The simple aim of training is to oversee improvement.
That sounds obvious, but many coaches operate without a plan - scrambling to find something new and creative every session. This puts unnecessary pressure on you and creates inconsistent development for players.
Having a structured plan solves this. Once you have your framework, you’re relieved of the daily pressure to invent. You have a master template to work from.
Start With Your Vision
Before you can plan training, you need clarity on how you want to play.
Your vision shouldn’t be fixed permanently. As you grow and learn, certain players and moments will influence and add to your thinking. Be prepared to amend as you develop.
But having a clear understanding of your preferences is essential before you can lead a group of players.
Important: A vision is not a formation. It’s your preferences for style of play in attack, defence, and the transitions between. It also includes the behaviours, standards, and culture you want to create inside your club.
Once you have this understanding, you’re ready to plan how to transfer it from your mind to the pitch daily.
The Three Development Areas
Structure your programme around three main areas:
1. Improve Player Qualities
This is evaluation of your current players and their levels.
Questions to answer:
- What type of players do you have?
- What qualities do they need to possess to play in your vision?
- How are you going to improve them in training?
- Will this happen in individual sessions, small group sessions, or full team practices?
- Which staff do you need to help or delegate to?
- How will you communicate this vision to players?
- What key “buzz words” or sayings will you use to influence behaviour daily?
2. Improve Team Qualities
In line with your vision, list the team qualities needed to execute your playing style.
Start by evaluating: Does the team already display some required qualities? This helps you focus on what’s important right now and saves time.
Questions to explore:
- How are we going to attack? Possession-based, counter-attack, or a mix?
- How will we structure our defence?
- How do we react to losing possession?
- Does this change in different areas of the field?
- What type of aggression do I want my team to play with?
There are hundreds of questions you can ask. It’s all based on how you want the game played.
Having a list helps you structure training - what to introduce and when to introduce it.
Evaluation benefit: You know what you’ve worked on, and you know what’s next. So you understand that some areas will show more development than others at any given time. This gives you (and players) realistic expectations.
3. Prepare for “What If” Situations
This area is crucial and often overlooked.
It’s coaching within game situations and positively affecting your players’ decision-making in key moments. Without this development, you’re relying solely on player initiative in crucial moments.
Initiative is important for individual development. But for team situations, you need collective thinking - players moving in harmony, working together intelligently.
Common “what if” scenarios:
- Reduced to 10 players
- Playing against 10 players
- 1-0 or 0-1 with ten minutes remaining
- Team under sustained high pressure
- Bad referee decision leads to conceding
- Witnessing a teammate injury during play
- Moments immediately after scoring
- Moments immediately after conceding
- Various weather conditions
- Hostile playing environment
Discussing, coaching, and experiencing each situation gives players coping strategies. This is a significant part of team development.
The Relief of Structure
Once you have this programme in place, you’re relieved of the pressure to constantly invent.
When coaching a team, you’re taking them on a journey of improvement based on simple concepts that allow each player to express their personal talents within the team.
Key insight: In most cases, clarifying the style and each player’s role is more important than the specific practices used.
Give each person and the team a vision, and they’ll naturally take up their roles within training sessions. Freedom comes from clarity.
Language That Drives Behaviour
Develop sayings that capture your vision and influence daily behaviour.
“Own the pitch, own the ball”:
- Owning the pitch = energy, body language, work rate to control the pitch. One pitch - we’re going to control it.
- Owning the ball = being the dominant team with talented players and better playing style. One ball - we’re going to control it.
“Attack the game before you attack the goal”:
- Encourages players to do all the processes well (working hard, working together, playing smart) before linking it together to win.
These phrases become shorthand for complex ideas. Players hear “own the pitch” and know exactly what behaviours you’re expecting.
The Ultimate Test
A famous question from José Mourinho captures what you’re trying to achieve:
“Are we playing together? Or just at the same time?”
Your structured programme should develop the former - a team that thinks and moves as one, where individual qualities combine into collective strength.
Building Your Template
Create a template that covers:
- Your vision (style of play, behaviours, culture)
- Player analysis (current levels, development needs)
- Club context (facilities, resources, constraints)
- Season planning (when to introduce what)
This template becomes your reference point. Not a rigid script, but a guide that keeps development purposeful.
Ready to implement structured player development? The 328 Training Sessions provide a complete framework with progressive sessions for every development area.
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