ONSIDE DIGITAL LEARNING

Appearing confident as a Coach is important. Standing in front of a crowd of players and giving them instructions is never easy, particularly if you have a quiet personality and also if you have never worked with those particular players before.  It takes a bit of time to establish a rapport and gain their trust. When we arrive at our training session and have players standing in front of us looking for direction, however, we need to show them that we know what we are doing.  The easiest way to do this is to actually know what we are doing!  If we have prepared well in advance and have a good session plan suited for our players then we know for sure that we can deliver something worthwhile. 

 

There is, of course, a big difference in knowing that we have a good session plan and actually delivering that plan in a confident manner.  Unfortunately there is no 'one size fits all' answer.  Every one of us is different and deal with things in different ways.  The best advice we can give you, however, is to remember that you are a good Coach, you know what you are talking about and to just go for it!  When you turn up for a training session make sure you look like a Coach.  You don't need to wear the latest Nike training gear but you should be wearing football clothing (but ideally not a team top from a club you support.  You're there to coach, not play), be neat and tidy and if your club has issued you with club uniform then you should be wearing it.  Looking the part is important - if you turn up looking as if you've just wandered off the street the players won't listen to you or take you seriously.  First impressions last so make sure you make a good one!  Try to speak as clearly and loudly as you can (perhaps slow down your words if you feel nervous), give simple instructions which are easy to follow, keep explanations short and focused, keep the players active as much as possible, smile and try to enjoy the session.  It can be difficult, things can go wrong but we have confidence in you so now go out and have some confidence in yourself.