KNOCKOUT CUPS & THE EUROPA LEAGUE – CHALLENGES OR PROBLEMS?

Over recent years it seems to have become fashionable to criticise, demean and ridicule certain football competitions, especially those of the League Cup and the Europa League.

Critics, who include pundits, journalists, fans and even some professionals cite the ‘meaningless’ nature of the competitions and the drain they place on clubs’ resources and the strain they place on the clubs’ assets, namely, the players and coaching staff, especially, as the main reasons to decry their existence and purpose.

OPPORTUNITIES & CHALLENGES NOT PROBLEMS 

Many people recognise that, for example, in the Premier League, there are, effectively, three ‘leagues within a league’ in terms of striving to become league champions, to qualify for The Champions League, to win The FA Cup, to finish safely in mid table and those attempting to hang on to their Premier League status.

 

Each of these represents a series of goals and targets for which each club has to plan a strategy, goals and targets and work hard to achieve.

 

“STRETCH” GOALS 

Now, it would seem to me that, for example, Newcastle United’s aspirations, currently, will be somewhat different from those of Arsenal or Manchester United.

 

So, how do they make the leap from Premier League relegation battle to Champions League qualification?

I am sure most people will be familiar with the concept of ‘stretch’ goals – common in business where strategy will determine how to improve the standing, perception, profitability and service levels of the organisation.

 

A business may well be high profile and profitable but the good ones will always have ‘stretch’ goals – those smaller, achievable steps which will enable their continuing evolution and forward progress to keep ahead of the competition

 

If businesses stand still, they stagnate and get overtaken. Football is no different. If you aren’t innovating, striving for the next level, you will soon be overtaken. Perhaps one of the main challenges is that each club (business) has chosen to compete in exactly the same market as 19 immediate competitors.

 

HARD WORK AND A DRAIN ON RESOURCES 

So, striving to compete and reach the final of, or even win, The League Cup, for example, will surely test a club’s desire, will, resources and imagination, if they are also simultaneously trying to hang on to Premier League status.

 

Qualification for the Europa League is not even seen as a double-edged sword, more a Sword of Damocles hovering over the neck of those unfortunate enough to have inadvertently achieved the league placement required, or, possibly, to have carelessly failed to avoid qualification, intentionally.

 

The Europa League places increased pressure on the whole of the playing and coaching staff. It reduces preparation and recovery time and therefore increases pressure on analysis and preparation for the ‘extra’ matches.

 

However, striving to reach ‘the next level’ is SUPPOSED to be difficult. It’s meant to be a drain; it’s expected that you will find it a struggle. But planning and embracing stretch goals is a way to make the next step. Perceiving the increased pressure as a challenge to be achieved to drive the club ever forward is what good businesses do.

 

PROFILE 

Winning a Cup or achieving qualification for the Europa League are ways to increase your profile, certainly in the national and European context but also, perhaps, globally, if promoted and marketed correctly and appropriately.

What can that increased profile bring? Certainly, increased coverage which, in turn, brings marketing opportunities for business partners and sponsors.

 

Raising the club’s profile potentially increases the scope of new recruits who can be attracted to the business, coaching and playing staff. Good people want to work for good, progressive companies who can help them achieve their ambitions through personal and professional development.

 

Improving the quality of club staff should, in turn, affect the improvement of the business and its progress. So, perhaps, achieving the final of a cup competition, whilst, this season, may provide a serious challenge to resources, next season, will help promote greater, even if only stepped, improvements.

 

ENGAGEMENT AND EXCITEMENT 

For the club’s supporters and fans it provides the opportunity to see, at first hand, new teams with exciting players that they are otherwise possibly only likely to see on TV. It establishes the club as forward thinking and progressive, determined to bring the best level of entertainment to its paying ‘customers’.

 

INCOME 

As mentioned above, increasing the profile can bring increased business opportunities and income, note merely through sponsors and official partners but through merchandising, ticketing, concession sales, TV payments and so on.

 

Mark Hughes, current manager at Stoke City, seems to have similar views:

http://www.itv.com/news/update/2015-04-30/hughes-hoping-stoke-can-bring-in-big-names/

 

I have held these views for some time and was prompted to actually get around to writing this latest blog post on reading Mark Hughes’ comments.

 

So, the League Cup and the Europa League; Challenges or Problems ?

GEGENPRESSING – IS IT THE WINNING FORMULA?

Following the overwhelming impact that the ‘tiki-taka’ style has had on football in recent years with the rise of Spanish football with the national side winning 3 major international tournaments back to back and the fantastic record of Barcelona, the “antidote” to tiki-taka appears to have manifested itself in the form of “gegenpressing”.

With more available and authoritative observations and comments on the game these days including pretty sophisticated analyses of strategy and tactics via the internet, more coaches, at every level of the game, are exposed to many opportunities to be able to understand the game better.

However, the game is the game, notwithstanding some key changes or adaptations we have seen over the years (better pitches, re-interpretation of the offside law and a significant change to the back pass rule).

That being the case and the fact that the Principles of Play for territorial, or invasion, games remain constant, I wanted to explore some ideas about the new approach of “Gegenpressing”, or counter-pressing, made popular in recent seasons by Borussia Dortmund and latterly Bayern Munich, especially and elements of which can be detected in the “tiki-taka” approach when possession is lost and for which preparation is made when they still have the ball.

HOW DOES GEGENPRESSING WORK?

There are a couple of decent explanations around on the internet and I have extracted detail below, with credit to the sites from which they were obtained.

WHAT IS “GEGENPRESSING”?

