Scoreboard Soccer E-Book

David Baird

• Herausgeber: Meyer & Meyer Sport
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022

Seitenzahl: 236

Beschreibung

Scoreboard Soccer develops players through play and praise. The Scoreboard Soccer concept derives from the belief that the environment created for players will influence the behaviors they will practice and refine over time. This book presents the fun, inclusive, and nurturing environments which can be used to develop young players' skills. When participating in a Scoreboard Soccer game, players will work in an environment that creates realistic game situations. The constantly changing scenarios support technique development, decision making, and problem solving. In these scenarios, the players have the opportunity to work on skills such as passing, dribbling, shooting, and tackling—all those skills coaches wish to develop in young players. What sets the Scoreboard Soccer concept apart from traditional training methods is the added incentive for players to demonstrate these positive behaviors: the scoreboard. The scoreboard is a fun challenge that can be used to encourage and reward player effort and involvement within the game. This book details the Scoreboard Soccer concept, coaching, and content. Also provided is a complete Scoreboard Soccer curriculum which can be used as a longer-term development plan. All coaches of young players need Scoreboard Soccer on their shelves!

Leseprobe

DAVID BAIRD

CREATING THE ENVIRONMENT TODEVELOP YOUNG PLAYERS

Meyer & Meyer Sport

British Library of Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Scoreboard Soccer

Maidenhead: Meyer & Meyer Sport (UK) Ltd., 2022

9781782555421

All rights reserved, especially the right to copy and distribute, including the translation rights. No part of this work may be reproduced – including by photocopy, microfilm or any other means – processed, stored electronically, copied or distributed in any form whatsoever without the written permission of the publisher.

© 2022 by Meyer & Meyer Sport (UK) Ltd.

Aachen, Auckland, Beirut, Dubai, Hägendorf, Hong Kong, Indianapolis, Cairo, Cape Town, Manila, Maidenhead, New Delhi, Singapore, Sydney, Tehran, Vienna

Member of the World Sport Publishers’ Association (WSPA), www.w-s-p-a.org

Credits

Cover and interior design: Isabella Frangenberg

Layout: DiTech Publishing Services, www.ditechpubs.com

Cover illustrations: Courtesy of David Baird

Bouncey Castle illustrations: Nat Jones

Interior diagrams: Courtesy of David Baird. All diagrams created by www.tacticalpad.com

Managing editor: Elizabeth Evans

9781782555421

E-Mail: [email protected]

www.thesportspublisher.com

CONTENTS

FOREWORD

PREFACE

TERMINOLOGY

ENVIRONMENT VS. INSTRUCTION: WHY SCOREBOARD SOCCER?

THE BOUNCY CASTLE: What IS SCOREBOARD SOCCER?

PRACTICE THROUGH PLAY: WHOM IS SCOREBOARD SOCCER FOR?

LONG-TERM DEVELOPMENT: WHEN SHOULD I USE SCOREBOARD SOCCER?

ENCOURAGE EFFORT: HOW DO I DELIVER SCOREBOARD SOCCER EFFECTIVELY?

THE CONTENT: TECHNICAL GAMES

Technical Game 1: Passing

Technical Game 2: Dribbling

Technical Game 3: Control

Technical Game 4: Shooting

Technical Game 5: 1v1s

Technical Game 6: Goalkeeper Distribution

Technical Game 7: Long Passing

Technical Game 8: Crossing

Technical Game 9: Volleys

Technical Game 10: Disguise

Technical Game 11: Throw-ins

Technical Game 12: Panenka

THE CONTENT: CREATIVE GAMES

Creative Game 1: Connect Four

Creative Game 2: Crossbar Challenge

Creative Game 3: Snakes and Ladders

Creative Game 4: Xs and Os

Creative Game 5: Find Nemo

Creative Game 6: Coconut Shy

Creative Game 7: Bananas vs. Strawberries

Creative Game 8: Egg and Spoon

Creative Game 9: Volcanoes vs. Spaceships

Creative Game 10: Indiana Jones

Creative Game 11: Splat Attack

Creative Game 12: Snowman

THE COACHING

The Coaching—Individual Technique

The Coaching—Attacking Scenarios

The Coaching—Defending Scenarios

The Coaching—Constant Transitions

THE CURRICULUM: STORYBOOK SOCCER

Storybook Soccer—Introductory Activity

SESSION 1

Component 1: Steering the Pirate Ship

Component 2: Rubies and Gold

Component 3: Progression of Component 2

Component 4: X Marks the Spot

SESSION 2

Component 1: Animal Soccer

Component 2: Find Nemo

Component 3: Find Nemo, Version Two

Component 4: Duck, Duck, Goose

SESSION 3

Component 1: Tag

Component 2: Traffic Light

Component 3: Police Car

Component 4: What’s the Time, Mrs. [or Mr.] Wolf?

