Training Drill Principles

Every training drill, no matter how basic, has a number of benefits for your players. As coaches we are always encouraging the basic football skills of kicking, handball and marking etc.

Every training drill, no matter how basic, has a number of benefits for your players. As coaches we are always encouraging the basic football skills of kicking, handball and marking etc.

An interesting exercise that I have found to be very handy, is to write our drill down on paper, then note as many points as you think each drill has that will benefit the development of your players. I will list a few of these components to assist you in this area. See how many apply to the drills you are currently using

ACCURACY - Teaching players to control the possession of the ball by passing accurately to team mates both hand and foot. As players develop, they must be challenged to complete this task under pressure, so you will need to allow this modification to your drills.

AWARENESS – Players often struggle in this important area, and so it is vital that you incorporate drills that will help develop this skill. Players with good awareness, very rarely get caught holding the ball and have an understanding of what is going on around them.

PROTECTION FOR THE BALL CARRIER – This can be incorporated into every drill and players must make it a habit after giving the ball off to a running teammate. Coaches must continually reinforce to their players the importance of this skill.

POSITIONING - The best position to be in to gain possession in the air or on the ground is, – in front. Teaching contesting players to work front position in a marking contest is vital. The smaller players must also be taught to position themselves front and centre of a marking contest. This will give them the best chance of gaining possession when the ball comes forward. These players must be prepared to tread water and hold position, as they often arrive too early and as a result, go to one side of the contest and limit their opportunities.

READING THE PLAY – An area where many players struggle. We do not provide enough drills to assist our players to develop in this area. If you were to run a drill as simple as circle work and observed your players, you would discover that number of them rarely gain possession because of poor positioning and not being able to read the play. Drills to teach players to judge distances and even encouraging them to run with players at training who can read the play will assist with their development.

VISION – Players need to be aware of what is around them and when the opportunity arises, look to select the best option rather than just the first one that presents. Incorporate decision making in your drills and encourage players not to hesitate. The biggest area we as coaches can improve, is to teach our players to make the right decision when the pressure is placed on them in a game. The old saying of the first option is always the best option is certainly true, however, too many players have tunnel vision and give off more in panic after gaining possession

PRESSURE – Manning up or using your opponent, as your starting point will assist with developing disciplined players. There are many different drills that will teach the players the importance of applying pressure by presence when your team is not in possession of the ball. Training drills do not have to be competitive to include this component.

UNREWARDED RUNNING – Most footballers do no like running unless they know there is a chance to receive the ball. Our game today demands that players are prepared to run to create space for their team mates, by offering a dummy lead when the ball comes into the forward line. The full back will also look for players to lead hard into space to open up an area for a designated receiver at kick-outs.

DECISION MAKING – Players need to be taught to make decisions through the drills we provide. I touched on this in No. 6, Vision. Start your drills so that players are required to work in traffic (confined areas) and get the receiving players to run from different positions at the same time to force the player with the ball to react. Encourage players to make decisions (even if they are not correct) as it is a much better alternative to hesitation.

LEADERSHIP – There is a saying that, “no player is born a natural leader, but they can all be taught”. Leaders need to be encouraged at training, as it will help lift the standards and make your job as a coach easier. Encourage communication in every drill and be positive in your demands. Players will gain confidence through positive coaching and as a result will be more caring and enthusiastic. Players must understand the importance of using the voice and giving instruction.

TIMING OF MOVEMENT – The importance of this cannot be under estimated. Players who leave too early for the ball will either end up in a poor position to receive, or will take the opponent up the ground, and then be pressured when the ball comes into the area. Drills need to highlight the importance of timing and positioning. Coaches should discourage players to handball to teammates who are not in a correct position to receive. Players should look to work from behind the ball until they are about to take possession.

CONCENTRATION – All players no matter what the level will suffer from lapses in concentration from time to time. Coaches need to work hard and vary drills, so players remain challenged and concentrate for longer periods. Drills that require players to think will assist them to concentrate harder. If players drop away in this area, bring them in to refocus and challenge them to pick up the level of the drill.

ONE GRAB PLAYERS – Too many times we coaches look at training players with drills that look good and run at three quarter pace. To develop players to handle a game like situation, a part of every training session should include having the football put at ground level to improve skills below the knees. Players who fumble at ground level will always struggle to dispose of the ball correctly.

RUCKWORK – As the tactical side of the game continues to grow, it is important to give as many players as possible the opportunity to do ruckwork at training. We coaches must include ruckwork in our planned training sessions. At some stages in a game it may be necessary to use the nearest tallest player in the contest, because of injury. The more practice they have in this scenario, the better they will handle it.

DISCIPLINE – This is an important ingredient for players to have at every training session and for every drill. I spoke earlier about the need for team rules and how important for coaches and players to follow them at training so that they become second nature in a game situation. Attending training on time, correct positioning, accepting the umpires decision, dress codes, team rules and attitudes all result from being disciplined.

CONFIDENCE – “Believe to Achieve”, is a saying that is worth remembering. Young players need to be taught the importance of using the voice confidently, through drills at training. We generally find that the more skilful and better decision making players are all good talkers, so the move we develop them, the more confidence and voice they will have.