360TFT Skool Blog Content - Scraped December 2025

This file contains all blog posts scraped from the 360TFT Skool community classroom.

September 2025

Why So Many Youth Football Sessions Don’t Stick

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As coaches, we’ve all been there.

You plan a session, you run it well, and the players seem to enjoy it. It looks sharp. The intensity is good. You leave the pitch feeling like it went well. But then matchday rolls around, and none of it seems to transfer. The movement you taught doesn’t appear. The skill you spent time on isn’t used. The decisions players make don’t reflect anything from training.

And you’re left wondering:

Why aren’t they doing what we worked on?

So, why do so many youth football sessions not stick?

It’s easy to chalk it up to pressure, game pace, or nerves. But if it keeps happening, we need to take a step back and ask a harder question.

Are we actually teaching in a way that sticks?

Activity ≠ Learning

One of the biggest misconceptions in coaching is that if a session is active, it’s effective. If players are engaged, moving, and enjoying themselves, we assume they’re learning.

But learning doesn’t come from activity alone. It comes from repetition, recognition, and connection. It comes from building understanding over time, not from isolated drills that live and die inside one evening’s training session.

Most youth football training is built around isolated moments. One week, you work on 1v1s. Next week, it’s playing out from the back. Then maybe it’s finishing from cutbacks. Each session feels valuable on its own, but the ideas aren’t connected, and the progression isn’t planned.

It becomes a sequence of unrelated lessons. Each week, players are being introduced to something new, but nothing sticks because nothing is reinforced. You’re resetting every session.

And that’s exhausting …… for you and for them.

The Impact of Disconnected Coaching

When coaching lacks structure, it becomes reactionary. You respond to the last result, or to what didn’t go well in the last session. You see something online and try it. You download a new drill and build a session around it. None of this is wrong in isolation, but over time, it leads to sessions that don’t layer, don’t link, and don’t lead anywhere.

This is what we call “coaching without a map.”

You’re moving, but not in a direction. You’re busy, but not building.

And the sad thing is, this isn’t a lazy coach problem. It’s often the coaches who care the most who fall into this trap, because they’re constantly trying new things, constantly wanting to improve.

But more ideas don’t mean more learning. More sessions don’t mean more development.

Connection does. Repetition does. Clarity does.

Why It Feels Like There’s No Learning (but They Are Enjoying It)

Let’s be honest, kids will enjoy most sessions. Especially if the session has some games, some competition, and a decent vibe. But enjoyment and development are not the same thing.

A player can leave training with a smile and still not have learned anything that will change how they play on Saturday.

What’s the Solution?

This brings us to the real issue. Session content isn’t the problem. Lack of coherent structure is.

The Game Model, and the coaching systems that flow from it, exist for exactly this reason. They give your coaching direction, not just drills.

Imagine knowing what your team needs to develop over a 16-week block. Imagine knowing that each session builds on the last, that every moment has a purpose, and that you’re not reinventing the wheel every single week.

That’s the difference. That’s why things start to stick.

If players aren’t retaining what you coach, look at whether your sessions are connected across time. Because isolated practice rarely transfers to the game.

Connected, purposeful coaching does.

How This Might Look in Practice

The Game Model gives you a structured path through 16 development themes, each linked to real match moments and realistic outcomes. You work through sessions that layer and reinforce, building familiarity over time.

Instead of isolated drills, you’re coaching game habits, the kind that repeat across weeks and appear in matches because they’ve been embedded in the right way.

Moment, Slice, Situation.

You train the moment in isolation. You see the slice in context. And then you build the full situation. That’s how learning sticks. That’s how we move from “I’ve seen that in training” to “I know when to do that in a game.”

It’s Not About Doing More. It’s About Doing It Better.

Most grassroots coaches don’t need more content. They need clearer direction.

This is what the 360TFT Game Model was created for.

If your current sessions aren’t sticking, maybe it’s time to stop blaming the players and start building something more intentional.

📘 The 360TFT Game Model

Where You Can Go From Here

If what you’ve read resonates with you, start here.

Get access to everything 360TFT has to offer inside the Football Coaching Academy Skool Community.

How To Run Better Rondos: A Guide For Real Coaching Impact

Rondos are everywhere now. Every coach uses them. But the truth is, most coaches are using them as a warm-up, a time filler, or a way to get players moving without really thinking about what’s being learned.

This post is different. It’s built around the Rondo Cheatsheet I put together, a tool I created to help coaches like you build rondos that connect to the game, that develop actual game habits, and that challenge players technically and mentally.

The Real Purpose of a Rondo

Let’s be clear: a rondo isn’t just a keep-ball activity. Or at least it shouldn’t be. When designed properly, it helps players:

I’ve used these variations in different settings, and I’ve used them with grassroots teams too. And when I see coaches still running the same 5v2 grid every week with no constraint or purpose, I know they’re missing the point.

The Rondo Cheatsheet: 8 Variations With A Purpose

Every rondo in this cheatsheet is included because it teaches something slightly different. It’s not about having 100 ideas. It’s about knowing when and why to use the right one.

