“The Coaches Guide to the Web”

NSCAA Convention

January 2013

Contents

1. Why use the web as a coaching tool ?

2. Research from current coaches in the field

3. Performance Support : Current practice in using the

web to support player development

4. Current practice using the web to support coach

education

5. What coaches say they want from the web to help

them practically and how you can help them !

6. How does this affect you the coach ?

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2.Performance Support : Current practice in using the web to support

player development

1950’s 2012

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1. Why use the web as a coaching tool ?

• 2.5 billion people have access to the web –and growing. Integrated into

education and work situations

• Your Players and Coaches :

- % Access?

- How do they access and use the web ?

- Time spent on the web each day ?

1. Are you personally going to be a ‘victim’ to the web or a ‘champion’

2. Will you help your coaches be ‘ champions’ of the web ?

• Would the coaches of yesterday used every means at their disposal ?

• Assume want to increase numbers and quality of players and coaches ?

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Modern 21st Century Coaches

Paul Nevin, Senior Coach Aspire Academy, Qatar

“The web provides the ability to communicate with players

(offers additional contact time)......I think the modern coach

must embrace the use of technology and appreciate the way it can

aid development.”

Ricky Clarke, Director of Coaching, Mission Valley

United,California,USA

• We developed TactX videos for our club coaches, the videos mirror our club

curriculum.

• We send weekly emails with articles and sessions.

• We created a Twitter/Facebook & YouTube page for constant communication.

• We also offer coach interviews via my blog RickyMasterCoach.com

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Modern 21st Century Coaches

Jason Blake, Youth Academy Director, Burnley FC, English

Championship

“I feel coaching to slowly catching up with modern methodologies,

of which the use of technology to communicate is vital in the

modern age for both players, parents and staff.”

John DeWitt, Performance Coach, Houston Dynamo MLS

Academy,Houston,Texas,USA

“We have implemented training assignments, match analysis,

and physiological data gathering using the adidas micoach

platform. Feedback is given via comments on their workout,

text message, email, and face to face”

Gary Book, Soccer Coach Hofstra University, New York,USA

and NSCAA National Staff Coach

“We use a variety of online tools e.g. Coach FX for Diagrams,

S2S for Organization and Videos,Soccer Interactive for Forums

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Modern 21st Century Coaches

Tony Waiters, NSCAA Staff Coach: former England National Team

Player,NASL and Canadian Head Coach. Also TD in Youth Soccer

Club

“As a technical director working in a community soccer club

the internet now provides communication tools that have

only become universally accepted in the past decade”

Jerry Panek, Director of Coaching, Milwaukee Kickers: former US National

Team Player

“I want “my coaches” get out of system of using drills.

I like them to teach how to play the game.

Communication with players the

modern way - via email, facebook network group is not

applied as of yet- why ?”

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10 reasons to use the web as a SUPPORT Tool

1. Interactivity: Active interaction v passive of knowledge

2. Maximize Contact time: More opportunity for face to face problem solving

3. Blend: Compatible with existing modes of delivery

4. Extension of your learning environment: Continues the learning process

5. Community :User generated content-Less Command and Control v more

Collaboration

6. Personal : Opportunity to personalize material to the individual

7. Range of media: Text, graphics, power point, audio, still photos, video and

links to other pages /sites

8. Convenient : Dynamic-on demand when & where needed

9. Affordable and Cheap : Less expense on travel,accomodation & ecological

10. Already use for administration : so why not extend to education ?

2. Research

• 1,000 + coaches in 40 + countries who have taken LMA School of Football

Management Online Course

• Over 400 replies !

• How do you use the web to engage players and coaches when they are not with

you ?

• How would you like to use it in the future ?

• What do you use to access web?

Home? Office ? Mobile? Tablet ( e.g. I Pad?)

Facebook,Twitter,LinkedIn,Skype,

Google Translate, Google Alerts,RSS,Reader,YouTube Channel ?

Subscribe to Blogs? Forums ? Online Newsletters ?

Have your own blog or website, ?

