AFCA Coaching Resources - May
WELCOME
A warm welcome to the 2015 season to our 12,000 strong members from the AFCA Victoria Executive and AFL Victoria Development staff who are supporting coach education and training throughout metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria.
Last year was a very successful one for the association culminating in the AFCA Victoria Coach of the Year awards dinner held in the Members Dining Room at the MCG. Hawthorn premiership coach Alistair Clarkson was an outstanding guest speaker and captured the room of over 300 coaches, their partners and football club representatives in attendance on the night. This event continues to provide an opportunity to celebrate football at all levels and to acknowledge the significant role coaches play in the development of individual players and teams.
More than 70 coaches were recognised by their regional AFCA branch for excellence in coaching and twenty finalists were chosen across five award categories, and the winners were:
Ray Allsopp Auskick Coach: Mark O’Brien – Casterton Auskick David Parkin Junior Coach: Brett Pollard – West Preston Lakeside JFC Stan Alves Youth Coach: Greg Shannon – Congupna FNC Peta Searle Female Coach: Kerry Saunders – Wyndhamvale FC Gerard Fitzgerald Senior Coach: Brett Moyle – North Ringwood FC
The Allan Jeans Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Ken Fletcher who coached Penleigh Essendon Grammar School for 25 years where he was instrumental in developing the PEGS Football Curriculum so that the school football coaches had a common philosophy, playing style and skill development model for their players.
The final award category was the Umpire Coach of the Year award to recognise the outstanding contribution that umpire coaches make to the development and growth of local umpiring groups. Congratulations to David Golby (Southern Umpires Association) and Jonathan Auditore (South Metro Junior FL) on being recognized for their work in the education and training of their umpiring teams.
The 13th annual AFL National Coaching Conference was held at Etihad Stadium earlier this year. On behalf of the AFL Commission and Executive, AFL General Manager - People, Customer and Community, Dorothy Hisgrove, welcomed the 400 coaches in attendance, stating that from an industry perspective the coaching conference is held in the highest regard. “In many ways it is a unique event in sport, with the coming together of AFL club coaching staff and community coaches from all levels of the game to present, discuss and exchange ideas for making the game better.“
Hawthorn triple premiership coach Alastair Clarkson delivered the opening keynote address, emphasising the importance of fun, relationships and small-sided games in successful coaching at any level. The centre-piece of the conference was a “Game Sense” coaching session conducted on Etihad arena on Saturday with coaches and players from the Dandenong Stingrays. The session was facilitated by one of Australia’s leading practitioners in this area, Shane Pill (Flinders University and West Adelaide FC), and Stingrays’ assistant coach Matt Jones, who is also currently engaged in the AFL High Performance Coaching Course, conducted the on-field practice session.
Be on the lookout for your regional coaching seminars organised and conducted by AFL Victoria development managers. Enjoy the first edition of your regional AFCA newsletter and good luck in season 2015.
AFCA Coaching Resources - May
Congratulations you’re coaching the Juniors!
Adrian Bromage - AFL Victoria FDM East Gippsland Steve Teakel – AFL Victoria Coaching and Umpiring Manager
Now that you have the coaching role – what do you focus on at training and game day? An important element of any coaching, teaching and learning environment is the curriculum which will guide the coaching and playing experience.
What are the age specific requirements for your group – what do they already know and what will you focus on this season to develop and challenge the group?
As the coach, with the support of the club coaching coordinator you may have curriculum in place which will guide your coaching and be refined over the season.
If you are not sure what to do and how to develop your coaching curriculum then here are a few tips to get you started. It is not just about ‘what you coach’ but ‘how you coach’ which is crucial to the development of your group: Coaching philosophy Team Goals Team Guidelines Coaching Curriculum
Coaching Philosophy:
Children participate in sport for a variety of reasons but primarily for fun, enjoyment and a sense of camaraderie. As a coach we are in the privileged position to assist them to achieve these goals. This is not a role to be taken lightly as their experience will have a strong bearing on whether or not they will have the confidence and skill to progress to youth or senior football at some time in the future.
At the centre of any junior coaching philosophy is player enjoyment and development and we as coaches must continue to build upon this foundation through maintaining a positive learning environment at all times
Fun: Football should first and foremost be Fun and this is a cornerstone of any Junior Coaching Curriculum. They should finish each session saying that they cannot wait for the next session. The players should be engaged, challenged and excited by the activities that we present. We greet them with a smile and we need to make sure they depart with a smile!
