How to assess your performance in training sessions.

Most coaches will assess their performance in a session in one form or another. But to really improve as a coach there comes a time when we need to dig a little deeper than a 10 minute recap on the drive home or on the way to another session.

Assessment tools

In order to fully assess performance in training sessions we need to use two basic tools. In order to assess out interactions with the players we need to video our sessions so that we get to actually see what, where and when we did things as opposed to trying to remember these things. Alongside the use of video we also need to hear what we say to the players and also what they say to us. There are a number ways to do this. Ideally the use of wireless microphones in connection with the video will allow you to watch and listen at the same time or you can use a voice recorder on a cell phone and then just sync the audio up with the video. Rather than belabour the point here, I am sure that there are a many ways to do this, after a little trial and error you will come up with something that works.

When you have your video and audio ready to go, its time to watch and listen and start to draw some conclusions from what you see and hear. In my opinion the best way to do this is to ‘tag’ the video and I would suggest that you use an app called Dartfish Easy Tag. I am not the most tech savvy person but this app is easy to set up, easy to use and gives you the information that you want to gather. At this point I should mention Dave Hill who as Director of the National Coaching Institute here in BC has been a great resource for me and he introduced me to this app.

What to look for?

The first thing to focus on is time. We can break our session down into three distinct phases.

Management- Time to move cones, change activities, change personnel in teams and activities, water breaks, gathering balls etc.

Instruction time- Time used to introduce and explain the activities, coaching interventions to the whole group

Activity time- exactly what is says, time when the players are active in the session.

This allows us to see how active our players are, how much time we lose to session management and how efficient we are with our instructions and interventions. These times will vary based on the age of the players, ability of the group and familiarity with the topic. We should never spend more than 20% of our session in management and we should always aim for more than 60% activity time in our sessions. With a new group or a new concept our instruction time will be increased until the group pick up the idea we are trying to give to them. Any increase in instruction time should come from management time and not activity time.

Our next focus should be on our interventions in the session and I have broken them down into four categories.

Evaluation- This is where we evaluate the performance and ability of the players in relation to the task at hand. It’s an important intervention as it gives information to the player that allows them to gauge their abilities.

Description-As coaches we often fall into the trap of describing what is happening and becoming ‘commentators’. Parents can sometimes confuse this with good coaching when in reality too much description is the trait of a coach who is still developing. We shouldn’t need to tell people what is happening or what has happened as we should have their full attention. Having said that a few descriptive comments will help us paint the picture for our players

Prescription- The key intervention: this is linked to evaluation and gives the players the information to correctly carry out the task. Evaluation without prescription is a waste of time if the player is failing in the task.

General- This is a wide range and includes refreshing the memory of the players, encouragement of the players, rule changes to facilitate different behaviours that lead to evaluation and in turn prescription and any other comment or intervention that isn’t listed above.

When we look at our interventions we should look for a link between evaluation and prescription as these are the two key interventions. As coaches we should always be planning and preparing for our interventions before and during the session. A lot of general and descriptive interventions are a sign that you are talking too much and this leads to vital information being missed by the players as they will in time tune you out.

The next two categories to look at are questioning and your general approach to the session. In terms of general approach I simply mark down how many positive comments that are made and how many critiques are made throughout the session. In these comments I am looking for a ratio of at least 2:1 in the favour of positive. If it’s all positive then you are coaching Bayern Munich and if it’s mostly positive you have set your expectation level too high and the players will be turned off in time with your negativity.

With regard to questions record how many questions you ask and how many questions the players ask of you. This will help you figure out how you communicate with the players. Questions from the coach show us that the question and answer or guided discover method of communication has been favoured. A lack of questions points us to the command style of coaching. Questions from the players can tell us a number of things; maybe they need a little more instructional time in practice or you are missing key elements of the session in your introduction and instruction.

The final category I use is for non-verbal cues. Non-verbal cues are from actions mostly in our demonstrations. It’s easy to forget to demo in sessions as we often get fixated on verbal cues and demands and want to stay in adult communication mode. In a 40 minute session we should be looking for at least 10-12 non-verbal cues. This will give the players the opportunity to put actions and words into context in the session.

