katie]
It's a brilliant answer, and, obviously, we've got our brilliant six-week session programme. So, almost, could we have, like, across those six weeks, some real focus time around communication and that more, I guess, psych-social corner, as opposed to that kind of technical-physical corner. I think that's a really great thought around that.

[Chris]
Yeah, definitely.

[Katie]
Just moving on now, you've actually just alluded to it really, really well around parents. It takes me really nicely on to our next question. So, how do you deal with parents who have high expectations, or what advice can you give to coaches to help them with that?

[Chris]
I think it's really important to be clear and consistent with your parents. I think, either as a club or as a manager, it's important to have a club philosophy, a code of conduct. You know, I've been fortunate to be involved with some really good grassroots clubs which have had codes of conduct and parent meetings, setting out clear expectations. This is what the club's about, this is our philosophy. We're all about development, we're not about outcomes, sharing that and also being consistent with your expectations. So, if you're on about development and you're not result-driven, is that apparent and does that match your behaviours on a matchday? You know, and if you do have any problems or challenges from parents, I'd say, deal with it calmly, privately, you know, and have those conversations with that parent, and just say, listen, I love that you've got sort of high expectations and high standards, we do as a club, but we're about development, this is what the club's about. This is what you signed up to when you became... when you joined our club, this is our philosophy, this is our code of conduct, and just be really consistent with your expectations and keep banging that drum about what your club's about and what you expect.

[Jamie]
So, for the next question, do you have any new coaching ideas, or maybe new learnings to share, perhaps, since you were last on the podcast?

[Chris]
I'd really recommend coaches look at the two- and three-player core moves. The brilliance of them is how simple they are. So, I'd get coaches to go on England Football Learning and look at those, and try and include them in the design of the practices. Myself as a coach, in sort of the last 12 months, I've been looking at my use of questioning and how I can use that as part of the learning process. I've been looking at how I can easily use technology to help my coaching. I've been doing a lot of whole-part-whole sessions and seeing the impact on those, and how much sort of kids love starting sessions with games, you know. Some think, crickey, this is a crazy concept here. We just do... we normally do a warm-up drill activity, and then if we're good, we get a game. You know, just something simple. More often than not, the simple things that we do and the brilliant things we do are the simple things.

[Katie]
I really like that, in terms of what you just said there about whole-part-whole, and obviously we've got our session structures around carousel, scaffolding, whole-part-whole. What is it about whole-part-whole that maybe your players have actually enjoyed?

[Chris]
They love starting with a game. You know, turning up, and now they turn up early. Because they know, Chris or whoever starts the session with a game, and that could be one against one, as the first two arrive. And then, it's 2v2, and then you go through the numbers of the game, and then you end up with a bigger game, you know, when you're ready. You know, as we know, kids arrive at different rates. So, rather than standing around and it's freezing, get them in a little game, one against one, two against two, set them up. All they need is a couple of cones to start it, and then you can just build it up as it goes along. But, yeah, rather than standing still, having a talking to, and, you know, doing sort of traditional old-school warm-ups and doing laps and things like that, just get them in a game as they start. You know, like I said, they arrive early, probably too early now. So, before you know it, your hour session's an hour and 20.

[Jamie]
Love that, love starting with a game.

[Katie]
Always, yeah. That makes me reflect on my childhood around laps, laps around the pitch, probably, train for an hour, laps around the pitch and running for about 20 minutes. You really only then get 40 minutes with a ball. So, in terms of, like, players getting their ability to develop those kind of technical, tactical, social skills, that's where the game is just so, so important, isn't it, for players?

[Chris]
Definitely.

[Katie]
I have a really interesting question here, and it's one I quite like around, what is the starting course for coaches? So, someone who's maybe hanging up their boots, or never even played, but they're looking to get into coaching, where could they start?

[Chris]
You start at The FA Playmaker. So, have a look on England Football Learning, contact your local County FA, and then, from your Playmaker, you go on to your Introduction to Coaching Football. And then, if you look at England Football Learning, the coaching journey's there for you to look at. But I'd definitely, if you're starting that journey, and why not, I'd go for Playmaker to begin with.

[Jamie]
We definitely encourage people to take a look at that, because the Playmaker course is free and it's all online. If there's anybody that's listening to this that knows somebody that wants to get into coaching, get onto the website and check that one out.

[Chris]
You can do it at a time when it's... you know, we're all busy people, but you can do it at a time when it's convenient for you, it's free and it's online. You can have a go at it, you can see if you, you know, enjoy it, and you can get some really simple, basic, brilliant ideas there to help you on that journey, and then you can look at, you know, subsequent opportunities in your coaching journey after that.

[Jamie]
And kind of following up on that, as a 17-year-old, how can a 17-year-old get involved as a coach?