Footy Skills: At the heart of your coaching is the development and furthering of football skills. Each player wants to improve their football skills - kicking, handpassing, marking, touch and ball handling, and decision making – learning how to play the game. AFCA Coaching Resources - May
Fitness: Fitness is a key element in the development of young footballers however many coaches lose sight of the fact that the majority of kids do not enjoy running just for the sake of running. The most effective way to improve the fitness of young players is to plan and conduct drills that have players consistently “raising a sweat” in a way that they are almost unconsciously expending maximum energy. Fitness as a goal should be primarily achieved through interesting and physically challenging drills.
Friendships: Ask any old retired player what they miss most about retiring from football and invariably one of the answers will be “playing with their mates”. Football, like other team sports has an amazing ability to foster and create friendships for life. By providing players with an opportunity to mix and learn from each we provide a forum for communication and friendships to develop.
Team Goals:
To complement your coaching philosophy and curriculum you should develop a Team Action plan formulated to focus on the development needs of the team. Not only will you use the age group coaching curriculum to guide the action plan but an assessment of the players and their skill development needs will highlight a range of specific areas for improvement. Below is a sample format for a template:
Coach Age Group – U11 General Actions Kicking What are the areas of focus for this age group? Handball Team Play
Specific Actions Kicking – on the run, into space, set shot What are the specific areas of focus for the team Handball – rocket handball, on the run, 2 v 1 eg technical, social, physical Team Play – sharing the football, looking for the free player, Player assessments used passing into space Commitment Skill based warm up – remind and reinforce technique by How much time to be spent on achieving these choosing a couple of the actions each session (10 minutes) actions (training/matches) Use small sided games/activities to practice team play (15 minutes)
Involve Reduce group size by have other parents assist Who (and what) will you need to assist you for the Planned activities – rotate players season? Footballs (at least one between two) Parents information - practice some the skills at home Obstructions Assistants available – What things may prevent you from delivering Roster parents to help at training these actions? How will you overcome them? Measures Observation Review at intervals throughout the season Comparison feedback – before and after – personal best Coach Signature Steve Smith CCC Signature Alex Brown Date March 2015
AFCA Coaching Resources - May
Team Guidelines:
One of the key as aspects of playing junior sport are the ‘life skills’ the coach can role model and each player can learn from being part of a team. As a coach you will need to be firm and assertive, earn their respect and trust. Here are some to consider:
When a coach is speaking all player are actively listening - “Eyes and Ears” When I am speaking all eyes must be on me and all ears must be listening to me. If I cannot see your eyes or if your ears are listening to another player then I do not have your attention. When a coach is talking you are listening.”
Swearing at any level is not acceptable: Swearing should not be tolerated at any level within junior football. Nobody enjoys hearing swearing while watching a game of junior football or watching training. Coaches should clamp down on any bad language immediately at training or during a game. It should go without saying that coaches themselves should not use inappropriate language at any point in time.
Respect is a cornerstone of Junior Football: Coaches have a responsibility to teach players respect for – • Their Team Mates; • Their Opponents; • The Umpires and officials; • Spectators; and • Themselves.
Prepare in advance of every session: Arrive early and do the pre training drills – prepare a skill card with different activities can do either by themselves or in pairs for example: quick hands, marking kicking
We can only influence the Next Contest:
The principle of the Next Contest is all about focusing positive energies on what outcomes the player can in fact influence. A player cannot change an event that has just passed. Whether that is a dropped mark, a missed shot at goal, a duffed handball or a poor umpiring decision - history cannot be changed. The only positive influence a player can have after an event is the Next Contest. Sadly too many coaches, players and supporters focus on a mistake and seek to apportion blame either on a team mate or invariably an umpire. In junior football this is just not on.
AFCA Coaching Resources - May
When the whistle blows players meet the coach: Coach needs to position themselves so they are seen and heard by the players for any group coaching activities eg semi circle formation facing away from any distractions.
Always encourage and support your team: The element of team is important and can be reinforced by the coach through encouraging talk, demonstrating positive behaviour towards errors. Players pick up these cues and start using them in activities and game situations.