When assessing our own work it’s vitally important to get video and audio. The data only tells half the story and without video our words are difficult to put into a context from memory, and as we get older the memory goes a little!

If you have the ability to get your hands on the app then feel free to email me, headcoach@lowerislandsoccer.com and I will send you a copy of my tagging panel.

 

 

More Thoughts on the Role of Self Assessment in Coaching Development

Following on from my previous blog, I would like to expand a little on the development of a coach and some of the attributes, behaviours and competencies that I believe we all display on our journey.

Before I go any further I would like to focus on the key word in my opening sentence. Coaching is a journey and for the best of us that journey is never completed as there is always something else to see and another point of view to analyse and discuss. If you meet a coach who has arrived at their destination then they are a fraud.

The Organiser

The first stage in the Long Term Coaching Development (LTCD) pathway is the organiser stage. This coach will simply organise a space for a game to take place in and manage the organisation of that game. Energetic and enthusiastic, the coach will most likely play in this game and take on the role of the commentator. There may be stoppages and adjustments to the game but none of these will be planned and will most likely not be connected to each other. The organiser displays no use of coaching methodology and their comments will be of a descriptive nature.

The Facilitator

The facilitator has the ability to help the players learn through some straightforward progressions. This coach will use lots of two touch restrictions on the activities and has the ability to develop a practice from an analytical standpoint. The coach has a good understanding of basic technique but is not yet able to take a simple concept and teach this in a small sided game. The facilitator does not yet make adjustments in small sided games or in the technical portion of the training session and keeps to the script at all times. Grid and field sizes will very rarely be altered and although the coach has a plan for the individual session it is unlikely that there will be any planning other than game to game.

The Situational Coach

The situational coach is well versed in a number of exercises and has a relatively good understanding of the technical demands of the game in single action situations. However, the coach still has difficulty with linking techniques and movements together in a small sided game scenario. The coach has the ability to make adjustments of space, personnel and conditions in order to keep the session challenging for the players.  The coach is able to explain the principles of play, but only in a single situation and does not yet have the ability to incorporate different principles within the small sided game. The coach has a good understanding of various coaching methodologies and has a plan and set goals for the team over the season. The Situational coach can be considered a master coach in the ages U6-U12 as they display all the competencies required to fully develop players up to and within the 8v8 game.

The Principles coach

The Principles Coach has the ability to teach and recognise the principles of play in specific situations, however is not yet able to put these principles into a fast paced game with multiple transitions. The coach has the ability to introduce the playing principles through small sided games up to 7v7 and then to take these movements and thoughts into the 11v11 game. The coach will use many possession exercises to develop the team but these exercises may not have a direction and are therefore not fully game realistic. The coach will be critical of styles of play that they do not agree with and may discount their strengths to the detriment of their own team in games. The coach will be starting to develop an ‘individual’ playing scheme and style based on their experiences as a player or fan and does not fully understand that there are many ways to set up their team.

The Contextual Coach

The Contextual Coach has the ability to put the playing principles into context for the players within the framework of the moving transitional game. The coach is able to teach the how, when, where and why of the game and its principles, so that the players become self-aware in the game environment. The coach has developed a style and structure for their team and will stick to these ideals even when the team personnel may not suit the style the coach favours. This coach is now at the stage when they can facilitate learning in new coaches but may try to impact their beliefs upon new coaches as opposed to encouraging them to develop their own beliefs about the game.

The Cognitive Coach

This coach understands that the game is a series of not-so random patterns and has the ability to see and create these patterns with the team in training situations and in games. The coach has developed an understanding of the game that goes beyond specific styles and systems and is able to break the game down to phases of play and the patterns that make up these phases. The strength of this coach is the developed ability to reflect on their own performance and draw from past experiences. The Cognitive Coach can be considered a master coach in the development of youth players up to the age of U18. This coach is able to develop a yearly training plan and split the season into specific phases with different goals that will lead to and help achieve the overall goal of the team or program.

