Tag: coaching

How Do Players Make Decisions?

Posted Peter MotzenbeckerPosted in Coaching, Methodology, Training, Youth Development

Decision making is arguably one of the most difficult qualities for a youth player to develop. It is a quality that has a lot to do with the environment that a player is placed in: the coach, the team, the club, the methodology, the philosophy, the style. There are objectively better environments to create players and, specifically,  players that can make better decisions. Of those listed influences on a youth player, what impacts their decision making the most? Without question, the coach has a huge impact on that player’s ability to grow in their decision making, good or bad. While […]

Game Model: Case Study

Posted Peter MotzenbeckerPosted in Coaching, Methodology, Training, Youth Development

In 2015, I took over a talented group of 1999/2000 players. They were a group that had played together for the last three or four years, so were connected socially and individually had good technical qualities. The first year that I had the team, five new players had joined, a very good centre midfielder, a versatile player that I ended up using as mostly one of my outside backs, but also in centre midfield (both as a holder and a shuttler-type in a 3-4-3) and centre back, a goalkeeper (which the team did not have a ‘full time’ player for […]

The Importance of Coaching Dribbling & 1v1s

Posted Peter MotzenbeckerPosted in Coaching, Methodology, Training, Youth Development

As viewers, we are always excited when someone like Messi goes on a mesmerizing dribble, taking defenders out of the game one by one on his way to goal, but if you transport yourself from watching a professional match to watching an under-12s game, that dribble becomes something of an after thought to many (coaches, teammates, parents, etc.) because it is seen as risky or selfish. With the success of Guardiola’s Barcelona and Spain’s dominance in continental and international competition during the late 2000s and early 2010s, there has been a huge push for youth teams to play ‘possession-based soccer.’ […]

Contextualise Your Content

Posted Peter MotzenbeckerPosted in Coaching, Methodology, Training, Youth Development

As with many jobs, one of the best things about coaching is the ability to interact with other coaches; discussing ideas on the game, on player development, on training methodology, on the professional games of the past weekend. There is a shared commonality for the passion of the game and the want to make players better. No two coaches have the exact same thoughts on a given topic, at least not beyond the broadest of topics. The complexity and nuances of the game are what make it the most interesting and most divisive amongst coaches. There are so many variables […]