How To Win Practice!

“Everything is Practice”– Pelé

Every Coach has two hours of practice. So what makes yours special?

Seriously, how are you going to stand out from the crowd if your practice environment is the same as theirs? You must win practice. So, how do you do that? You win practice by planning. How can you cut out the wasted minutes? How can you be effective the moment players start rolling into training? Being completely organized and detailed can give you a leg up on the competition. If I walk into your practice session, you should be able to give me a cut sheet of your session with your theme and coaching points for the night. If you can’t win practice, you’ll never win a game.

If you want to be the coach of an extraordinary team, average won’t cut it.

Here’s 10 ways to upgrade your training session game…

1. Make it enjoyable. Have music playing. Eat cupcakes on birthday nights. Be engaging and someone the kids want to be around. Remember, Fortnite is pretty fun too. If your practices are boring or negative, they’re going to find reasons to stay home.
   
   
2. Make it exciting. Up the tempo. At our practices, we’re notorious for quick, fast-paced small sided games that demand the best from everyone in them. No one likes a drill with no end in sight.
   
   
3. Always have a goal or a way for a player to earn a point. Ever since the first caveman kicked the round stone between the mammoth’s legs, soccer has been about scoring goals. Don’t deprive your players of that ancestral feeling.
   
   
4. Increase the challenge. I try to constantly live with my teams just in between comfortable and overwhelmed. It is the land of uncomfortable where the biggest opportunity for growth exists for your players.
   
   
5. Maximize the touches. This one is basic math. At the end of practice, which session has the most meaningful touches for the players. If my players had 100 and yours only 80, then in a few short months, your player’s parents are going to want their kid on my team.
   
   
6. Maximize the decisions. This one is a little harder. It takes time for coaches to develop this craft. In short, the more game-like and match transferable decisions you can replicate in training, the better quality your players will turn out to be.
   
   
7. Always have a winner and a loser. You’re going to play against clubs more than willing to rub your nose in their soccer prowess. Defend yourself by training your players how to compete. Winning is a learned behavior.
   
   
8. Make activities opposed. Players, like diamonds, are created under pressure. It’s your job to understand what level of opposition (space, time, human) keeps them stretched and continuing to grow.
   
   
9. Consequences for coming in second. Let’s face it. It’s far more fun to win. If you have consequences for the losing side (i.e. picking up cones, a pushup or two, putting goals back) there’s more incentive to win.
   
   
10. Finally, KISS. Yes, that age old principle. Keep it simple, stupid applies to soccer coaching too. Have higher standards. Outwork everyone. Be ethical. Success is simple to identify yet difficult to execute.