Communication in football is such a diverse area, it's often overlooked in so many aspects. When we think of communication in any sport we imagine players shouting for a ball or signalling some intention... it goes so much deeper than that, and if you can master this mystical art you'll be well on your way to success but more importantly you'll be supported by parents, players and fellow coaches on your way there (maybe even a referee or 2). As we dive deeper it only seems right that we start on the pitch, the field where dreams are built, broken and enjoyed so often.
Matchbound:
On the pitch, communication has its own little sub-categories, we want players to talk, signal, make eye contact and listen, all rolled into one and whilst trying to read a game that they're still learning. So... lets break it down a little bit. It seems almost too obvious to start with verbal communication but we'll start there anyway, we often tell players they need to talk more in a game but football has its own language, a language that no-one's ever taught them, other than to perhaps shout their name if they want the ball. It needs to be broken down, teach them, heck even give them homework on it. Too often I stand at the side of a pitch watching as an 8 year old adopts a look of utter confusion on his face, after hearing his coach shout to switch the ball or squeeze the defender. It's little wonder they've never walked off the pitch to swap the ball or picked up and hugged a defender. Education is key here, there's nothing wrong with using these phrases but we need to make sure the players understand what we mean or we may as well be shouting in a foreign language. Teach them the words, what they mean, when to use them and you can bet your bottom dollar they'll start to use them more, or better yet you'll get a quicker reaction as you cut out the processing time where they ponder "what is coach talking about".
Signalling and eye contact often come hand in hand, we like a big gesture of where we want the ball and eye contact can help this. Eye contact is a potent form of communication, it's proven that it can draw someone's attention but lets dig deeper, if we're looking to catch our teammates eye, we're not looking at the ball, which means we're looking up, which you guessed it, means we can see more of the game and start to play without constantly staring down. The more comfortable players get at this the more they'll start to lift their head naturally and pick out that killer pass. Get really good and they'll be communicating with subtle eye movements of where to put the ball at a throw in or a little head nod to signal an overlap before you know it. Gestures are great to draw the eye and gives our teammate something to aim at, both of these bundled together not only develop better players but they develop more confident individuals off the pitch, winner!
Pitch side:
Okay, now it gets messy and I don't mean the electric little Argentinian that sets the pitch alight. This is where Coaches, parents and referees collide, sometimes quite literally. Key to pitch side communication is... quiet, I know, I know, a communication article telling you to be quiet seems counterintuitive. There's a reason football associations have started implementing silent side-lines, it stops the often pointless barrage of noise. Our players are so often torn between listening to coach or parent and I've been there a few times myself, but you absolutely need to have that awkward conversation with a vocal parent, as 9/10 times they will be shouting something you've not been preaching at training, herein lies another confused look from a player that just wants to play. Silent side-lines are excellent for fixing this, as it blocks out the noise and lets them play and learn from mistakes much more than having that over eager coach that is shouting every command under the sun, let them play, let them learn on their own, they'll remember it more and become more creative than a robot that goes where coach tells them.
There's a learning theme going on here, but not just in what they're doing on the pitch. Kids are like sponges and take in even the most embarrassing knowledge that we'd hoped they didn't notice. So when the referee that helps out part time for a couple of hours on the weekend gets a decision wrong, don't be surprised, don't get annoyed and certainly don't let it show. Be the example that you'd want to set for your own kids but strike a sensible balance. You need to set a mature role model but you also need to be someone they can trust and that will look after them... the standard of referees isn't always the greatest, some are fantastic and some just downright shouldn't be allowed near a pitch, but don't get frustrated or aggressive. Simply call your team in and politely explain that you feel their welfare is not being appropriately looked after so will not be continuing the match. What a message that sends, I've got this wrong once and wish I could go back and change my actions, the kids still remember it now. I wasn't abusive but I certainly didn't react in a mature manner that the kids can look up to, it is difficult to control emotions when your players are on the receiving end of some dangerous tackles but keep your cool and they'll thank you for it later.
We'll leave it there for now, hopefully this imparts some wisdom from my own experiences. More to follow on communication as we delve deeper into communicating with parents, setting expectations and even having positive communication within your own club.
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