Well, depending on which website you read (see references below) it is:

“a rather simple tactical approach: A team simply plays at full pace for 90 minutes, approaching every moment as though they are down a goal late in a major final. After losing possession, players will swarm their opponents, giving them no time on the ball regardless of position and location”

And then, having won the ball “always look for the opportunity to counterattack, playing the ball forward immediately and sprinting into open space as opponents shift from attack to defense”

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1781622-inside-the-tactical-mind-of-borussia-dortmunds-juergen-klopp

OR

How Gegenpressing Works

Gegenpressing differs from Barcelona's approach of pressing teams as high up the pitch as possible by incorporating a defensive as well as attacking element, which involves the whole team pressing aggressively in unison. Gegenpressing is a highly-organised approach to regaining possession and minimising space for the opposition. Dortmund's opponents are rapidly closed down by well-rehearsed, co-ordinated pressing movements, often by two or more players, allied with intelligent positioning to restrict space for players to pass and move into.

The best moment to win the ball is immediately after your team just lost it. The opponent is still looking for orientation where to pass the ball." Once Dortmund have regained possession, the transition from defence to attack is organised and, potentially, explosive.

Gegenpressing is used to capitalise on Dortmund’s ability to execute extremely quick transitions, moving the ball up the field as fast as possible.

Ultra-Fast Transitions

Klopp knows only too well that any tactical approach, including gegenpressing, won't bring success without sheer hard work

http://footballspeak.com/post/2013/05/16/The-German-Football.aspx

 

FROM Matt Whitehouse’s new book “UNIVERSALITY – The Blueprint for Soccer’s New Era”

 

“It was Jürgen Klopp at Dortmund who developed and executed the ‘counter pressing’ tactic to great effect. Klopp would work on the defensive organization of his side to nullify space behind the defence as well as making it difficult to play between them. Dropping his forwards off to a point 10 yards ahead of the halfway line, he would allow the opposition to have the ball in their defensive third, the aim being to draw the opposition into the mid-third and then to pounce with frightening speed and intensity in order to win the ball back and counter.

 

This compact mid-block meant there was a lack of space for the opposition to penetrate through and behind. Setting out in a 4-4-1-1 formation the team would make a strong defensive block which was tough for sides to break down and penetrate through. Of course the aim was to draw the opposition in, win the ball back and transition with frightening speed. Dortmund’s counter attacks were truly incredible to watch.

 

Their ability and dynamism to press when out of possession is central to the success of the tactic. It was not about winning the ball but being able to force the play, contain the opposition, and force errors.”

 

STRATEGY, TACTICS & DECISIONS

Some of this sounds very straightforward and simple but actually requires high levels of coaching and attention to detail in order that players recognise which passing lines to close off (whilst sometimes leaving others deliberately open to set ‘traps’ for the opponents to pass into) and what to do ‘in transition’ when having won the ball.

Playing forward again sounds simple but, where, to whom, to which runner? In one pass, or two? Direct or deliberately indirect to entice now recovering defenders into the ‘wrong’ areas?

So, there are a number of elements, all of which are around the Principles of Play (attack and defence) but involve reasonably sophisticated tactics and strategy with the ability to understand the situation in the game and to also plan ahead, not just reacting to what happens, but by taking a pro-active approach to what happens when we lose and regain possession of the ball, or vice versa.

A MODERN APPROACH

It all sounds very modern. Or does it?

I thought I recognised some really key points in a book from almost 25 years ago written and researched by the, since, much derided former FA Director of Coaching and Education, Charles Hughes.

That book, The Winning Formula and elements from it are re-visited here. I have retained page numbers for ease of reference and passages from the book are shown is quotation marks. My intention in retaining page numbers is to demonstrate that the references are not isolated but are consistent messages throughout the book. Where there are words in brackets, they are my additional comments and/or interpretations.

THE WINNING FORMULA

Page 8 - INTRODUCTION

“Modern football has fewer goals, shots at goal and goal mouth incidents – everything that produces excitement” (for players and spectators. I am not so sure that these statistics are still valid but I will leave that particular analysis for another time. Certainly some of Hughes’ statistical analysis has been shown, more recently, to be flawed. However, some commentators and fans began to describe tiki-taka as ‘boring’ – not me, I hasten to add! ).

“The reason for this is not in new efficient defensive strategies, so much as misguided attacking strategy, that of possession football”

(This would seem to have modern relevance to one of the frustrations of tiki-taka, that of constricting the very space that you seek to exploit by retaining and advancing the ball relatively slowly up the field which in turn allows the defending team to funnel back and present a ‘deep block’ – think of Chelsea in their CL winning season)

“Those who believe in possession football argue that a team without the ball cannot score and that the team which keeps the ball for long periods is more likely to score.” (Part of the philosophy of Tiki-Taka is ‘resting with the ball’ and certainly possession of the ball is seen as having defensive value as well as offensive value)

“As a general rule, in soccer, time is on the side of the defender allowing the team to recover and re-group and re-organise.”

(I would suggest that this is still the case, as a general principle, although I do accept that manipulation of the ball in order to manipulate the opposition into errors of judgment and tempting defenders into areas of the field in order to exploit other areas, does, necessarily take time to construct within the game.)

“To point out the flaw in possession play is NOT an endorsement of kick and rush tactics with the ball being punted in the general direction of the opponents’ penalty area at every opportunity.”

(This significant comment is one that utterly refutes, in my humble opinion, the popular interpretation that ‘Direct Play’ was about forcing the ball forward to construct knockdowns for second balls. Certainly that WAS how it was interpreted, by some coaches/managers, but is not what was intended, I believe, from the approach suggested by this book.)

“Success comes, as might be expected, in a balance between the EXTREMES of possession play and kick and rush.”

