MY COACHING JOURNEY: MANAGING AN UNDER 8 SIDE

[LukeBB]

https://coachingphilosophy.wordpress.com/2015/08/14/my-coaching-journey-managing-an-under-8-side/

Over the course of this piece I will detail to you my 1st real coaching experience with an under 8 side. I will detail to you my actions, feelings and decisions over the course of this past season and how I handled the various personalities I encountered. The purpose of this piece is to provide a provocative account of my profile as a coach, explore my own coaching philosophy as well as to open myself up to any criticisms from other coaches or like-minded football enthusiasts. I hope you will enjoy this piece as much as I will enjoy producing it.

 

[THFCSPURS19]

#LBBOUT

 

[Spurrific]

Christ

 

[SargeantMeatCurtains]

Why

 

[mpickard2087]

1. Haircut.
2. Wear a suit.

Apart from that, interesting read. I'm helping out coaching at a similar age group for the first time this season so in a similar boat. Certainly a lot more comprehensive and thorough than the coaching I got when first starting out 20 years ago.

 

[Spurrific]

You didn't do the AVB squat

 

[SargeantMeatCurtains]

I've worked with 7-8 year olds for the past 5 years and the majority of them can barely hold a pencil. Im finding this tough reading.

 

[L-man]

You didn't do the AVB squat

AVBB

 

[EnfieldYiddo]

Tad pretentious mate, they're 8 years old ffs

 

[EnfieldYiddo]

Also I have a bone to pick.

In the sessions you let the kids get on with it themselves as you, I quote 'observe silently to avoid merely commentating on what I see'

Unless you're not the main coach and there is another adult present, like fuck do a bunch of 8 year old kids get on with drills sensibly and stay on task.

 

[LukeBB]

Also I have a bone to pick.

In the sessions you let the kids get on with it themselves as you, I quote 'observe silently to avoid merely commentating on what I see'

Unless you're not the main coach and there is another adult present, like fuck do a bunch of 8 year old kids get on with drills sensibly and stay on task.

If you make a strong first impression, that training should be taken as seriously as school work, and you clamp down hard on any unnecessary silliness then they'll usually get on just fine. Most of them are just happy to play football, if the kids are being silly etc it means they're bored but since I let them create their own game, they got on just fine, cause they knew what they liked.

Perhaps I did inherit a more mature group than most but from my experience, there were even more mature groups than mine around so I think you comment includes a rather unfair generalisation. Most of the boys really enjoyed having that responsibility and grew with the task and both the kids and the parents thanked me after the season for not treating the kids like "babies" and treating them like adults.

(I was the main coach btw)

 

[LukeBB]

You didn't do the AVB squat

As I say, it helps you see the game from their level, makes it easier to understand the certain situations they face so therefore helps you understand any/if any mistakes are made. The FA actively encourage you to do this on their Youth Modules.

 

[225]

It's like seeing Guy Martin with even more hair than normal.

In all seriousness, I was given no direction in coaching for the whole time I played, up until 16 or so. I had to rely on self-direction, as any coaches I played under were like Sherwood and just picked positions, with the rest just "run about a bit".

The next generations of player could benefit from a passionate approach from a young age - it's just the hope that someone else can build on the work when they get a bit more self-aware and mature in their early teens

 

[LukeBB]

Tad pretentious mate, they're 8 years old ffs

I'm of the view that we don't take youth development seriously in this country and that we are too stuck in our own ways and we rarely try new things.

The way English coaches are taught to train their youngsters contrasts massively to the way youth players are taught in Spain for example. Through the way I coached my kids and through writing this piece, I merely am trying to provoke further thought about how we develop our youngsters.

It may sound pretentious but the kids loved the way I coached them and their performances as players improved greatly, so much so that they nearly didn't have a team this season because so many had been approached and signed on by "bigger" clubs in my area.

I nearly quit football for good when I was 14 because of the crap experience I had when I was their age, I will never let that happen to any kid I coach, I will do this thanks to the importance I place upon my sessions and my players.

 

[JimmyG2]

I'm of the view that we don't take youth development seriously in this country and that we are too stuck in our own ways and we rarely try new things.

The way English coaches are taught to train their youngsters contrasts massively to the way youth players are taught in Spain for example. Through the way I coached my kids and through writing this piece, I merely am trying to provoke further thought about how we develop our youngsters.

It may sound pretentious but the kids loved the way I coached them and their performances as players improved greatly, so much so that they nearly didn't have a team this season because so many had been approached and signed on by "bigger" clubs in my area.

I nearly quit football for good when I was 14 because of the crap experience I had when I was their age, I will never let that happen to any kid I coach, I will do this thanks to the importance I place upon my sessions and my players.

You mention Spain and thought you might find this interesting:
Attended coaching sessions with my grandson(9/10) with a local very well equipped club in Spain.
He has changed clubs this season because there was no 'fun' and the coaching was very serious but repetitive.
He might find the same when he moves but still.
Sometimes very little time was spent (15mins out of a coaching session of an hour and a half actually playing
any sort of game..
As long was spent doing laps most sessions. Same for 8/9 yr olds training close by.
I thought both clubs very expensive (400 Euros per yr.) though kit included, tracksuit, holdall etc.
but little proper football and coaching in schools. So private clubs supply the need.
3 sessions a week, matches on Saturday, miss a session and you are not picked for Sat.
Lots of attention to skills, passing, shooting though most Spanish kids can already do all the tricks
by this age and then some.
All young coaches doing badges and strictly supervised by senior fully qualified coaches,
and all play at respectable local levels. Coaches very variable in attitude and approach.