SESSION 4

Component 1: Hitting the Cones

Component 2: Volcanoes and Spaceships

Component 3: Lava

Component 4: Volcanoes vs. Spaceships

SESSION 5

Component 1: Tail Tag

Component 2: Toy Story

Component 3: “Andy’s Coming!”

Component 4: Tidy the Toys

THE CURRICULUM: SCOREBOARD SOCCER

Scoreboard Soccer—Introductory Practice

SESSION 1

Component 1: Work Together

Component 2: Passing Scoreboard

Component 3: Keep the Ball

Component 4: Play a Game

SESSION 2

Component 1: Through the Middle

Component 2: Numbers

Component 3: Dribbling Scoreboard

Component 4: Score and Switch

SESSION 3

Component 1: Shooting Practice

Component 2: Shooting Scoreboard

Component 3: Dribble, Shoot, Defend

Component 4: Goal Bingo

SESSION 4

Component 1: Control and Pass

Component 2: Control Practice

Component 3: Central Target

Component 4: Control Scoreboard

SESSION 5

Component 1: Distribution Practice

Component 2: 1v1 to Goal

Component 3: Goalkeeper Distribution Scoreboard

Component 4: Play a Game

SESSION 6

Component 1: Master the Ball

Component 2: Switch Pitch

Component 3: Connect Four

Component 4: Play a Game

SESSION 7

Component 1: Passing Wars

Component 2: Team Possession

Component 3: Wall Player Game

Component 4: Coconut Shy Scoreboard Game

SESSION 8

Component 1: Moving With the Ball

Component 2: Indiana Jones Scoreboard Game

Component 3: Zone Soccer

Component 4: Panenka Scoreboard Game

SESSION 9

Component 1: Play a Game

Component 2: Small-Sided Games

Component 3: Four-Goal Game

Component 4: Play a Game

SESSION 10

Component 1: Dribble and Deliver

Component 2: Final Ball

Component 3: Wide Support

Component 4: Crossing Scoreboard Game

THE CURRICULUM: STRATEGY SOCCER

Strategy Soccer—Introductory Exercise

SESSION 1

Component 1: Transition Rondo

Component 2: Four Team Rondo

Component 3: 4v4 + 8 Game

Component 4: Passes Equal Points

SESSION 2

Component 1: 2v2 Defending

Component 2: 4v4 Defending

Component 3: Channel Game

Component 4: Play a Game

SESSION 3

Component 1: Passing With Pace

Component 2: Passing With Pace Progression

Component 3: Penetrating Passes

Component 4: Patient Build Up

SESSION 4

Component 1: Press the Ball

Component 2: Communicate and Press

Component 3: High Press

Component 4: Press as a Team

SESSION 5

Component 1: Combination to Shoot

Component 2: Shooting and Rebounding

Component 3: Score Then Save

Component 4: Area Overloads

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS

APPENDIX

FOREWORD

I have been fortunate enough to have had a long and successful career as a professional player, but I still consider my early days as a youth player among my fondest memories. A fun introduction to soccer with a coach who inspires and motivates their players to develop – not only as players, but as people – is invaluable.

When I met David in 2007 – when he was practically a youth himself – it was our shared passion for creating a fun environment in which to introduce young players to the game that brought us together. After hiring David as a coach, I witnessed his passion for providing children with opportunities to learn and play soccer. Fun was always at the forefront of his sessions, and those young players were desperate to come back, constantly asking for Coach David.

I am proud to see David has continued to develop his passion and, in writing this book, has shared his ideas with coaches worldwide. Furthermore, I am happy to endorse his terrific Scoreboard Soccer concept.

