A parent asked me if their son could come and train with my under 16s. I’d watched him play a few times and, on skill alone, I was confident he’d hold his own. Partway through that first session he had a meltdown, it got too much for him, and he ended up leaving early. It’s …
Playing Up an Age Group: When It Helps and When It Hurts Read More »
There’s a player I keep seeing turn up in my sessions, and after enough years of this you learn to spot them inside five minutes. The ball breaks loose near the touchline, two defenders closing down, and the safe option is an easy pass backward. Most of the group takes the safe option. This kid …
Street Football Decision Making: What Parents Are Missing Read More »
A message came through on a Sunday evening, the kind I get a handful of times a year. A parent explaining that their son had just been released from academy football, and that his confidence had taken a hit he did not know how to fix. They were not looking for someone to tell them …
I still remember a player of mine trying to beat his man just past the halfway line, losing the ball, and hearing a groan go up from the sideline before he’d even had the chance to get back into position. Nobody said anything to him at half time about the ball he’d given away. What …
Why Game Understanding Matters More Than Raw Skill Read More »
A parent pulled me aside after training a few weeks ago and started having a conversation with me on why his son was still playing nine-a-side at under-11, and how these changes will prepare him for ‘proper football’. It’s a fair question, and this season it’s going to come up a lot more, because grassroots …
Why Small-Sided Football Helps Kids Develop Faster Read More »
A dad messaged me on a Tuesday night in July, not long after his son had a rough afternoon at the weekend. He wasn’t angry about it. He just wanted to know one thing. Should he be paying for one to one football coaching. Another player from the same team had been posting videos that …
One to One Football Coaching: What Actually Works Read More »
My own son went through more than one of these. Same advice every time, standing pitch side before kick off. Just go and play your natural game. He was a skilful kid, good feet, brave enough to take a player on in a one on one, and every time the temptation was to do something …
Football Trial Preparation Most Parents Get Wrong Read More »
My assistant coach pulled me aside before kick off, nodding toward the boy warming up near the halfway line. “He’s too small to play football at this level,” he said. “We need someone else for this game.” He wasn’t being unkind. He was saying what most people around youth football would say looking at the …
Too Small To Play Football? Here’s What Actually Matters Read More »
A dad stopped me after a session a couple of weeks ago, arms folded, and said what a few other parents have said this summer without quite putting it so bluntly. “Three v three at under sevens. Five v five for two whole years. How’s that going to prepare them for real football?” He wasn’t …
Small-Sided Football Isn’t Dumbing the Game Down Read More »
Learning to reinforce good decisions, not just correct mistakes, changes how a player sees their own game. It sounds simple. Most coaching, and most parenting from the sideline, does the opposite without ever meaning to. Watch any training session for twenty minutes and you will notice something. The session stops the moment something goes wrong. …
