#116 Drills Don’t Make Players Better

Our club has started a program called, ‘RecConnect’ to provide a resource for recreational coaches. Five of our club’s premier coaches have ‘adopted’ a 2nd grade boys or girls division. We send out weekly tips and suggestions, make ourselves available to answer questions and attend the games on the weekend. This helps create a stronger link between the rec and premier side of our club and shares the experience of the premier coaches with parents who may not have played or coached before. I think that giving back to the game in this way is important for coaches that have gained experience through education as well as trial and error. This week’s question comes from talking to a number of the rec coaches. They’ve asked about the best formation to use for teams playing 5 v 5 The way I look at formations is first as a vehicle to teach some aspect of the game. I think we can all agree, I hope, that 5 v 5 is all about developmental. I think there are three ways to organize the players: Box, 1-3-1 and a Diamond. The video below is one that I made for the coaches on the topic: In This Episode When I talk about drills or small-sided games I’m often asked how large the grids should be or how far apart the cones should be. These are variables that depend on so many things. Changing them can dramatically affect your players’ ability to be successful and learn what you want them to learn. Today I look at the various ways you can change an activity depending on what you want to get out of it. Future Episodes I’ll be taking next week off from the podcast as a take a couple of teams to a Labor Day weekend tournament in Omaha, NE. I’ll be back the following week with an episode on that Friday.