4v2 Square – Builds shape and teaches players to support off angles

3v1 Bounce – Helps develop third-player movement and combination play

Directional Rondo – Adds goals or end zones to force penetration and switch of play

4 Goal Rondo – Encourages scanning, switching play, and recognising space

Overload Rondo – Manipulates numbers to focus on movement and balance

1-2 Rondo – Forces players to work on give-and-go combinations with tempo

2 Touch Rondo – Reduces time on the ball, encourages quick decisions

3 Team Rotation Rondo – Adds dynamic movement, rotation, and transitions

What they all have in common is that they’re designed to build a game habit. It’s not about ticking off an activity. It’s about sharpening the stuff that matters when the whistle goes.

How I’ve Used These Variations

I’ve used the 4v2 Square with players who needed help building that diamond shape under pressure. I’ve used the 4 Goal Rondo when working on playing out and breaking lines. And I’ve used the 3 Team Rotation format with older players to simulate constant transition moments.

Each one fits a coaching moment. That’s the key. You don’t throw these in randomly. You pick the variation that matches the problem you’re trying to solve.

Coach Prompts That Make The Rondo Stick

Too many coaches just let rondos run. The real value is in what you say while it’s happening. Use clear prompts like:

These aren’t lectures. They’re nudges. They keep players thinking, adjusting, and refining.

What Comes Next? Where This Fits In Your Coaching

If you’re building your coaching around clarity and structure, this is just the start. The rondo formats help players become more confident in possession — but it has to feed into the bigger picture.

Here’s where to go deeper:

📘 328+ Training Sessions for All Ages - Includes sessions for every age group and topic, including how to integrate rondos into full sessions with technical and tactical focus.

📘 The Complete Coaching Mastery System - Everything I have ever used in a Complete Coaching Mastery System. 12 Essential Tools in One Bundle, at a price that is waaaay less than if you bought each item individually.

📘 The 360TFT Game Model - This breaks down how every topic you coach connects, from ball mastery to match-play. It gives your rondos purpose inside a larger developmental journey.

🧠 Join the Football Coaching Academy Skool Community - Weekly breakdowns, live feedback, and access to other coaches refining their sessions. This is where we discuss the detail that doesn’t fit in a single blog.

One Last Thought

It’s easy to run a rondo that looks sharp. But the real work is in making it connect.

That’s what this cheatsheet is built for. And that’s what 360TFT is about, clarity, purpose, and helping you become the coach that builds habits that stick.

October 2025

5 Coaching Problems That Disappear In A Community

If you’re solving football coaching crises alone. 1,200 coaches have the answers for you.

The Sunday Night Reality

It’s 9:47 PM on Sunday. Training is on Tuesday. You’ve scrolled through Twitter for 40 minutes looking for session ideas.

Nothing feels right.

You’re tired of the same old drills. Your players are bored. You need something fresh, but you don’t know what.

So you cobble together a session from three different YouTube videos, hope it works, and promise yourself you’ll be more organised next time.

Then Tuesday repeats. Then Thursday repeats.

This is coaching in isolation. It’s exhausting, inefficient, and completely unnecessary.

Here are 5 coaching problems that vanish the moment you join a coaching community.

Problem 1: The Tuesday Night Planning Crisis

The Isolated Coach Reality:

What Changes In Community:

Problem 2: Tactical Questions With No Answers

The Isolated Coach Reality:

What Changes In Community:

Problem 3: Crisis Management When Everything Goes Wrong

The Isolated Coach Reality:

What Changes In Community:

Problem 4: Burnout From Coaching In Isolation

The Isolated Coach Reality:

What Changes In Community:

Problem 5: Never Knowing If You’re Improving

The Isolated Coach Reality:

What Changes In Community:

Stop Coaching Alone

The Football Coaching Academy gives you solutions for:

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Effective Team Management

Managing a grassroots football team isn’t just about the tactics. It’s about keeping everything—from your sessions to your squad—organised, connected, and moving in the right direction. If you’re balancing players, parents, match days, and training while trying to develop your team, you’re not alone. Good management makes it easier. Great management transforms your team.

In this guide, we’ll walk through the key strategies every grassroots football coach should know—from goal setting to game-day logistics—and how to simplify it all with digital tools that actually work.

1. Set Clear Goals and Objectives

You can’t build something great without a plan. Whether your goal is development, competition, or fun—make it visible. Share it with your players. Make it real for the parents. When everyone understands the purpose, your coaching becomes more focused, your sessions become more intentional, and your players show up with greater clarity.

Ask yourself: Do your weekly sessions help you hit your team’s long-term goals? If not, it’s time to adjust.

2. Use Football Team Management Software That Saves You Time

You don’t need to spend hours in WhatsApp groups, Google Sheets, and email chains. Football team management software streamlines all of that—scheduling, availability, matchday planning, and communication. One tool. One place. Zero mess.

Core features to look for:

If you’re managing a youth or grassroots team, Your Football Team Manager by 360TFT gives you the features that actually matter—without the noise.

3. Implement Grassroots Football Tools that Fit Real Coaching Life

Grassroots football is fast-paced, volunteer-led, and full of moving parts. The right management tools should help, not add complexity. You need a system that lets you:

Once you have that foundation in place, you’ll spend more time coaching and less time chasing logistics.

