Ask the Coach
Access to your very own personal coach! During the development of NFA SOCCERSKILLS we have been supported by a large network of professional football club coaches. We are giving all participating junior footballers, football clubs, schools and parents an opportunity to 'Ask the Coach'. All questions will be answered with the best ones being published on this page.
We will be frequently asking 'guest' professional coaches to provide answers to your many questions, so why not send your questions to: coach@nfasoccerskills.com
October Guest Coach
Mick Brennan
Blackburn Rovers FC
Community Development Officer |
  |
Q1. As a professional coach, why do you use NFA SOCCERSKILLS?
To enhance sessions, give a flowing structure to the sessions and help by giving players an opportunity to achieve an award at the end.
Q2. What is the most important thing for me to get right as a junior footballer?
Enjoy your football, if you enjoy the game, session or drill that you are involved in, you will learn more!
To reveal Mick's responses to the questions simply click on the question
- As a coach, how do you know if a session has been successful?
If the group have enjoyed the session (gone away with smiles on their faces) and took on board at least one of the points that has been coached, this can be assessed by the end of session debrief and feedback.
- What's the funniest thing that has ever happened to you as a coach?
Setting up in the middle of winter on a very exposed pitch up on the moors. The whole session was colour co-ordinated, ball set out etc. I turned to brief the group, told them what to do and where to go, when I turned back to the session, due to the high winds, ALL the equipment, including a full bag of balls, was pinned to the fence at the far side of the pitch. - That session ended up being 6v6's all night! As none of the markers wanted to stay put!
- What is your favorite session to deliver as a coach and why?
Passing and receiving! It's the basics that all players need to practise regularly and there are so many variations of session that can be run by a coach. Lot's of fun games too!
- Have you ever coached any famous football players?
One or two who are now getting into the squads of top teams and have represented their countries at the lower ages! Hopefully a few stars of the future!
- To reveal Roger's technical brief...
One of the Unique Selling Points of NFA SOCCERSKILLS is the fact that we have taken the hard work out of planning and delivering football sessions, but one thing that has not been lost is the quality within the sessions and in particular the skill tests.
This was the main brief the coaching department here at NFA were given in their quest to design a product that would not scare off unqualified soccer coaches, but also the product had to appeal to those more experienced qualified coaches within the game, hence why it has taken over two years of research and testing to get it right!
Indirect learning principles have been adopted in all 35 awards and the actual coaching terminology has been cleverly hidden within. Take Passing & Receiving Level 4 Award for example, the text reads as follows:
 |
| The blue player passes to the centre of the area for the red player to receive the ball with the inside of their right foot and passes to the purple player with the inside of their left foot, then runs to Cone '1'. |
Yes it sounds basic,
Yes it is simple to deliver and
Yes the correct technique will be employed due to the concise wording, but lets look at this from an advanced coaches perspective. The player being tested is the red player, as with all our skill sets. Imagine the red player is the centre forward making a double movement to loose the defender, making a run on an angle to receive the ball from a midfield player on the quarter turn with their back foot. Before they receive the ball they have already looked to see who they are passing to (the left midfield player). Upon receiving the ball they then play quickly and pass the ball with their left foot and make an immediate run as a centre forward would do in a game.
This is repeated on the return leg of the test, but with the opposite foot receiving and opposite foot passing the ball!
Hidden Coaching Terminology, remember, as the great Ron Greenwood once said:
"Simplicity is Genius"
Roger Davies
NFA SOCCERSKILLS
Director of Coaching