Not only does Scoreboard Soccer make sessions fun and inclusive, but it also provides a lot of opportunity for learning and individual feedback. David’s method allows the coach to instill key values by praising skill, effort, and attitude through fun games. Praising such behaviors motivates players to repeat them, and, in time, positive habits such as bravery, creativity, and communication form.

When David explained his concept to me, I was impressed at how much it relates to the modern game, which is chaotic and ever changing. At any moment, players may be faced with a 3v2, 1v3, or 4v4, and they need to react and respond to these situations. Scoreboard Soccer not only gives players ample opportunity to learn through practical experience, but it also gives the coach a chance to highlight methods that will help players take advantage of these situations in future games.

During a Scoreboard Soccer session, players work incredibly hard, cover a lot of ground, and try their best to receive praise from the coach via the scoreboard. Essentially, David has created an environment that facilities physical, technical, and tactical development without the players even realizing it!

If, as a coach, you want to provide young players with a fun environment that presents challenges aligned with their individual playing experience and ability, then I highly recommend Scoreboard Soccer as a concept that will develop youth into the players – and people – you’ll be proud of.

–Kevin Keegan

PREFACE

By 2015, twelve years into my time as a coach, I’d developed a strong admiration for the idea of letting the game be the teacher, particularly when working with young players.

During those twelve years, the players benefited greatly from a game-based approach to training, and the benefits heavily outweighed any drawbacks. But there were drawbacks. With my game-based approach, I wasn’t sure if the players were being challenged; if they were being supported; if I were happy with the behavior being displayed by all players; if everyone was having fun; or if this were the most optimal learning environment that I could create.

After five years of constant “design, deliver, refine,” I’m delighted to share with you the concept that transformed my previous answers to these questions into “Absolutely!”

I hope you and the players you work with enjoy Scoreboard Soccer and find the concept as fun and beneficial as I have.

TERMINOLOGY

Figure 1.

Key to terms.

Scanning: Continuously looking at the bigger picture as opposed to just focusing on the ball: Where is the space? Where is the opposition? Where are my teammates?

Rondos: A variety of possession-based drills that share a common theme of maintaining possession and keeping the ball away from an individual or from a small group who works relentlessly to get the ball

Playmaker: A player who plays for both teams, normally made distinguishable from other players by a different colored bib. They always help the team that has possession of the ball

Wall player: A player who has limited involvement in the practice or game. Wall players tend to be used as additional options for the team in possession to pass to in order to keep the ball

Bonus ball: A second ball added to a practice or game used to adda level of chaos or excitement or simply prolong the activity

Bounce pass: The act of using one touch to immediately return the ball to the player who passed it

Give-and-go: The act of a player passing to another player and then moving to a new area while receiving the ball back from them

Pitch: The area where a game or practice takes place, often referred to as a field or ground

Praised player: A player the coach highlights for doing something worthy of praise during a scoreboard game and sends to the scoreboard.

Football: Soccer

ENVIRONMENT VS. INSTRUCTION

WHY SCOREBOARD SOCCER?

Scoreboard Soccer is a curriculum that uses environment-based learning to develop young players.

As a coach, I’ve learned via many different methods, such as coach-education courses, working with others, and countless coaching hours on the pitch. But my coaching experience is only half of my learning journey. My life experience is the other half. Through a previous role, I learned how the environment around us affects our health and well-being and shapes our behavior.

Early in my coaching journey, I planned my sessions on preconceived ideas of what I thought all youth players needed to work on, and my delivery style was very instruction based. Yet I found that this didn’t get the best out of my players.

Here are some of the issues I found with taking an instruction-based approach to coaching:

•Coaching points may be dated.

•Information may be misunderstood, misheard, or unheard.

•Instruction may be boring or confusing.

•Invention and creativity may become stifled.

•Players may become dependent on the coach’s instructions.

When providing players with a lot of instruction,those players didn’t exhibit the behaviors I was hoping for, but rather, often, they exhibited the strong human behavior of defiance. If a young player demonstrates a particular behavior, they likely have a justification for doing so. If you challenge that behavior or decision, they may be more inclined to give you their justification as opposed to listening to your recommendation. A ten-year-old won’t be in the headspace of long-term development.

These shortcomings of instruction-based coaching are what led to the creation of Scoreboard Soccer. I realized that creating an effective learning environment could overcome these issues and bring to the surface the behaviors I wanted to see from the players.