4. Use a Dashboard to See the Bigger Picture

Your team isn’t just a list of names. A proper team dashboard gives you a bird’s-eye view of who’s available, what’s coming up, and how everyone’s performing. Visual tools—charts, schedules, colour-coded availability—make decisions quicker and reduce the stress of last-minute changes.

Why it works:

5. Communicate Like a Pro (Without Sending 87 Texts)

Clear, timely, and direct communication is your superpower as a grassroots coach. But it can also be your biggest time drain—unless you automate it.

Top communication habits for grassroots coaches:

Most software now includes direct messaging, push notifications, and even read receipts. It’s time to stop repeating yourself.

6. Monitor, Review, and Adapt

Every season, every month, every week—you’re learning something new about your team. Don’t let it go to waste. Build review into your process. Ask for feedback. Adjust. And repeat.

Reflection builds trust. Adaptability builds results.

Conclusion

Managing a grassroots football team doesn’t have to feel chaotic. With the right mindset and tools, you can run your team like a well-oiled machine—one that builds player development, parent trust, and coaching confidence.

Whether it’s Football Team Management software, grassroots-specific tools, or a visual dashboard, the tech now exists to make your life easier. Combine that with strong communication and flexible review systems, and you’re ahead of 90% of coaches at your level.

Join the Coaching Community That’s Built for You (and includes the Your Football Team Manager app as part of your subscription)

Training On Your Own

Does anyone remember their younger days? Football in the streets or a park from first light to last. We all have fond memories of those days, but drive past any park today and, likely, there won’t be a football in sight! You will also struggle to find anyone playing in the street. Kids don’t do that these days.

Thinking back to my youth, we played matches against each other all the time, which were usually 20 kids versus another 20! We also, to pass the time and beat boredom, played informal football games like Worldy, Wally, and Headers and Volleys. We may not have realised it at the time, but those games taught valuable football lessons, and again, I don’t see many kids playing them these days.

Instead, there are a number of kids who play football several nights a week via coaching sessions, which are usually fun, safe and well-structured. Here they learn to a curriculum or plan, facilitated by adults.

However, by learning and only playing football this way, are kids missing out by not playing informal games with their friends in an unstructured environment?

As kids are obviously still playing matches on Saturdays and Sundays, this post focuses on the technical areas those informal games encouraged. It also details where kids are perhaps missing out compared to the previous generation.

The post isn’t all doom and gloom though; it also provides helpful hints on how the technical areas can be replicated at home on an individual basis (where possible) using some basic equipment. Sometimes you just need a ball!

World Cup/Worldy/Cuppy/Wembley

This game went by many names, but the premise was always the same. There was one goal and one goalkeeper, and each player was their own “team”. It sometimes took 15 minutes for each individual player to tell the group their “team” name!

The rule was simple: you had to score 1 goal to go through to the next round, and the last player to score was eliminated. This process continued until there were two players left and then two goals had to be scored in the final to win the World Cup.

So, what did this game encourage?

Pulling the Ball Out of The Air - The game would always start and restart with the goalkeeper either throwing or kicking the ball into the air. The player who could pull the ball out of the air properly was the first to get the ball and the first to attack. When you are watching your next grassroots game, you will see the number of kids who struggle with this skill these days.

Replicating this at home is simple. Throw the ball in the air and control it with the top of the foot. When doing so, make sure you don’t bring your foot to the ball, let the ball come to your foot, and make sure you withdraw your foot on contact, so the ball is cushioned. Alternatively, juggle the ball, which will really help your touch.

Dribbling and Finishing Skills - As each player was on their own, they had two choices in this game: dribble their way through everyone or hang about the goal (be a “goal hanger”) and get on the end of rebounds. The dribblers had to get past multiple people before getting their shot away. To do this, you didn’t learn lots of moves; you perfected one or two and applied them over and over again in the game. You also worked on finishing while on the move.

To replicate this at home, throw down some cones (or jumpers, shoes, anything!) and dribble around them. Try to go as fast as you can while keeping control of the ball. You can also access our 360@HOME app – packed with individual exercises and challenges for players of all levels.

Being Fatigued - Dribbling around multiple defenders was tiring stuff. You still needed to have enough energy at the end of the dribble to produce a quality finish. If the finish was too near the goalkeeper, and he saved the shot, the goal hangers would “steal” your goal and go through to the next round!

When you are doing any training, make sure you do it at 100% so that not only are you learning, but you are tiring yourself out while doing so. This will help your fitness and make sure you have enough energy in the later stages of matches.

Awareness - When trying to dribble around multiple players, you needed to be aware of where the space was and where the other defenders were. If you weren’t aware of these things, then as soon as you got past one player, the next player was taking the ball off of you.

Defending - Only one player at a time had the ball; the rest were defenders. During the games, some defenders were pressing and some were covering. This wasn’t coached, but came naturally as if everyone pressed, then the faster players just used their speed to get past all defenders.

You also practised your tackling skills, but not your slide tackles, as you didn’t want to win the ball while lying on the ground! You needed to win the ball standing up (block tackles) so you could attack immediately after winning it.