“DIRECT PLAY involves moving the ball forward in a CONTROLLED WAY”

PAGE 9

“The simple fact is that teams are at their most vulnerable at the moment they lose possession of the ball”

(This observation seems consistent with both the Tiki-Taka and Gegenpressing approaches – KNOW that the opposition will lose the ball to you and be prepared to take action to exploit the transition. Know also that the opposition will also be vulnerable when you lose the ball to THEM as they seek to take advantage and break from defending compactness to an attacking dispersal.)

“The Winning Formula is concerned with seizing the initiative and then retaining it by playing to a system (process?) which gives the best percentage chance of winning matches.”

However, ”The Winning Formula is not a substitute for good technique” (skill)

(As per my comment above – Gegenpressing is about seizing the initiative through assertive pressing and having, as a first option, to play forward, where possible, to exploit that initiative.)

PAGE 10 - Passing and Support Play

“Passing is not just about technique. It is about UNDERSTANDING – what is required and what is possible” (both tactically and technically, is the point here. So, not just biffing the ball forward but making deliberate decisions based upon the possibilities available when having won the ball. Again, Gegenpressing is based on rehearsed understanding of what to do in given situations and prompted by key ‘triggers’ – actions by the opponents recognised, acted upon and exploited by the pressing team).

From The Winning Formula, set priorities allow a structure from which to play. These elements are self-explanatory and are very similar to the assertiveness of Gegenpressing and, even, elements of Tiki-Taka in the transition from possession to loss of possession – the ‘6 second press’ implemented by Guardiola.

“Priorities – Play forward” (What is now sometimes referred to as “Verticality”)

4 options – Shot, Dribble, Run, Pass

“Pass – Space beyond defenders for well placed forward players to exploit

            To feet of most advanced player

            Beyond at least one defender

            Switch play

            Back to supporting players”

 
(Forward play/passing is stated as a first option because defenders may be unbalanced as they were contributing to the attack when possession was lost. Again, this is NOT about biffing the ball forward as a hopeful kick – it is about  dribbling, running with or passing the ball, with considered intent.)

“Support – Angle, speed and distance

Different types of ‘runs’ (movement) to exploit possession”

PAGE 98 - WINNING THE BALL

“It is a vital part of The Winning Formula that players in forward positions must contribute as much to regaining possession as those players in defensive positions”

(Again, with gegenpressing, it is a considered approach by a collective; not individuals running willy-nilly but, as mentioned above, working from key cues as to where and when to press and, indeed, when not to.)

From The Winning Formula, several key elements are identified in terms of an approach to playing the game:

“Key- Concentration” (mentally and with numbers)

 
“Adopt a compact shape. Short distances between players. Keeps opponents under constant pressure and forces errors”

“Increase momentum, not slow it, when regaining possession.” (Remember forward play as first option when defenders may be “out of balance” [modern parlance]. The reference to short distances, in order to exert early and combined pressure, is a feature of gegenpressing as well as Tiki-Taka, as mentioned earlier. It starts to become apparent that gegenpressing and Tiki-Taka are not necessarily opposites of each other, more a derivation, evolution or even a re-interpretation of consistent elements.)

P122 - KEY FACTORS IN DEFENDING

“Players should remember that defending is the first stage in launching an attack”

(Consistent with both Tiki-Taka and gegenpressing – a means to recover possession of the ball which we need if we are to score !)

“…there is a belief that rules of attack and defence are determined by the player’s customary position on the field of play. This is a mistake”

“The crucial factor is possession of the ball.” (as to what determines whether you are an attacker or a defender)

“It is an essential part of The Winning Formula that as soon as their side loses possession, every player should start to think defensively.

That is, they should be working to get the ball back.” 

(Whether that is by pressuring, covering and cutting off passing options / lanes and opportunities to switch play. Sounds VERY much to me like Gegenpressing ! …oh, and Tiki-Taka.)

P 123 - “PRESSURE

Restrict time and space by pressuring/challenging.”

(NB Recovery lines to challenge – do not ‘over-recover’)

“Provide close cover for the challenging player.

Occupy important space goal side of the ball” (Including preventing passing opportunities or even ‘allowing’ some to create ‘traps’ from which to win the ball and counter attack)

“Maintain compactness and try to avoid being stretched”

P174 - STRATEGIES

“The first step in creating a Winning Formula is to adopt the best strategies in both defence and attack.

In attack this means going forward as quickly as POSSIBLE” (based on understanding of the situation and with regard to the current options – see passing and support above)

“In defence it means attempting to win back the ball as soon as possible and as near to the opponents’ goal as possible.”

P184

“If a team is compact when the ball is lost it is possible to switch at once into a defensive strategy.

 A compact team can lose the ball but retain the initiative.”

P185 - “ESSENTIAL TECHNIQUES

“Strategy and tactics alone do not win football matches. Every player has to master a range of footballing techniques”

SUMMARY

In conclusion then, I have to say that I feel I can draw direct parallels between quite a few elements of gegenpressing from The Winning Formula and the recommended approach, especially, to defending and counter attacking, that are consistent even today.

NB Previous readers of my blog may have seen a previous post of mine about Charles Hughes but if not, you can link to it here: In Praise..or maybe Defence of, Charles Hughes

THE “BLAZERS”

I was prompted to write this piece after having seen a comment on the internet about the “FA Blazers” not being football people.

To my mind there has been a consistent criticism and denigration of large swathes of people involved in football, whether paid or volunteers and I just wanted to offer an alternate view.

By doing so, I am not for one instant suggesting that “The FA” (or rather people involved in operating it) are above, or immune from, criticism. No-one gets everything right all the time but there is a great deal of good work going on by excellent people and I hope by offering this, we will ultimately see a more balanced view than the populist and tabloid media view of affairs.

