Improving individuals as part of a collective

Through my time helping to develop more than 100 college and university players, youth national-team players and first-team professionals, there has been a common approach - it all begins with the individual.

We often think of soccer as a team game, but it should be seen more as an individual game played in a team setting. Games are, after all, sometimes won and lost due to individual brilliance or blunders.

Thus, the approach of developing the individual within the collective becomes vital to ensuring success not only for the player, but your team as well.

A common framework that is referenced when designing sessions is “Plan, Do, Review”. But I prefer to modify it, adding "Improve" at the end. This can be applied to developing the individual as well.

Plan

First, co-create a Personal Development Plan (PDP) with the player.

If working with youth players, be sure to include the parents in this process, as they will be your biggest allies when included and biggest foes if ostracized.

The planning process should be focused on the four corners of development. As a coach, it is our role to draw out the information from the player when co-creating this plan.

 

"Parents will be your biggest allies when included and biggest foes if ostracized..."

Ask questions such as:

• How do you like to be coached?
• What helped you improve in the past?
• What are your superpowers on the pitch?
• Which pro player do you play like?
• Do you prefer the session to be stopped to help you or do you prefer a quiet word in private?

This will demonstrate that you are putting the player at the center of the process. It will also increase the investment in the plan from the player by raising their self-awareness and reflecting on what has worked, or not worked, for them in the past.

Formalize this into a document to ensure there is understanding and accountability, and so that improvement can be tracked. 

If your club has positional profiles, and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for their position, ensure these are included and agreed upon when creating the PDP. 

Set a timeframe to track improvement and determine the next steps. I prefer six to eight weeks.

Do

Ensure your training and in-game methodologies are focused on what you have co-created with the player.

Approaching this from the mental, social and emotional corner of development will help connect the player with the process.

 

Each player is unique. Your interactions should acknowledge this while trying to deepen your relationship with them to increase their buy-in and trust in the process. 

A useful tip would be to video your interactions with each player during your training sessions and games. 

I have strapped a GoPro camera to my chest and done an analysis on my coaching while watching the footage back.

Review

Prior to any formal meetings, review the GoPro footage or session/match notes to reflect on your performance as a coach.

I tend to review the footage from the GoPro in the following manner:

• Counting the number of interactions I had with individual players
• Listening to my message and communication, ensuring there is information aligned to their PDP and not just jargon
• “Listening with my eyes” - i.e. analyzing the player’s body language to see how they truly feel about the conversation
• Adjusting my behaviours and communication to achieve better outcomes in the next session/game

At the end of the pre-determined timeframe, meet with the player (and parent, if applicable) and discuss where you feel they have improved and where there are still areas for growth.

Improve

The final step in the process sees the addition of “development accelerators”, for those players who are invested in the process and willing to do extra.

Some of these development accelerators I have used in the past include:

 

Vicarious learning from top pros

Take clips of the professional that the player has identified plays similarly to them.

Compare the two. What is similar? What is different? This is great for raising the player’s self-awareness and allows them to vicariously learn from top players.

 

Video review

Review the player’s clip package or matches with them and hit pause at certain moments when a decision needs to be made that is part of their PDP. 

Ask the player questions like: “What could happen next?”; “What could you do to progress the ball?” or “How many ways could we score a goal from here?”.

Direct the player’s attention to relevant cues and information within the scenario that will help them improve their actions within upcoming training and matches.

 

Put on small group sessions for players

This provides fewer distractions, more detail, and nowhere to hide. it is where we, as coaches, can really start to work on finer details with players that will affect their performance and the team’s performance.

 

Improve yourself

Watch more games, be curious and dig into the detail to improve yourself as a coach.

 

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Approaching training and games from a mindset of developing a group of individuals will change the way you see coaching and breathe new life into your sessions.

Remember, it’s an individual game played in a team setting. If you want players to maximize their potential, focus on developing individuals as part of a collective.

Create a personalized approach to your coaching and it will take you and your players to the next level.