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Coaching at the Game
The purpose of this article is to discuss the issue of "coaching
style" at a game. I will explain the soccer culture, which is unlike that
of typical US sports, cover the official FIFA position and the AYSO policy,
and then discuss some of the issues that arise.
Soccer Culture
The essence of the soccer culture is that soccer is the "player's game".
What this means is that, once the game is underway, the players are expected
to make their own decisions as to the right thing to do in any situation,
without interference from coaches or spectators. Of course, in a professional
game, there are plenty of spectators with an opinion but their input is
thankfully lost in the noise of the crowd. In a youth soccer game with
only a handful of spectators, loudly-voiced opinions and "suggestions"
are all too easily heard (at least by the other spectators - see below).
This soccer culture is alien to most US sports, in which the coach is
effectively a part of the team, controlling plays, using a timeout to stop
the other team's momentum, instructing a player to run or stay on base
and so on. Irrespective of whether you think this is good or bad, [I'll
admit that I prefer to make my own decisions], it is not the soccer way.
Once the whistle blows there are no practical mechanisms provided by the
laws of the game for a coach to influence the outcome. The players make
individual decisions, good or bad, and collectively have to react as a
team to the strategy and tactics of the their opponent. They learn to do
this in two ways, first at practices, where the coach does have control,
and second and, ultimately more importantly, by experience at the games.
This is the origin of the soccer coaching adage "the game is the teacher".
It takes a lot of games to get the experience, but there really is no short
cut, much as coaches might wish there were!
Many coaches find this situation frustrating, especially if they also
coach a sport in which they do have more control. A common reaction is
for the coach to become a "shouter". In the extreme this takes the form
of a continuous barrage of shouted verbal instructions to the players,
which is essentially an attempt by the coach to "control" the game. At
any game with a noisy crowd this doesn't work, of course, although some
coaches develop remarkably loud voices trying. This style of coaching at
the game is sometimes also referred to as "micro-coaching".
What's the Law?
FIFA law states that a "coach may convey tactical instructions to his players
during the match and must return to his position immediately after giving
these instructions. The coach and the other officials must remain within
the confines of the technical area, where such an area is provided, and
they must behave in a responsible manner". AYSO defines the technical area
as ten yards either side of the half-way line, the font and back edges
being one yard and three yards, respectively from the touch line. AYSO
also limits coach participation to positive instruction and encouragement.
The spirit of the FIFA law is that coaches convey only occasional instructions
to players and these are limited to "tactical", that is "off the ball"
instructions. The expectation is that coaches use the game to observe their
players in action and use what they see as feedback into the practice situation.
Discussion
Let's start by admitting that many veteran coaches, including the author,
have followed the humbling path from micro-coaching to being an observer
and cheerleader at games. We're not perfect either. Sometimes we lapse
into bad habits under stress because we're human. But we believe in the
soccer culture and strive always to be good role models. In this section
I will discuss some of the issues surrounding micro-coaching in more detail
and explode some myths.
1: Instructions get through to the player on the ball.
It's hard to accept this if you have never played a team sport. The truth
is that, when concentrating on handling the ball, it is impossible to process
instructions. Players shut out extraneous inputs; all they hear is a general
background noise. Of course, if they are close and you shout really, really
loud, they'll hear you, but in doing so they will probably lose focus on
what they are doing and lose the ball.
2: Players like being shouted at [told what to do]
Even if they do, [I haven't met any yet - and you have to ask them to really
find out], it isn't helping them make their own decisions, and they'll
never become good soccer players if they don't. Some coaches justify their
behavior on the grounds that the kids need really the instructions and
that it helps them become better players. It's possible that this could
be true but at what cost? Again, it's hard to appreciate this if you haven't
played a sport with a "coach", but most adults would find it irritating
and unsettling to be the subject of constant verbal instructions. Kids
spend their whole lives being told what to do by adults. Historically they
learned to play sports without adult involvement. Times have changed so
that organized sports are now the norm, for better or worse, but that doesn't
give adults the right to take over their games. It's the players game.