The Master Coach

The master coach recognises that the ability to stay open minded and to continuously challenge ones methods and beliefs is the key to continued growth and learning. The master coach is comfortable working with players and coaches and also has a good understanding of sports science, nutrition and the mental demands of the game. The master coach is also able to develop a yearly training plan along with and an integrated training plan that takes into account all of the factors needed to deliver a high performance program. On the administrative side the master coach displays the ability to create and deliver programs at all levels of play. The master coach is always looking for the next evolution in the game in terms of training methods and game play.

 

I have based this on my reflections on my coaching development to this point. I have also had the opportunity to share discussion with a vast number of coaches that I have had the privilege to either work with or compete against over the last 20+ years.

As with any self-assessment tool it is simply meant as a guide to help coaches figure out where they are in terms of their development and what competencies and attributes they need to develop in order to keep on improving.

The question that intrigues me is this: Where is the break point in these stages? By that I mean what information or learning experience has to take place in order for a coach to make the jump to the next stage? If we can define this, then does that mean we can accelerate the development of a coach?

In my next blog I will talk about how to assess your training sessions in an objective way.

 

The role of Self-Assessment in Long Term Coaching Development

The Role of Self-Assessment in Long Term Coaching Development

Over the past year or so there has been a great deal of discussion about the Canadian coaching education program and its relative strengths and weaknesses.  Coach education is always an interesting topic to discuss and just sending a coach to a course won’t make them a better coach overnight. There are other pieces to the puzzle that need to be addressed if we are to start developing strong coaches in our soccer community.

Continued education is a key factor in the development of a coach and many clubs and districts are doing a great job in this area and kudos to them. As a learning facilitator for BC Soccer I have had the opportunity to deliver coaching courses for over 10 years and invariably at the end of the course the same things are heard over and over again “That was useful, not enough time and what comes next?” We have to provide the answer to that question for our coaches.

As a learning facilitator for BC Soccer I have had the opportunity to deliver courses across the province for over 10 years. When we get coaches in a room from different clubs and different districts, within 10 minutes we all accept that we are on the same team and face the same problems. Not enough time with the players, how do you deal with the different levels of players in your team, how do you manage player and parent expectations etc...

I believe we have a good certification process but sending coaches on courses isn’t enough and the course itself won’t make someone a better coach. In my opinion the missing piece is a self-assessment process.

Self-assessment is a useful tool for adult learners as it gives one an opportunity to see where their strengths and weaknesses lie and also provides an open and honest critique on ones abilities. It is also useful for prioritizing the next steps in the education process.

I have developed a self-assessment tool for coaches which you will see below. As with any tool it has its faults but it’s an attempt to categorise coaches not by their level of certification or years coached but rather than their behaviours and competencies. As with any tool it has its weaknesses but it’s aimed at grassroots coaches as I believe that grassroots coaches can develop into high performance coaches give the time. I also believe that coaches can also step straight into the high performance arena if they are in the right environment and have strong mentorship. Having said that we can all name coaches who have gone straight into the ‘big time’ and failed miserably!

Of course self –assessment has it weaknesses too, the chief one being that it can be a stand-alone critique with absolutely no context to tie it to the real world. In order to try to add context you will see that I have tried to fit the LTAD stages in their along with some coaching certification and years of coaching.

In my next blog I will expand on the competencies of coaches in each particular stage and how coaches can move through these stages and how to self-assess one of your own practices.

