Category: Coaching

Improving your tactical understanding as a player

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Coach Education, Coaching, Masterclasses, Most Recent, Player Analysis, Player Education

Historically, we've tailored our content toward coaches and fans of the beautiful game, attempting to use our content for practical application in the game. But more and more we find ourselves interacting with players wanting to take their tactical understanding to the next level. On the one hand, it's amazing to see players taking initiative, and recognizing the intertwined nature of the tactical side to superiority in all other "corners" of the game. But simultaneously, this points to somewhat of a hole in coaching practice and common dogmas, where the technical and physical components are still prioritized, without enough regard for the tactical elements of football. Here is how to improve your tactical understanding as a player.

Coaching the 3-1-3-1 (9v9)

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Coach Education, Coaching, Formations, Masterclasses, Most Recent

When deployed correctly, the 3-1-3-1 can be one of the most fluid, flexible and fantastic 9v9 formations. Like anything in the beautiful game, team tactics, style of play and intricacies can only evolve within the realms of a team's own unique characteristics (including players involved, level of opposition, coaching preferences, and more). But if I had my pick of the litter within my squad, this is how I would deploy the 3-1-3-1 formation at the 9v9 level.

Game Model Example: 3-5-2

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Coach Education, Coaching, Formations, Masterclasses, Most Recent, Subscriber Exclusives

Struggling to know where to start when it comes to creating your own game model? Well look no further than TheMastermindSite.com, where we're bringing you game model examples in each of the game's most popular formations. These game model examples are exactly as the name suggests - resources for you to rock on and create your own game model. This specific 3-5-2 game model showcases the style of play and key player characteristics that Rhyspect FC would emphasize in each phase of the game. To see a preview of the game model, click the download preview button below. To purchase the game model, click the 'Purchase' button below.

Alan Koch – FC Edmonton – Tactical Analysis

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Canadian Premier League, Coach Education, Coaching, Managers, Masterclasses, Most Recent, Team Analysis

Koch has made a series of tactically intriguing decisions over the course of the past eleven games, developing a clear sense of style with his team. So with that, here is our tactical analysis of Alan Koch's FC Edmonton, why the Eddies are still worth a watch this season, and our recommendations for the team moving forward.

Football is more about psychology than tactics

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Coach Education, Coaching, Masterclasses, Sport Psychology

This is not a headline that you would expect to see from a website so devotedly focused on tactics and analysis. But as complex and debatable as this may sound, football is more about psychology than tactics. The best coaches are not always the best tacticians. But the best coaches are always the best motivators. The likes of John Herdman, Emma Hayes, Jose Mourinho and even Jurgen Klopp, rarely ever speak about tactics when expatiating about the game. Instead, they pontificate about the psychology of their teams and players, and their attempts to get the best out of their mentality.

How I coached an unbeaten team

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Coach Education, Coaching, Masterclasses, Most Recent, Podcast, The Mastermind Site Podcast

In the summer of 2021, I took a youth team to an unbeaten campaign, in their first ever season playing together. While winning is never the most important part of youth soccer, I share some of the key tips and tricks that allowed me to achieve success with my team and instill a positive culture where each and every player wanted to return. In the first half of the episode, I also discuss the exciting opportunities coming up on TheMastermindSite.com. Follow the show and my body of work @mastermindsite and @desmondrhys! 

I will change your mind about automatisms

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Coach Education, Coaching, Masterclasses, Most Recent, Premier League, Team Analysis

Off-the-ball movement is, of course, the most important facet to the game. But saying that all passing patterns or attempts to make decision making automatic are "stupid" fails to account for the fact that these things don't have to be trained in isolation. After all, if they were stupid, why would coaches like Jurgen Klopp or Ralph Hasenhuttl deploy them as training methods?

The simple task anyone can do to improve their tactical knowledge

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Coach Education, Coaching, Masterclasses, Masterclasses, Most Recent, Player Education

As coaches, analysts, players, fans, and football obsessed individuals, we all want to grow our tactical understanding of the game. In fact, it's one of the top five questions I get thrown my way on social media or email (links at the end of the article), where people either want to know how I developed my degree of tactical knowledge, or want to know how they too can take their tactical and analytical understanding to the next level. Here is a structured process that you can follow to develop your own tactical knowledge, and continuously learn about the game on repeat.