Wally/One-Touch

This game only required a ball and a wall (or other hard surface). The rules were simple: each player took turns at kicking the ball against the wall. If a player missed the wall, they got a letter of the word WALLY, and when a player received all the letters, they were out of the remainder of the game. The winner was the last player remaining.

This game encouraged the following:

Speed - Your foot speed had to be fast in this game to reach the ball before it got too far away from the wall. The game also made you think about your football movement (shuffling side-to-side). Practising toe taps on the ball will improve this area as well. See how many you can do before getting tired.

Balance - You needed to have good balance when reacting to where the ball went and to pass it off the wall on the move. You can juggle the ball, which is an excellent way to improve balance.

Touch - This one is self-explanatory: when the ball came off the wall, your first touch was worked on when you returned it. Your touch had to be perfectly placed or it was an easy shot for the next player. Use a wall or rebounder and keep kicking the ball off of it to work on your touch.

Accuracy - If you could hit the edge of the wall, then the next player had a difficult shot. If the shot was too close to the middle, then the next player’s shot was easy. You needed to take risks and aim for the edge of the wall, which worked on your accuracy of pass and shot. Football skittles is a good way to improve accuracy. Place a spare ball on a cone and step back 20 – 30 yards, aim for the ball and try to knock it off the cone with a pass/shot.

Headers and Volleys

Very simply, one player crossed the ball, and the other players attempted to score with a header or volley. The last player to score was eliminated or became the crosser.

This game encouraged the following:

Crossing - The player crossing the ball was getting lots of practice at crossing. The crosses needed to be in the air and accurate, or you wouldn’t get to be the crosser and just get eliminated from the game, which was not fun!

Reading Crosses - When the cross came in, you got lots of practice at reading the cross so you could meet it with a header or a volley. If the cross was behind you, then you had to adjust your position to meet it.

Headers and Volleys - To score from a cross with a header or a volley took good timing, good technique and plenty of practice. These days, lots of kids run out of the way of the ball when it is crossed!

Reading crosses and practising headers and volleys at home is difficult. If you have a parent or friend to help, then they can throw the ball in the air from a crossing position for you to practice this. Please be careful with headers and follow your national association’s advice before heading the ball.

The Need to Practice

Children are spending less time outdoors when compared to their parents, so naturally, kids are getting less unstructured playing time. The attraction of new entertainment delivered via technology, and a changing society, are playing a part in this, as well as grass pitch closures.

These factors can be overcome, using some of the coaching tips above and any other ones you can think of. This will help them practice some of the under-coached areas that the older generation practised naturally through playing games.

What do you think? Is there still a need for kids to play and learn, away from a structured coaching session, or are they getting all of the football education they need in these environments? Let us know in the comments.

Want more unstructured ideas that teach structured techniques? Join 1,200+ coaches and parents inside the 360TFT Coaching Community.

Top 8 Small Sided Games That Actually Improve Your Players

If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you already use small sided games (SSGs) in your sessions. But here’s the problem I see all the time – the format looks right, but the outcomes don’t land. The structure is sound, but the learning isn’t sticking. Players just run around. There’s no coaching moment. No game transfer.

This blog is about fixing that. I want to walk you through the 8 SSGs featured in my Small Sided Games Cheatsheet – why I chose them, how I’ve used them, and most importantly, what they teach your players. Each one is built with purpose, simplicity, and game realism in mind.

Why Small-Sided Games Work (When They’re Coached Properly)

SSGs give your players:

But they only deliver if you coach the key moments. The best SSGs aren’t just about playing. They’re about solving – solving space, pressure, tempo, and movement. That’s what this cheatsheet is designed to highlight.

The 8 Games and Why They Matter

1. 1v1 to Goal – Dribbling and Finishing One player attacks, one defends. There are two goals at either end. Players must beat the opponent and score. Simple format, high repetition. I’ve used this to sharpen finishing in tight spaces and help players get more confident attacking defenders directly.

2. 2v2+2 – Playing Off Movement Two teams of two with two neutral players (one at each end). The focus here is on support play, angle of movement, and combination. This format is ideal for coaching players on how to use bounce passes, third-man runs, and timing their support.

3. 3v3+1 – Defensive Compactness and Pressing Three versus three with a joker player who plays with whoever has the ball. The extra player gives the team in possession an advantage, and that forces the defending side to either press together or collapse space. I’ve used this to coach shifting, timing of pressure, and how to play out from overloads.

4. 4v4+2 – Switching the Point of Attack Two neutral players act as bounce players on each side. The goal is to break pressure by playing through and around. This is brilliant for coaching width, switching play, and using the third man to escape tight areas.

5. 5v5+2 – Central Overload One joker player in the middle acts as a pivot. Teams must play off this central point to link play. What I love about this one is it teaches players to recognise when to play into central zones and how to use a support player efficiently under pressure.

6. 6v6 – Finding Pockets in Tight Spaces No jokers. Just two teams of six in a tight pitch. Ideal for developing scanning, first touch under pressure, and support movement. I’ve used this to help players adjust to faster decisions and learn to stay calm when space is restricted.

7. 7v7+1 – False 9 Play and Central Support This format uses a joker as a central support. Think of it like a false 9 or advanced pivot. It works best when you’re developing ideas around linking midfield to attack. Great for creating and exploiting central overloads.