Glossary of terms in the table

POP   - Principles of Play

GAG  - Global Analytical Global-Game, Activity Game method of coaching

YTP   - Yearly Training Plan

LTPD  -Long Term Player Development

LTPD Stage	LTCD Stage	Required Competencies	Expectations of coaching ability	Learning outcomes, gaps in ability	Certification level	Years coaching
Coaching Active Start	Organiser	Enthusiastic energetic descriptive unstructured	Organise a space Keep players moving Activities are fun	Recognise basic faults in athletes technique Be inclusive of all players No flow or plan No methodology	Active Start to Fundamental	0-3
Coaching Fundamentals	Facilitator	Basic organisation and structure. Plans practice to practice Communication skills, develops key words	Plan a session through progressions Effective GAG	Make adjustments to the session to improve learning No LTPD or POP or leadership skills	Fundamental to Learn To Train	2-6
Coaching Learn to Train	Situational Coach	Understands the POP in isolation. Can make adjustments in the session to keep it challenging Leadership abilities	Plan and set season goals. Basic LTPD, Use of various coaching methods	Recognise the playing principles in general play (POP)	Learn To Train Soccer For Life Pre B	4-10
At this point the coach can be considered a MASTER COACH in the ages U6 to U12
Coaching Train to Train and Coaching Soccer for Life	Principles coach	Understands and recognises POP in all areas of the game. Uses lots of possession exercises in sessions Plans practices around basic YTP Aware of mental training	Take small sided structure into the 11v11 in specific situations, ie overlaps, counter attacking	Puts the POP into context for the players. Not yet able to teach the how why and when of play.	Pre B BC Soccer B Provincial	8-13
Coaching Train to Compete	Contextual coach	Put the POP into context within the game. Teaches the how, when, where and why. Plans practices around evolving YTP	Facilitate learning in other coaches Personal Kaizen	Changes philosophy and ideas. Sticks with personal style and system	CSA B National NCCP Comp Dev	11-16
Coaching Train To Win	Cognitive coach	Understands how playing patterns develop and sees this in all facets of the game See patterns in opponent and can adjust and adapt to these	Capacity for honest self-reflection Comfortable in own ability	Does not yet understanding  the different demands between coaching athletes and coaches	CSA B National CSA A National	14-20
At this point the coach can be considered a MASTER COACH in the development of youth players to the age of U18
Coaching Train to Win	Master coach	Understands that the ability to change ideals and beliefs is the key to success. Always looking for the next evolution in training methods	Mentor players and coaches, comfortable with administrative tasks		CSA A National NCI Graduate Med in Coaching	20+

(©) Andrew Latham

Physical activity levels in U9 soccer

Last October I spent a day at the Lower Island Soccer Association mini fest watching U9 soccer and with the use of some accelerometers I was able to track the amount of physical activity for each player during the game. I would like to thank Stu Hackett for his help during that day as I would have not been able to do this alone!

Here is the report from that day.

Introduction

To promote healthy growth and development and to prevent physical and mental health issues across the lifespan including obesity, Canadian guidelines recommend that children accumulate at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) per day. Enrolling children in organized sport is a common practice by which parents hope to support their children’s active lifestyles and promote the development of positive mental health and physical literacy. However, it is unclear how participation in organized sports, such as U9 soccer matches and practices, contributes to children achieving the 60 minute guideline. This is further complicated by the fact that squad size may influence the amount of MVPA children accrue during matches.

The purpose of the report is twofold: 1) to determine how much MVPA children acquire during U9 soccer matches and 2) to investigate how team size influences the amount of MVPA accumulated.

 

Procedures

In autumn 2012, data was collected on 124 children during a single day U9 tournament in Victoria, BC. All participating children volunteered to wear an accelerometer, which is a small device (about the size of an MP3 player) that is worn on the hip with an elastic belt. The device objectively measures physical activity by assigning intensity “counts” to accelerations in movement across multiple planes over time, such that the more vigorously the wearer moves, the greater the intensity is recorded by the device. Physical activity levels, categorized into sedentary, light, moderate and vigorous, were assessed using established cut-off points.

The tournament consisted of seven matches involving 14 unique teams which varied in size from seven up to 11 players. A 6v6 format was used for all matches except one 7v7 format. Games lasted from 45 to 56 minutes with the average match lasting 52.9 minutes. Only data recorded during game time was used for analysis.

