Football coaching tips to help improve team performance

Winning is always important but not always an accurate measurement of how well your young football team played. To maximise the learning opportunities for you, the coach, as well as for your players, ask yourself some key questions.

• Did your players create chances?

• Did they have a good shape defensively and cover the dangerous spaces?

• Did the players make good decisions when in possession?

• Did they play a mixed passing game?

• Did they control the tempo of the game?

Jot down your thoughts straight after a game. Then write down what happened in the game an hour after your team has played and re-read what happened. Look for the positives to talk to your players about, then go to work on the negatives.

My team played a game recently where they started off easily the best team. They outpassed the opposition and created twice as many chances as they did. They lost the game 3-2.

So I wrote down my answers to the questions.

• Yes, they did create chances – praise the team.

• No, they often left dangerous spaces when they didn’t get back quickly enough after attacks broke down – work on defensive positions and recovery movement.

• Mixed, but on the whole they made good decisions.

• Yes, passing was good, long and short – praise the team.

• No, they allowed the opposition back into the game when they had it won – work on closing the game out.

• You can then see what to talk about, what to praise and what to work on at your next football coaching session.

Click the link to subscribe to Soccer Coach Weekly and get more soccer coaching advice delivered direct to your inbox each week.

Click the link for more football coaching tips to help you prepare your players for match day.