[Chris]
I'm just thinking back, you know, to my journey when I was sort of that age, I was in sixth form. So, it's, how can you volunteer? You know, look for a mentor. Like, I was fortunate enough, when I was that age, I did some sort of coaching camps and summer camps with an old PE teacher of mine, and they were that mentor. And then, you can speak to your County FAs, your PE teachers on opportunities that they may have, your local clubs. Family members might be involved with clubs. You know, there are some Partially Funded Places that you can look into exploring. So, I'd have a look on the England Football Learning website for that. You know, as we know, sometimes, times are tough and coaching courses and other things can be expensive, but it's a great thing that there are opportunities out there to get Partially Funded Places. So, you know, big ones for me are, can you volunteer, can you get somebody who's a mentor for you to help you along that journey, and just little opportunities to see if you like it? You can learn off them, they can be part of your journey, and then look at your Playmakers and your Introduction to Coaching Football, and, you know, get on the England Football Learning and get that Partially Funded Place.

[Katie]
Yeah, brilliant point there around that kind of funding opportunity, because that's something we're really trying to push for those that are trying to start their coaching journey, if they're 16, 17. So, really brilliant, and I think that would be my advice to anyone who's looking to get into it at that age, do it. I think coaching can be one of the best life skills you have, because you're not just probably coaching players, you're coaching people and helping them be better off the pitch as well. So, for me, I know that's something I really valued the most. Is that something you've really valued, probably on your coaching journey as well?

[Chris]
Yeah, definitely, yeah. I was fortunate, like I said, I went to university to train to be a PE teacher. So, I got lots of opportunities like that and I learnt off lots of really good people as part of that journey, and then, obviously, I was teaching and I was coaching outside in the grassroots and representative football. So, I was fortunate enough to have some really good mentors and lots of opportunities to do courses and gain my qualifications, but, you know, that mentor and learning off others is really, really important as well.

[Katie]
We were discussing earlier around the teams we support, and obviously being Forest fans, Everton fans, and West Ham fans, it's really interesting we've had this question here around, any tips for taking over a struggling team near the bottom of the table?

[Chris]
Maybe we should ask Jamie about that... Sorry, Jamie.

[Jamie]
Thanks for--

[Chris]
That's a low blow, but... that's a low blow.

I sort of look at creating a culture of development, and having a focus on the process rather than outcome. You know, if we're talking about grassroots and we're talking about kids, I'd continue to have it about development, have a really fun environment, celebrate small wins. You know, have that long-term plan, look to develop your players, keep training fun, share expectations of, right, the next eight weeks, this is what we're working on. These are the primary focusses on how we're going to develop you as players. Work across the four corners, and be really patient and be consistent in your behaviours. So, if you're about development and you're not about outcome, how do you react when the team goes 1-0 down, or a player makes a mistake? You know, whatever you want, be consistent in your behaviours and your philosophy, and, you know, build the confidence in the players by simplifying the game. Don't make it too complicated. You know, just create that environment where it's really fun for the players, and they're there to have fun and develop as players and people. And then, over time, you'll get the small wins, and before you know it, the small wins will turn into bigger ones and they'll grow as individuals and as a team.

[Jamie]
That's always, like, redefining maybe what success is, to get that little bit of fun, that enjoyment, basically, yeah.

[Chris]
Yeah, yeah. And if you work on process and keep developing as players, you've always got something to keep improving. Whereas, if you're only bothered about the outcome, about winning, when you win, you go, oh, right, so what's next? You've got to that outcome, so then you can't go any further. You know, if you make it about keeping getting better, you've always got something to aim and strive towards.

[Jamie]
For the next one, do you think teaching discipline for small age groups, so, like, 11 to 16, is important?

[Chris]
I think it's important, but I think it's more important that you, as a grassroots coach, you focus on behaviours, your routines, your culture, respects as well. You know, and how are you going to build that resilience in your players? So, probably depends what they mean by discipline. You know, is it discipline, as an individual, to work hard, to train a matchday, or is it discipline not getting yellow and red cards? But I would focus on your behaviours as a team and as a coach. What do you want from your players, and how do you build that mutual trust? How do you build the respect between the players and what you want from it? And then, also, again, as a coach, model it, share it with your parents, you know. So, this is what we want, we've been working on respect, we've been working on how we want to behave, what we should expect from each other. Share it with your parents, and then they can back it up as well, because parents have got such a powerful part to play in backing up your message and your expectations.

[Katie]
I really like that around coaches and parents being able to role model or, you know, show that best practice for the players, especially when they're going through those kind of formative years, giving them opportunities to see what it looks like, what really good behaviour is, can be really, really good. And that consistency is vital, because I think, definitely, sometimes as coaches, we can maybe be too high and too low with our emotions. So, if you've got, I guess, almost just like a top tip around how to stay consistent yourself as a coach, with your own kind of discipline and behaviours, so then that can have a positive effect on the players.

[Chris]
It's about being calm, being consistent. My mum always used to say, you know, "Count to five, Christopher", if you're feeling a little bit, not volatile, but if you... you know, just relax, take a deep breath, but be consistent in your behaviours and model those to your players, you know. And keep it real, really. It's a game of grassroots football. You know, you're there for the players, for them to enjoy it. You don't need to react in certain ways, you know, and just be really positive for them.