8. 8v8+2 – Coordinated Pressing This one requires real team organisation. The ball starts on one side of the pitch and can only be transferred across through the jokers. Defending team must shift, screen, and anticipate. Brilliant for coaching rest defence, pressing triggers, and group compactness.

How To Coach These SSGs Effectively

Each of these SSGs can look chaotic if you let them. The key is to use short interventions. Freeze, ask questions, reset. Use prompts like:

I’ve found that these short, focused questions stick better than long explanations. Players stay involved and reflect in action.

How This Fits Into Your Week

Small sided games are best used either to begin a session with intensity or to finish with competition. I’ve also used them as the core of a whole practice – especially when working on decision-making, positional roles, or conditioning through game-based work.

You can layer rondos or technical patterns before these, or follow them with match play. The key is that these formats don’t require loads of setup. You get maximum outcomes with minimal time wasted.

Final Word

The SSGs in this cheatsheet aren’t magic. They’re not flashy. But they work. Because they create pressure, force decisions, and replicate the things players actually face in a game.

Pick one. Coach it well. Keep the outcomes front of mind. And build sessions where your players aren’t just active – they’re learning how to play the game.

The Complete Striker Movement Guide

Most coaches think striker training starts with finishing. They’re wrong.

Walk into any grassroots training session and you’ll see strikers lined up taking shots at goal from static positions. Meanwhile, the real game-changers—the movement patterns that create those opportunities—get completely ignored.

After working with over 500 players through 360TFT and training alongside professional strikers at Arbroath FC, I can tell you this: movement off the ball is what separates strikers who occasionally score from those who consistently find the net.

The elite strikers I’ve coached don’t just finish better—they create more opportunities through intelligent movement. They understand that every run, every dummy, every perfectly timed drift has purpose.

Why Most Striker Training Fails Before It Begins

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: we’re teaching our forwards to be passengers in their own game.

Traditional striker training focuses on the moment the ball arrives—shot technique, first touch, composure. All valuable, but they address maybe 5% of what a striker does during a match.

The other 95% is movement.

Think about it: how often does your striker receive the ball in the penalty area? If you’re honest, probably 3-5 times per game. But how many runs do they make? How many times do they create space for teammates? How often do they drag defenders out of position?

This happens dozens of times every match, yet most coaches spend zero time developing these skills.

The Movement Gap in Youth Football

I’ve analysed hundreds of youth matches through my work with 360TFT, and the pattern is always the same:

The result? Strikers who can finish in training but go invisible during matches. Players with ability who can’t find space against organised defences.

The Four Essential Movement Patterns Every Striker Must Master

Through analysing professional games and training hundreds of strikers, I’ve identified four fundamental movement patterns that create the majority of goal-scoring opportunities:

1. The Depth Run

2. The Drop Movement

3. The Lateral Drift

4. The False Movement

Reading the Game: What Elite Strikers Look For

Movement without context is just running. Elite strikers read defensive setups and choose movements that exploit specific weaknesses:

Centre-Back Positioning:

Goalkeeper Awareness:

Common Movement Mistakes and Solutions

Moving Too Early

Predictable Patterns

Ball-Watching

Individual Focus

Your Next Steps

Start implementing these movement concepts immediately:

  1. Assess your current strikers using the patterns outlined above
  2. Introduce scanning habits in every training session
  3. Practice one movement pattern per week until it becomes natural
  4. Film your sessions to analyse movement quality and timing
  5. Challenge your strikers to explain why they chose specific movements

Remember: great strikers aren’t born, they’re developed. Every elite forward you see dominating defences started with the same basic movements covered in this guide.

The difference? Someone took the time to teach them properly.

Your strikers have the same potential. Now you have the roadmap to unlock it.

November 2025

Learning One Position Versus Many

Why Youth Football Position Rotation Creates Better Players (The Science Behind Multi-Position Development)

Walk into some grassroots football training session and you’ll spot it immediately: the fast kid playing striker, the big kid in defence, the small technical player on the wing.

This isn’t coaching. It’s lazy categorisation that can stunt player development.

Position specialisation before age 12 creates players who define themselves by their role rather than their football intelligence. Yet across pitches, coaches continue making the same fundamental error: placing children into boxes based on what they see today, not what these players could become tomorrow.

The Hidden Cost of Early Position Labels

When you label an 8-year-old as a defender, you’re making a decision that affects years of their football education. Think about what this player experiences during those crucial developmental years.

They spend the majority of each match facing the play. They rarely receive the ball with their back to the goal. They avoid the chaos of midfield, where quick decision-making develops. They partner with one other defender against a single striker, missing the 1v1 and 1v2 situations that happen constantly across the pitch in small-sided games.

The FA’s grassroots experts emphasise that development should be inclusive, enjoyable, and developmentally appropriate for all abilities. Yet position-locking contradicts this principle entirely.

By the time this player reaches adult football, where receiving under pressure is fundamental, they’ve missed thousands of learning opportunities. The game gets faster, more tactical, with reduced time and space. Players who’ve only experienced one set of situations struggle to adapt.

The Physical Trap That Can Catch Coaches

Physical characteristics drive most position decisions at youth level. The logic seems sound: use what works now.

