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Training Safely When It Is Thirty Degrees
I once watched a young lad, bright enough to play for the county, collapse on a baked training pitch because his coach was too busy staring at a tablet to notice the boy’s skin had gone the colour of a wet sheet. We’ve become obsessed with fancy electrolyte powders and high-tech wearable sensors that tell
Corner Routines That Score More Than Once a Season
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve stood on a touchline in a freezing downpour, watching a group of lads congregate around the corner flag like they’re waiting for a bus. They all have the same idea: stand in a clump, pray for a deflection, and hope the ball hits someone in the face.
Coaching Teenagers Who Would Rather Be Elsewhere
I’ve spent half my life standing on waterlogged pitches in November, watching “expert” coaches walk around with clipboards and expensive iPads, lecturing kids about ‘spatial awareness’ and ‘cognitive load’ while the players look like they’d rather be anywhere else. If you think you can solve the mystery of how to coach teenagers by downloading a
Insurance at Grassroots Level: What Is Covered
I remember a Tuesday night in mid-November, standing on a pitch so waterlogged it felt like we were coaching in a marsh, when a lad in my under-twelves went down with a snap that sounded like a dry branch breaking. In that moment, nobody cares about the tactical nuances of a 4-3-3; all anyone thinks
The Complete Safeguarding Guide for Clubs
I’ve spent thirty-five years standing on touchlines where the wind bites harder than the referee’s whistle, and if there is one thing I’ve learned, it’s that you can’t protect a player with a thick binder of laminated paperwork. Most people looking for a complete guide to safeguarding in football expect a lecture on bureaucracy and
Zonal or Man-marking: the Decision and the Detail
I’ve spent enough Sunday mornings standing on waterlogged touchlines to know that most of the “expert” tactical analysis you see on television is absolute rubbish when it comes to the actual grit of the game. They’ll show you these pristine, color-coded diagrams on a screen, but they never show you the chaos of a crowded
Coaching Under-sevens: Twenty Minutes of Actual Football
I remember standing on a windswept patch of grass in mid-November, watching a “certified youth specialist” try to explain the nuances of spatial awareness to a group of five-year-olds who were more interested in a passing beetle than a football. He had a clipboard, a whistle, and a textbook, but he had absolutely no idea
Cramp: What Actually Causes It
I’ve spent thirty-five years standing on touchlines in the pouring rain, and if there is one thing I can’t stand, it’s the nonsense sold to coaches about “advanced electrolyte recovery protocols” and expensive, neon-coloured sports drinks. I once had a lad in my Under-16s, a brilliant player who could see a pass before it even
Appealing a Red Card: What Actually Gets Overturned
I remember standing on a touchline in mid-November, shivering in a soaked tracksuit, watching a lad I’d coached since he was eight years old get sent off for a challenge that was about as violent as a wet paper bag. The referee didn’t even look him in the eye before pointing to the tunnel, and
Dehydration Costs You More Than You Think
I’ve spent thirty-five years standing on sidelines where the wind bites through your coat, and if there is one thing I’ve learned, it’s that most of the “science” being sold to youth coaches today is absolute rubbish. You don’t need a £50 designer electrolyte bottle or a complex spreadsheet to understand how hydration affects football