DINOSAURS / AMATEURS
An oft levelled insult, but what does this mean, really?


The phrase ‘Dinosaurs’ tends to be taken as meaning out of time, a remnant of a time gone by when, by most rules of natural selection, would have seen them as extinct by now.


People described as dinosaurs tend to be thought of as wizened older people with an historical view of reality.  But as Richard Pryor once said ‘You don’t get to be old, by being a fool !’


In our society we seem to assume that ‘old’ means ‘stupid’ whereas other societies tend to regard age as bringing wisdom and experience.


With reference to the term ‘Amateurs’ that tends to bring a meaning that individuals are callow and uneducated and lacking in knowledge about a pursuit (whatever that pursuit is).
However, really, amateur merely means unpaid. A lot of people involved in sport are amateurs. Does that mean they have no value?

“Volunteers are unpaid, not because they are useless, but because they are PRICELESS” – Darren Moss, Norfolk County FA, 2012  ( @DazMossy )

“Dinosaurs”, really, is nothing to do with age and everything to do with mind-set.
 I have come across some really progressive and modern, open-minded individuals who are relatively advanced in years. Equally, I have come across some closed minded individuals in their 20s and 30s.

So far as the term ‘amateurs’ is concerned, some of the volunteers that make up county FA representation on the FA Council are absolutely nothing of the kind. They may not get paid for their current role but I know for a fact that many of them have run their own businesses, have held high ranking roles in major corporations with a lifetime of business experience behind them.

"FOOTBALL PEOPLE"
I know some who are or have been, Club Chair people, players, coaches, managers, referees, administrators, club secretaries and sponsors and owners of clubs at different levels in the game. Are these not, by definition, therefore, ‘Football People’?

 They have maturity, a wealth of knowledge, experience and, often, a lifetime in the game on which to call.

So please, news editors, bloggers, social media advocates and pub conversationalists, please consider that many individuals have a great and positive influence on and in our game, so let’s not stereotype in this way.

Perhaps this blog post is also prompted by my recognition that I am now reaching an age whereby I could also easily be regarded (by those who don’t know me) as a dinosaur, merely because of my age and appearance.

Hopefully, those that read this (very occasional) blog and follow me on Twitter will recognise that I am always seeking new ways to see things in and about the game and am always prepared to debate the issues of the day.


Comments are welcome

MASTER COACHING

There is a feeling, in some quarters, that, in order to be able to engage young players in their development, we must use younger coaches.

Being closer in age to their players, the feeling is that, young coaches will be more empathic to the players development needs, having a more recent memory of what learning the game at a young age was like.

However, to be able to expertly develop good or excellent players, we need also to develop coaches who are excellent at what they do. Coaches need to understand the nature of their “game” – is it an early or late developing sport, what are we developing the player to be able to do, what does a competent or expert player look like and what are the stages to help them develop to that point, etc.?

Novice coaches often will work with young players and often, not always, young coaches are novice coaches. People who commence their coaching careers later in life, perhaps at the end of a playing ‘career’ or as a volunteer parent, will also be novice coaches, though their understanding of “the game” or coaching may be at different levels.

There are, of course, many formal academic courses which now prepare students (younger or older) for the science and art of coaching as well as any number of practically based courses to develop their game understanding and the skill of creating effective practice ‘sessions’ and how players learn, amongst other things.

NOVICE IN CHARGE

There is a tendency, especially at the grassroots, where volunteers make any sport ‘work’, to recruit a volunteer and put them in charge of a playing group. Often, this volunteer may well be new to coaching and, especially, new to coaching sport.

Now, I perfectly understand why this is – volunteer coaches are often the parent of a young player; they attend to watch their child play the game, they are available when the players are available and, usually, they are happy to donate their time having a community spirit. All essential qualities of a coach but, perhaps missing the key components of experience, knowledge and training – but we know why that is at this stage.

COACH DEVELOPMENT

So we need to develop coaches and, as described above, we start to do so by having them attend basic courses to attain a rudimentary understanding of a broad base of coaching skills and knowledge. But how do we develop them back in the club environment? Mentoring, in-service sessions, reflective diaries are all some ways in which we can achieve increasing knowledge and expertise.

EXPERT OR “MASTER” COACHES

But just how do you become an expert or master coach? Well, broadly, in the same ways as you do to become an expert player.

Deliberate practice, hours of study, review of and adjustments to practices already delivered, watching other coaches at work (and not just the “sessions” – Xs and Os, but HOW they coach and interact with players, what information and insights they offer and how they deliver or construct that knowledge).

WHAT DOES A MASTER COACH LOOK LIKE?

Typically, they may be older – mainly as a result of the years it takes to truly become a master (at anything) and also tend to be quieter and more studious. They observe (not just watch) much more than they speak.

Whilst younger coaches may have closer related empathic memories, as suggested above, think about grandparent/grandchild relationship – less formal, often playful whilst using homilies and wisdom to drip feed information for the benefit of the young developing child. This may be a less formal relationship, but it is still coaching.

Those grandparents have life (game) experience and have found more effective ways of coaching than, perhaps, the child’s parents or even when they were parents of their own children. In western cultures, we tend to progressively disregard aging individuals’ opinions or views whereas other cultures have valued increasing wisdom much more.

As comedian Richard Pryor once famously said “You don’t get to be old by being a fool !”


PLAYER INVOLVEMENT

They involve the player in their own learning and encourage them to think about the practice in order to deepen their understanding of what they are trying to achieve. It is not so much “the practice” that is important (organisation, balls, bibs cones etc.) as the purpose of the practice – what the player is practising, why they are doing it and what they will have learned whilst doing it.

