| Guiding Talent to the Top |
Besides the best training, the coach must inspire enthusiasm and passion
Following is a presentation made at the NSCAA Convention in Pittsburgh in 1988. Andy Roxburgh was then serving as both coach of Scotland’s National Team as well as technical director for that country’s Football Association. Today he serves as UEFA’s technical director. While made some years ago, his comments address the fundamentals of coaching today as they did then. This also appeared in the July-August 2002 issue of Soccer Journal.
By Andy Roxburgh
The dramatic improvement in the standard of soccer by many nations during recent years underlines the progress that can be made by countries that encourage player improvement schemes, coach training programs and increased administrative efficiency. I would like to discuss the guidance of players towards high-level soccer. It encompasses three distinct topics: the role of the coach, youth development and the demands of top level soccer.
Scotland is a small country and, consequently, the numbers playing and spectating, although a high percentage of our population, could not possibly match the figures achieved in Italy, Germany
or England. We lack numbers and consequently finance, but we compensate with enthusiasm and dedication.
In Scotland, the street soccer environment that produced many international talents has all but disappeared. This situation has, more than anything, been the catalyst that has created the necessity to develop a comprehensive educational program for both those who instruct and those who perform. The education of our best players cannot be left to chance or the efforts of unskilled enthusiasts.
In order to tackle the problems relating to the human, environmental and technical aspects of the sport, a team of specialists is required to support the efforts of the playing staff. This team falls into three main categories:
The administration is concerned with the efficient organization, provision, protection and advancement of the activity.
The technical staff is concerned with the short-term aim of producing an entertaining, winning team, and the long-term aim of improving playing performance, both individually and collectively.
The medical team is concerned with the maintenance of each player’s peak physical and psychological condition, together with the prevention, care and rehabilitation of injuries.
Before planning a training program or establishing the aims for a team, it is necessary for the coach/manager to conduct a thorough analysis of the squad during performance. The process is as follows:
What was the team’s performance? Based on the game, what are the team’s strengths? Its weaknesses?
Training is the time for player education to deal with weaknesses.
Two complex factors that have a major influence on performance precede technical considerations. These are:
Human aspects: Age, background, mentality, personal motivation, leadership, coachability, professionalism, group dynamics, man management and training methods.
Environmental situation: Equipment, crowd, playing surface, weather, administration, medical assistance, diet and local ambience.
“Success in soccer coaching depends upon selection, decision making, ability to handle players and luck!” is the way Alex Ferguson, manager of Manchester United, put it.
The coach’s own philosophy will, to a large extent, dictate the way in which he carries out his various tasks. My philosophy is summed up in J.B. Priestley’s description of soccer as “both beautiful and passionate in its art.”
There are five basic functions that a coach undertakes — planning, promotion, organization, man management and teaching.
Some causes of failure in coaches’ leadership:
• Inappropriate management style;
• Fear;
• Inability to organize details;
• Weak personality;
• Unwillingness to perform basic tasks;
• Seeking rewards for knowledge rather than action;
• Disloyalty;
• Lack of imagination;
• Anti-social behavior;
• Indecision;
• Evading responsibility.
Once the human factors and the environment have been dealt with, emphasis can be placed on the technical work of the game. Technical preparation can be categorized as follows:
• Conditioning: The physical capabilities to fulfill all the competitive demands throughout the game — explosive power, speed, strength, flexibility, endurance, stamina.
• Technique: The ability to implement the basic skills of passing, dribbling, control, shooting, heading and tackling during competitive conditions. For example, is the player’s passing technique successful? What is the quality of each pass in terms of accuracy, weight, timing, disguise and angle?
• Tactics: The ability to apply, within the competitive environment, technical skills and physical attributes.
• Strategy: The game plan — team formation, style of play, the tempo of the game.
The acquisition of soccer skill is a long developmental process in which players progress gradually from a simple to a complex involvement in the game. The following structure is an attempt to identify a number of stages through which players must pass before they can achieve football competence.
Fun phase (up to 8 years)
The joy and pleasure of the activity are best nurtured by allowing freedom of expression within the small group situation. The fascination for the ball and the thrill of scoring goals will produce the desire to play “real” football.
MOTIVATIONAL CHECKLIST
The game: Fascination for the ball, dressing up, maximum number of touches on the ball through 1 v. 1 up to 4 v. 4;
The player: Self-centered, fun seeking, need to satisfy curiosity, desire for adventure;
The team: Strong bond of friendship, small group co-operation;
The coach: Friendly helper, organizer and stimulator;
The training: Fun practices, individual ball skills, small games;
The environment: Goal nets and grass, heroes, community encouragement, good playing conditions.
