Insanity and Player Development
Author: Ryan Sparks
As a coach, I've complained about the same thing for what seems like eternity now. It’s almost to the level of insanity for me. I keep asking the same question and expect that I’m going to get a different answer/result. How do we as coaches develop players in an environment that celebrates the accomplishments of your MVP?
There are too many coaches that rely on one or two players to get them through and to a win. You can't just rely on one or two players to 'get you through'. You have to continue to work to bring the players that are the less skilled players, up to the best of their ability.
Anyone that has seen me coach over the years, and saw me early on, wouldn’t recognize my coaching system or my philosophy now. It’s changed, because as a coach, I’ve developed, I’ve learned new things, I’ve made changes. Much like we ask players to change certain things about their game, as coaches, we must do the same.
The game evolves, each opponent is different, and you have to work through the challenges along the way. You can’t always put the game on the shoulders of one player. What happens if that player gets injured? What if they have something going on in their personal life that just has them not focused on any given match day and they can’t “get their head in the game”?
When you're not getting the results that you want, something has got to give. If you don't have the players to run the formation that you want, something has got to give. If you're not finishing, something has got to give. If you've got players trying to "tough it out" through an injury, you have to be the one that pulls them aside and says, "you need to take a rest for a bit". Something has got to give!
You coach, you’ve got to give. You have to give more of your time… more of your attention to the situation at hand. Take a look at what you are trying to do, what isn’t working and ask: “What can I, or my coaching staff do differently?” Are you putting together quality training sessions that are going to help your players get better? Are you challenging them in ways that are going to make them a better player or teammate?
“THE QUALITY OF YOUR TRAINING IS THE BIGGEST DETERMINANT OF YOUR PROGRESS IN SOCCER.”
Dan Abrahams – Soccer Tough II
I've had some teams that just didn't have the talent to get the job done in the past without changing how I approached the game. Someone recently told me: ‘you have the ability to coach them up. To get the best results out of the players you have.’
I’m not the best coach on the planet. Far from it actually. I learn new things every session I watch. I look for things that coaches to and see if it’s something that I can use in my own way.
You have to work through what actually works to get players to the best of their ability. You have to be willing to change your approach as a coach. If something isn't working... you scrap it and go back to the drawing board. You can’t continue to run the same formation out there, and put players in positions where they are going to fail. Give them the opportunity to succeed. Challenge them to find their next level. Young players are very “flexible” and will try to bend over backward for a coach that they know believes in them.
“You know there’s a phenomenon called the fluency effect.
It’s this: players engage in an activity for 3 minutes. After a couple of minutes, they get used to the cues, clues and triggers that emanate from their teammates. So they start getting good at the activity.
And you’re thinking as a coach “Hey this is really good. I’m coaching them well. They’re gaining confidence.”
But they’re possibly not. They’re just experiencing the fluency effect…
The players are getting better without really getting better.
They’re practicing in an environment that doesn’t represent the messiness of the real game.
The game is chaotic, so do things during your training that help players experience chaos.”
https://www.soccertoday.com/dan-abrahams-soccer-games-are-chaotic-be-brave/
DAN ABRAHAMS- Soccer Games are Chaotic Be Brave
As coaches, we have to work with our players to get better. Some players need more guidance. Some players, need more discipline. Playing hard and clean is different than just going in for a tackle to “make a point”.
If the opposing coach “marks your best player” does that player know how to respond on their own? Often times they are already putting a ton of weight on their shoulders. If your defense is afraid to make a mistake, they will play like that… you’ve created that culture. It’s easier to play hard and clean and leave everything on the field if you aren’t going to have your effort questioned when you step off the field at the end of the match. “We just need to play harder” isn’t a valid response when looking in the faces of your exhausted athletes who just ran and tried everything they could to get a result.
“We have more work to do as a team.”
“We need to find a way to work better as a team.”
”Let’s have a conversation as a team, I’ve talked enough. What do you all want to get out of the rest of this season?”
You can’t be afraid to have the conversation with your players. This even works at the youth level. I coach U10’s this season. I’ve asked, “what do you want to get out of this season?” “What are your goals?” “Who’s here because they want to grow as a player?” “Who’s here because they want to play another season with their friends?”
Ultimately, soccer is a game. Games are supposed to be fun. When you see that your team is pressing... missing wide open shots... and it's willing to take shots from distance because they don't want to miss... you've created that culture.
You can't score, if you don't take the shot..
You can't win, if you can't score...
And while it's not always about getting the wins (because you win, or you learn) winning feels 100% better on the drive home than taking a loss when you know you were the better team.
