Ideas from practice

Things I’m noticing, trying and changing.

Practical reflections from coaching environments. Not answers for everyone, but ideas that might help you look at your own practice differently.

Coach reflection · 4 min read

A book I keep coming back to

Paul Roos’s 25 point manifesto is something I return to when my coaching feels cluttered. A reminder of what’s important.

Session design · 4 min read

How a few simple changes helped reduce dead time in training from more than 45 minutes to around 25.

Communication · 4 min read

Meetings, huddles and hot reviews deserve the same planning and reflection as anything delivered on the pitch.

Feedback · 5 min read

We are often specific when correcting mistakes and vague when recognising good work. The small wins deserve our attention too.

Player ownership · 4 min read

Asking a question is not enough if the coach immediately fills the silence and completes the players' thinking for them.

Practice design · 4 min read

A game can create useful problems, but it cannot understand your intention, interpret what happened or adapt itself.

Coaching language · 4 min read

Words such as clinical, ruthless and accurate might make sense to coaches, but players need to know what they require them to do.

Communication · 3 min read

Players need enough information to understand the activity and begin, not every answer before they have seen the problem.

Skills coaching · 4 min read

A small change helped our kickers practise finding their process while tired, rushed and moving between activities.

Club support · 4 min read

Practical resources can help volunteer coaches deal with the players, space and time they actually have.

Coach development · 4 min read

Coaches spend hours reviewing players, but rarely receive independent feedback on how their own behaviour shaped the session.