The foundation phase (9 to 12 years)
The acquisition of basic skills and the introduction of key concepts are the basics for this age group. The motivation to learn basic skills is never greater than at this age level. Children gradually begin to change from being self-centered to being self-critical and develop the need for group or team games. The game itself should be central to all skills training. Note that 11-a-side football is too sophisticated and complicated for young players; small-sided games, which provide the right amount of pressure for the child’s level of development, are more appropriate.
MOTIVATIONAL CHECKLIST
The game: Basic individual skills combined with group play seven-a-side football, festivals of football rather than league competitions, use of modified rules, their need for group involvement is satisfied, accentuate the “spirit of pageantry”;
The player: Strong sense of affiliation, developing a self-critical attitude, desire to copy the model;
The team: Critical of each other, need for discipline, strong identity with the group, pride in the team;
The coach: Sensitive teacher, football enthusiast, organizer, football awareness, demonstration ability;
The training: Basic skills practice, introduction of key concepts, small-sided games, fun activities, speed and mobility work (avoid fierce competition as, in the initial stages of teaching a skill, a high level of motivation can be detrimental);
The environment: Club and school infrastructure, good facilities and equipment, star identification, good playing conditions.
Formal phase (12 to 16 Years)
The recognition of adult standards and the drive toward competence in
the activity. The pace of development quickens at this level due to the acceleration of physical and mental maturation. The demands of skill training should likewise increase. Awareness within the 11-a-side game becomes an important part of the work.
MOTIVATIONAL CHECKLIST
The game: Carefully monitored 11-a-side competitions. The rewards offered by the game include those that are symbolic (praise, status, recognition), material (money, cups, medals), psychological (sense of belonging, sense of achievement, sense of improvement). The most desirable of these rewards are the psychological ones. Other incentives include affiliation, handling stressful situations, and displaying independence, aggression and power;
The player: Self-critical, rebellious, strong commitment to the team, recognition of adult standards and rules, desire to attain maturity, rapid growth in mental and physical development increases the need for exposure to adult situations;
The team: Need for common goals and leadership, comradeship within the group;
The coach: Strong personality, football knowledge, enthusiasm, organizational ability;
The training: Basic skills under pressure; strategy and tactical play in an 11-a-side context, tactical and structured games, increase in mental and physical demands, the setting of training targets, providing individual feedback, reinforcing positive behavior, explaining the purpose of the practice, stimulating the imagination;
The environment: Visual impact through kit, flags, nets, etc., good training and playing facilities, the presence of spectators — coach, friends, parents, etc.
Final phase (from 16 years)
“The flower in full bloom.” Conforming to adult standards, sound understanding of game’s principles and concepts, mastery of basic skills leading to artistry, emotional stability when confronted with pressure situations.
The 16 to 18 years period in a player’s life can be critical. Many stop playing; others struggle on but fail to achieve their aspirations; some are successful and satisfy the expectations of themselves, their coach and the community. The turn-off to soccer can be the result of various influences including:
• Unrealistic expectations — “Unhappiness is best defined as the difference between talent and our expectations.” (Edward de Bono);
• Other attractions (personal, educational, sporting);
• Lack of success;
• Injuries;
• Shortage of playing opportunities;
• Overplaying;
• Poor leadership;
• Peer group pressure.
In the professional game, fear is used by the manager in order to motivate players. This, of course, could be very damaging to young, developing players.
Fulfillment (16+ years)
MOTIVATIONAL CHECKLIST
The game: Demanding and challenging matches on a regular basis, adult rewards and incentives must be available (i.e., cups, status, money, etc.);
The player: Mental toughness, self-confidence, emotional control, avoidance of fear and external negative influences, personal, club and nationalistic pride, ability to relate to others, need for attention, security, understanding and importance;
The team: Desire for a common cause, need for team spirit, leadership, key players, collective understanding, displaying confidence, concentration and will to win, accepting responsibility;
The coach: Charismatic status, well informed, experienced, knowledgeable, articulate, disciplinarian, no doubts about his power, managerial know-how, thoughtful persuader;
The training: Specialist work, simulations of the real thing, tactical play and team organization, mental rehearsal, intense pressure practices, varied program, need to satisfy players’ urge for competition, short bursts of maximum intensity, setting a lively tone through warm-ups, demanding excellence, training self-motivation, players encouraged to contribute suggestions;
The environment: Good training and playing conditions, impressive physical surroundings, portable goals for training, enthusiastic public interest —officials, crowds, press, TV, etc.
The demands
“The psychological problems created by an event such as the World Cup represent the most serious threat. It is necessary to intervene decisively after every match to make sure that, whatever the result, it be removed immediately from the mind of the players who must concentrate exclusively on the next game.” (Enzo Bearzot)
In modern soccer, defensive patterns and methods have become commonplace. This fact is a positive challenge to players and others actively involved in the game. In order to produce successful and entertaining performances, the game demands higher levels of skill, both individually and collectively, a more acute tactical awareness, greater versatility and the ability to solve soccer problems at increased pace.