Coaching Curriculum:
A sequential Australian Football curriculum enables each coach to teach and coach the most appropriate skills at each age level. These planned teaching and coaching experiences permit players at all levels to receive coaching experiences that contribute towards their understanding of the game, their successful participation, and enjoyment of their skill development in Australian Football. For this age group the table below outlines a sample of curriculum focus areas for you to consider when developing your coaching program:
Coaching Curriculum for U8 – U12 Players Coaching Area Extensions Activity Skill – Types of Kicks Drop Punt Both Feet Torpedo Stationary Target Kick to a point/area on the ground Banana Kick To a Lead to allow player to run onto the On the run ball For goal Tactic – Position play Defence Manning Up Midfield Leading Forward Run to create/defend Small sided games Position play Focus on winning the ball Share the football Physical Conditioning Training drills only Introduce to warm up/warm down Running in the drills Flexibility Injury management eg RICER Social Being part of a team Sharing and Caring Social activity Team activities – working together Positive coaching
For further information on coaching in the Junior under 8-12 age group the AFL have a number of resources to support you which are available through its AFL Community website www.aflcommunity.com.au
AFL Online Junior Course - http://www.aflcommunityclub.com.au/index.php?id=575 AFL Junior Coaching Manual - http://www.aflcommunityclub.com.au/index.php?id=370 AFL Club Coaching Coordinator - http://www.aflcommunityclub.com.au/index.php?id=1812 AFCA Coaching Resources - May
Why not start and finish with a Game?
Chelsea Caple AFL Victoria FDM Gippsland Steve Teakel AFL Victoria Coaching and Umpiring Manager
Introduction: The introduction of the AFL Junior Football Match Guide has highlighted the need to introduce young players to the game through modified rules regarding player numbers, ground size and regulations. This concept also promotes the value of using a games approach in your practice sessions – the benefits being more touches on the ball, more opportunities to make decisions and more actual play. One of the keys is that players will be more active and will begin to understand the importance of team mates, playing and working together.
Which would you prefer?
OR
Warm Up Games:
There are a range of games you can play with your players (whether they be juniors or seniors) to add variety to your practice sessions – so why not start with a game as part of the warm up or to practice skills taught in a previous session. Think back to games you played when you were young and how they can become ‘footyfied’.
A good example is Scarecrow Tiggy – set up an area using cones, have at least one ‘tagger’ and two to four ‘release’ players who handball the ball between the legs of the scarecrows (stand like a star with legs apart) to get them back into the game. Keep changing the ‘taggers’ and ‘releasers’.
Another is Pegs – set up the space, have players wear pegs on their jumpers, two or three chasers to collect the pegs, once you lose all your pegs you become a chaser. These are warm up games – running (who needs laps?), dodging, evading, watching hips for tackling, tagging, releasing using handball skill, team play and plenty of fun.
The AFL Junior manual has a range of games which allow players to practice their football skills and game sense. AFCA Coaching Resources - May
Skill Games:
Game skills are about applying individual and team skills in games. These games are not necessarily AFL games but games with a clear focus. Some benefits of these games include: • The modified version is as fun and exciting to play as football from which it was derived. Thus, players will still remain motivated to participate. • It is challenging enough for the younger players, but still in a controlled environment. • It offers a great avenue for skill development and facilitates the natural growth and progression of your player. • It can offer an even playing field for players of all sizes, ages and skill level.
AFCA Coaching Resources - May
AFCA Coaching Resources - May
As the coach you can also become a game developer: • Have an aim or theme for each game. What are we trying to achieve? • Use small teams – for example 2 - 6 players to maximize the number of decisions and/or touches of the ball - repetition • Are there match scenarios that occur frequently in a game to replicate? • Length – games need to be long enough to allow plenty of repetition to develop “experience” but need to consider ‘work rate’ • What are the main rules? The size of the area? (can adjust during game) • Prepare variations for the game eg. What is the next progression? Make it easier or harder – change the rules • Develop questions to assist in the learning process
Conclusion:
Using these games to add to your coaching program will benefit your players as they can practice their football skills in a range of activities, learn the essence of team play and communication, most of all have some fun.
Have a go at developing your own games – time to be creative!
Just to finish off - how about a game that has stood the test of time – Footy Baseball!
AFCA Coaching Resources - May
Wanted – A Forward Scout
Luke Drummond Casey Scorpions Football Club
Introduction: The role of the forward scout is to support the coaching staff and players prepare for next week’s game by watching and reviewing critical team and individual elements of their upcoming opponent. The review process can be done by simply watching the opponent playing in the immediate round prior to coming up against your club or watch a block of games played by the opponent. Position Vacant If time is no hurdle, the second option is the best for establishing trends such as rotations, running patterns and ball movement.
