Time To Think About Your Practice

I was walking near a park the other day and several soccer teams were having practice. I saw in each of those practices, there were maybe ten teams working out, all the coaches making the same error. Yeah, it's soccer so maybe this point doesn't translate well. But, yeah, it does, because I see this error tons of times in every practice of every sport.

Kids were dutifully lined up to wait their turn for a drill. The drills were common, most involved kicking the ball at a target, the net, another player or coach, some variation of the same drill. The coaches rolled the ball out in front of the player and the player kicked it.

Some kids kicked it well, most did not, but that's hardly the point. Well, actually, that is exactly the point. How is a young player going to learn to kick the ball well? With enough force? With the correct part of the foot? And eventually manipulating the spin on the ball to maneuver it in flight?

That's easy! By kicking it. Kicking and kicking and kicking. Over and over and over. But what did I see? A bunch of kids dutifully waiting in long lines for their turn to kick. There was a lot of chatter by the kids at the end of the line and very few, if any, managed to hear and internalize what the coach was teaching because at the end of the line they are too far, in time and space, from the action.

Solution? Forget the lines!  I know it's easy to call out "Put a line here" and the kids will all form up like they've been taught. Your practices will look organized and the kids will look like they are being taught by someone who knows what's really going on. It looks great, I get that. But will that tactic get them the most turns at the ball as possible? Not hardly. Grab a parent and have two groups work the drill. Better yet, grab two parents and the coach can oversee both groups. No parents around? Make a player toss the ball to the next in turn.

Yep, your practice will sometimes look like mass confusion, and it will often devolve into chaos. But that is your job as a coach, to organize several activities at once so that your players get the most out of your limited time with them, then keep them on task. And the alternative? Beautiful straight lines with kids doing what they're told. This will make you look good as a coach but this will not make the players as skilled as possible.

More to come..... so stay tuned.