The reduction of space and time in the game has increased the emotional pressure on the players. Only if they have acquired the self-confidence in these pressure situations will they be able to release all their individual abilities and talents. The top teams at club and national level in South America and Europe display this capacity to handle restrictions of both space and time in a successful and entertaining manner. Furthermore, at the top level enormous psychological pressures are inflicted on players by outside agencies, i.e., the public, the media, officials, etc. A major task for the coach is to help young players to come to terms with stress, both on and off the field.
Training targets
An important part of the learning environment is the practice field. The demands of modern soccer dictate that during training coaches have the following objectives:
• Inspire enthusiasm and a passion for the game;
• Train leadership qualities;
• Accentuate creativity and positive play;
• Encourage self-motivation;
• Develop playing personalities;
• Make mastery of the ball the basis of the training program;
• Advance technical awareness;
• Emphasize speed — limb action, movement over the ground and game tempo.
MOTIVATION
In order for the coach to stimulate and inspire players during the learning process, a number of principles should be observed:
• Set training targets — tests of skill or fitness stimulate interest;
• Simulate the real things — try to make practices as near to reality as possible;
• Give each player a maximum amount of ball contact time;
• Explain the purpose of the practice;
• The training session should be well structured in order to keep the players active and interested;
• Information feedback to each individual is necessary for progress to take place. It also increases motivation;
• Occasionally spring a surprise change to the training schedule in order to eliminate the possibility of boredom;
• In the initial stages of teaching a skill, a high level of motivation may be detrimental. This is one reason for avoiding fierce competition during this period;
• The coach must be sensitive to the problems which players face when learning complex skills;
• Short periods of work at maximum concentration should be followed by short active rest periods;
• Players must be clear about their function in any practice;
• Constantly reinforce positive behavior;
• Satisfy players’ competitive urge by using small games and skill contests;
• Expose the players to problems that they may encounter during match days, e.g. give one team two goals of a start. The others must try to fight back in a given time;
• Give the players the opportunity to make suggestions about the best way of solving a playing problem;
• Stimulate the imagination — create problem-solving situations, teach tricks, etc.;
• Warm-ups are important because they set the tone of the session;
• Make sure that the training environment has visual impact. The use of portable goals is recommended;
• Each player is different from every other — the coach has little alternative but to regard his squad as individuals, each requiring particular help, guidance and stimulation;
• Once an activity has been explained, let the players initiate the action and take responsibility for carrying out the task;
• Set tasks for the players for their free time practice;
• The coach himself must display enthusiasm and a passion for the game. He has a responsibility to promote soccer which is exciting, skilful and, above all, fun.
I would like to reiterate three key points:
• Human and environmental factors take precedence over technical considerations;
• In order to reach maturity as a player, a youngster must be exposed to a playing and training environment which extends his mental, physical and technical abilities to the limit;
• Above all, coaches must inspire enthusiasm and a passion for the game.
Coach Roxburgh offered four training games for consideration:
Off-the-wall
On a field of two goal areas (36 x 44 yards) four pairs of players in the field with a ball between the two. Two neutral goalkeepers and eight side players. A man on the ball passes to a side player who plays a one-touch pass to the player’s partner. The side players should vary the angle and length of the pass, i.e., receive a short pass, then play a long one. The receiving player can turn and dribble, shoot at goal or pass to another side player. The pairs in the field can also combine with 1-2s and takeovers. After two minutes those in the field change places with the side players.
The numbers game
Two teams of four or more players plus the goalkeepers. The coach calls a number and a side of the required number of players enter the field from the left or right hand side of the goal as requested. The ball is thrown into the field of play and when a goal is scored or the ball goes out, the phase of play is over and the players immediately run to the rear of their respective teams. The coach then restarts the game.
The schemer game
6 v. 6 plus goalkeepers with two attackers, two defenders and two schemers from each team in each third of the field (60 x 44 yards). All must remain in their areas except that one schemer from the team in possession can enter the attacking third in order to support the strikers. The schemer must return to the middle area immediately after possession is lost. Normal scoring prevails as do normal touch line rules.
5 v. 5 pressure play
Two teams of five plus goalkeepers on a 44 x 60 yard field. The game is played normally until a team scores. They cannot score again until they are scored upon. They must play possession soccer until that event occurs. The team that has been scored upon tries to utilize the goalkeeper as an outfield player as its tries to gain possession and score. When the game is equalized, play returns to normal. All balls over the sideline are played as kickins. A team wins by either being ahead a full time or being one goal ahead for a five-minute time period.
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