3rd September 2024 – Number 1
By Andy Leckie
Have you ever copied Pep’s philosophy? Have you ever knee slided in Sunday league like Mourinho? Have you ever wanted to do give the ‘hairdryer treatment’?
As a grassroots coach, these would be absurd (although not unbelievable!). However, passion is important and, personally, I’ve found the best way to learn as a coach is from admiring role models, copying, interpreting and listening to other grassroots coaches passion for coaching.
This summer I coached an u14s football team in their first match as a new squad in a preseason friendly. This was the first opportunity of match experience for this new group of players besides from a few training sessions in the park.
They won!
As we know in grassroots sports, (supposedly) “winning doesn’t matter but the will to win does!”.
It was a great first performance and the energy was electric. This is very encouraging for the season ahead. However, as the full time whistle blew and the young players draw in like a herd of cows in field you shouldn’t be in, and you stutter for words for a team debrief, I had that indescribable feeling you get when you realise “What have I done?”
A similar feeling to: when you move away from home for the first time; or change your job; or join a fitness class frighteningly too advance for your ability… it makes you feel a little light headed, question your sanity, question your decisions in life, but you also feel this new energy, a pulse in your veins, your brain’s sparking ideas, a new determination, it’s exciting.
I’m a big believer in the FA 4 corners model. I’ve seen, experienced and delivered it first hand with other groups of varying ages and abilities, so I can safely say it’s tried and tested!
Yesterday, I introduced this model for the first time to the u14s players (or at least the terminology was new to some and familiar to others). The model is both useful for structuring game plans for your team talks and reviewing individual performances as an analysis tool. Throughout the season this model can:
Thus, we briefly discussed these 4 corners yesterday in the post match team talk. The team responded well to this model and they were able to use examples from the game that showed where they felt strong across the 4 corners and moments they felt their performance needed focus. I couldn’t stress enough how good this tool will be in their development and how they can start thinking about these for their individual analysis on their way home. I felt it was a very productive team talk.
I have never used this model on myself!
Admittedly, it is guided towards players but why shouldn’t it reflect the coaches progression too? Therefore, to practise what I preach I will evaluate my own progression throughout the season on my physical, technical, social and psychological corners.
How as a coach will I assess my physical corner for example you may ask?
Well, this can work two-fold:
Firstly, and perhaps the more obvious is as a coach we are facilitators. When the team turns up for matches, they’re not there to see you do your coach thing, it is their game. Other than laying out the cones, we are there to ask them questions, promote their performance, get them talking and challenge their game intelligence and understanding of how (in this example) the physical corner applies to them.
Therefore, to progress as a coach I can work on what else the physical corner can mean in the team I am working with. I can research what other attributes contribute to the physical element of the game and bring that new knowledge to the team talks.
Secondly, and perhaps in the more literal sense is how else the physical corner can apply to a coach. How important is your physical wellbeing in the role of a coach? At my local club we have a phrase we use as coaches with our young players, “come correct.” Meaning, arrive prepared, on time, fuelled, be attentive, ready to learn, care for the kit, represent the badge. And as a coach the same principle applies:
Arguably, these examples may cross over to the other 3 corners too but I’ve already shared one confession as a coach, so I challenge you fellow coaches to assess your progression against this model too.
This was my confession of my coaching hypothesis. I have evidence that this 4 corner model works with the young players in their game, and like any hypothesis I will test this with further investigation this season.
I will use this hypothesis on myself as a coach too, and admittedly this confession has already got me thinking about my psychological corner in how I deal with competition on match days (I’ll save that confession for another day), I bet you can definitely relate to that!
