‘Tips for Football Coaches (Managers and Scouts)’, is for club staff to see the person. Due to the intensity of the environment, people often only see the player, forgetting human error and in the case of young players, forgetting that they are children (still developing emotionally).

Seeing the person takes ourselves out of judgement mode and into curiosity mode, helping us to see the bigger the bigger picture. Opening ourselves up to learning about the person instead of judging and over simplifying their behaviour, is the difference that makes the difference!

This is a professional development document away from the tactics, strategies and player ID work club staff are accustom to but enhances the work in those areas. Informing, highlighting areas for change and providing tips on how to develop human performance.

1.Judgement separation (body language): 

Club staff judge players and people, but their experience and training is specific in judging the player, and not the person. As a result of the person feeling judged (often misjudged), the relationship gets fractured, the person develops insecurities and the player’s performance dips

I don’t believe that “bad body language” exists however, generalisations of body language does. For example, folded arms means that you are closed and unwelcoming. For me, closed arms represent feeling comfortable. During my studies it was something I explored because I realised that I rub my head when having difficult conversations and fold my arms when static for a certain period of time. After reflecting on my childhood and discussing with my tutor, we came to the conclusion that I was self comforting.

I share my story as an example of how the generalisations of body language are not good sources for information, every individual has their own unique story that is communicated via their body language. In football, Players are continuously judged on their body language. The problem is, many of the situations that lead to misjudgements of body language are due to unconscious communication or failure to manage emotions.

“The best players come from the toughest backgrounds, demonstrating anti-social cues were a means for survival, so that they didn’t get robbed or beaten up. Especially when they feel upset”

So when does a player display what you perceive to be bad body language? A change in attitude often triggers a difference in body language, and the change in attitude commonly happens when the player is upset. Situations like being dropped without an explanation or blamed for something they didn’t do, or frustration with their team mates can see a change in state, thus a change in how they communicate verbally and non verbally. Education or support is needed, not judgement.

Things to think about:

a) When you see a player that displays what you judge as bad body language, try not to judge their character but instead, be curious as to what they’re indirectly communicating.

b) Ask yourself, what the situation is really about?- Does it link to home life (mum’s ill) or current situation in football (dropped from the team)? This switches your focus from the judging the player’s character to exploring the emotion.

c) Ask yourself what can you do to support the player?

d) Speak to the player about their body language, often it will be habitual so it will take time to undo. If when told off they go into “sulking mode”, understand that it could be something they have been doing throughout their childhood, it will take time to undo this pattern. Constantly highlighting the behaviour with judgement will demotivate them from changing - “Sort out your body language”. Speaking to them about it from a place of being with them and helping them to problem solve, supports and motivates them - “I notice that you start to shake your head when your mood changes, when you get upset, think about your head and try not to shake it. This will shift your focus from what your upset about, helping you to diffuse the feeling and the non verbal communication”.

e) Check in with the player, ask them what you can do to better support them.

2. Study the right things (professional development)

All coaches have coaching badges, so how will you be different? They all say that they want to develop the player technically and that the welfare is priority but if you don’t study how can this be possible? The goal is to be the best right? Studying courses, other sports, people outside of football and models of excellence is the only way.

The best Coaches and Managers in the world achieved their status due to qualities away from football. Sir Alex Ferguson in his book ‘Leadership’, shared how he creatively personalises his feedback to players, to adhere to the individual’s motivation strategy. He learned this through reflective practice, unfortunately in today’s game you have less time for trial and error, you have to go into the job already knowing.

Jose Mourinho studied Neuro-Linguistic Programming and has used various methods to tap into the person, as shared in the Soccology book. He a legacy of coaches that now independently seek professional development outside of football and in the world of human behaviour. One of those coaches is Michael Beale, a coach that worked under Mourinho at Chelsea (coaching youth), then Liverpool U23 and from their earned a move to become the Assistant Manager at Sao Paulo. Beale’s move to Sao Paolo came as a result of Roberto Firmino, Phillipe Coutinho and Lucas Leiva singing his praises over dinner to the Sao Paulo Manager, Rogerio Ceni. Ceni informed Beale about how the players saw him and what they were saying over dinner, that led to Ceni approaching him about the Assistant Manager’s role. Although the players enjoyed Beale’s sessions when he coached them, they spoke more about how he made them feel (story also in the Soccology book).

Studying people will advance your skills in getting the best out of players and put your ahead of the minions of other football coaches in the world.

