Why youth football coaches should use guided discovery teaching methods
Football can be such a simple game but it is often over-complicated. At junior and youth level there is often the tendency that coaches tell players what to do on the park and create robots that follow instructions (as seen in command-style coaching). This can be detrimental to a player’s learning and development.
Guided Discovery instead initiates a connection between the coach and the player whereby a sequence of information and questions causes responses by the player. The combination of information and question by the coach helps determine a correct response, which is discovered by the player. The effect of this process leads the player to discover the sought tactic or technique.
The following will outline how guided discovery methods can be used and why they can better set up players for success.
Let mistakes determine the intervention
Players are not likely to learn good technique or positioning from merely being told what to do, which foot to kick with, where to stand or where to move.
Instead of explaining for 5 minutes every action in a passing drill, get it started quickly and then wait to see a mistake that a player has made successively. If players are not making mistakes, you are doing a great job, but you will find a moment to stop the play and coach to the mistake.
Tips to make the coaching stoppage better include freezing play still at the time of error, effective questioning and repeating the action with mistake repaired as the restarting point after the stoppage.
Players will learn to think for themselves
Guided Discovery invites the player to think, to go beyond the given information and then discover the correct skills themselves. Merely commanding players does not let their curiosity find the answer, and leads to players that cannot solve problems for themselves. Give them problems to solve and make it relevant to real experiences that occur during matches.
Player skill retention
Retention of skills and experiences will be in higher levels if guided discovery is used. It will not only benefit the players that you stop and coach, but all the players that are around them. They will visibly see and hear the reason they are performing an action incorrectly but will also correct the mistakes themselves. Try to vary the players that you stop to correct. Using the same player all the time may cause them to lose confidence.
Players understand their role
When players are asked to play a certain way and the exercises and explanations are relevant to a real game they will better understand their role. Examples such as ‘Where is the space?”, “Can you make the pitch big?” or “Can you create space by starting your run closer to the line?” Do the players understand how you want them to play? and can you rotate them around so they understand each position?
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Motivating players
Motivation is important in keeping energy, confidence and concentration up in players. By using guided discovery you are challenging players. You are giving them the tools to find the answer to game problems and to perform certain actions, such as “Billy can you to turn and shoot on target?” or “can you stop Johnny from turning with the ball?”. By making activities like a game, and give them rewards such as “for every five passes you score one goal” you are encouraging not only their willingness to surpass the challenge but their improvement. Remember when dealing with misbehaving kids criticise the action, NOT the person. Ask the players to help you design or change activities.
Communication
Getting the point across is one of the most important and vital aspects of a coach. It will help not only improve your sessions, but aid the players learning and get play started quickly after a coaching stoppage. It is important that tone of your voice is also changing constantly to ensure players to not get bored or stop responding. It will also show that you are enthusiastic.
Use vocabulary relevant to football and the age level
Football relevant and understandable language in key to coaching and communication. Try and use words the players of that age and level understand. Be consistent in the use of vocabulary. Do not over complicate your use of words. With younger children you may use very simple words, but older children may almost use adult football vocabulary. Do they understand the football vocabulary at all? It may be worth giving them a list or explaining to them the words and their meaning.
Football is a simple game and is best at its simplest. Enjoy coaching and remember that players are not robots. They also do not have a large memory, so if you can get one or two points across in any given session, you have made a real impact.