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The game of football is about decision-making and the skills needed to make the best decisions in complex and ever-changing situations. But the game of football is also getting faster and more physical. The games are more tactical with teams being better organized, and players getting less time and space to execute these decisions.
How does this development translate to talent identification, player development, training and coaching? Interesting topics for us as coaches but let’s focus on developing better decision-makers.

To develop players that make better decisions, we must first understand how players make decisions. Decisions find their origin in the brain. The brain acquires and collects information and processes this through a communication between the prefrontal cortex (working memory) and the hippocampus (long term memory) and a web of other connections. It then understands the relevance of the information, weighs the options and then makes a decision. Without making this a science lesson, let’s focus on football decisions again.

In football situations, players anticipate, perceive and analyse. This is a parallel process and
takes place in milliseconds. The next steps are deciding and executing (of the football action).
The better the first 4 steps of the decision-making process, the better the ex*****on (or choice) To understand this circle of decision-making is to understand how to improve and develop this process. So how can we create an environment of training and coaching where the ex*****on of good (and better) decisions takes place.


Most decisions are made without the ball, in interacting with the environment (teammates, opponents, ball, space). But when we focus on the player with ball:
Can players execute without the proper technical abilities?
Technique is still the basis for football. Yes, it is impossible to separate technique and decisions making but for me, technical superiority makes for tactical flexibility. Players should feel comfortable on the ball in any football situation. Their focus should be on anticipating, perceiving, analysing and not on the struggling technical abilities.

Let’s focus on the circle of decision-making and describe the different phases.
During a match (or football situations in training) players are always switched on (or at least, they should be). Anticipating means that they are looking into the future, expecting things to happen, sometimes even predicting what may happen. Perceiving in the football context means seeing and understanding what happens around us on the pitch (95% of what we perceive is visual, the rest by hearing, feeling) followed by analysing, or giving meaning to what we perceive. A lot of what we analyse is through pattern recognition. The past phase before the ex*****on is the decision. The moment we decide or commit to execute followed by the ex*****on of the football action itself (or interaction with the football environment).
While executing players are already anticipating, perceiving and analysing again. If in this process (right away or over longer periods of time) players learn from these decisions (good or bad), they are developing and learn to make better decisions.

How can we help players make better decisions. Next to this cognitive process of decision-making and the technical aspect there are a few other aspects we can utilize to develop players in making better decisions. One of the aspects is “positioning”.
Positioning we can separate into field positioning (tactical aspect: where do I position myself) and body positioning (how do I position myself).
The tactical aspect is meant to contribute but depending on many things such as the game plan, quality of the player (and his teammates), quality and game plan of the opponents, score of the game, etc. Video analyses and (team) training are the most suitable means to develop this. Video analyses and (team) training are the most suitable means to develop this. Body positioning is more individual but should allow the player the perceive with quality: how should I position my body so I can see more and therefore perceive more. Good body positioning also allows for better communication (verbal and non-verbal) and for scanning the pitch. Scanning should contribute to the circle of decision making. It’s not about looking but about seeing (seeing spaces, options, threats)

Training should be designed to facilitate decision making within a game context. Players should be challenged to make quick decisions in complex situations. We, as coaches should teach the players to reflect on these decisions. In the end, we want players that are able to make better quality decisions that contribute to their own development, their contribution to the game plan and the game result.

Roger Bongaerts 5-12-2023

Youth Development

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Extended Interview "5 questions" with Craig Scriven

1. What aspects do you consider most important in identifying football talent?

- The first aspect I look for in players is their technical foundation/ability. Players will obviously have different attributes in which they are stronger or more naturally able to learn and hold, but without a solid technical base, I find it hard to envision a player in the future years. The second part of player development is identifying their ceiling. How much opportunity have they to grow within themselves and the game? This is the biggest aspect for me. The technical ability gets you identified, the ceiling is where you may potentially reach in 3, 5, 7, 10 years.

2. What aspects do you consider most important in developing football talent?

- A player's mindset and openness to improve would be key aspects for me. Having talent will get you through the door into a club or environment, but how do you adapt to the situations you're placed in? The challenges that come with training and playing to develop? Another aspect would be looking to the support system around a player. Do they have the necessary people around them to develop? It's easy to support a child when things are going well, but how does the player handle adversity and more importantly, how do the people and often the parents handle it? Will the parents support the coaches working with their child? Or will they hamstring a coach and staff who are focused on development, by giving the child sympathy and contradicting messages? This is a key factor for me.

3. How do you measure the development of young players, age 6-18 years?

- I believe total development is producing a well-rounded person who achieves the fullest potential within their skill set. To attain this, you must have mile markers or graduating points for children to reach before they take the next step or progression.

We have a program at USSSA which focuses purely on the individual development of players, while taking the parents along in the journey. It's called the W.I.N. Program, standing for "What's Important Now" and we really dive into the ages mentioned. Our coaches and curriculum start at level 1 which is the 7-13-year-old player, breaking these age group into two segments (grassroots 1 & 2). Our goal inside the grassroots or foundation stages; is to give children the required skills, knowledge and understanding of their role as an individual player, before moving into the 14-16-year-old cycle, then 17-19 phase, which is more tactical, and team focused.

Regarding measurement, I would refer to Q2 first. You must identify the ceiling (potential) of a player and then create a plan for them with mile markers. Each player will vary based on position, genetic makeup, preferred foot, physical and psychological development period they're in. However, if we do not establish goals and markers from start to potential, we're unable to measure, track and record the development of a player.

