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By definition Play has the following characteristics and it is worth exploring how you can plan your coaching for this development to occur
(1)
Play is self-chosen and self-directed. It is something the players want to do, not made to do and they have the freedom to manage their own actions during play. Natural leaders emerge through the children’s choice, not because an adult allocated roles. If you try and lead it, this is no longer play.
(2)
Play is activity in which means are more valued than ends. The joy for children involved in play comes through the process, not the outcome. Does anyone remember the score of a game in the park involving mates? I asked some children in our village that I saw playing football who won in yesterday’s game. They said they had no idea and it didn’t matter in the slightest – they were just playing (and learning).
(3)
Play has structure, or rules, which are not dictated by physical necessity but emanate from the minds of the players. Watching a pick- up game developed by children you can observe them change the rules, move players about to make the teams fairer or make one goal smaller (agreed between the players) because these things makes the game better, for them.
(4)
Play is imaginative, non-literal, mentally removed in some way from “real” or “serious” life. You often hear young players say “I’m Ronaldo today” and by that they are going to take themselves into a fantasy world where they pretend they are. They know they aren’t really Ronaldo but for that time during play, they are.
(5)
Play involves an active, alert, but non-stressed frame of mind. Evidence suggests this “flow” state is great for learning, where children can get absorbed in the process, not the outcome, without narrowing their views of the world.
Research about learning shows that strong pressure to perform well (which induces a non-playful state) improves performance on tasks that are mentally easy or habitual for the person, but worsens performance on tasks that require creativity, or conscious decision making, or the learning of new skills (Gray, 2008). The game of football is clearly the latter.
In contrast, anything that is done to reduce the person’s concern with outcome and to increase the person’s enjoyment of the task for its own sake—that is, anything that increases playfulness—has the opposite effect and will be more beneficial for player development.
Deliberate play situations allow children the freedom to experiment with different movements and tactics and the opportunity to learn to innovate, improvise and respond strategically (Cote, Baker & Abernethy, 2007). Organising games along the lines of things the children want from their football experience can be hugely beneficial for learning and development, and this isn’t exclusive to younger players either, teenage players need a sense of freedom, ownership and playfulness too. Give it a try.
References Cote, J., Baker, J. & Abernethy, B. (2007). Practice and play in the development of sport expertise. In R. Eklund & G. Tenenbaum (Eds.), Handbook of Sport Psychology, pp.184- 202. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Gray, P. (2008). Freedom to learn. The roles of play and curiosity as foundations for learning. Psychology Today.
Nick Levett is FA National Development Manager (Youth Football) a role which focuses on making the game more child-friendly whilst helping to develop better players.
Prior to this, Nick set up and managed The FA Tesco Skills Programme and The FA young leadership programme.
Major influences on Nick’s work include the work of Lynn Kidman, Bennett Lombardo and Russ Quaglia all of whom have put the young person and their development at the heart of their work, something Nick has a strong belief in.
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