I would like to give our IFS community an insight into my process of teaching our young students, K-Year 2, the beautiful game of football.
One of the problems in Australian football is the fact that many coaches who are working with kids and young people are doing so without any training. The level of performance with regards to football or coordination is not always sufficient. Especially with younger kids, a conservative approach which emphasizes mainly the result of the game, is often dominant. This focus originates from the ideal of the perfect, tactically one-sided game of adult players.
Each child has the right to be coached by competent people. The coach of children has to have psychological and pedagogic skills and has to impart technical knowledge which is adjusted to the child’s reality in order to put these requirements into action.
One focus of the training is small-sided football games (2:2, 3:3) with 4 goals because children learn how to play football mainly by playing. This enables them to experience the fascination of the football game with all its intensities. Each training session emphasizes the idea of the game. The main focus is not to win the game as a team but the training of each individual player. The aim is to comprehend the elements of technique, tactics and stamina with regards to kids’ football and to include these elements in training sessions. The main goal is a general, all-round basic training of sports motor activity. It is the groundwork for the development of the ability to play football, of the learning of technical-tactical skills, not only for the football game but basically for all kinds of sports.
Learning steps:
Exercises and forms of games can be made easier by:
- Reducing the pace
- Extending the available space
- Use of passive or no opponents
- Reducing the distance for exercises with a partner
Exercises and forms of games can be made more difficult by:
- Increasing the pace
- Scale down the playing field
- Use of active opponents
- Increasing the distance for exercises with a partner
The guideline “learning how to play by playing!”should be followed. The ideal form of the game for that purpose is the “3 against 3” with 4 goals because all the technical and tactical elements of the “big” game can be found. Of course, other forms of the game are possible as well, like 2 against 2 or 4 against 4. During these games, the coach should not interfere. The players should be able to develop freely during the game and be allowed to implement their own ideas of the game.
Players need only a few basic rules in order to get a game going. It is important that the players understand the application of the rules. There is no need for an umpire. Most clashes that might occur will be quickly resolved by the players themselves in order to resume the game as quickly as possible.
A coach has to consider some basic coaching rules which should be applied, especially to the younger age groups in order to optimise the fun of playing football and to achieve learning progress. While diligently preparing and implementing games and training sessions I never forget to check the content and my behaviour with regards as to whether the players have reason to have fun and enjoyment. Fun can only be sustained if the training is interesting and varied and if there is a friendly atmosphere in the football training community.
Children learn more easily visually than by verbal explanations. Therefore new skills and abstract sequences of exercises should always be demonstrated. Should a coach feel that he is not able to do so, other young players from different teams should be asked to demonstrate the correct sequence of movements.
Using variety during forms of games and training will enable the coach to avoid monotony and problems with concentration. “Old” content can always be “re-packed” in a new and different way. Kids love new challenges. The level of innovation of games or equipment leaves kids highly motivated.
Kids’ requests should, if possible, be included in the games or training exercises. This can be discussed with the coach at the beginning of a training session, during the drink break or at the end of a training session.
Players should be put in charge of special tasks from an early age. During little games, it will often be necessary to put one player of the group in charge. Care should be taken that everybody gets a turn to be the “captain” of the team. The social importance of this leading role can be easily demonstrated in a team sport. Additionally, the players are co-responsible for the setup and clean-up of any equipment. According to the principle, ‘All players help each other’.
The coach should always explain and correct in a positive way, even when things go wrong. Praise should never be used sparsely. Praising means: To reinforce the learning progress.
michael says
I agree with your views 100 per cent Andre. I say this having coached football to children for more than 20 years. I like your view that children should learn to be responsible for set up and clean up.
Much of what you describe is included in the books by Horst Wein, Developing Youth Football Players (Human kinetics). The concept of game intelligence is also important and Wein does this very well even for 6 year olds. The youtube clip explains nicely https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64dW2z29sss
As Horst says, “who is the best football coach in the world? The game of football”.
Please keep up the great work
Grand parent of an IFS 6 yr old