4. How do children learn to play football (related to motor learning)?

- I honestly do not think we do a very good job at this where I live. I grew up in the U.K. but have lived and worked in the United States for the past 20 years.

In looking back on my childhood, every day off from school whether it be one day or a prolong period through school breaks, there was always a high percentage of time spent around football. Much of this was playing in unorganized environments and often with my peers, which could match me against someone who was older than me by five years or younger than me by four. So being able to adapt was key and finding ways to compete at both ends of the spectrum - vital.

For me, a lot of learning was self-taught through the mentioned unorganized environment or by watching games on TV. We would try and emulate what we saw in a professional game, being self-driven was a factor and natural learning occurred. I would say the first time I was taught how to play football correctly was at 16 years of age, before that, it was the environment I was either put in by my parents, or one I chose myself.

Today in America, it's a totally different experience from my mine as a kid. We program our children early and create a structured environment for them, notice I didn't say coach or teach. Too many times, children are placed into profit focused youth soccer programs at the beginner/entry/grass roots stage. Obviously, this is each family’s choice and right. It can often be due to lack of knowledge, but too many times, it's due to social pressures and perception of my child in "competitive soccer" vs "recreational soccer".

Like many countries around the world, the volunteer parent coach plays a pivotal role in the introduction of their child and neighborhood children into the sport, often not knowing a significant amount about the sport which they're coaching. Much of this time will be spent on game play, allowing children to learn the game and mirroring the unorganized environment stated earlier. It's an invaluable introduction.

This doesn't mean I'm against paid to play programs or environments, I fully support them if they're set up with a structure to develop the child. This is where the coaching and teaching aspect comes in. Teaching motor learning skills through sports is a complex process and there are significant phases to a child's development. Clubs and organizations which have these programs and do well by the children within them, play an extremely important role in the development and football learning of a young child. Much of the technical foundation noted in Q1, will come from early learning and application of motor skills as it relates to football.

So, finally getting around to the question; I think children need to learn in both unorganized and organized environments. These environments do not necessarily have to be within the same sport either in my belief.


5. What aspects should always be part of football training?

- This is another one where I could go on for a while. If you quickly dive into it without pinpointing an age of player or team, then you'd want to have technical base training in the session, some kind of 1v1 aspect, a finishing exercise and then there must be competing. I then take a step back and look at the session plan and I come to simply say that a training session must be enjoyable and rewarding to the player. The last two is how you keep children engaged, wanting to come to train, wanting to play the game and wanting to stay in the sport.

Craig W. Scriven
Vice President
USSSA

Former college coach at University of Rhode Island and Creighton.
Former director of coaching and technical director at U.S. based youth clubs

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USSSA Soccer

Vice President USSSA
Former college coach at University of Rhode Island and Creighton.

http://usssa.com/soccer

USSSA - United States Specialty Sports Association Empower our team and its partners with an unsurpassed platform to create and support world-class athletic events and sports programming to enrich and educate the lives of participants at all levels.

soccermeister.com 5 Questions

Sonny Silooy

AFC AJAX Amsterdam, Youth Coach
Former Academy Director, DC United (USA)

1. What aspects do you consider most important in identifying football talent?
- Depends on what age. A player of 6 years old can be taught a lot of technique. With slightly older players of 14-15 years it can be difficult to teach technique. Then the intelligence of a player becomes more important. At 18, the player must be exceptional. For example, Frenkie de Jong came to Ajax late and still had a lot to learn. So for me: coordination, technical and tactical skills and personality but all age related.

2. What aspects do you consider most important in developing football talent?
- Also this is age related but for me technique, lots of skills, passing/ receiving and the actions after that. Passing and receiving needs more attention, because even at the Dutch (Pro) academies it still needs a lot of work.

3. How do you measure the development and growth of young players, age 6 - 18 years?
- Start with the basics. Players come in at 6-7 years old. Look at what aspects the player makes progress in. (see question 1) Besides that you have to deal with various factors such as social environment, school, growth and parents and later even agents. Development comes in waves. As a coach you need to respond to this, but with all the information around the player.

4. How do children learn to play football (related to motor learning)?
- By playing outside, by having the right coach at the right age. (best coaches at the youngest ages) Learn the basics, learn to play the ball to the right color. Winning isn't important until 15-16 years. (or even older)

5. What aspects should always be part of football training?
- Technical exercises, soccer coordination, passing/ receiving. If you can't pass/receive you can't play together.

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5 questions

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5 questions on youth development. This time Tony Mee, Lead Youth Development Phase Coach,
Doncaster Rovers FC (UK)

1. What aspects do you consider most important in identifying football talent?
2. What aspects do you consider most important in developing football talent?
3. How do you measure the development and growth of young players, age 6 - 18 years?
4. How do children learn to play football (related to motor learning)?
5. What aspects should always be part of football training?

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5 Questions

by Mark Snell Mark Snell
Fort Worth Vaqueros FC
Academy Director (USA)

1. What aspects do you consider most important in identifying football talent?
- Technique, game sense and speed

2. What aspects do you consider most important in developing football talent?
- Training players in an environment that is game based and contextual

3. How do you measure the development and growth of young players, age 6 - 18 years?
- This is a very subjective question:
the youngest ages it should be measured on the perceived potential, older agest based on game performance along with potential

4. How do children learn to play football (related to motor learning)?
- Through small sided games SSG

5. What aspects should always be part of football training?
- The same elements that are present in a game: ball, goals, opponents, decisions

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