AFL Forward Scout At the community level some games are streamed live with associated radio coverage or loaded up on the league website for all to view which The role of the Forward Scout is to analyse the opposition that the club is a valuable resource for the forward scout to use. My role at Casey is playing the following week and Scorpions was to watch the next opponent in their last game before provide feedback and information to the coaching staff at the beginning playing our team. As all games are filmed in the VFL, I would often of the week. The position requires watch the previous two games to get some idea of what to look for. the following:
Here is an outline of how I would work towards the finished product - In depth football knowledge, in particular of game patterns, line the Opposition Review meeting to the players prior to the last training structures and individual player session of the week. assessments:
• Ability to meet deadlines Preparation for Match Day • Strong attention to detail • Weekend availability On Thursday night, the teams for the upcoming round are released on • Competent analytical and IT skills the VFL website and to the clubs. After receiving this list, I would then write out• Victorian the names Driver’s of License each player in the positions they were named along with their number, height and weight. Whilst this is the team named, at no point prior to the just before the game is this the final set up. For the stand alone clubs, this was generally how they would appear. For the AFL clubs or those aligned with an AFL team, changes were most likely to occur and if the game was to be played after the corresponding AFL match it was easy to spot any players named in the VFL who would now not be playing.
Match Day I generally like to get to the ground approximately 1 hour before the game if the Development League was on, or 30 minutes if it was only a VFL game. Being able to watch the warm ups offered a great opportunity to see the players running, kicking, marking and handballing under little pressure. You could see who would use their opposite side, who might run around onto their preferred side and who might be receiving any specific attention from the medical staff prior to the opening bounce. Each team would also go through their centre bounce and boundary throw in set ups and plays. AFCA Coaching Resources - May
The busiest time of the day is just before the opening bounce. Starting with the bench, I would note all of the player’s numbers. I simultaneously get the midfielders, backs and forwards. Due to the high number of rotations, it was essential to get the details of the players off the ground before the first rotations. As long as the majority of numbers are noted, you can pick up the one or two you missed on the game film later that night.
Once the player positions are noted, I liked to make note of any particular match ups. For example, which defender would take the small forward, or how was the forward line set up. The VFL sides of the AFL clubs were mostly very similar in positioning and playing style of their AFL clubs.
At quarter and three quarter time, I would go out to the huddles to listen to the coaches. Some clubs allow you to get very close where you can see the board clearly and hear the coach’s messages. Other clubs rope off their area, so you can only get a sense of the mood of the players and the coaches.
Post Match Once the information has been collected it is important that it is presented simply and in an easy to understand format as guided by the coach’s needs. The most important question is “how much is too much”? I use as many diagrams as possible. They need to be simple to read and understand and free of too much information, emphasizing only the necessary points.
Switch play – in one way out the other
Stick man on man – disciplined punch from behind
Use of corridor - #13 and 4 to run and carry
#12 will zone off - support in marking contests
#25 Ruck – RH dominant – hits wide to space
#24 strong, target for hit outs
#7– quick, goal kicker – 7 last 2 games
Not push deep into defence #15 strong – goal square – slow body player
#27 tall – mobile – lead up target
#6 inside 50 crumber - 11 goals last 3 games
Forwards are lazy - not chase out
3-4-5 zone on kickouts AFCA Coaching Resources - May
In the Opposition review meeting I would use the following headings:
•Positions Team Line Up •Height/Weight
•Select 4-6 as focus Key Players •Description of strengths/weakness •Roles/Positions •Designated Kicker Kick Ins •Attacking kickins •Defensive kickins •Zone Zone Set Up •Press •Targets
•Key points on Ball Movement Game Style •Defenders, Mids, Forwards
•Centre square, stoppages and boundary throw Set Ups Ins •Forwards •KPI's for the game Our Focus •Team Focus actions •Game Style points Video When watching the match in person, I would make a note of any examples of interesting occurrences and the time it happened. It could be a potential set play from a boundary throw in, an example of transition from defensive 50 to the forward 50, or player positioning off within the forward 50 from a stoppage on the wing. Afterwards, I would isolate that footage to be used as a visual example to the players during the meeting. I would look to produce between four and eight clips as highlights of certain opposition trends to the players.
The presentation of the Opposition Review usually takes between 15 and 20 minutes. This includes going through the slides, explaining any information that needed further clarification and viewing of the videos from the previous games. At all times, the players are able to ask questions or suggest points which they think may help. This generally comes from the senior players.
The Opposition Review is a part of the lead up to match day that is practiced by clubs at various levels across Australia. Their depth will vary according to the amount of time available and the amount of information researched. Some players will want the bare minimum while others will analyze every facet of the opposition for hours. The trick is to find a happy medium, with everyone knowledgeable about how the opposition play, ensuring there are no major surprises on match day.