Context Over Content

Look I’m not trying to turn my pockets inside out and claim that players don’t need extra training. I’m challenged by the demand over the last decade of individualized training and I think lockdown accelerated what has become a staple of any player who would argue they are being told this is the way to succeed in the game. Given all the social media exposure to online training. I’m seeing coaches and players that create a perceptive mindset in how development should be. It's about likes and followers and who’s sharing and tagging who in today's world. Let's be honest no one is reinventing the wheel when it comes to player development over the last 10 years. Would Dennis Bergkamp be better in today's structured world than in a world of playing unstructured games and banging a ball 10s of thousands of times against a wall, I doubt it. Would Lionel Messi be a better dribbler if he had spent all that time dribbling through cones and not developing on the playgrounds having to move and protect a ball playing against older bigger players who would kick him into submission? Again, I doubt it. Greatness is within and the desires and personality of a player will always outweigh let's say training with no plan or real context that just looks good to the 1000 followers. Coaching is not just about content. As coaches we can fall into the habit of one size fits all. Running the same set of kids through drills without the breakdown technically for an individual. In short, the individualized training should suit the player and the game that is specific to them. I question players with a what and why every time I’m initially introduced to a new player and it's important to keep asking those questions. WHY are you here and what are you aiming to achieve along with WHAT position do you play and how can we personalize this training to you. For many, the importance of repetition away from team practice is vital, especially in today's world. The player that constantly touches the ball outside of practice and lives with the ball at their feet is naturally developing the so-called ball mastery. But these players are few and far between and the majority fall into a category of needing a structured environment to develop. I realize that the player will not fulfill potential with just team practice nor 1 hour a week private lessons. I’ve never told a player you have to train with me or I will make you great. Instead, I (tongue in cheek) tell them I can’t make you get better. All we can do as coaches is guide the player and break the game down to areas where a player needs to go work on their own. This is not boot camp nor will soccer ever be. The complexity of soccer training has many developmental areas. Understanding tactics, movement off the ball, speed, and agility should be incorporated into every session but also the encouragement to watch and study live soccer gives the visual of how the game is needed to be played. I can’t even comprehend how a player expects to play the game of soccer without spending more time watching it. Otherwise, our training ends up developing robotic talent and teams and we see this everywhere even at the elite levels. So how can the coach make a difference? For me to differentiate my sessions I’ve started to work with collaborated software like IOS -Notes just to share video, screenshots of a player's technique within the session along with guided homework so the player not only gets the visual breakdown but then can work on improving specific skills. For me a picture speaks a 1000 words and if a player understands the breakdown and has the desire to put in those many many many... hours the results are powerful. So coaches while I concur that repetition is key, make it quality and start to focus on the CONTEXT over the general CONTENT of a session and encourage the player to own their development.