Education is here to create better coaches, which should mean better players. Coaches attend courses so that they receive the stamp of approval. This license then gives you permission to work at a certain level. Now go teach the players.
I propose this question to you… How do you teach the information which you learned in the course? ….. Did you learn how to teach on the course?
Coaching is the implementation of information. Teaching is helping individuals learn. Your average C, B, A course is eight days. Out of those eight days how often were the principles of the play discussed? OK, now, how many of those days were the principles of teaching discussed?
In traditional training sessions, coaches learn to stop the play. Get in. Instruct, then step away, all within roughly ninety seconds. The other instruction may be to coach in the flow of the game. Below we will work through a traditional training session. Then we will do the same with the principles of SILENCE and QUESTIONING.
Let’s start with the ninety seconds in & out session. Coach A is looking at creating and filling the pocket versus an opponent playing 4-4-2. In the ninety-second coaching, He or she steps in and asks “How would you create the pocket to attack? Then they move the players. Coach A might double up their question or wait till the next scenario and then ask “How do you attack the pocket?”. They are fair questions, they get to the point and players can base their thinking on them.
Now let’s take the same scenario and adjust to teaching in the way I see coach education in the future. Same two points, the coach pauses the activity. Coach B asks “How do we want to attack opponents?….. He or she may get responses right away. They may get none. But by asking in this framework the players revisit their past experiences. to determine if it can solve the problem. Now while this is going on what is Coach B doing? They are scanning players. Checking for their comfort level, some will be fine with these moments. Some will be like deer in headlights, not sure what to do. Let’s say Coach B gets a hint of what could solve the problem (attack the space). A potential follow-up is ‘yes, we attack space, but what space? The coach will continue in this fashion until he or she gets to the desired solution to the problem. Players are blind to the opponent, players are positioning between opponents. As well as, attracting the opponent with the ball.
Let’s delve a bit deeper now into the comparison of the 90 seconds in & out and the “Future of Coaching’ style. The ninety-second approach was direct, to the point, and helped the players get the answer. The coach has influenced what the players should be thinking about. And how they should direct that thought process. This is what I would consider “coaching”. Coach A is giving them a skill and showing them how to execute. The “Future of Coaching” style has asked a broad question. The reason why the question is broad is that the environment will influence the players. Learning is the ability to solve a problem through the execution of a skill.
The above is an example of two real-life coaching/teaching scenarios. The follow-up to this being, How do we get better at teaching the game of football/soccer?
It will start with coach education. It could go one of two ways both being of equal merit. One is the long-term play while the other is immediate.
Utilizing consultants who understand the Principles of Teaching is immediately applicable. (See Feynman’s Technique in the Football World). That person comes in any psychologist or Academy Director for a well-known Club comes. They would teach 1-3 segments on how to use the principles within coaching. Simple. Immediate.
The long-term play would be to revamp the grassroots-level courses. The Federation looks to invest in the instructor of those courses. They would go through a program the individuals mentioned above. The intention is that they walk away with a firm understanding of their application. The grassroots level courses Teach Principle segments. From their how to use these techniques to teach technical ability, tactics..etc.
The above structure of a coaching course is how I envision the future of coach education. Yet, the future doesn’t stop there. Below is an example of how the courses would run.
Education itself is not a one-size-fits-all. The idea of saying “You must learn in a specific fashion. Do it in this room for this many hours on these dates for the next 6 to 24 months. Well, that pigeonholes the experience. What if the courses had a curriculum that consisted of 5-10 classes. The applicant must finish all the courses to pass that part of the licensure. Yet, they can do them in any order they see fit. Did I mention this would ALL be ONLINE! Flying halfway around the world, staying in a hotel or Airbnb for 8-10 days at a time seems unnecessary now. Now the majority of us would be thinking about the on-field work? There are plenty of inexpensive gadgets to record your session at your club/school. This view of the Future of Coach Education provides the framework for all types of learners.
The Future of Coach education has an emphasis on helping coaches to be better learners. By being better learners you continue to hone your craft. As well as, helping the players which you oversee to be better learners. This type of mentorship and role modeling has a trickle-up effect. The Coach is a model for the Players. The Director is a model for the Coaches, the Federation is a model for the Directors. The buck stops at each checkpoint. If your “ role model” isn’t carrying their weight, it doesn’t mean you aren’t supposed to do your part.
The Future of Coach education will educate coaches on the principles of teaching. As well as, guiding them in a way to be constant learners. If we do this we are not only going to be making better players, we will be making better people. A very low percentage of players will go on to play at the professional level. So at the very least coaches can prepare the players to succeed in the life which lies before them.