 

Results

Analysis revealed that for 6v6 game formats, U9 players spent approximately 63% of their time as MVPA. Specific activity categories are summarized in Figure 1. Furthermore, squad size significantly influenced the amount of MVPA U9 players acquired during tournament matches. It was found that children in a squad of 7 accrued significantly more MVPA than those on larger squads, which did not differ from each other in this regard.

Time spent in:

Sedentary state         25%

Light Activity           12%

Moderate Activity    33%

Vigorous Activity     30%

Discussion and next steps.

The findings indicate that for U9 soccer players, a majority of their game time is spent being either moderately or vigorously active. While game length varies, the average of 63% of the game in MVPA represents just over 33 minutes of game time; which is below the recommended guideline of 60 minutes of MVPA daily. Thus, the present data suggest that children enrolled in U9 soccer programmes acquire about half of their daily MVPA requirement during 6v6 match participation.

Squad size appears to influence the amount of MVPA recorded during game time. Specifically, it was found that children on a squad of 7 players accrued significantly more MVPA (76%) than squads with greater enrollment numbers. As well, there was no difference in MVPA accrued between any of these other larger teams, which suggests that a 7-player squad format offers the best opportunity to enhance MVPA during game time compared to larger squads.

However, the present study is not without its limitations. Primarily, squad sizes were not evenly represented. For example, data was collected from only one 7-player squad while five teams had an 8-player squad (representing 40 players total). This particular bias could skew results. Further investigation is required to assess the impact of squad size on MVPA during 6v6 game formats. Furthermore, despite the fact that the 7-player squad achieved higher amounts of MVPA, creating teams with less than 8 players would not be feasible for club organizations due to occasional player absences or injuries resulting in limited substitutions.

In addition, while game time is typically less than 60 minutes, capturing other elements of involvement, such as warm-up and cool-down activities and weekly practices may show the value of these activities for accumulating MVPA. For example, something as simple as two warm up laps and two cool down laps at the end of the game may have a significant effect on the accumulation of MVPA.  It is clear the U-9 soccer matches make a valuable contribution to children’s health by providing the opportunity for MVPA but that parents and coaches need to plan additional activities to meet the guidelines.

Moving forward, the LISA will start to investigate physical activity levels in practice sessions for players in this age category along with collecting more data from games in an attempt to identify squad sizes that will maximise opportunities for players to increase their time spent in MVPA.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Its worth noting that the sample size we used was pretty small and not big enough for us to draw earth shattering conclusions from, however its a start. Over the course of the next year I will be looking at training sessions for players in this age group to see what levels of activity they are getting from their practices, and we will also be taking a look at some U12 games in an 8v8 format alongside some U13 games in the first year of 11v11 to see what is going on at those two age groups.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Codes, cues, ignition and deep practice....

I am sure that most people have heard of the 2009 book by Daniel Coyle " The Talent Code". Its an interesting read for parents and coaches alike and he has just brought out another book this past year called " The Little Book of Talent" which would be a great Christmas present for coaches, teachers, students and anyone else who is trying to become better at their job.

In short Coyle talks about keys to greatness and makes a compelling case that it is in us all, it just needs nurturing.  The key thing I take from Coyle, without giving too much away, are that the cues and the ignition are things that coaches probably cant influence in most cases, however when it comes to 'deep practice' we certainly can play our part.

The suggestion is that when an athlete or performer enters this zone of deep practice they can accelerate their development exponentially and improve as much in 20 minutes as they usually do in 6 months. If that is the case, then if we can get our players into that zone then maybe we can make up for the lack of time on task that the vast majority of our players are faced with and help them close the skill gaps in their game.

After watching professional golfers 'ghost putt' and basketball players practice their movements at the free throw line without the ball, I believe that deep practice should be used for developing our players technical ability, at slower than game speed and quite often without the ball with multiple repetitions.

For our younger players the ball is too big and it gets in the way! I also believe that the ball drives us to be more outcome driven than process driven.  Instead of looking where the ball goes we should be asking these questions to our players:

Why did it go there?

How did it FEEL?

Can you repeat that?

Can you make it go somewhere else?

So, if you talk the talk I guess you have to walk the walk..

