If you struggle with players showing poor behaviour in training, understanding what they want from their grassroots football experience can help, explains The FA’s Mike Antrobus.

Poor player behaviour at training or on a matchday is often caused by boredom, the desire for attention, or the practice activity being too challenging – or perhaps not challenging enough.

To help improve player behaviour, it’s important to consider the link between what the players want versus what you, as a coach, wants from training and matchday.

During the session planning process, it’s important to consider what the players want. It’s worth asking your players for their top two or three reasons why they play football. This will make your planning even more specific to their wants and needs.

Here are some considerations to help you and, importantly, your players get what they want from the practice:

1. Use game-like scenarios

Players want to play the game. When planning your practices give them as many possible opportunities to experience game-like scenarios. This may be as simple as 1v1 opposed games.

Always have an outcome for both teams, be it a goal, target zone or points systems. This will have a huge influence on your players’ behaviour, as it links with the reasons why they choose to attend training.

2. Provide safe competition

Include competition in your practice. This gives players a chance to compare themselves with their peers and experience success and failure. Note of caution: do not promote the competition as being the sole purpose of the practice. Highlight the process, rather than the outcome, and identify and acknowledge positive performance and behaviour.

3. Challenge players appropriately

Give the players opportunities to play against different opponents and try and make the challenge appropriate to everyone. If it becomes too easy or hard, you’ll find that players will become bored which can lead to behaviour problems.

4. Use team talks

Try to plan for team talks within your practice. You can set specific questions or problems for the group to discuss and investigate whilst keeping them on task. This will satisfy their want to engage and talk to each other.

5. Have learning outcomes

Each session should have a learning outcome providing a focus for you and the group. Used alongside practices which include competition and team talks, you’ll help engage your players and allow you to focus on creating individualised learning to suit each player.

6. Don’t keep stopping the practice

Try to allow the practices to run as much as possible. Only stop the whole group to add in additional conditions or if everyone needs help on a particular coaching point. If only a few players need help, then you can support these players while others continue to play. If the players feel the point isn't relevant to them, boredom will soon creep in.

7. Offer praise

Highlight good play and behaviour. You’ll find that this may influence other players as well. They’ll want the same praise and attention and will recognise the need to behave in a similar manner.

8. Ask for feedback

Ask your players for feedback. What do they enjoy about practice and matchdays? What would they like to change? This will support you on your journey to help players learn and improve.