Scott Benbow

@MyCoachJourney @CS_26224 Your explanation itself here is flawed. If you had more people accepted who met the criteria, they would be able to take the learnings from the course & then apply them. Now your asking people to get different experiences many unpaid to simply get on a course.

I’ve seen a lot of unsuccessful UEFA A Licence applications posts the last couple of days, highlighting “flaws” in the selection process. I disagree. It’s taken me 6 years and multiple roles to go from completing the UEFA B Licence, to being accepted at the 3rd time of trying…

@MyCoachJourney @ChisieWeirdo The more elite it is perceived to be, not more elite it is. Just because you charge more & include less knowing there are enough desperate coaches willing to pay the fees.

@RJPcoach If you get the second part right, the first part will happen even if your technical knowledge isn’t great

⚽️ HOW DO YOU DEFINE an effective coach? For me, it’s a coach that enhances a child’s ability & desire to learn. P.S this isn’t done with drills, it’s done by you as the coach!

⚽️ COACHES, want your players to become more effective decision makers? Restrict space & time rather than touches. Limiting touches, limits the number of decisions to be made.

@Paulmcg8 Imagine if the touch limit was dictated by the opposition players during a training activity, rather than by the coach?

👶I LOVE OUR TOTS SESSIONS, what better introduction to football than in our football paradise. The children love our inflatable pitch!

🤔 FOOD FOR THOUGHT, when picking a football team, do you lean towards; A: Pick the best players available & fit them into positions. B: Pick the best players in each position even if they are not one of the best players.

👶 WEEKENDS = TOTS TIME! Where we introduce children 18m - 5yrs to the beautiful game, in our giant inflatable pitch. Seeing the smiles on adults & children’s faces make it all worth while.

@Softtop_67 @CoachDSMJ I believe every coach should know how we learn, after all that’s the aim of our role in youth sports. Like I said most people within the youth football world do not know this, it’s not something that has been widely translated from science into the coaching environment.

@ScottB_FFF @CoachDSMJ its that not the job of USSF education or a DOC to put the structure in place. Not sure every u8 coach needs to know the why but more be able to execute within a framework

This is absolutely how I feel as well. I truly feel that we try to teach the right things, and it is not that there aren't very knowledgeable and capable youth coaches, it just so obvious to me that of the things we can control about player development, we aren't successfully developing enough of them. Said differently, the % of total players we teach that reach high quality performance is very low. The culture of our nation is a factor, the distraction of the players and their families is a factor, but are we truly affecting young players so they fall in love with the game and the process of seeking greatness in all aspects of the game? No. I literally just coached a U10 boys match. And much like every other grassroots travel game - there was probably about 3 or 4 players out of the 24 total kids that were there, displayed true talent and love of the game. You think, "Oh wow - those players truly have a real chance!" But fast forward a few years, when they're a bit older and there are certain expectations of their capabilities. Even the ones we'd select for ODP or select teams, etc. .... the shocking truth is that there will still only be 3 or 4 that can still display true understanding and mastery. So, to me, it is no surprise that college games look like the players aren't a product of quality coaching.

🚨UNPOPULAR OPINION ALERT! Most 1-2-1 football coaching is not effective for learning. Meaning it is definitely not value for money! There are some exceptions, but not many. Change my mind!

😁 I LOVE CREATING ENVIRONMENTS for children to play football with smiles on their faces. We are slowly seeing less and less of these environments in youth football.

🤔 THURSDAY THOUGHT, as a coach, if you believe we all learn in different ways, then you’re already at a disadvantage! Ask yourself, ‘Do I know how we learn?’, the process our brain uses & the changes that happen within our brain.

@CoachDavidBaird Simple & easy to follow. For me, it’s following the process of learning & working with, not against our brains for this process. This will shape behaviours environments & activities.

Generally speaking my approach to coaching children boils down to: ⚽️ Touches, Touches, Touches 🥅 Small-Sided Games 🗣️ Voice And Choice A simplistic approach to develop skilful, confident children who love the game ❤️

@coachajkings You forgot some lessons; - How to avoid future situations - How to blame effectively - How to say what people want to hear Failure doesn’t teach us anything, it offers us the opportunity to learn, the difference is are we aware or on autopilot.

Kelvin Sampson said, “The first step on the ladder of success is always failure. Immature people don’t deal well with failure. Immature people don’t understand that there's going to be failure.” Failure can be a great teacher; it's where growth begins. 8 Lessons from Failure👇

🤔 WHAT DOES AN EFFECTIVE YOUTH COACH look like? What can I expect to see at training? How do I know if a coach is effective, what’s your criteria?

⚽️ WHY DO COACHES wait until the end to play matches at training? Arrival matches offer so much; - It’s the reason the children play - Allows us as coaches to give each child a warm welcome - sets children up for next activity How do you start training?

@MCameron008 If you have any questions connection with the children, they believe in you and feel they belong, they are not going anywhere unless it's a big step up & even then they will be torn

youth coaches: if you’re worried your players may leave your team for (what you’d consider) an equal or lesser club, ask yourself why if you’re worried they’ll leave for (what you’d consider but won’t say out loud) something better, you don’t have their best interests in mind

@Don_K_Williams In many cases players reach these levels despite having that coach!

I get what they are trying to say but… I don’t like when a coach says: “I’ve produced all Americans, pro players” etc As if players are some product off a production line Coaches guide, teach, help, mentor & lots of other things. But players are the ones doing the work