“Tell me and I forget, show me and I may remember, INVOLVE me and I will UNDERSTAND”


PLAYER NEEDS

Expert coaches assess and understand the individual player’s needs and adjust their coaching to meet those needs. It may not mean adjusting the whole practice, but merely an individual interaction or signal to help that individual. That interaction may mean nuances of body language, tempo and tone of verbal communication as well as the type and content of information being provided.

INFORMATION, CLUES OR QUESTIONS?

It may be that NO information is provided – use of questioning to elicit reasoned outcomes or to challenge player understanding and problem solving are MORE important than giving the player a list of things to remember.

If questioning does not provide evidence of understanding, then master coaches do not resort to giving players “The” answer (it may only be one possibility anyway) – they will provide a clue in order to test the players reasoning and allow players thinking time to resolve.

“If it’s a choice between me TELLING them to do something, or them figuring it out, I’ll take the second option every time.” – Robert Lansdorp, Tennis Coach

GAME RELATED PRACTICES

Practices designed, developed and delivered by master coaches will be game related – probably not the whole game, but a modified version of it that allows players lots of goes at those elements from which they will most benefit from practising. You won’t see master coaches providing a coaching session involving line drills – they are simply not effective in learning and understanding the game.


THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAIL

Delivery or the extraction from the players of, specific detail is one of the key differences between sessions of novice coaches when compared to expert coaches.

Novices tend to deal in generalisations whereas the expert deals in minutiae – mainly because of their game knowledge but also because they know to what they are developing their players.

Famously, university basketball coach John Wooden began each year showing players how to correctly put on their socks to help avoid developing blisters (now THAT’S detail !)

IT’S NOT THE THING WE DO 100% BETTER, IT’S THE 100 THINGS WE DO 1% BETTER

Experienced coaches look for small improvements in individuals and teams rather than big strides. However, when coaching young players, you may see big improvements as they learn the game but as they get older, those improvements may not be so great, week on week.

INDEPENDENT THINKERS

Most importantly, coaches of complex, continuous games such as soccer, recognise the absolute importance of developing players who are INDEPENDENT thinkers.

As a coach, you can develop a vision and communicate a preferred game style and the principles of how you want your club/team to play the game. But, ultimately, it is the PLAYERS who have to interpret those elements and actually PLAY the game

"The game itself is chaotic. You go out and the game is chaotic and they’re the conditions you have to practice for. You have to replicate the game in training and develop players who can make sense of the chaos.” - Les Bee, manager of coaching and officiating Victoria Coaching Centre, Australia.

POSITIVE AND AUTHENTIC RELATIONSHIPS

Master Coaches place the athlete/player at the centre of what they do. True development can only occur when the ‘student’ wants to learn and the coach understands that learning is what the player gleans from the experience and is not something that is ‘done’ to the player.

It grows and develops from the exchanges between individuals and is entirely dependent on a sympathetic, synergistic and mutually respectful relationship.

SO, WHO ARE THESE “MASTER” COACHES ?

Well, they come from different backgrounds and walks of life; sports, business, media and may not always be recognised as ‘coaches’ in the accepted sense of the word but here are some famous examples:

– John Wooden, (see above) Jose Mourinho (different characters !)
Steven Spielberg (Director is sometimes a misnomer) – sure they direct, but their ‘players’ (the actors) interpret the vision (game-style) of the director (coach) and bring it to life on the screen/stage (pitch) using their developed skills, craft understanding and decisions about the character (decision making, game understanding and role requirements depending on where they are on the pitch)
Steven Covey - Educator, Author and businessman

Master Coaches have a vision and principles allied to their knowledge and expertise in order to help the individuals they serve to develop themselves.

Who do you KNOW or recognise who is a master coach?

FINALLY - VOLUNTEERS

Volunteers, no matter their experience ARE the lifeblood of sport in this and, I suspect, most, countries. They deserve our respect support and gratitude irrespective of what we think they SHOULD be coaching (do we really have enough understanding to make a judgement?)

Please consider –
“Volunteers are unpaid NOT because they are USELESS but because they are PRICELESS”

– Darren Moss, Norfolk FA - 2012

References:

“The Talent Code” by Daniel Coyle http://thetalentcode.com/author/
“They Call Me Coach” by John Wooden http://www.coachwooden.com/index2.html
“Principle Centred Leadership” by Steven Covey https://www.stephencovey.com/about/about.php
“Motor Learning & Performance” by Schmidt and Wrisberg
“Athlete-centred Coaching” by Lynn Kidman
“Teaching Games for Understanding – Theory, Research and Practice” by Linda L. Griffin and Joy I. Butler

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO LEAVE COMMENTS / OBSERVATIONS / FEEDBACK

IT'S NOT ABOUT GENETICS

The 10,000 Hours Rule

A little while ago, as a result of a reference to the book whilst attending one of the FA Youth Award courses, I bought the book “Outliers: The Story Of Success” by Malcolm Gladwell.




In the book, Gladwell observes attributes of successful people – in sport, business, and technology – and makes the connection between people with a determined approach to improvement and the coincidence of opportunity and circumstance.
He views aspects of culture, birth bias (which is examined in some detail in the Youth Awards) and the curious aspects of what makes one person a success whilst another lives an ordinary life.
He further explores the premise that to become an expert, in anything, it requires at least 10,000 hours of practice.

BOUNCE

I have recently started reading a book called “Bounce, How Champions are Made” written by broadcaster, journalist and ex-table tennis champion Matthew Syed.






Matthew also examines this 10,000 hour rule but focuses on what he describes as “Purposeful Practice”. In other words, practice designed, intended and determined to bring about specific improvement in performance, irrespective of whether it is football, music or chess.