Place a row of chairs facing a projector screen, and entering students will automatically sit and look at the screen. You won’t need to instruct them. The influence of physical surroundings can have a huge impact, and many organizations have been using this to their advantage for years, subconsciously influencing others to display desired behaviors through the environments they build around people: white lines on the road for us to drive within, tactical product placement in shops to entice us to spend more money, tours of whiskey distilleries conveniently ending in the gift shop, a 10 percent off coupon in hand. This list is extensive. Look around you. Many of your behaviors are programmed, thanks to your environment.

Once I understood this, I started planning sessions by considering the behaviors I wanted to see. As a coach, you may have some priority behaviors you want to develop and bring to the surface during a session. Here is an example of some behaviors I would be keen to encourage and develop in the youth players I work with:

•Running with the ball

•Teamwork

•Passing and moving

•Communication

Now that I know the behaviors I want to see, how can I manipulate the environment to promote, encourage, and praise those behaviors? Scoreboard Soccer provides a platform to do this.

Scoreboard Soccer allows kids to play the game and have fun, and their learning will accelerate when they’re enjoying themselves. Also, they’ll keep coming back, and over the course of weeks, months, and years, they’ll be able to be taught more intricate parts of the game. In my experience, the more time spent using tools such as small-sided games, Scoreboard Soccer, and game-related practices, the more competent players are when we look to implement more complex moments of the game, such as playing out from the back, switching play, and playing through the lines. Don’t rush to get to these topics; embrace the journey.

THE BOUNCY CASTLE

WHAT IS SCOREBOARD SOCCER?

Imagine having a group of ten- to fourteen-year-olds, all of different backgrounds, abilities, and attention spans, and trying to coach a session on jumping, teaching them about the benefits to their health and their joints, and asking them to bend their knees, explode off the ground, and jump continuously to improve technique and fitness. How long could you keep the children engaged in that instruction-based environment? Yet, take the instruction away and replace it with a bouncy castle, and I bet they would be much more engaged and enthralled, constantly jumping, laughing, smiling, and exploring—a lot of hidden exercise to improve mental and physical health. I’ve worked to make Scoreboard Soccer sessions to soccer what a bouncy castle is to jumping.

When developing Scoreboard Soccer and aiming to provide a learning environment conducive for long-term development, I consulted with youth football coaches regarding behaviors they wanted to see in their sessions and what barriers they’d encountered. Table 1 contains a summary of the most common answers.

Table 1

Desired behaviors and common barriers

My aim was to create environments that would encourage the constant repetition and learning of the behaviours coaches wanted to promote and, at the same time, avoid the common barriers to player development. All these behaviors shown in the table are ever present in the game of football itself. That gave me the starting point for designing my sessions: play the game.

Of course, we can amplify the learning for younger players by reducing area size and numbers on the pitch, to cater to their needs (i.e., play small-sided games [2v2s, 3v3s, and 4v4s]). This is the part of the concept that won’t be new to coaches. Small-sided games are a great way to nurture positive behaviors, as they provide goal-scoring opportunities, constant transitions, lots of touches, and loads of activity and fun. Yet where they often fall short is in the “Barriers” column. I found that when playing small-sided games the best player would have the lion’s share of the ball. Less-experienced players would have limited time and opportunities on the ball. This meant that some players were in danger of becoming disengaged and uninterested.

Scoreboard Soccer offers a new layer to small-sided games by introducing a fun scoreboard that runs in parallel.

THE SCOREBOARD: A MOTIVATIONAL TEACHING TOOL, RUNNING ALONGSIDE THE GAME

Here is an example of a Scoreboard Soccer game:

Set up two 3v3 small-sided pitches, with three players in red against three players in blue on each pitch. The scoreboard sits in the middle of the two pitches and is simply made up of four red cones and four blue cones. Play 3v3. When a player scores a goal, they come to the side of the pitch (while the game continues) and place a ball on top of one of the cones that match their team’s color. Then, the player quickly gets back on the pitch to help the team. The first set of teams (yellows or reds) to fill all four of their cones with balls wins.

This might sound simple, but the kids absolutely love putting a ball on top of the cone. It represents a fun pat on the back from the coach for doing something well and serves as a visual aid to show that the player is helping the team on the way to victory. The player can also see how far along the journey the other team is, which ramps up the competition and the fun.

