Note: Though this article focuses on youth soccer, these approaches apply to business teams, too. Whether you’re coaching aspiring young athletes, or a team of seasoned salespeople, The New Goal applies.

 Improving team play: Improve your team based upon the last game.

When is the Ideal Teaching Moment?

After a game, the players are the first to realize the things they did well and the things that didn’t go so well. Collaboratively, explore overall team performance. A good place to start can be by breaking down offense and defensive play as then, one can start to piece together what skills should individuals and the team as a whole work on. The key though, is that you and the team need to pick one area to focus on at a time. Make sure that both you and the players are all in agreement. You are working together after all.

Now the most successful approach is an old teaching method taught to soccer coach’s years ago, but it holds true today:

Use “Backward Design” to create the solution

Figure out the problem or need, and then work back from that by developing small-sided drills and games to duplicate the situation or scenario, and together work out a solution.

First: Work on improving and developing the skills needed to execute the solution, to prepare for the Backward Designed Drill.

Second: Implement the Backward Designed Drill or Game.

The Backward Designed Drill/Game

The objective is to put the players back into that moment of the last game, in their respective quadrants of the field.

The coach should set up the drill as a small-sided situation (3v3, 6v4, etc.)

  • Set defined goals – place the players as if in the last game.
  • Restart the players.
  • Encourage creative play and let them try to solve it themselves.
  • Freeze play as needed in order to make suggestions for, but do not do so at the expense of point 3.

You might find each group of players will adapt different ways to play based upon their skills and abilities. That’s why it’s beneficial to let different mixes of players try the drill.

Your objective is to allow each player the ability to discover a better way to execute and play the game in that situation. Learn by doing it (with your help if needed). You might even learn more about the dynamics of team play among different groups of players. Let them explore different solutions and options to execute a better way to play. All good.

Ideally then, when faced with the same situation in another game in the future, your players will have learned to better react and respond to the situation, and will do so with quicker play and greater confidence