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There is an awful lot of stuff on the web – 21st Century Coaches

have a Plan for ‘ Personal Knowledge Management ‘

1. Develop a Trusted Network of colleagues to share information

e.g.other coaches on twitter,in LinkedIn on Facebook

2. Use Google Products other than just Search e.g.

Alerts,RSS,Translate

3. Bookmark materials ready for sharing

4. Use Social boomarking – tagging webpages and video on sites

like de.li.cous or Pearltrees

5. VIDEO IS A GAME CHANGER : Curate video pages under

headings e.g. techniques

6. Develop a Video Hosting platform ( e.g. You Tube ) or private

one ( e.g. Vimeo )

7. Use a smart phone,’ Flip’ or similar to capture video

YOU ARE NOW READY TO START SHARING YOUR CONTENT

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2/3rds of coaches said they used web to engage players: Why ?

1. ‘Increase player’s responsibility for their own learning ‘

2. Maximize Contact Time

3.‘ Differentiating our club programme from other clubs’

New topic- Engage & Inspire

VIDEO + Q&A

Age Appropriate ,Position Specific Objectives

TEXT + Q& A

Homework & Priming “ to prepare the player for the week’s practice

ANIMATION /SESSION PLANS

Consolidation & Application

VIDEO : KEY ASPECTS

Evaluation and Feedback

ONLINE To player & parent

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Some examples of using still

photos in a blog for players with

captions

( courtesy Ricky Clarke )

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How ?

1. Create a Secure, Private Learning Environment

2. Populate this with

video,text,animation,practices,discussion etc.

5 Most Common Tools in use in 2012

1. Private Facebook group (NB Facebook minimum age + Parental Consent)

2. Coaches start their own blog for their players

3. Bespoke Intranets e.g. Sparta Rotterdam, Tottenham Hotspur, DBU,KSI,NZFA

4. S2S System ( Free to clubs and coaches in Norway )

• 850 clubs ( May 2012) out of 1900 clubs in 2012 using the system in Norway

( 20,000 coaches)

• 4,500 clubs and 19,000 coaches in the rest of the world ( 15 Languages !)

5. Thefootballsquad.com ( England)

NB: The availability of VIDEO is an enormous boost but it should be player PULL

not coach PUSH : the content has to be engaging

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‘Siggi’ Eyjólfsson

Technical Director & Women's

National Coach KSI

‘We have a women´s national

team website with closed access

for our women´s national team

players and staff only. In there we

put all kinds of information, clips

from matches, motivational

videos, things they can learn from

national team matches, team

meetings etc.’

Ricki Herbert

New Zealand Head Coach

‘We use both email and a web

format for players to access

not only technical and tactical

information but for online

information on nutritional and

physiological data relevant to

each individual player’

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SPARTA ROTTERDAM YOUTH ACADMEY:

previous winner of the KNVB ‘ Best Youth Academy ‘ Award

• All players have their own profile page with Homework tasks

• Coaches’ Sessions are displayed on the site so that players can

preview and consolidate learning.

• The Academy game is video on a Sunday and coded on Sunday night to include

both key aspects of the game and key involvement for each player

• Each player is sent an e-mail on Sunday night with a link to view their

individualized video clips ( no more than 5 minutes)

• Each player is required to assess their performance (against agreed

performance criteria) on Sunday or Monday. This assessment is posted by the

player in the system

• The team coach can see when the player views the clips and when player post

his evaluation about his own performance. When the player has completed this,

the coach will provide his assessment of the player’s performance

• Key data on players is stored and can be used to provide ‘bench marks’

• All assessment and feedback to the players and the parents is via the system

:from 13 years of age feedback is provided weekly !

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72 ready made training sessions for U6-8, U9-10 and U11-12, 24

sessions for each group.

• Every session is systematic formed according to our activity

categories

• Every exercise shown with text, diagram/2D animation and video

NFF ”Rammeplaner” - National curriculum

It is easy to make your own training session where you select drills from the library, or where you choose from ready made

sessions proposed for different age groups.

•Treningsøkta.no (NFF library) has 232 exercises with text, drawings and videos

• 84 complementary videos

•The S2S library is built up around 156 football skills - 120 for field players and 36 for goal

keepers. It contains more than 1.750 drills and practices shown with video.

•Also can add your own practices

“Library” - a unique collection of skills and drills

Manage and review all the activities, and share with

other groups

Make an overview of all players and leaders.

Send out e-mails or SMS to different groups, teams

or single persons in your club

“My page” - administrate your coaching and training activity

In 5 minutes you can insert a complete ready made season plan into the

calendar of the team and of the players. You can also prepare your own

development plan for the different age groups.