 

[-Afri-Coy-]

I hate to seem critical, but in my experience younger players need to be taught how to pass quickly, use triangles and make runs between the lines. Every youngster loves football, but they lack direction and motivation. The easiest method to build this is one touch team work. Absolutely NO dribbling. You need to minimize the selfish aspects of the game to immature players, any ego or selfishness directly affects the other younger players.

If you teach a passing game from young every player gets a few touches per game, every player feels involved and this builds team moral which in my experience builds a better team and individual players too, without making one or two players seem better than the rest even if they are.

I've had boys who couldn't stand one another individually (when i allowed the dribbling) on the pitch become a formidable pair together using one touch techniques. They can be taught the selfish aspects of the game when they are more mature players. Build a strong team ethic while they are young, and it will serve them throughout their footballing journey's.

 

[JimmyG2]

Don't remember any coaching, just played games when I was a kid.
Sports teacher sitting in a chair in the playground bawling out
'You idiot JG2 pass the bloody ball. No not like that'
But he never got up or put us through drills.
he kept a record of the scores on a big chart in his classroom
even of the lunchtime kickabouts.
Loved him though. This form of coaching suited me down to the ground.
And I mean ground. Concrete or cinder pitches.
Didn't play on grass until senior school.

 

[thinktank]

Also I have a bone to pick.

In the sessions you let the kids get on with it themselves as you, I quote 'observe silently to avoid merely commentating on what I see'

Unless you're not the main coach and there is another adult present, like fuck do a bunch of 8 year old kids get on with drills sensibly and stay on task.

You read it??

 

[LukeBB]

I hate to seem critical, but in my experience younger players need to be taught how to pass quickly, use triangles and make runs between the lines. Every youngster loves football, but they lack direction and motivation. The easiest method to build this is one touch team work. Absolutely NO dribbling. You need to minimize the selfish aspects of the game to immature players, any ego or selfishness directly affects the other younger players.

If you teach a passing game from young every player gets a few touches per game, every player feels involved and this builds team moral which in my experience builds a better team and individual players too, without making one or two players seem better than the rest even if they are.

I've had boys who couldn't stand one another individually (when i allowed the dribbling) on the pitch become a formidable pair together using one touch techniques. They can be taught the selfish aspects of the game when they are more mature players. Build a strong team ethic while they are young, and it will serve them throughout their footballing journey's.

Thanks for the input, and yes I paid careful attention to the egos of certain players etc as I never wanted to lower the self-esteem of players who struggled in 1v1 situations etc.

Why I focused on dribbling over passing for example is because if they could beat a player 1v1 then they would take an opposition player out of the game and therefore create and overload and therefore passing options etc would be more obvious. Knowing the type of coaches who would follow me coaching this team (who would very much work on passing etc) I wanted to develop a different part of these kids' games earlier than normal in order to perhaps help their passing game in the future (if that makes sense).

When a child struggled etc in 1v1 situations (much like the boy in the 1st picture I used) I would say "Ok, this is where you struggle, so how else can you help the person on the ball/team" and we would develop with that player his passing, his positioning on the pitch etc and then go to the team on matchday and say "ok you can dribble, but when you have 2 opposition players ahead of you, look for (the boy who can't dribble) as he will help you i.e. play a 1-2 with you etc".

I was also conscious of the team aspect/vibe. So whenever someone was on the ball, dribbling, I always challenged the other boys in ways like "How can you help him? Can you step back to give him more space? Can you run beyond him or drop off in order to give him a passing option or drag an opposition player away from him etc" So what I wanted to create was a sense that if you weren't on the ball, you were still very much playing as a team and you had a responsibility to your team-mate on the ball etc and I didn't find any issues throughout the season of the boys not acting as a "team" etc.

As I said in the piece, the selfish nature will be coached out of them by other coaches/parents etc and as they grow older and understand the game better this will naturally disappear so why not make use of it/exploit it/enjoy it while they still had it.

 

[LukeBB]

You mention Spain and thought you might find this interesting:
Attended coaching sessions with my grandson(9/10) with a local very well equipped club in Spain.
He has changed clubs this season because there was no 'fun' and the coaching was very serious but repetitive.
He might find the same when he moves but still.
Sometimes very little time was spent (15mins out of a coaching session of an hour and a half actually playing
any sort of game..
As long was spent doing laps most sessions. Same for 8/9 yr olds training close by.
I thought both clubs very expensive (400 Euros per yr.) though kit included, tracksuit, holdall etc.
but little proper football and coaching in schools. So private clubs supply the need.
3 sessions a week, matches on Saturday, miss a session and you are not picked for Sat.
Lots of attention to skills, passing, shooting though most Spanish kids can already do all the tricks
by this age and then some.
All young coaches doing badges and strictly supervised by senior fully qualified coaches,
and all play at respectable local levels. Coaches very variable in attitude and approach.

Here's a brilliant and thought-provoking interview from a British coach who works in Spain as he compares aspects of British and Spanish youth coaching: http://rinusphilosophy.com/kieran-smith-the-other-brit-abroad/