But here’s the issue: that small, quick 8-year-old might grow to be tall with average pace by 16. If they’ve spent eight years hugging the touchline or playing with their back to goal, they’ve never learned to read the game from central areas or cope with different spatial challenges.

Position rotation every three games allows players to experience different challenges while maintaining consistency for learning. This systematic approach ensures development across all areas of the pitch.

When teams transition to 11-a-side football, competition intensifies. Players who’ve only mastered one position find themselves vulnerable. Formation changes might eliminate their role entirely. Someone faster, stronger, or more technically gifted takes their spot.

The player who’s only learned one position must start their football education for a new role from a pressured situation. Results matter at this level. Many simply leave football behind rather than face this challenging transition.

The Weak Foot Phenomenon

Right-footed players who only play on the right side receive minimal touches with their left foot. Over three years, this creates a massive imbalance in technical development.

For younger players aged 5-8 years, coaches should emphasise fun activities that build fundamental motor skills. Playing on the ‘wrong’ side naturally forces players to use their weaker foot in game situations, where it matters.

The golden years of learning exist because children aren’t fazed by failure. They want challenges. Playing them in their strongest position eliminates this beneficial struggle.

How Many Positions Should Youth Players Experience?

The answer depends on your coaching philosophy: are you developing players or chasing results?

Coaches who keep players in the same role for three games before rotating create fairness while developing balanced players. This approach manages expectations whilst ensuring comprehensive development.

Strategic rotation addresses individual weaknesses. If a player rarely uses their weak foot, place them on the opposite side. If they struggle in attacking 1v1s, position them wide where these situations occur frequently. For defensive 1v1s, the reverse applies.

Using the STEP principle allows everyone to complete the same task whilst adapting rules for different children’s needs. This individualised approach within team activities maximises development opportunities.

Coaches brave enough to ignore short-term results and rotate positions systematically create players who understand every common game situation by adulthood. This long-term thinking produces better players than prioritising victories with under-9s.

Creating a Rotation System That Works

Successful position rotation requires planning, not random changes mid-game.

Clear rotation plans help manage player expectations and create perceived fairness whilst developing balanced players. Communicate the system to players and parents. Explain the developmental benefits. Set expectations.

The mathematics matter: calculate available positions across your formation, multiply by games played, and ensure fair distribution over time. Some adjustments remain necessary (you wouldn’t put a particularly small player in goal), but systematic rotation should be the default.

Making the Change

Position rotation challenges traditional grassroots thinking. Parents question why their ‘natural striker’ plays defence. Coaches worry about weekend results.

But development coaching requires courage to do what benefits players long-term rather than what looks good immediately.

Children arrive at sessions with different moods and energy levels, requiring coaches to encourage problem-solving and self-correction. Position rotation naturally creates these learning opportunities.

The evidence supports multi-position development. The FA recommends it. Player development research validates it. Yet implementation remains inconsistent across grassroots football.

Your players deserve comprehensive football education, not narrow specialisation based on what they look like at 8 years old.

“YouTube” Training Sessions For Your Own Team

Why Your Football Training Needs Structure (Not More Drills)

We’ve all met that coach, haven’t we? The one scrolling through YouTube at 7 PM, frantically searching for “best football drills” before tomorrow’s session.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: having a library of 500 drills means nothing if you don’t know when, why, or how to use them.

The internet has democratised football coaching in ways we couldn’t imagine 20 years ago. You can watch Pep’s latest training session, steal ideas from La Masia, or learn from the world’s best coaches, all from your phone. But this abundance has created a different problem entirely.

We’ve confused activity with progress.

The YouTube Trap

That session Pep runs with his £700 million squad? It’s probably not right for your U13s who can barely receive a pass without looking down at the ball.

Yet coaches everywhere are copying elite-level sessions and wondering why their players look confused, frustrated, and frankly, worse than when they started.

The issue isn’t the quality of the content online. It’s that most coaches are skipping the most important question:

What do my players actually need right now?

Age and Stage Isn’t Just a Buzzword

If your team can’t pass and receive cleanly, there’s zero point in drilling intricate passing combinations. It’s like teaching calculus to someone who hasn’t mastered basic arithmetic.

Youth players, especially those under 13, need time to absorb technical skills. They need safe environments to make mistakes. They need repetition, not variety.

Constantly switching themes because you saw something cool online doesn’t accelerate learning. It prevents it.

What Structure Actually Looks Like

Real structure isn’t about rigid session plans that never change. It’s about understanding progressions.

Before your players can play out from the back effectively, they need to master receiving with an open body position. Before they can receive with an open body position, they need to be comfortable taking their first touch with the back foot.

Each skill builds on the previous one. Skip a step, and the whole thing crumbles.

Here’s a simple example of structured progression for playing out from the back:

This isn’t rocket science. It’s logical development that respects how players actually learn.

The Four Benefits of Structured Training

  1. You Control Development - Instead of hoping players improve, you’re actively building their capabilities in a planned sequence.

  2. You Avoid Inappropriate Training - No more advanced drills with players who haven’t mastered the basics. Every session matches their current level.