When Scoreboard Soccer was in its infancy, it was purely meant to be good fun for the young players. But the more I delivered it, the more I found hidden benefits. For example, while a more-talented player was momentarily off the pitch to reward their effort, the other players had an opportunity to increase their involvement in the game, and the standard of my small-sided games in general lifted to a whole new level. Everyone wanted to get on the ball and score to be praised via the fun scoreboards.

But is goal scoring the only behavior worthy of praise in football?

A great way to cater to different ability levels is to praise not only goal scoring but also effort and attitude. Sarah may be a lesser player on the pitch, but when she passes the ball with the inside of her foot and the coach shouts “Fantastic, Sarah! Great pass with the inside of your foot! Come put a ball on the cone!” I can tell you from experience that Sarah will come back onto the pitch desperate to pass with the inside of her foot again. This is the case for all behaviors that you praise through your energy, your enthusiasm, and the scoreboard. In the following pages, I share more about this creative scoreboard. It has become known as Connect Four, and it was one of the first scoreboard games I ever used. There are plenty more to come throughout the book.

CONNECT FOUR

Figure 3.

Connect Four setup.

Figure 4.

Connect Four in action.

SCOREBOARD GAME

This game consists of two small-sided games with the scoreboard between the pitches. When a team scores a goal, the conceding team collects the ball and immediately continues the game while the goal scorer quickly goes to the scoreboard. But don’t send only goal scorers to the scoreboard. Throughout the games, if a player demonstrates positive play or behavior, you as the coach may praise this by saying “Well done” and sending them to the scoreboard.

The scoreboard in this game consists of four blue cones and four red cones, with a supply of balls nearby. The blue set of cones represents the blue scoreboard, and the red set of cones represents the red scoreboard. After a player scores or the coach tells a player to go to the scoreboard due to positive play, the player rushes over and puts a ball on one of their team’s colored cones. The first team to fill all four of their cones wins. This game involves collaboration between the teams wearing the same-color bib, and players will work hard because they know factors on the other pitch might result in them losing the game. When a team (both groups of red, for example) fills all four cones, they win the game. At that point, you may choose to reset the scoreboard and add the fun progression that the goal scorer (or praised player) can either put a ball on their team’s cone or kick one off the other team’s cone.

As always, be sure to let players know you won’t reward just goal scoring but also positive behaviors. Rewarding such behaviors will motivate players to repeat them. Scoreboard Soccer is designed to help in the holistic development of young people through praising and promoting characteristics such as teamwork, sportsmanship, and respect.

VARIATIONS

•Frequently varying the following four elements from session to session can help accommodate the number of players and can also combat monotony.

•Modify the number of players.

•Vary whether teams play with a goalkeeper.

•Vary the size or number of goals used.

•Vary whether you run one game or multiple small-sided games simultaneously.

The following are other ways you can vary games from session to session:

•Vary the length or width of the pitch to give players different problems and challenges.

•Introduce more cones at the scoreboard if you wish to prolong games.

•Progress by not only allowing players to add a point to their scoreboard but also allowing them to take one away from the opposition instead.

•Promote player autonomy by choosing captains who can praise players on the opposing team by sending them to the scoreboard.

PRACTICE THROUGH PLAY

WHOM IS SCOREBOARD SOCCER FOR?

As a coach, I’ve found many uses for Scoreboard Soccer. Amid warm-ups, skill practices, game-related practices, conditioned games, and a variety of other coaching content, Scoreboard Soccer is just another delivery method to add to your armory when coaching. In my current capacity as an academy coach, a grassroots coach, and a coach educator, I have used Scoreboard Soccer across many different teams and programs. I have used it during preseason for my adult teams. Small-sided games with competition can be a great workout and a good way to reintroduce players to the ball and football movements. I have used it for academy teams who need something fun and motivational after a heavy defeat. I have used it during school sports programs where I find there’s a real mix of ability because it’s a good way to challenge and support players of different levels. I’m therefore confident that the content shared throughout this book will be an asset to coaches at any level.

