For your team to be competitive on game day, your coaching needs to be appropriate based on the players’ age and skill level. Effective coaching does not start on game day but should be part of the planning throughout the week, month and season.
Coaching My Game
I coached my New Rochelle Vikings U13 against played Port Chester in back to back league games. In preparation for the return game in Port Chester, I always create a graphic of the starting lineup (below) the night before.
As we were going through our warm paces while still waiting for players to arrive, the manager informed me that Nico and Bryce were not coming.
Erickson who I wanted to start in goal (performed well at the last practice) did not want to play. Ironically, his father told me prior to the game how he played that position and was effective.
Brandon had failed to respond, so we assumed he would be absent.
So, from my initial lineup, I had to change 7 starting positions because of last-minute notification of players being absent and parent’s decisions.
Pre-Game Starting Lineup
Revised Starting Lineup
For your coaching to be effective on game day, you must learn to ADAPT or you will DIE (Gerard Houllier, NSCAA Convention, 2008 Baltimore). Changing your lineup at the last minute after careful planning is often a constant but can be made easy with preparation.
This shows the need to plan, plan, and plan.
Five Pre Game Plans
- Arrival Time. If you want to start pre-game warm-up 30 minutes before kick-off then set arrival time 40 – 45 minutes before. You should arrive before, this gives you the opportunity to set up a warm-up area, check out the field (surface, wind direction, sun)
- Failing to plan is planning to fail. Prepare your starting lineup in graphic (picture is worth a 1000 words). Have your team attacking the goal at the top of the page/screen (North). In that way, the right side of the lineup is the right side for the player. You need to have a planned substitution pattern related to time in the game.
- A game of mistakes. This is a game of cooperation and opposition so there are going to be players making errors. These mishaps presenting an opportunity to provide effective coaching by assigning set plays responsibility to more than one player.
- Connect With Your Players. What is your message before your players go onto the field? This is a great opportunity to motivate/focus their attention by relating to something that connects with their recent memory. For example – history against the opponent, objective from practice and last game result. This needs to be at a level that is easy for players to relate to.
- Goals change games. What moves do you make if you go ‘up’ or ‘down’ a goal? You need to have a rule of thumb about how you manage the game. Does your team remain the same, change personnel, change formation. These decisions are influenced by many factors.
10 Set Plays Assignments
Is Preparation Key To Your Coaching?
How do you get ready for your game? Do you see a difference in your coaching when you prepare versus ‘winging’ it?
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