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You will find as many philosophies for coaching as there are coaches. Everyone has their own way of setting out a coaching program and running it. So relax. Do the best you can. Always remember - you are the one giving your time and energy up - so you dont have to answer to anyone!

My own personal ideas behind coaching can be summed up in one phrase Keep It Simple. Keep it Fun. there are hundreds of coaching ideas, drills, games and plans. Over time, I have found a number of them useful for particular aspects of the game, and these are summarized in this section. I am sure other people and coaches will have different games and drills. I can only tell you what I have found useful. It is worth remembering that what is useful will change over time. There are some things that can be done with older players that just would not be a good idea with younger ones.

With this in mind I have indicated some drills where they are not suitable for the younger players.

  • The principles I have used
  • The format of a training session
  • Warm-up
  • Focussed Drills
  • Conditioned games
  • Other Ideas
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    The principles I have used

    The essence is to remember that, ultimately, the players want to play football.

    So, I always allow good time at the end of a session to play a game. Just working on drills and instruction for a session soon loses appeal for youngsters, and playing a game allows them to try putting into practice whatever has been worked on during the session.

    Over the time I have been running a team we have used coaches who are very good coaches. They have understood the way drills work, and how to build one element on top of another. But, at times, they have forgotten that it is supposed to be fun. When a fun hobby gets too much like schoolwork, particularly for boys, interest will wane.

    Happy and relaxed players will be better players. I try to keep the session as light as possible, allowing a certain level of banter between the players and indeed between the players and the coach(es). That said, it is important that discipline is maintained to a level that allows coaching points to be put across. You cannot be too lax, and you must be in charge at all times.
    The format of a training session

    Each single session that I have run can be broken down into four distinct phases.
    1. Warm-up
    2. A focussed drill
    3. A conditioned game
    4. A normal game
    Over time, these elements have proved the most effective in keeping concentration, allowing some key coaching to take place, and ensuring that the players get to play football. .
    Warm-up
    Always remember that the warm-up is not just there to get the body warmed up, it is also there to provide a good transition between relaxation and training for the minds of the players. By the end of the warm-up the players should not only be physically ready for training, they should also be mentally ready.

    As with the training session as a whole, a warm-up routine will probably be based on phases:
    1. Some light jogging and moving
    2. Some stretches
    3. Some more intense running activity
    I start with light jogging, just across the pitch a couple of times. Make sure the players jog rather than sprint. This isn't a race. Following just straight jogging we go into some further light movement across the pitch, based on jogging but incorporating star-jumps, side-on jogging, jogging backwards and high-knee trotting (ensuring the knees come up to hip-height).

    Some simple stretches:

    Hip Rotation Stand straight with hands on hips. Rotate the hips to draw a letter zero one direction, and then the other

    Touching Toes 1 Stand straight up with feet shoulder width apart. Bend forward and touch toes without bending the knees.

    Touching Toes 2 Stand straight up. Cross one leg over the other with feet touching. Bend forward and toch toes. Repeat after crossing the legs the other way.

    Touching the ground Stand straight up with feet double shoulder width apart. Bend forward and touch the ground between the legs.

    Groin Stretch Stand straight up with feet double shoulder width apart and the toes of both feet pointed forward. Keeping the right leg straight, bend the left knee and try to sit on the left heel. Repeat for left side.

    Groin stretch 2 Stand straight upright. Bring the right knee straight up in front until it is at 90 degrees to the body. Then turn the knee outward. Return to standing position. Repeat for the other leg.

    High Kick Stand straight upgright. Put your left arm straight out in front of you and try to swing your right leg so that you touch the left hand. Repeat for the other hand and leg.

    Twist Stand straight upright. Place your hands on hips. Twist and the waist - first one way and then the other.

    For the more intensive running activity, we use a combination of shuttle runs, relay sprints, and relay sprints with a ball.
    For younger players, you can make it a bit more fun by asking them to do something 'silly' at the end of the sprint (e.g. at the point of return for the relay, or on the furthest point for the shuttle runs. We have used things like - sitting down or doing 'heads, shoulders, knees and toes'. The younger players always enjoy this little twist.
    Other Ideas

    To keep things interesting for the players, over time we have tried a number of alternatives. These are not something to do too often - but they do provide a fun change a couple of times a year. Give them a go. They are great for team building and for just giving the players something else to think about for a change. I would be interested in any ideas anyone out there has aswell.
    • Thai Boxing  Our local youth club happen to have one of the country's top Thai Boxing coaches located there. We took the players down for an introductory one hour session. They loved it. It also did some of them the world of good ... kicking and being kicked in a safe controlled environment really helped some of the more timid players with their physical confidence.


    • Dance Aerobics  One of our mums just happens to be a dance and aerobics tutor. So - it gives us a great chance to do something a little different for a one hour session. Great fun (once the lads get over inhibitions) and it really opens their eyes to how fit they need to be for that kind of thing!.


    • Rugby  Again, a one hour rigby session is a great change. Speak to your local rugby club and see if they will do them a one hour session on tackling. Throwing themselves into a tackling dummy for an hour does the timid players a whole load of good.


    • Session at a local professional club  We are quite lucky in this respect, as our local professional club is Manchester United. They have a fantastic football community programme. This allows local clubs to book sessioons at their Academy training facilities with their academy coaches. Its still football but is different enough that it grabs their attention. Your local clubs may do the same.
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    • Inflatable Games  A session with inflatable 'Gladiator type' games. These can be hired easily enough for a session. These cn include things like 'Sumo' suits, Pole-challenge (trying to knock each other off a pole), and the Pdestal Challenge (the one with the big cotton buds)