As coaches, the vast majority of us want what is best for our athletes. But there still exists a never-ending divide between what is deemed more valuable by the standards of today, as opposed to the ways coaches learned in the past. Modern-day coaches will emphasize fun and enjoyment through games, and old-school coaches will … Continue reading Why games-based learning leads to more long-term gains
Leadership is a process that not only involves you having influence over groups or individuals, but as those same individuals or groups having influence over you. You cannot thrive as a leader without your followers also inspiring you to reach your true potential. This is precisely why we must create an athlete-centered approach to the environments we build when coaching.
The days of yelling at players for not making it to first base are over! Or at least, they should be. Coaching has changed dramatically over the past twenty years. There is a new-wave of coaches that understand how they would want to be communicated to as athletes, and bring that to the forefront when they work with players of their own.
This is one of my number one coaching philosophies, and want I always teach to other coaches: games-based learning is the best training design to support long-term athlete development.
If I said the word "coach" to you, you'd probably think of a person working in a team environment. But there is so much potential for all coaches, whether they are already working in a team environment or not, to hone in on their skills when working with individuals. Regardless of the coaching context, you must work to tailor your coaching, feedback, and advice to each individual.
Like many reading this, I grew up around some great player-centered coaches, but always around ones who prioritized technical skill development over game awareness and tactical IQ. Instead of playing game-realistic activities, we spent a significant amount of time developing isolated technical skills without any link to how those skills could apply to the game itself. Around the time that I started to coach the sport, the likes of the CSA and US Soccer began to make changes that would better facilitate skill development in the context of the game. One of those introductions included what Canada Soccer calls the 'GAG' methodology (game-activity-game), with the pretext of 'let the game be the teacher'.
Scanning goes far beyond what must coaches will shout out: "check your shoulder!". It needs to encompass a constant process of neck and eye movement, assessing ball, opposition, teammates and space.
As coaches, we must recognize that players have an array of qualities that make them unique on the pitch. We must also recognize that each of these unique pillars need to be paid attention to with dedicated attention and care.