CHESS





In fact there is the interesting story of a chess mad father, Laszlo Polgar, who was also a trained psychologist, who had a theory that genetics did not determine genius, practice did.
Over a period of time, Laszlo Polgar had three daughters and gradually introduced each of his daughters to the game. He set out specifically to prove his ‘practice makes genius’ theory and, as the girls gradually developed a love of the game he provided the opportunity for them to learn and develop as expert players.

Over the years they became better and better so much so, that Susan (Zsuzsanna) Polgar, his oldest daughter, became the first female chess Grandmaster. She further became the winner of 4 World Championships, 5 Olympics and the ONLY (male or female) person to win the chess championship Triple Crown.

PURPOSEFUL PRACTICE

So, if we are looking to have footballers develop into becoming experts, evidence seems to point to the fact that they need AT LEAST 10,000 hours practice. This is not just a kick-about we are talking about though, this is purposeful practice, remember; practice designed, determined and intended to bring about improvement.
In Syed’s book, as an example, he ventures to suggest that Tiger Woods spends longer on practising his bunker shots than the average player spends on developing their whole game.

CHOICE

However, rather than us coaches determining that the young players whom we serve NEED the practice to become an expert, I believe that it should be about the individual having the opportunity if they choose to become the best they can be,
We should strive to provide the best environment we can so that they develop the love of and passion for the game and ignites the desire to become a champion. Where we are unable to fuel that desire, we should try to provide the help and guidance needed so that they can find the right route to their aspirational vision.

NOW, HERE’S A THOUGHT....

What about the coaches?

I started to look at this 10,000 hour rule and discussed it with a friend of mine who is an A licence coach, FA Tutor and a qualified teacher.
I realised that, as a grassroots coach, I have been coaching (and studying, researching and attending courses of various kinds) in an effort to become a better coach for 20 years now.

So, on the back of an envelope, I did a quick calculation of how many hours I had spent actually coaching with a desire to improve. I believe I have always been quite good at reviewing sessions with a view to improvement of my own performance as a coach as well as the session itself.

So, taking account of courses (on which you plan and deliver sessions to the other candidates) and the various clubs/teams for which I have coached over the years, I tallied up that I have probably achieved around 1,500 hours ACTUAL coaching practice. In 20 YEARS !! That is hardly even beginner level in the great scheme of things and certainly wouldn’t be even close to making me an ‘expert’ coach.
I’m not sure if I should have taken account of the reading, research and DVD / video tape watching…..and I’m not sure if I should casually mention to my wife that I need to get another 8,500 hours of practical coaching (as soon as possible) in order to achieve ‘expert’ level !!

Teaching Games For Understanding (TGfU) and Game Sense

Various professionals have been advocating a model called Teaching Games for Understanding, for over 2 decades.

TGfU is an innovative way to teach games understanding whilst also enabling players to practice the techniques required to play a game well in a game-like setting.

TGfU places the learner (player / student) at the centre of the learning experience rather than putting the coach at the centre as the fount of all knowledge.

For years, teachers and coaches have approached the challenge of games teaching from a perspective of technique first, game second.
The trouble is that it has been recognised that players who master or, at least, become competent at these techniques do not always transfer them well to the game.
It is as though they have ‘trained to train’ (this is not a reference to the LTPD/ LTAD profile) but have not trained or practised to play the game itself.

When Can We Have a Game, Coach?

Anyone who has ever coached children, whether at school or in a club environment, will be familiar with the question “When can we have a game?”

It was almost as though the game was the reward for correctly practising the techniques through a series of linear, static (or ‘constant’) drills.

TGfU evolved from exactly the notion that players need to be able to combine tactical understanding with technique development and the execution of decision and technique choice becomes the ‘skill’ that is required by the game.

Playing Games

The model requires the teacher / coach to identify the tactical problems of the game being taught and to provide a representative and exaggerated version of the game which will create the problems that the player is required to solve, during the game itself.

The teacher must also prepare a series of likely questions to ask the players in order to tease out their understanding and problem solving skills about the challenges they face. The questions may be along the lines of “What were you trying to do? What did you see? What would happen if that player moved there? What else could you have done? Why did you choose that option?” and so on.

The answers generated by the players will indicate the level to which they understand and are trying to resolve the problem.


Key-Word Bingo

There is always the danger with younger players / children that they can get to understand that the coach is looking for certain answers in order to judge understanding.
This can be a pre-cursor to a sort of ‘key-word bingo’ where the coach asks “What are you looking for?” and the players says ‘Space!’ and coach says ‘ Good answer!’ - The key is to probe the players - ‘So, when you say you are looking for space, what do you mean? Why do you need to find space? Where is the space?’ and so on.

So, the combination of games designed to replicate a specific tactical problem experienced in the game and where that problems arises often, together with an idea of questions we need to ask to test players understanding will, I believe, enhance their overall learning.

Game Sense

Game Sense is a variation of the TGfU model developed by Australian coaches bringing a slightly more structured approach to the concept.

It has been adopted from grassroots to elite level of sports in Australia and its strengths are seen as:
• Development of an ability to work off the ball
• Transfer of training / practice into the game (see above)
• Development of independent players (i.e. not reliant on the coach)
• Motivation of players at practice (playing ‘games’ rather than performing ‘drills’
• The inclusive nature of the type of training / practice

Chaos !

“The Game Sense approach can appear chaotic. The game itself is chaotic. You go out and the game is chaotic and they’re the conditions you have to train for. You have to replicate the game in training and develop players who can make sense of the chaos.” - Les Bee, manager of coaching and officiating Victoria Coaching Centre, Australia.

‘On My Word - Unleash the Athletes….’

