Reflections on a session which I delivered to my u13 Tier 1 players….

Our aim for this session and for this week is to develop how we score goals.

What Went Well….
The language used was consistent and the language is now being connected each session. The Arrival Activity is an important part of our practice, as it is supposed to support the mental development of the players. I changed the format for this activity by making the area more narrow and touches on the ball were 2-touch only. Previously, i gave the players a choice of touches, but on observation, the players tended to choose the option which slowed the tempo down. Reducing these things helped to increase tempo and game-realistic pressure on technique, supportive movemnet and ‘scanning’ the field.

Even Better If….
The planning of the practice is not good enough, as it has meant that the players gain momentum in one part of the practice and then I have to change the practice because of the plan. I have not worked to the plan because I think that the current allocated timings reduce the opportunity for the players to show that they understand what they are doing. To manage this, I will continue with the plan, but use the tactics board more to explain the practice. There were some demonstration, though, I still think that there could be more, instead, I spoke to players individually a lot. There needs to be a clear combination of learning styles catered for.