Earlier this spring I did a session with a group of girls that involved my version of deep practice. We spent about 40 minutes working without the ball on a receiving and shooting session. At first I thought that they thought I had lost my marbles, but I asked them to be patient with it and when I introduced the ball I could see that the girls were thinking their way through the exercise and not worrying about scoring. Inside of 40 minutes  they had started to become more concerned with the process rather than the outcome!

Over the past few months I have tried a few more exercises without the ball and some players try it and some think its a little strange, but something happened last week that really opened my eyes. I was working with a younger girls team on basic passing and receiving and after my demo I turned around and they were all practising the movements without the ball!  This was a great moment for me as it validated my previous actions with these players and shows that they understand how important correct technique is when it comes to the basics of the game.

At this point I should add that my beloved Sheffield Wednesday have also been developing through deep practice, unfortunately they have taken it a stage further and started playing real games without the ball!

After last weeks enlightenment moment I will make deep practice a part of all my sessions when I am working with younger players and helping them develop their techniques.

In closing...

If you are interested in deep practice then I encourage you to take a look at Coyle's books, alternatively you can come along to the next Lower Island Soccer Coaches Association meeting on Friday 30th November at 7pm at  Lakehill Soccer Associations  Braefoot #2 field. Our topic is shooting and finishing and the use of deep practice!

September...

What a great tune from Earth, Wind and Fire, is it R&B or is it disco at its finest: a discussion for another day! September has always been my favourite month, real sport is back, the kids are back at school and the tourists have gone home.

As a fan I have had a terrible month...after a four month unbeaten run at the end of last season propelled the love supreme, known to others as Sheffield Wednesday, back into the Championship, we have reverted to type and lost every game this month. The world famous New Orleans Saints have failed to win a game, thanks to Roger Goodell- I will say no more on that topic- and our dream of winning another Super bowl in God's country is in shreds, and even a team that is winning, my Louisiana State University Fighting Tigers are quite possibly the poorest 5-0 team in the history of the NCCA.

  

Having said all that, what about the WEATHER.

I can't remember a better September and as a coach I have one simple question.

Why haven't our youngest players in the U6 to U9 age groups been playing in this great weather. There is no doubt in my mind that these are our most important players. Our future National team players and hopefully World Cup players are currently in these age groups and we have just missed a whole month of warm and sunny weather which is ideal for the development of young children.

In the LISA district our mini players started playing on the last weekend of September and I am sure that everyone had a great time last Saturday, the weather was good and everyone went home dry. Very soon things will be different, the colder and wetter weather will return and it won't be anywhere near as much FUN! The kids will be bundled up but they will be cold and their movement somewhat restricted due to the many layers of clothes that they have on. Their feet will be cold and they probably wont get a good feel of the ball which won't help their technical development. Not only will they be cold, the chances are they will also be wet as we get a bit of rain in the winter. If we are trying to develop soccer players, wouldn't we be better served to try and develop them in conditions that will facilitate development as opposed to hindering it.

Here's a few more questions for you:

Would you rather watch your child play in warm dry weather or cold wet conditions?

Would your child ENJOY playing more in the warm dry weather or cold and wet conditions?

Why are our youngest players playing and learning to play soccer in our poorest weather

conditions?

Would you rather have the sun at your back or the rain in your face?

Over the next few months the Lower Island Soccer Association will be working on a pilot program for these age groups as we would like to see these players NOT playing outside in the winter months. If there first experiences of soccer are fun then the chances of our future National teams players staying in the game will be greater.  

The next Adam Straith, Josh Simpson and Emily Zurrer are out there and they will be tempted by other sports. As a sport we need to make sure they stay with soccer and sending them home dry and happy after every practice might keep them in our game.

In closing...

The 'She Kicks' female coaching program kicks off this week. She Kicks is a partnership between LISA and the University of Victoria that aims to help develop female coaches through female only coaching clinics. During the month of October the She Kicks program will put young female players through the Active Start and Fundamentals courses as they start on the road to becoming successful female coaches and role models for our young female players.