3. Create independent learners (individually)

Johan Cruyff in his book My Turn, shared that he would use training to create scenarios that countered his players’ bad habits. One of his wingers would often take what he viewed as “too many touches” of the ball. Instead of telling the player to take less touches, Cruyff put him up against his toughest defender in training and sometimes doubled up against him. This improved the player’s dribbling skills and his ability to make better decisions, which included releasing the ball sooner.

Within a cup final, or a league match that will be pivotal in your team winning the league or surving relegation, there will be a defining moment that decides that game. That moment will be half a second, you will not have enough time to shout the message across the pitch and your player will not have enough time to compute the message and carryout the action(s). However, their unconscious mind is capable, change the habit so your player can carry it out without consciously thinking about it. (replacing the bad habit) and leave them to it.

4. Trust the process (group)

If you teach players what you want in training during the week, then you shout what you want throughout the match on the weekend, something’s going wrong. Communicating from the sidelines during a game should be about the moments born in that moment.

Trust your players to carry out the plan and correct each other, recover from the mistakes and use half time to discuss things as a group. This empowers them and develops their football brain.

I remember back in April 2015, I went to Holland to watch a Vitesse Arnhem vs Zeeburgia U15 (video). The players on both teams made the odd mistake but I heard nothing from the sidelines. The coaches did their teaching during training and if the players made mistakes during the game, they had to figure it out themselves/coach each other. Everyone in this game was technically astute. I believe this is partly down to being able to remain relaxed and not on edge thinking about the consequence (coach shouting/subbing them) if they made an error. It also creates independent thinkers and develops football intelligence.

“Sometimes people are going to make mistakes and you have to accept that… One of those mistakes, can be your tactics.”

Continuously shouting creates high levels of stress, stunting a players growth, and preventing the progression of your work. The pitch is about problem solving and finding answers, finding answers requires freedom to do so. This freedom exposes players to low level stress on the pitch, through the errors they will make but it’s fine as you have indirectly shown them that it is part of the game. This builds resilience, intelligence and emotional health.

Trust your process, trust their process and trust the process.

5. Clarity (communication)

Generalisations leave too much space to be misunderstood. Be specific and detailed in what you want them to do. Jose Mourinho and Jurgen Klopp have received a lot of praise for the detail they give players, it means players can focus on the task at hand and not the additional labour of trying to figure out whether they’re doing the right thing or not.

For there to be clarity the coach must know what they want, and thoroughly understand want they want so they can explain it in a number of ways and in depth. People learn in different ways, you must respect diverse learning styles and be flexible in meeting them. This feeds into point 2. Study the right things.

The coach doesn’t answer to anyone in the team, they can blame the player for not understanding their instruction, but everything that doesn’t work will always fall at the coach’s feet, whether the coach accepts it or not. They sign the players, pick the players and teach the players.

Be thorough.

This also feeds into the below…

6. Be Congruent (inner and outer environment)

If you want to be respected, you don’t have to be right, but you have to be congruent. Players know things won’t work at times but if you keep changing your tactics or your tactics do not align with your values(/their values), they will not follow you. No one likes to follow someone that doesn’t know where they’re going. Know where you’re going and channel everything there!

Things to avoid - Traditionally in England, Managers would tell players they want to play a passing style that gradually progresses through the team. The player would sign at the club, the style promised would take place during preseason, when the season starts, the manager’s emotions would kick in as three points are on the line and he would encourage players to kick the ball long. His conflicting messages, loses the team. 

If you don’t stick to what you say you don’t give players a reason to listen. Players will always play in your team but not necessarily under your instruction. Whether it be style of play, or saying that those who don’t train will not start, you must stick to it. If you are a coach that says things and doesn’t stick to it, it’s important to do one of two things -

a) Inform players of change of direction. This change is the result of deep thought and not the result of being overwhelmed by emotion.

b) reflect on why you want to change things. You control the environment so all roads lead to you. a) If the players do not understand your teachings, then you must reflect on how your teaching. b) If you keep changing things maybe at a deeper level, you’re not comfortable with the strategy you’ve put in place/understand it enough.

When Pep Guardiola took over at Barcelona he knew precisely what he wanted to do from the beginning. He had a stumbling start, the fans and the media were on his back, but he stuck at it. Because he stuck to his beliefs, the players had nothing else to think about because nothing changed. It also helped Pep because Andres Iniesta went to see him during the stuttering start to say that he is committed to the Manager and his ideas. Creating a consistent and stable environment, frees players to focus on other things on the pitch and off the pitch (like their Manager’s wellbeing).

I hope you found this helpful, thank you for reading!

#Soccology