From a club hierarchy and sometimes parents of junior players’ perspectives, Game Sense / TGfU approaches to player development can seem chaotic. There can be multiple players with multiple balls (as in football/soccer) all moving around in a smallish area and it can be difficult to see what the learning focus is to the casual observer.

Standing players in neat lines, making them run pre-determined patterns making a particular type of pass, for example looks good and well ordered but as we have examined in the lack of skill to game transference, is it very useful?
Additionally, it tends to isolate the less well developed players by constantly identifying what they can’t do, rather than what they can. Immersion in the game (or a representation of it) allows even the less well developed player to find the joy and expression of the game without having to be ‘an expert’.

If we are to fight the onslaught of child and later, adult, obesity, we must find ways for people to play sport throughout their lives. Game Sense and TGfU, as models help us to provide that in order to engage players in the joy of playing for its own sake.

The use of the Game Sense approach also helps provide coaches with a way to develop more complete players - players with adaptable skills, tactical understanding, vision and an ability to make informed decisions.

Whole-Part-Whole

There is absolutely no problem in providing a game related practice whereby the players begin to understand the need to practice a particular technique and then the coach isolating a practice to work on that aspect before returning to the game again.

Practices

Practices can, simplistically, be said to be on a continuum from Constant, to Variable to Random.

Constant will perhaps represent a simple line passing drill where the inside of the foot push pass is practiced.
A variable practice will perhaps be represented by the ‘Through The Gate Game’ from the FA Level 1 certificate where multiple teams are passing their own ball through a series of gates with no DIRECT opposition but lots of INTERFERENCE from the other players.
A random practice would be replicated by a game of 4v4 with full opposition.

Make A Change

Obviously there are degrees of difficulty across the spectrum which it is the coach’s challenge to find in order to appropriately challenge the players under their tutelage.
This can be done by varying challenges set for the players by changing the size or shape of the area used, changing the number of players in the practice (e.g. maybe have a 6v2 instead of a 4v4) and even changing the equipment used.

So, if you are looking to teach players to find and use space, maybe use an American football in a hand ball game variation rather than having a football at their feet. That allows them to play with their head up and recognise where and when their team-mates move into space and when, where and how to pass the ball to avoid opponents.

It is fair to say that the TGfU or Game Sense approach is a long term development approach and definitely does not provide a ‘quick fix’. However, use of TGfU also allows coaches / teachers in an educational environment to categorise and sample games which are similar in objective for the benefit of students. So, as an example, ‘invasion’ or ‘territorial’ games will have similar objectives and therefore, problems.

Using basketball and soccer as examples, the tactical problems are, broadly speaking, the same. There is also evidence to suggest that players who play both, also play both better than those who only play one game.

FA Youth Awards

The new FA Youth Awards capture a great deal of that which is discussed here and are a great introduction to a way of coaching that, whilst certainly not new, is a definite deviation from what is considered to be a ‘traditional’ coaching approach.

Source: Teaching Games for Understanding - Theory, Research and Practice by Linda L. Griffin and Joy I. Butler

The Final Piece of the Jigsaw

I realised a few weeks ago that this year sees the completion of my 20th anniversary involved in coaching football.

I started out doing the old style ‘Preliminary Coaching Award’ back in 1990. Two friends and I completed the course, down at Chichester College (it’s now a University) under the tutelage of one Steve Avory. Steve is an ex-teacher at Hazlewick School, erstwhile England U15 manager and now Charlton FC Assistant Academy Manager.

Steve brought a seriousness, organisation and logic to football that I hadn’t experienced before, being, essentially, a recreational standard player, myself.

Steve’s style and attention to detail inspired me to attend a “Pre-Preparatory course” at Lancing College, lead by Sussex County coach, Dennis Probee and with sessions lead by Steve Avory and Albion’s Steve Ford.

The training courses you could attend in preparation for the Advanced Licence, as it was in those days, were called ‘Preparatory Courses’ as they were essentially to prepare you for the full coaching licence experience. The ‘Pre-Prep’ course was organised by Dennis so that you could see what the, usually, weekend and 2/3 day courses were like.

During the day, Steve Avory encouraged me to have a go at the prep course coming up in Crawley that December and with those few words of encouragement, I was off and running

The Crawley prep course was directed by South East Regional coach, Les Reed who was later to become Charlton FC first team coach and then manager and FA Technical Director for a time. Les was similarly inspirational and really these 6 months from Prelim to my first Prep Course were instrumental in seeing me onto the coaching pathway.

Over the years, I have studiously kept an open mind and have explored a great deal of approaches / philosophies /methodologies, call them what you will (see earlier post “So Which Way IS the Right Way”) and have also looked at other aspects such as treatment of injury, psychology and even currently I am reading a book on teaching - in an effort to see how I can become a better coach.

Latterly, I have attended the Age Appropriate Coaching courses from the FA from the Introductory 1 day module to the two 4 day courses for Modules 1 and 2.

These have fired my interest even more and I have recently started down the path of undertaking the Generic Tutor Training path in an effort to become a certified tutor and to help pass on information to the next generation of coaches.

But as well as the aim of becoming a tutor, I believe it will also help me become a more accomplished coach.

As part of the process you have to attend a ‘familiarisation day’ where new potential tutors are exposed to the course content from a deliverer’s point of view, rather than as an attendee.

I was having a chat with one of my colleagues and we were discussing different coaching approaches, when it dawned on me that I had always been seeking that ‘final piece of the jigsaw’ - you know, the one that completes the puzzle and that makes you ‘an expert’, or pretty close to it.

But, after 20 years, I’m pretty sure there isn’t one. The picture just gets bigger, brighter and more detailed with every day.

The more I learn, the more I realise I still don’t know.

