Filed under: Dave Clarke, Soccer Coaching, Soccer Fitness, Soccer News, Soccer Refereeing, Soccer Skills, Soccer Team Management, Soccer Training | Tags: coach, confidence, encourage, inspire, phrases, push, words
David Clarke
It is mirrored in many ways by the words you and I have to use over the course of a season to motivate our players.
But the way children learn both in sport and academia is not through praising talent but through praising effort. Dozens of studies have found that the top performers – whether in mathematics, football, or music – learn no quicker than those who reach lower levels of attainment. In essence, childrens’ talent improves at practically identical rates.
Putting it simply, if your players practise more they will become strong achievers – talent alone is not enough for them to develop into good footballers. I won’t deny that some children come to the game and are naturally better than others, but if they don’t put in the effort the others soon catch them up.
That means phrases such as these are out:
“You did that exercise really quickly, you’re such a good player”
“Wow what a clever move, you must be the next Messi!”
“Brilliant – you scored that goal without even trying!”
And phrases like these are in:
“You worked really hard at that exercise – keep it up”
“That was a great bit of skill, your practise is really paying off”
“Great goal, you must be working really hard in training”
And if you don’t believe me listen to this: A leading psychologist has recently conducted an experiment based around the praise that her students received. All 400 subjects tested were given a simple puzzle.
Half were praised for intelligence – “wow you must be really smart”. And half for the effort they put in – “wow you must be hardworking”.
They were then given a choice of whether to take a hard or easy test. 75% of the students praised for intelligence chose the easy test because they were scared of losing the smart label, but only 10% of the students praised for effort chose the easy test; the other 90% chose the tough test to prove how hardworking they were.
They then took a second test of the same difficulty and the group praised for intelligence showed a 20% drop in performance compared with a 30% increase for the hardworking group. Failure had spurred them on.
Five words can have that profound an effect on the performance of children. If you praise your players for their hard work you will get more out of them than if you praise them for their talent.
It works with my team and I bet you can make it work for yours.
Filed under: Dave Clarke, Soccer Coaching, Soccer Fitness, Soccer News, Soccer Refereeing, Soccer Skills, Soccer Team Management, Soccer Training | Tags: chipping, golf, keepy uppies, parents, watching matches
David Clarke
Set out a weekly plan and have the players keep a diary of their daily physical activity, as other forms of exercise can add to their football development.
Some players will respond to this, others might find it a struggle. Give your players tasks to work on from session to session, just like football ‘homework’, although don’t use that word, as it may well put some players off. Perhaps you can call it “extras” or “add-ons”.
Check that the tasks you gave each player have been completed, for instance by asking them to demonstrate them at the next session.
What tasks can you give the players?
Ball control exercises
Any type of juggling, trapping, flicking will serve your players well. Ask them to make up a 30-second performance.
Movement skills
Dodging, stopping quickly, accelerating, moving backwards, or sideways. Again, have the players make up their own movement circuit and demonstrate it at the next session.
Kicking skills
Chipping, curling, or firing the ball at pace is good. Kicking accuracy games such as Football Golf are very enjoyable, and can be played by a lone player or in groups.
Observational skills
Remember, not every type of homework has to be in the practical sense. Your players should be encouraged to watch as much football on the television (or better still, live) as their parents deem appropriate. Encourage youngsters to reference and observe as much as possible. For as many who write down a spectacular overhead kick, you’ll get the same number who comment on a box-to-box midfielder’s tireless running or a goalkeeper’s instructions when lining up a wall.
Get mum and dad to help
Another thing to consider is that working on their own can be limiting for kids. Encourage the players to ask their mum or dad to help in these situations by feeding the ball to strike or being the target for the pass. You may be surprised at just how much your players can round their technique in between training sessions, and the parents will undoubtedly enjoy playing their part also.