If I were to offer some advice as to who Scoreboard Soccer is most beneficial to, however, it would be for the players who need to play more of the game. All players will develop at different rates, but generally speaking, Scoreboard Soccer is the most ideal for players between the ages of eight and sixteen. There are a lot of players with big gaps in their development simply because they haven’t played enough football during this time frame. Speaking as someone who grew up in Scotland, the organic environment for learning to play football in years gone by was street ball. Now that the world has changed and street ball isn’t as prevalent, we need to supplement the hours of organized training with time dedicated to playing the game. Scoreboard Soccer is a great way of doing this. Coaches, parents, and guardians are sometimes eager to pinpoint specific things players need to work on. The player needs to scan more, move the ball quicker, or keep it under control. Sometimes it boils down to them just needing to play more. They need to be constantly exposed to opposition, transition, direction, and problem solving. This, of course, can be surrounded by individual or block practice to hone technique, but it can’t be neglected.

Let the players play. Player ownership over learning is crucially important. We learn to ride a bike by riding a bike. We learn to drive a car by driving a car. Let children learn to play football by playing football. As coaches, we are simply the driving instructor giving some guidance and making sure everyone is safe and learning within that environment.

Albert Einstein said it best: “I never teach my pupils, I only provide the conditions in which they can learn.” He also said, “Play is the highest form of research,” a quote that really resonates with me.

LONG-TERM DEVELOPMENT

WHEN SHOULD I USE SCOREBOARD SOCCER?

Expanding on the recommendation that Scoreboard Soccer would be most suitable for players between the ages of eight and sixteen, I will now discuss when Scoreboard Soccer could be used in a long-term development plan.

As with all the long-term development plans I’ve designed, it’s important to know where you want to go before implementing the steps to get there. It’s crucial that coaches recognize that the players in front of us are people before they’re players and that we, as coaches, play an important role in their all-round development. Through their training, they develop not just football skills but also confidence, social skills, and transferrable attributes, such as communication and teamwork, which they can take into other walks of life.

Focusing on football skills for the moment, I have a real passion for ensuring that players are participating in activities that are appropriate for their age and stage of development. I see too many players with gaps in their skill set through rushed development. Parents and guardians are often too eager to have their children play up an age division, and coaches can be too impatient to let kids problem solve through playing the game. I know plenty of coaches who preach long-term development but neglect practicing it after four or five heavy defeats.1

For the players I work with, I simplify the phases into three simple stages:

1.Love Football

2.Play Football

3.Learn Football

And there’s natural overlap between the three.

When faced with a group of players, I try my best to identify what phase they are in and implement appropriate sessions to accommodate their needs and best prepare them for the next stage. For example, with players within the age range of four to twelve, I find it’s crucial to develop a love for football, a love that may last a lifetime.

Once players have developed a love for the game, I look to give them a platform to play the game, allowing me to assess how far they can take themselves as players and what interventions I may need to make to further support them. Here are the key stages of a youth player’s development with the curriculums I deliver at each stage:

•Love Football: Storybook Soccer

•Play Football: Scoreboard Soccer

•Learn Football: Strategy Soccer

I deliver Scoreboard Soccer when players have already developed a passion for the game and are comfortably believing that football training is a fun, safe, and nurturing environment to be in. Scoreboard Soccer can then help give players a strong foundation of technical skills, game-based movements, and problem solving. Once this foundation has been formed, players are better equipped to learn and implement more-complicated parts of the game through my Strategy Soccer curriculum, which delves deeper into styles of play, formations, and tactics. In my experience, the more time spent in the Scoreboard Soccer phase, the higher quality that’s displayed during future training. On the flip side, I’ve seen a lot of frustrated coaches working with 15- and 16-year-olds who aren’t performing what’s being asked of them to the quality demanded from the coach, because they were rushed through earlier stages of the development process.

Figure 5.

A focus on the holistic development of the person and on having fun should be paramount throughout.

∗Players develop at different speeds; however, I’m identifying the ages I find myself delivering each curriculum to. You’ll notice an overlap of suggested age groups, and crucially, there’s an overlap of the key outcomes. Loving, playing, and learning football all go hand-in-hand throughout a player’s journey.

1. What’s your definition of defeat? Losing 10–0 in a development game for nine-year-olds or giving up on their long-term development as a result?

ENCOURAGE EFFORT

HOW DO I DELIVER SCOREBOARD SOCCER EFFECTIVELY?

For players and coaches alike, practice makes perfect. In my own experience, the countless hours spent designing, delivering, and refining sessions have been the biggest factor in my development as a coach. Players learn by playing; coaches learn by coaching.