|COACH EDUCATION|CO CHING MA A Step 3: Relevant Information


The coach needs to determine what the relevant ‘information’ is that players need for the optimal skill solution to emerge. It may be something as simple as scanning to pick up your opponents’ positioning, speed of play-the-ball, defensive numbers either side of play-the-ball, position of the ball receiver, or the feel of the ball’s orientation in hand allowing for effective ball release etc.


A coach may decide that poor passing technique close to the tackle line is limiting option taking and team performance, so a prescriptive intervention is necessary where questioning, demonstration and modified game-based training are used to produce a more adaptive skill.


Information used for skill and decision making can be visual cues, sound and feel (touch and kinaesthetic). Players who are able to pick up relevant information sooner are more able to use and adapt their movements and become skilful under pressure.


coached under a successful system and are unable to adapt to playing other systems.


Step 2: Skill ‘Solution’


A problem which limits performance requires a skill solution. Highly skilled players are expert at identifying and discovering solutions as they arise in practice. The role of the coach is to help those who are not. A prescriptive method will advocate a preferred solution to this problem which is suitable when players are under severe time constraints and to prevent bad habits being formed.


Alternatively, a discovery method seeks to find a longer-term skill solution which emerges from the interaction between player, task and modified practice. Discovery methods use purposefully designed open dynamic skill drills, modified and adaptive skill games, small and large- sided games. Young players who have developed and refined their skills in the back yard are often experts at designing new problems by inventing rules which generate both inclusion and appropriate challenge within the playing group. The coach needs to harness this ability.


There are strategies available to the coach for finding out what the relevant information is for skilled performance, what information the player is actually using to control their performance, and how to use this information to improve performance. Questioning, manipulating situations, opponents and team-mates, and redirecting a player’s scanning to visual targets are some strategies to discover what information sources are relevant for skilled performance. Redirecting a player’s search toward this information by representing, manipulating and exaggerating through modified practice situations is a great way for coaches to improve skills.


Step 4: ‘Represent – Manipulate – Exaggerate’ the Problem


The amount of space (depth) between attack and defence might be important for determining angle of attack and alignment. By manipulating practice you can direct players’ scanning and attention toward discovering what the problem is by representing and exaggerating it and searching for the information to solve it.


Learning moments occur when they realise that a deeper alignment will not only afford them more opportunity to move the ball through hands, but that it will also help control their line speed,


TTERS making them more effective in attack.


A coach should attempt to represent this information in modified skill sessions and manipulate it by creating strategies to vary and manage the amount of change in space. Strategies might include: getting the defence to reset a different distance each play (eg 8m, 10m or 12m); nominating certain players to reset at greater distances than other team-mates; nominating certain defensive players to vary their line speed and varying the speed of the play-the-ball which will create natural variation in attack- defence spacing.


The key is not to let the attacking players know this information in advance, thus not allowing them to make pre-determined decisions.


Step 5: Observe and Monitor


Manipulating sessions leads to sudden changes in behaviour. Players quickly attempt to find a new or more effective way to overcome a problem. It is important coaches observe, monitor and assess the players’ behaviour and their ability to seek a skill solution to the problem. The timing of any manipulations to practice can be critical in helping players find the best way to achieve an outcome.


Real time observation skills are necessary if coaches are to gauge skill improvements. Match analysis is an accurate measure of skill transfer to performance and using modified games in which individual and team-based skills are represented and repeated can be used as trials for measuring improvements.


Repeating steps 4 and 5 in a dynamic manner within and between skill sessions will help the coach develop better learning and performance. As players become more familiar with overcoming new problems, the coach can unexpectedly further challenge players.


These changes will result in overload skill training sessions, helping finetune players to adapt to match-like situations. This approach will also help the coach avoid the common problems of monotony of training, low levels of player engagement in sessions and player empowerment and accountability.


* Remember: ‘practice the skill and not the drill’; and ‘skill = technique + pressure’.


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