  3. You Stop Firefighting - Reactive coaching, where you change everything based on last week’s match, kills consistency. Structure keeps you focused on long-term development.

  4. You Can Measure Progress - When you know where you’re going, you can actually track whether you’re getting there.

Context Matters More Than Content

Here’s another reality check: that slick passing drill you saw online was filmed on a perfect 4G pitch with academy-level players in ideal weather conditions.

Your reality? A bumpy grass pitch in February with kids who are more interested in the puddles than the passing pattern.

The best sessions aren’t the ones you copy. They’re the ones you create based on what your players need, given your constraints and conditions.

This is harder work than downloading someone else’s plan. But it’s what separates coaches from content consumers.

The Real Challenge

The internet has made coaching information abundant. What it hasn’t done is make it easier to know what to teach, when to teach it, and how to make it stick.

That requires a different kind of thinking. It requires you to understand your players, know your principles, and have a clear plan for getting from A to B.

It requires structure.

The coaches who get this right aren’t the ones with the most drills in their folder. They’re the ones who understand development, respect the learning process, and have the discipline to stick with their plan even when they see something shiny online.

Your players don’t need more activities. They need purposeful progression that builds their capabilities systematically over time.

That’s what creates actual improvement. That’s what develops players who can adapt and perform when it matters.

Ready to build a structured approach that actually develops your players?

The 360TFT Game Model gives you the complete framework for what to teach, when to teach it, and how to make it stick, from youth to senior football.

Challenge Your Players

How to Turn Mismatched Football Games into Development Gold (5 Proven Strategies That Benefit Both Teams)

The scoreboard read 6-0 at half time, and it could have been worse.

In youth football, mismatched games happen. Physical development varies wildly at grassroots level, technical abilities differ enormously, and sometimes you find yourself coaching the stronger team in a completely one-sided match.

Most coaches face this situation the same way: camp near the opposition box, score more goals, celebrate the result. This approach teaches nothing valuable and creates terrible habits for both teams.

The FA’s Youth Award emphasises development over winning, particularly at younger ages. Yet when faced with mismatched abilities, many coaches abandon this principle entirely.

There’s a better way. One that respects your opponents whilst challenging your players and creating genuine learning opportunities for everyone involved.

The Problem with Cricket Scores

When the stronger team dominates completely, predictable patterns emerge. Your players win the ball easily, dribble around a couple of defenders, and score. The weaker team starts launching long balls to relieve pressure, abandoning any attempt to play constructively.

These habits become ingrained. Your technically superior players never learn to break down organised defences. They develop lazy pressing because winning the ball requires minimal effort. The opposition learns that football is about clearing danger, not building attacks.

The development opportunity gets wasted for both teams. Your players coast through without being challenged. The opposition gets overwhelmed and learns nothing constructive about the game.

The Four Phases Solution

Every in-game challenge should align with football’s four phases: attacking, transition to defend, defending, and transition to attack. This ensures modifications remain football-specific rather than arbitrary restrictions.

When designing challenges for mismatched games, consider which phase needs development and how the modification creates realistic learning scenarios. This systematic approach maintains football’s core principles whilst levelling the playing field.

Strategy 1: Retreat to Halfway

When the opposition goalkeeper has the ball, instruct your team to retreat to the halfway line. This simple modification creates multiple learning opportunities.

The weaker team gains confidence from completing passes and progressing up the pitch. They experience what building from the back feels like when given time and space to execute.

Your team faces a different tactical challenge. Instead of winning the ball near the opposition box through individual brilliance, they must reorganise collectively. The easy full press becomes a disciplined mid-block that requires coordination and patience.

Strategy 2: Start from Defensive Zone

Each time your team regains possession, they must pass the ball back to a defender or goalkeeper before attempting to attack.

This challenge addresses a common problem in mismatched games: your defenders and goalkeeper barely touch the ball. Forcing play backwards involves all players and creates realistic game scenarios.

Strategy 3: Switch Before Scoring

Before your team can score, they must switch the ball from one side of the pitch to the other. This creates connections across different areas whilst teaching positional principles.

Players must position themselves correctly to receive the ball in central areas, then again to receive the switch pass on the opposite flank. This develops spatial awareness and timing of runs.

Strategy 4: Opposition Extra Player

Many local leagues permit the weaker team to add an extra player when trailing by five goals or more. This simple modification changes the tactical dynamic completely.

Your team must cope with being outnumbered, emphasising transition to defending and compact defensive shape. Technical players come into their own by taking opponents on to even up the numbers and create space for teammates.

Strategy 5: Position Rotation

When a player has scored multiple goals and your team leads comfortably, rotate them into a different position. This benefits individual development whilst reducing the goal margin.

Position rotation ensures players experience different game situations and spatial challenges. The natural goalscorer learns to create opportunities for teammates rather than finishing chances themselves.

Managing Mismatches Respectfully

Present challenges to your team before kick-off if you know the opposition is weaker. If the mismatch becomes apparent during play, issue challenges at half-time or communicate through your captain.

Frame challenges as development opportunities rather than ways to reduce scores. Your players should understand they’re practising skills needed against stronger opposition, not patronising weaker teams.

