The FA’s Pete Sturgess adds to his first blog series which is designed to help people who are taking their first steps as a coach with players aged 5-11. Here he highlights the key messages from a video clip of a small-sided game.

Throughout this series of blogs, the intention is to present a model of best practice for the development of our youngest players. A bonus is that you’ll also have lots to consider as you plan, deliver, review and evolve your coaching practices.

This blog includes a short video clip taken from an academy tournament at St. George’s Park.

We’ll all see different things when we watch the footage, and this is great, but I want to draw your attention to one or two things that relate very closely to this model of best practice and our key messages.

I’m convinced we are yet to appreciate the value of small number formats and the learning that takes place when these games are played.

Very similar situations and opportunities occur repeatedly but because they are rarely the same, the players are challenged to adjust their decision-making and this kind of cognitive flexibility is so useful when playing football.

The players begin to find out what works and what doesn’t. They learn about cause and effect (if I do this, my opponent will do that) and with the help of the coach, this is a rich breeding ground for learning and game understanding.

The footage above begins with a problem. There’s a moment in the game and we will have seen this a thousand times; players moving, looking for space, player taking the restart hesitating, pretending to pass, trying to discover the best solution to the problem.

The coach could change the rules or the conditions on the game making it easier to play out, but what would happen if we said nothing, knowing that similar situations will occur and because the first attempt didn’t work, would the players try something different?

The next part of the video sees the players in roughly the same positions. There are similar movements but now a different player is on the ball.

The first player was static and wanted to pass the ball in. The second example shows players on the move with and without the ball and as a result, the defenders have to adjust their positions.

Any movement with the ball and off it changes the situation. Space changes, players move, gaps open and close, opportunities appear and disappear. This is the very essence of the game and players who can make great decisions in these situations are able to influence the game in a positive way.

We then see the blue team faced with a similar issue. A 3v3 game will do this repeatedly giving players vital practice at experimenting and searching for good solutions to game problems.

When the blue player is restarting and static (as in the first example) there are the same issues - so looking at how you restart the game if the ball goes out of play or there’s a foul is important.

I like to give young players the option to pass the ball or travel with it to restart the game and then watch the decisions they make. This gives me an indication of where they’re at; have they not seen that big space to travel into? Are they always looking to pass to their friend? Do they travel straight into an opponent?

These actions give the coach vital information if they’re considering offering any advice or guidance.

Summary

You’ll see that the game is not perfect. There are some messy moments, but this is fine, and we must accept these rather than trying to solve each one with lots of information that slows down the game and bores the players.

These ‘accidents’ are part of the game at all levels. If your players reflect on this and you use your developing observation skills to help with some great questions, prompts and reminders, then learning will slowly reduce this over time. Be patient.

The rest of the footage demonstrates the difference when players develop a greater confidence and ability on the ball. The message of staying on the ball is so important as it’s the foundation from which everything is built. When players are young it’s the best time to indulge this part of the game.

We must immerse them in the game and in their time on the ball for the benefits it will bring in the future. For development this is appropriate as young players want their own needs met first and time on the ball helps this.

Over time this will change and sharing and combining with teammates will emerge as a greater priority, but we must not force this onto the players when they’re very young.

When a player is confident in possession, they can begin to use this technical ability in a tactical way to influence the game.

By staying on the ball for longer they can move opponents around, entice and attract opponents leaving teammates free, disguise their intentions adding greater creativity to their game.

The Foundation Phase is such a magical time so we must maximise both the enjoyment of playing and the development of individual technique and tactics.

I hope this helps your own development as a coach and as a result, ensures your players develop a love of the game and some amazing individual abilities.