3: I only ever provide positive instruction and encouragement
I hear this a lot and I'm sure some coaches really believe it. However,
if you're a real shouter, you will inevitably get seriously involved in
what's happening out there on the field. Eventually when something goes
wrong , you'll let your guard slip and some not-quite-positive remark will
emerge, because it's practically impossible to keep the brain properly
engaged when in verbal torrent mode. As an example, what do you think is
the impact on your players of a shout of "Wake up, defense!" immediately
after a goal is scored? I would suggest to you that this belittles the
players and simply expresses the coach's dissatisfaction with their play.
It is not positive coaching and it is unlikely to improve performance on
the field. Other tell-tale phrases are those containing "you should have..."
or "you need to ...". While well-intentioned, these remarks will be perceived
as criticism by the players. I don't know too many adults who respond well
to public criticism, let alone kids. Just remember, the players only "need"
to have fun. Finally, panic shouts of "Get it out of there!", "Shoot!",
"Boot it!" just overload the players with noise. They rarely have any useful
effect, except to make players feel more nervous and unsure of themselves.
Great performances are not made in a mental state of panic.
4: I have a really nice voice at 90 decibels
My experience is that listening to a shouter coach, however well
intentioned he/she is, just gets plain annoying after a while. It certainly
spoils my enjoyment of the game. Spectators (parents) come to watch their
kids play, not to listen to the coach.
5: The parents expect me to instruct the kids at games. No parent
has ever complained about my coaching style.
Many parents are equally unaware of the soccer culture, and simply transfer
their expectations from other sports. Others are themselves intimidated
by a coach who is a shouter. Some might even believe that AYSO teaches
coaches to micro-coach at our coaching clinics and classes. Some, seeing
progress in their child's soccer development, may put up with the shouting
because "my child is learning a lot this season". [Many shouter coaches
are indeed good at teaching soccer at practices].
6. It's ok to complain to the referee if he/she makes a call you
don't agree with.
Micro-coaching often goes hand-in-hand with public complaining about
the refereeing. Again, if you are involved with the game at the micro-level,
you are going to react deeply to every call, just as if you were actually
out there on the field, and if you're verbalising, you'll find it very
hard not to say something critical. There is no margin for discussion on
this one: public complaining about the refereeing is not acceptable,
period.
7: It's very important to me that my team wins the game.
A lot of micro-coaching has its roots in the coach being too personally
invested in the success of the team. This is dangerous ground that can
lead to some truly bad behavior by coaches. And, yes, it happens every
season. Sometimes a coach is trying to make up for his or her failed success
in sports by playing vicariously through the team. Other times the drive
to win (at all costs) is just too deeply embedded in his or her personality.
Other times the coach feels inadequate if the team isn't successful and
attempts to remedy this by micro-coaching. If any of these resonate with
you, just remember "it's for the kids". You are a teacher not a player.
I recommend reading "Positive Coaching" by Jim Thompson for a more detailed
look at this and other aspects of coaching. I'll also put in a plug for
the Positive Coaching Alliance
that Jim founded.
8: Should coaches be silent at games?
No! The opposite extreme of a shouter is the truly silent coach, which
is easily mistaken for indifference. Players do like to be praised when
they do well. Praise and affirmation are the "Say" of the "See, Show and
Say" coaching style that is taught at AYSO coaching clinics. There are
plenty of opportunities at a game to provide praise and positive encouragement
to your players. It's also perfectly ok to communicate tactical suggestions
just so long as you don't do it continuously. For example, instructions
to your defence to move up with play, and occasional positional advice.
What you should not do is try to teach positional play at a game by constant
instruction.
Conclusion
If while reading this you recognised some of your own behavior at games,
try to examine your reasons for micro-coaching. Hopefully some of the arguments
above will persuade you that there is another way that will achieve the
same results and, in the process, let the kids play their game in as natural
a way as possible.
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