Implement ready made season and development plans - or create own

Here will automatically be stored information about trainings, matches

and development for the team and for each player - year by year. You can

print out Log books and reports for each respective season.

“Reports and statistics” - per team and per player

•training better at home

•being prepared for the training sessions

•log book per season and accumulated

For the Player

Draft Example of a Plan to Engage Your Players once you have a

secure area to share information e.g. Facebook group !

Why ? What to include ? How?

1.Set Short /Long

term objectives

Age and Position Appropriate Text ,Video

Examples + Q& A

2. Engage & Inspire Video You Tube & UEFA

Training Ground

3. Prime for this week Practices Session Planner

e.g. Tactix

4. Consolidate Key messages Discussion ;Q & A

5. Feedback Strengths and Weaknesses Zoom

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The Proactive Coach who blogs for their players

This may also include aspects like conditioning or diet.

An example of an online learning course based on a best selling book….

Professor Jay Williams ,Virginia Tech : ‘ Soccer Diet: The Simplest Way to

Improve Your Team's Performance’

where the overall aim of the course is :

‘To help the coach develop their own blog to more effectively support how the

coach educates players and parents about diet’

Professor Williams provides video links,Power Point which can be used by

the coach and also feedback to the coach on the finished blog

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Current practice using the web to support coach education …..

‘Knowledge is available everywhere so maximize contact time for

problem solving ‘

Initial Coach Education for Association Awards ( as an extension of the course)

• ‘Blend’ Face to Face time with online education:

o Pre Course Tasks on the web

o Theory Lectures > supported or replaced by online courses

o Archive for all presentations and video ( e.g. DropBox)

o Discussion Groups for Student reflection & A ( e.g. Facebook )

o Dedicated Private sites for Coach Educators

e.g. Kari Ukkonen ,Head of Training, FA of Finland

Dedicated Coach educator site

Coach education courses in the web

Programs and materials

Tasks

Exams

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Retraining ,Retention and CPD

A Case Study example recognized by UEFA + the FA’s of

England,Scotland,Holland and Iceland as a means of retaining UEFA

Awards

The LMA School of Football Management

• Leadership : ‘ Creating a Culture of Excellence’

• Evaluation : ‘ Evaluating Performance – in conjunction with Prozone Sports’

Video Interviews ( Ferguson,Wenger,Hodgson,Moyes,Capello,Allardyce,Wilkinson)

Interactive Tasks

Scenarios

Discussion Groups involving over 1,000 coaches

John Metgod,Coach Derby County F.C.,former coach at Feyenoord

“I really enjoyed it even though I am not from the computer era but

you learn as you go along. You learn more about yourself,

interesting views from well respected managers and a lot of examples

about what you might experience as a manager in running a football club.”

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What coaches say they want from the web to help them practically

and how you can help them !

• What they want

Simple ,Safe, Cheap ways to engage with players

Flexible options to achieve and retain Coaching Awards

Engaging Online Coach Education Support

• How can you help them ? – Example of a Draft Plan

1. Set up a safe area for coach education students

2. Provide material to this area and make it INTERACTIVE

3. Allow discussion between students and between students and staff

4. Allow students to add to course content via discussion – LMA Course students

have added 2,000 pages

5. Include ‘ How to use the web ‘ as a topic in Coaching Courses ( Teachers do )

6. Provide Options for Initial and Retraining of Coaches

7. Support Coaches who blog with some $ awards !

The only barrier is commitment and imagination ..not cost !

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How does this affect you the coach ?

• Suggested 7 Point Plan to start

1. Develop a Profile on LinkedIn

2. Use Google to collect knowledge: Search,Translate,Alerts,RSS

3. Organize and Curate your knowledge: You Tube,Pearltrees

4. Share :Start a Blog and Join Discussion Forums

5. Find out how your players use the web

6. Develop material for them and invite responses

7. Provide Feedback online to your players

The only barrier is commitment and imagination ..not cost !

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• Free Monthly newsletter for coaches : E-Learning and Soccer

Details of Research, Case Studies & New Developments

• E- Learning Courses

Leadership Evaluating Performance

Soccer Diet Soccer Parenting

• Books in conjunction with e-learning courses

‘Potentialing Your Child In SOCCER'

32 RRUSSELL@sportspath.com WWW.SPORTSPATH.COM