I didn’t have a formal University education and so a lot of what I learn is through personal research and a process of osmosis, picking things up from other coaches, other sports and even other environments which I believe can be transferred to football.

For me, coaching is a passion so I’ll carry on coaching and learning until I can’t physically or mentally do it anymore. And whilst I’ll keep looking for the next piece of the jigsaw, I don’t think I’ll ever complete the picture.

Another Season Ends

Well, I started this (very) occasional blog as a direct consequence of starting to coach a new team, back in July 2009.

Well the ‘season’ came to an official end today with the boys playing very well against a team who also tried to play positive, expansive football. The team I coach ran out winners in both games of mini-soccer, but football itself was definitely the winner today.

Both teams’ supporters congratulated good play from both teams and genuine smiles of delight, applause and appreciation from all sides of the pitch, accompanied our goalkeeper’s shot and goal, fully the length of the field, in unusual circumstances.

Our opponents had a corner and even sent their goalie forward to see if he could score. A good corner, it must be said was swung in, but our goalie called for the ball, caught it well and, recognising their goalie was in our team’s penalty area, ran to the edge of the area and struck a cleanly hit volley over their last defender in a flat trajectory that saw it carry over the line for his very own ‘goal of the season’ !

He was duly mobbed by his team mates with broad grins all round - a true ‘magic moment’ of football.

Prior to this season, I had coached, exclusively, women and girls for the last 9 years. I had never coached recreational boys before - I had coached at Centres of Excellence for both boys and girls in the past - and I did have some concerns as to what the atmosphere would be like.

I tend to use a couple of coaching message boards (Footy 4 Kids at www.soccercoachingforums.com and World Class Coaching at http://www.worldclasscoaching.com/wccforums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=1 ) and so had been fully aware of the potential for ‘nightmare’ scenarios with WAAC (Win At All Costs)coaches / managers, overly “exuberant” parents, vocal abuse of referees and so on that seems to exist in mini-soccer and junior football circles.

Now, having said all that - it has been an absolute delight to coach and manage players in our league (Sussex Sunday Youth League U10s).

The parents of the players in the team I have coached have been outstandingly supportive and also very helpful in erecting mini-soccer goals for games, running our tea bar and so on.

But the opposition coaches and parents have been a credit to the game as well. Encouragement and support has been the order of the season and I have genuinely not heard any verbal abuse of players, opponents and so on. It’s exactly the way the FA is after.

Coaches have been friendly, approachable, and all round good eggs - they all seem to value development, enjoyment and participation over winning at all costs and a sort of shared experience seems to have brought us together.

So, for all the negative stories that abound about kids’ football, this is one to redress the balance - a positive and wholly enjoyable experience throughout the season.

I feel privileged to have been invited to coach the team and to have observed their individual and collective progress during the course of the last 9 months or so.

Although we are at the end of the official season, we still have a couple of friendlies and one or two of the usual summer tournaments to enjoy, so there will still be some fun to be had yet!

Football In A Foreign Land

Well, it's some while since we were on holiday, back in the summer of 2009, which, given the snow, seems even longer ago than it would otherwise.

We went to the beautiful island of Corsica and whilst there I managed to persuade the family that they were desperate to attend the French Ligue 2 game between SC Bastia and Laval.
Now, Bastia have some impressive history - they came runners up to PSV Eindhoven in the 1978 UEFA Cup and were French Cup winners in 1981. However, they are currently in Ligue 2 and have a bit of a mish mash of a ground. On one side there is the impressive Papi Tribune which, whilst a bit concrete, is relatively new and quite grand. On the other side is a small stand reminiscent of your average undeveloped Ryman League stand.

However, they were very helpful and open when we went to purchase tickets for the game and we were invited in to wait for service and were left to view the striking Trophy wall which carried original and replica trophies from current and past local achievements.

Anyway, the point was, that seeing the impressive Papi Tribune hove into view as we approached, it struck me that I still get a frisson of excitement whenever I stumble across a football ground in a foreign land. It's almost as though I recognise a piece of myself, the recognition of being a part of the international brotherhood (and sisterhood) of football.

I mean, we all KNOW that everyone (or nearly everyone) plays, watches and enjoys football, it's just the physical representation of that which brings home to me how much a part of so many lives that it is and how football is very much a part of the local community.

In Bastia's case, the game didn't go so well - they lost 1-0 at home and by the end of the game, the home supporters weren't too happy !
But the different style of game (from the English equivalent), the passion of the supporters and the experience of Football In A Foreign Land, made for a memorable experience. And the view wasn't so bad, either !






I aslo perceived a much less aggressive / intensive approach to the officials by players from both sides. Any disagreement with a decision seemed to take the form of a casual enquiry from a player or two with a brief explanation from the referee, a shrug of shoulders all around and they just got on with the game - how refreshing !

From Bastia, I can go back around 12 months when were fortunate enough to go to Sardinia. We stayed close to a town called Budoni which had it's own football team - a club with a newly developing ground and playing in, roughly, the equivalent of Blue Square South, I estimated.
A club formed as recently ago as 1973, this club had a 3G astroturf pitch on which to pay its games to save any real turf from the extreme heat of their summer. A nice new main stand / tribune, modern store room, gym and changing rooms were impressive for the standard.

I managed to get myself invited to watch the first team squad practice one evening and I was able to see a session constructed mainly around a pattern of play in a 4 3 3 system.

Attached images show how this relatively small club is again at the heart of the community.





And way up in the mountains of Sardinia, was a small community called Brunella - again with its own, albeit much more modest stadium, but still with dugouts and floodlights for evening practice.




So, the passion for football is apparent in many places and just the sight of a small, large, modern, antiquated, stadium or patch of a ground with a pair of goals, just makes me feel a part of the game, no matter where I am.