Dec, 2010

DEVELOPING THINKING PLAYERS

For players to be successful in soccer, they must be able to think for themselves. Soccer players must be able to make decisions on a continuous basis throughout a match. As coaches, we must provide an environment in training and in matches where players can develop the necessary thinking skills. And like all other aspects of the game, the learning process should start when the players are very young.

Soccer is a "players' sport," meaning that the decisions on the field are made by the players themselves, rather than by the coach. Soccer is improvisational, the play organic. A team may be organized by the coach around some guiding principles (such as positional roles, direct/indirect style, etc.), but once the match begins it is the players who make the decisions about what specific tasks will be done in each situation. And each situation quickly evolves into a new situation requiring new decisions.

Below are a few notes that may help coaches to stimulate in their players the types of thinking soccer requires. Please feel free to email me with your comments or questions - Tom Mitch

Discovery Method. Setup activities for your players that allow them to learn something specific about the game (proper passing technique, how to run at defenders, etc.), but be careful not to tell the players the coaching points. Allow the players to discover from the activity what works and what doesn't work. Stop the activity periodically to ask the players about what they have learned and how they can improve. Ask open-ended questions (What, When, Where, How) that demand information. The coach's role here is to guide the players in a process of self-discovery thru the activity and by forcing the players to think about how to be successful in a given situation. Be patient. The players may not discover the answers right away, or even that day. Giving up and telling the answers will be counterproductive to goal, which is for the players to truly learn the content, and also to learn to think for themselves.

What Comes Next? In soccer, the game never stops. Even when the ball goes out of bounds, or the referee whistles a foul, the players should be preparing for whatever is next to come. The coach needs to help the players learn to stay "switched on." In match situations, let the players learn from the games what comes next. If the coaches cues the players about what to do (e.g., "it's our throw"), then they will be trained to switch off at each transition and wait for instructions. What we really want is for players to make the connections themselves and transition directly into the next step (make a wall, get set up for a corner kick, etc.). Sometimes there will be what seems like an awkward pause while the players figure out what to do next. Let the players self-start here and resist the temptation to break the pause with an instruction. Even asking the players, "Who's throw is it?" is still providing a bit of a crutch. The coach should work with the players to define roles, for example around who takes the throw-ins, when and why, and then expect the players to execute. Silence from the coach on the sideline goes a long way toward building this expectation of self-starting, and will discourage the players from looking over to the coach for answers.

Coaches should try to incorporate self-starting opportunities into training as well. For example, when the ball goes out of bounds, let the players sort out whose ball it is, retrieve the ball, and put it back into play without the coach. You see quite often in the training sessions and matches of very young players where the coaches & parents actually chase down the ball whenever it goes out of bounds, place the ball on the line, tell them who gets to restart play, what to do, when to do it, etc. That simple recurring situation should be viewed as an opportunity to allow the players to develop in a variety of ways. It's the sum of all these small steps that add up to big results. In continuous action activities (where one action starts after another, for example, after one player shoots on goal, then another starts), clearly define (with the players help) the circumstances under which the next player should start, and then hold them responsible to stay attentive to recognize the circumstances, and self start. Again, avoid breaking the awkward pause with an instruction. Force the players to self-start even if it seems like a slow reaction time, and they will become more attentive and better self-starters over time.

Soccer Decisions. Soccer players have to make decisions based on the information available around them (space, opponents, teammates, score of the match, location of the ball, etc.). Back to the example above where the ball goes out of bounds in a developmental activity. There are so many things for the players to learn in this one simple recurring scenario. Which team's ball is it? Who should retrieve the ball? What should the rest of the players be doing to get ready for what comes next? How should the play be restarted? These are all teaching points. And again, here teaching is not telling but guiding the players to discover the possibilities. For example, we can provide the option of a kick-in or dribble-in to restart the action in these situations. By doing this we are making a simplified version of the most fundamental soccer decisions, whether to pass or to dribble, what direction to go, when to go, etc. Again, let the players make the decisions. Telling them what do only destroys the value of the situation. Asking open-ended questions to the players during a break will help them to think through the options. How should we decide who retrieves the ball when it goes out? What should the other players do while the ball is retrieved? How do you decide whether to restart play with a pass or a dribble? When do you think passing is the better option? When do you think dribbling in the better option? What should you do after you pass the ball in to a teammate? What should you do after you dribble on to the field? How do you decide whether to go forward or backward with the ball on the restart?

Thinking Ahead. Soccer is game of transitions. Because the game never stops the players must continually adjust to everything going on around them. The most profound transitions in the game are between winning and losing possession of the ball. Here the ability to think for oneself and the ability to make decisions quickly is critically important. Players must be able adjust to losing the ball to the opposing team, and to gaining possession of the ball. What is more, soccer players need to think ahead of the moment of losing or gaining possession of the ball. They need constantly ask themselves, "What if the ball is given away at this moment? Can we defend? What if we win the ball at this moment? Can we attack?" To help players develop the thinking skills required to handle the transitional nature of soccer, coaches must guide players to the necessary insights into the game. For some helpful training activities to building transition skills see Transition Games.

Soccer is also a battle for control. The concept of Dominant Soccer is oriented around trying to control the opposition. When in possession of the ball, a team looks to manipulate the defensive shape of the opposition through ball movement, supporting movement, deception, etc. When defending, a team also seeks control by provide and denying various options to the opposing players. Playing to control the opposition requires players who can think, who can read the game, who can understand the cause and effect of actions on the field. Learning to think is this way also must begin at the early ages. Multi-goal training activities can be useful. Very young players (6 years old) can learn in a multi-goal tag activity, for example, how to position their body to eliminate scoring options for an opposing player. Players a bit older (8-9 year old) can learn in a multi-goal game that by attacking one goal they can move opposing players away from a 2nd goal in order to attack more successfully the 2nd goal. In these examples, players are beginning to learn how to control the actions of the opposition.
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