Know Your Players

This is the one most important phrases you can keep in mind when coaching.

Knowing your players and how to get the best out of them is absolutely key to progressing your team. Some things to consider...

• Each player's capabilities, strengths and weaknesses
• What drives them (why are they here, what do they want out of being involved, what makes them feel good at the end of a game or training session)
• What's going on for them outside of football (this can have a huge impact on how a child is performing or behaving)
• How they best take on new information and learn new skills
• How they respond to praise, criticism and the different language you use
• The role their parents are taking in their football development

Trying to apply a one size fits all approach to coaching your team is always going to mean you miss huge opportunities to develop individuals. People talk about man management in professional sport, but it's just as important when coaching children to treat each of them as individuals. Knowing "what makes them tick" will help you enormously to get the best out of them.