How To Coach a Breakdown in Soccer

Coach The Player, Not The Method

Coaching is teaching. It is less about what you know, but more about what your players can understand. Your coaching needs to provide solutions to a technical or tactical problem when a player’s choice was not successful.

As a coach, there is nothing more frustrating than setting up a training session, and your players can’t progress from one stage to another.

The breakdowns occur often. You are now coaching the method (what should happen), instead of coaching the player (what he/she did).

Futsal Training

Futsal training can highlight the technical/tactical challenges of players. The dense ball, smooth playing surface, and modified rules make it a faster game than soccer.

During my winter futsal training, I explained the kick-in rule several times, each week. Players kept double touching, placing the ball on the line and taking more than 4 seconds to kick-in, all violations.

Seldom the ball stayed in play for more than 10 seconds.

Coaching Your Team

How many times have you repeated the ‘what’ and ‘how’ of an exercise? Frustration builds when you spend time planning and there are constant breakdowns. Basically, your session has no ‘Flow’.

Effective Coaching

Coaching a problem in a training session needs you to understand the ‘what’, ‘why’, ‘who’, ‘when’ and ‘where’. The 5 Ws.

You need to coach your players, not the method. while using the ball, player in the field. To better understand read further

4 Step Process To Correcting A Soccer Breakdown

1. Recognize – capturing the moment is key to painting the correct picture.
2. Review – with players in position, and the ball in motion, go through actions from start to breakdown.
3. Rehearse/Repair – provide coaching (technical/tactical) points for players to select choices that will prevent that breakdown.
4. Restart – go ‘live’. Have the ball at the beginning of the moment and allow players to select options from #3.

When coaching your team, have a reason for what you are doing and stay consistent. This will help your players understand your philosophy.

What are yours?