Beyond the Scoreline

Youth football development should focus on creating tactically intelligent players who can adapt to different game situations. Mismatched games provide unique opportunities to practise skills under modified pressure.

The goal isn’t to manufacture closer scores for appearance’s sake. It’s to use every football situation as a development opportunity that prepares players for higher-level challenges.

Next time you face a mismatch, resist the temptation to chase cricket scores. Challenge your players, respect your opponents, and transform the situation into development gold for both teams.

Why Football Tag Games Aren’t Just Warm-Ups

(8 Variations That Build Real Skills)

Most coaches treat tag games as throwaway activities. Something to get players moving before the “real” coaching begins.

This thinking wastes a massive development opportunity.

Research consistently shows that effective warm-ups reduce injury rates and improve sport performance whilst preparing both body and mind for increased exercise demands. But well-designed tag games do more than activate muscles and raise heart rate.

They teach players to scan and react, accelerate and decelerate, protect possession under pressure, and make split-second decisions in tight spaces. These are fundamental football skills disguised as fun activities.

The difference lies in how you structure the constraints and coach the learning moments.

The 8 Tag Game Variations That Actually Develop Players

1. Classic Tag - No ball required. One or two taggers pursue other players within a defined area. This activates scanning, spatial awareness, and movement quality.

2. Ball Tag - Every player controls a ball whilst avoiding taggers. This forces simultaneous ball control and environmental scanning under pressure.

3. One Ball Tag - Only the tagger controls a ball whilst pursuing other players. This develops controlled aggression and ball manipulation at speed.

4. Team Tag - Two teams participate, with one team tagging whilst the other evades. All players dribble throughout. Once tagged, players join the opposite team.

5. Shoulder Tag - Players without balls attempt to tap opponents on the shoulder. This builds peripheral awareness, body control, and athletic movement patterns.

6. Cone Steal Tag - Players must steal cones from opponents’ zones whilst protecting their own territory. Dribbling facilitates escape, whilst shielding provides defence.

7. Chain Tag - Start with two players linking arms as taggers. Tagged players join the chain, creating an expanding group that must coordinate movement.

8. Treasure Hunt - Players collect cones by dribbling to mini-goals, scoring, grabbing treasure, then returning to repeat the process. This creates controlled chaos that emphasises repetitive dribbling and shooting under light pressure.

Strategic Session Integration

Run tag games in 5-7 minute blocks maximum. Sharp, focused periods that link directly to session themes work more effectively than extended activities.

Example progression sequence:

Coaching Prompts That Add Value

Transform tag games from time-fillers into skill builders through targeted questioning:

The Real Development Impact

Well-coached tag games develop:

Stop treating them as throwaway time-fillers. Start using them as targeted skill-builders that set the tone for purposeful, development-focused sessions.

December 2025

Celebrating Success: Why Every Win Matters

Celebrating Success in Football and Life

Success is often seen as a grand achievement—winning a championship, scoring the decisive goal, or reaching the pinnacle of a career. But what about the small victories along the way? Celebrating success, no matter how small, is a critical mindset for footballers and coaches alike. It goes beyond just acknowledging big milestones; it’s about fostering a culture of recognition for effort, improvement, and intent.

This approach applies not only to football but also to life. By celebrating wins, no matter their size, individuals create a positive feedback loop that encourages continued effort, risk-taking, and personal growth.

The Impact of Celebrating Success

In competitive sports, especially football, the environment can be unforgiving. Matches often end with one team triumphant and the other defeated. This zero-sum mindset can seep into training, creating fear of failure and anxiety about taking risks. If players internalise this negativity, they may become hesitant, overly cautious, or fearful of making mistakes.

But the opposite is also true. Celebrating small successes can reshape an individual’s mindset, turning it into one of positivity and resilience. For instance:

Building a Culture of Celebration

As a coach, creating an environment where success is celebrated starts with professionalism. Here’s how to implement this mindset:

1. Prepare a Positive Training Environment

2. Recognise Effort and Intent

3. Give Constructive Praise

4. Model the Behaviour

5. Reinforce Positivity Beyond Football

A Personal Example: The Power of Sharing Success

Recently, I achieved a personal fitness milestone—bench pressing 100 kilograms. I celebrated by sharing the footage on Instagram. While some mocked my celebration, for me, it was a moment to acknowledge the hard work and determination that led to the achievement.

This act wasn’t about seeking validation, but about reinforcing a mindset: when you work hard and succeed, celebrate it. Small wins deserve recognition just as much as monumental achievements. This mindset fuels continued effort and creates a cycle of positivity and growth.

Conclusion: A Winning Mindset

In football, as in life, success is not just about reaching the top; it’s about recognising and celebrating every step along the way. By creating a culture where small victories are acknowledged and celebrated, coaches can help players develop a resilient, confident, and growth-oriented mindset.

Whether it’s a well-executed pass, a crucial interception, or a personal milestone, every success matters. Celebrate it. Because in doing so, you’re not just recognising the moment—you’re building a foundation for future triumphs.

Our Striker Clinic Course has a whole section on mindset and how important the mental game is in football.

Images Found in Skool Blog

Why So Many Youth Football Sessions Don’t Stick

Content scraped from https://www.skool.com/360tft-7374/classroom on December 11, 2025