[Katie]
You alluded to it a little bit earlier around your own season plans. But what do you think should go into an Under-10s season plan, or like Foundation Phase?

[Chris]
For me, at that age group, I'd focus on fun, I'd focus on player development. I'd definitely be concentrating on ball mastery and confidence on the ball. I'd look at fundamentals of movement, lots of small-sided games, but about that player development, and really focussing on ball mastery and getting them confident with the ball at their feet.

[Jamie]
Do you have any top tips, maybe, to help coaches plan for, like, if they're working with older age groups?

[Chris]
So, I'd do a review of the season that's just gone on. I'd do it with your players, I'd do it with your coaches, also with your parents as well, you know. So, technology, being as it is now, you could send a form out to your parents, to your players. What have you enjoyed about the season? What have you not enjoyed? What do we need to work on? Is there anything you haven't liked about the season? Where do we want to go next season? And then create that long-term plan. So, again, sit down. Has your club got a philosophy? Have they got a development plan themselves? Can you link to that? You could have that as a skeleton, but then, specifically, what do your players need at that age and that stage? Katie mentioned it earlier about giving them a voice and a choice. What do they want to work on? So, this is the plan for the year, and then break it down into those chunks of learning. So, right, over the next six to eight weeks, this is what we're focussing on. Have a clear plan, stick to it, make sure that plan covers the four corners and you're not just purely focussing on tech and tact. You know, how can you develop those players? But, again, main thing, make it fun, make it developmental, because if it's fun and we make it memorable, they're going to keep coming back and they're going to have that lifelong love of the game.

[Jamie]
Fantastic answer.

[Katie]
That was brilliant. Yeah, that was really really good.

[Jamie]
Well, that kind of wraps up the questions that we've been sent in, so thank you very much for everybody that sent those in to us on our social media channels. I suppose, based on everything that we've talked about, could you maybe set the listeners today a challenge, based on any of the topics that have been mentioned? So, we've talked about the core skills, we've talked about dealing with parents and, like, practice design.

[Chris]
So, as you said, we've touched upon it a few times, I'd challenge coaches out there to look at the two- and three-player core moves. Look at those on England Football Learning and how you can incorporate the eleven of them into your session design and your activities. That's the first challenge. And then, as you mentioned, we've talked about the power and the importance of parents and guardians to support your players' journey. So, how can you communicate with your parents before and after training and matchdays to back up your learning message and your child's sort of love of the sport?

[Jamie]'
Absolutely, have a go at that, for sure. Check that out on our website. Well, we are coming up to the end of the show now, Chris, but as you know, it does mean it is time for our Swift Session feature.

[Katie]
Yes, this is where we give you a 30-second opportunity to come up with a brilliant session idea. So, it can be based on any theme, it can even be your favourite session that you like to deliver. Are you up for the challenge?

[Chris]
Of course.

So, I really like an activity called The Six-Ball Game. Did it with some Under-15s recently. It allows you to work on attacking and defending principles, but also that transition period as well. So, one team starts, you get six balls dotted around the outside of the pitch. They choose which ball to start with that team, and then, when the ball goes dead or you score a goal, you start on the second ball, they decide the second ball, the third ball, et cetera. The defending team, they can still score, if they want, or they get rid of that ball, and then, once they've had that six balls, that's the number of goals you've scored, and we swap over and they do the same activity. It's a really good session for attacking and defending principles and transition.

[Katie]
Really nice. Went into extra time a little bit there with that one, but we'll allow you to do it.

[Chris]
Yeah, thirty seconds, that can't count.

[Katie]
Is there anything else you'd like to add, in case you missed anything out around that, any kind of progressions or regressions, maybe, based on where players need some stretch or support?

[Chris]
I think you can do the game not just once, but you can talk with the players about, right, decision-making, you know, problem-solving. What did you do? Reflect and use your questioning. So, you might not just do it once, you could do it a couple of times, getting the player to problem-solve.

[Jamie]
Brilliant. Thank you very much, love that idea, loved this chat. Thank you very much for joining us once again, Chris, and thank you, Katie, as well for joining me on the sofa today.

[Katie]
My pleasure.

[Jamie]
It's been really good, plenty of takeaways there. So, yeah, do let us know if you've enjoyed the episode. We've certainly enjoyed it and, hopefully, you have as well, Chris.

[Chris]
Always, thanks, Jamie, thanks, Katie.

[Jamie]
Right, that is all we do have time for today, but don't forget to check out the description for the transcription of this episode and for all the links to our platforms. As always, you can head to the England Football Community to post your coaching questions for us to discuss on the podcast, or you can drop them in the comments section for this episode. And if you do that, your question could be featured on our next Community Questions episode.

[Katie]
Yes, we'd love to help you out, so please do send your questions in. We'll be back soon with another episode. So, if you haven't already, hit Subscribe to make sure you don't miss it. From all of us at England Football Learning, thanks for listening.