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7 tips for managing ability differences
Coaching Adviceby Ben Swalwell
If you run a youth team, chances are you will have a mixed-skills group. Ben Swalwell outlines ways to mitigate that and get the best from your session
Being a High School coach can be extremely fun and rewarding but, at the same time, very demanding.
If you coach both varsity and junior varsity, or the equivalent in your countries, you will come across a vast range of abilities within the team.
Attempting to coach upwards of 40 players, all with a wide range of skills, and trying to keep them all focused at the same time on the same concept, is challenging.
Here are seven tips to make a practice run smoothly and make sure all your players are challenged and understand the concept of the session...
Organisation is essential in coaching. Make sure you have your plan prepared before you walk out on the field. Even better, have it written down, so you can refer to it during the session. Have your session laid out before practice starts with appropriate area sizes including pennies, targets and obstacles. Plan your games and/ or circuits around a central point where you can stand and observe everything.
Make your sessions simple and understandable. Introduce the main concept of the session with a few key points or guiding questions. As groups gain a firm understanding of what you are trying to achieve within the session, add in new concepts and restrictions to challenge them further. Some may advance quicker than others, but the base idea of the practice is still there.
You don't need a mountain of cones to run a drill. If you use cones or markers, make sure the area is made up of the same colour cones to avoid confusion, with goals, gates or targets a stand out colour. Four cones can make a simple area, two more can double the length of that area. Keep it simple and easy to follow.
If you coach both varsity and junior varsity, or the equivalent in your countries, you will come across a vast range of abilities within the team.
Attempting to coach upwards of 40 players, all with a wide range of skills, and trying to keep them all focused at the same time on the same concept, is challenging.
Here are seven tips to make a practice run smoothly and make sure all your players are challenged and understand the concept of the session...
01 - ORGANISATION
Organisation is essential in coaching. Make sure you have your plan prepared before you walk out on the field. Even better, have it written down, so you can refer to it during the session. Have your session laid out before practice starts with appropriate area sizes including pennies, targets and obstacles. Plan your games and/ or circuits around a central point where you can stand and observe everything.
02 - SIMPLICITY
Make your sessions simple and understandable. Introduce the main concept of the session with a few key points or guiding questions. As groups gain a firm understanding of what you are trying to achieve within the session, add in new concepts and restrictions to challenge them further. Some may advance quicker than others, but the base idea of the practice is still there.
03 - EXPAND EASY
You don't need a mountain of cones to run a drill. If you use cones or markers, make sure the area is made up of the same colour cones to avoid confusion, with goals, gates or targets a stand out colour. Four cones can make a simple area, two more can double the length of that area. Keep it simple and easy to follow.
Ben Swalwell is currently head coach of the girls' soccer program at SLW Centennial High School in Florida
04 - WHITEBOARD
Raising your voice to give instruction for 40 players to hear you can be tiresome. Having a whiteboard to diagram the activities allows them visual cues which may be easier than verbal,. Draw the layout of the area and write down key points for that session - this will allow players to revert back if needed. Also diagram the layout of the field if you have multiple stations or areas - that way they can see whereabouts on the field they need to move to.
05 - PRE-PLAN YOUR GROUPS
If you ask players to choose groups, it could take 5-10 minutes to find their besties and you will lose valuable ball time. Make this transition quicker by pre-picking designated groups. These groups can be chosen in two different ways. One way is to match players' ability - the more talented ones will pick up the activity quickly, allowing them to advance to more complex instructions, giving you more time to focus on players who need time to understand and work out the activity. Our teams train in their respective varsity and junior varsity teams to get to know each other and their movements better. Alternatively, mix groups so the more talented players can be used as guides for the lower ability players. Sometimes players will respond and listen better to peers.
06 - DEMONSTRATION
Players often respond better to information from their peers. Select a group of players to demonstrate the activity for everyone else. This allows those players watching to get a better understanding of the space and positioning before stepping onto their own field.
07 - UTILISE GROUP LEADER
You want your leaders to set an example for others so have your captain or older players lead a warm up. This gives you more time to prepare, gives your captain responsibility and allows others to learn what is expected of them as the years go on. As the season progresses, you will start to see more leaders stepping forward, giving you potential leaders for season to come.
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Ben Swalwell
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