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We have begun or are about to begin the 2011 pre-season. Trials have begun and many more in Junior Football Clubs will commence soon.
The selection processes at the Clubs can be a painful and disheartening experience for many young players and parents. You just hope the Clubs have their act together, keep nepotisim at bay, ensure that parents and players understand that playing in the Club at the desired level the previous season is no guarantee of selection for the next, and that competent coaches are making the decisions.
A lot of unecessary sadness in junior/youth football originates in the pre-season selection process. It can affect attitudes of parents and players for years to come.
Players cut from trials should be given reasons for their non selection, that's very important, because we don't want to loose these players from the game and if they are young, next season they will have grown and just may surprise.
Players not selected at one level in their age group must be actively and carefully managed into another team in the Club.
But someone has to decide. Most Club coahes and officials find this process stressful. Its at this time the we parents need to keep our feet on the ground and keep any disappointment we may privately feel for our children, well hidden. Focus on the positives of playing the beautiful game and enjoy them playing , whatever team they play in this season. We never get these days back!
When the selections are over, training commences, you know the season has really begun.
Trial games are very, very important at every level of the game, particularly in junior / youth football. Regular attendance at training (however many times you train a week) should be a not- negotiable component of being in a Football team in Junior or Youth Football - at any level of in the competition.
Coaches struggle every week with developing / improving their team, making them more competitive. Its a rocky road.
This article provides some very useful advice:
Triage for youth football coaches – how to cure a sickly team
Analysis of your players' strengths and weaknesses – both individually and as a group – should take place during matches, not during training sessions.
Tests such as timed sprints, how long it takes a player to dribble round a line of cones, the number of times they can juggle the ball and how many passes to a static player they can make in 30 seconds are irrelevant when assessing how well your players perform during a match.
Players can even display a lot of skills when playing with their friends during small-sided games but it's not much use if they can't apply their skills in a pressurised match situation. So that's where the analysis should take place.
How to analyse team performance
As soon as the whistle goes to start a match, you're like a doctor faced with an injured patient and, as you are certain to be faced with a number of problems, triage is required. Which symptom is the most worrying? Which problem is potentially life threatening and needs immediate treatment?
Triage can be completed during the first half of a match and the result will help you give an effective half-time team talk. It will almost certainly provide the focus of your next coaching session.
To make an accurate diagnosis, you need to examine your patient in a logical, progressive way.
First, what are the symptoms?
When you are mentally or physically writing down your team's symptoms (i.e., their problems), be careful to avoid generalities.
Statements such as "we need to work harder", or "we must shoot more" are too vague to be helpful, especially when talking to your players at half time. So be specific: perhaps players off the ball are not moving to support the ball carrier or players in good shooting positions are reluctant to "pull the trigger".
Which problem is the most serious?
The next stage in the process is to decide which problem needs addressing first. If your players made better use of the space on the pitch and supported each other more, would you have more or easier shooting opportunities?
Or is the reluctance to shoot so severe that they won't/can't shoot even if they get within two yards of the goal? If so, you may decide that this is the most worrying symptom.
But before a cure can be found, we need to find out what is causing the symptom that is worrying us so much. More analysis is required.
Who is responsible?
"Everyone" doesn't play for your team so they can't be responsible for the problems. You must name names. Are Lucy, Chloe and Alex not moving after they pass the ball? Is Hannah not shooting when she gets the chance?
Where does it happen?
Failure to shoot at goal usually happens in the final third (the third of the pitch nearest your opponent's goal) but not always. If it is in the final third, does the problem only happen on the one side of the pitch?
Poor support play can happen anywhere but it may be restricted to one part of the pitch. Do your players turn into statues only in the middle or defensive third?
Knowing where the problem occurs will help you when planning the corrective coaching session.
When does it happen?
Does the problem only happen in the first few minutes of the match? Or all the time?
OK, I've done the triage. I know what I've got to fix first. How do I find the cure?
The first place to look for cures is in footy4kids. There are hundreds of pages of tips and "how to" articles and you're sure to find something that will help you and your team.
But for a range of specialist coaching solutions, check out the great selection of products at my shop by clicking here.
And don't forget that you can send me your football coaching problems and I'll send you personalised advice. It's all part of the service!
When should I administer the cure?
Once you have identified the most critical problem afflicting your team, you will want to correct it as quickly as possible. But beware of trying to administer the cure during half time.
Young players should not be subjected to a lecture from you as soon as they walk off the pitch. They will probably be tired and possibly feeling stressed if things are not going too well. At this moment they need encouragement, not criticism, and they most certainly don't need to listen to a lecture.
So unless you can effect a cure by simply moving one or two players to different positions, save the corrections for the next coaching session.