With Coach Chris away working for his real job, the sessions today were taken by Paul and Tyler. With the horrible storm that was whistling its way around the UK, the players, parents and coaches were very happy to be indoors!

Today the players worked on supporting the team in possession. They played a normal game in which 4 extra players were situated around the edge of the court, and the team in possession could use them as they needed. At first the players on court didn’t use the extra players but slowly as the session moved on, and with some helpful suggestions from the coaches, they started to play more and more into these players. They were also encouraged to pass to these players early, and with the longest, safest pass they could make, helping to open up the whole of the court. We saw some great overloads and even better finishing, a great session from everyone!

Players of the Week:

First Hour – Lily N – the coaches commented on how well she listened to the information and tried hard to replicate this on the court, top job from a fab young player!

Second Hour – Mollie C – showed how much she has improved this year by helping her teammates understand the session and using the extra players to create overloads. The future is very bright for this one!

Third Hour – Hattie W – another fab session from Hattie, she worked so hard and is one of the most coachable players in the club – really listens, asks questions and improves week on week!

Fourth Hour – Mollie G – the toe poke queen returns! She used the side players to create overloads in the final third of the court, but her finishing was on fire today, goal after goal she hammered in! Top job Mollie!

Final Thoughts of a Coach…

In recent weeks I have seen and watched something that I find a little strange. I have often been involved in matches, adults and youth, where the opposition have totally outplayed my team and at the end of the game, I have no hesitation in saying to the opposition coach, well played, the best team won. I don’t mind losing, it’s a big part of the game and I honestly believe you can learn a lot about your team and players when they lose. Always leaves me as the coach with lots to reflect on….

But this is very rarely returned and in two games very recently the opposition coaches have both said their team was very poor today, you only beat us because we had 2 or 3 players missing, and we were lucky to win….OK, yes I agree in sports you do need a bit of luck to win games, but in these matches I was really shocked at these comments. In both games, one adult and one youth, my team had played exceptionally well, they had controlled the tempo of the game and moved the ball very well and taken their chances when they came along. Was this just soar grapes from the other coaches, did I honestly miss something, or was it something else completely….

We as coaches set the standards for the clubs we represent, we are the first people parents look to for clarity of what the club stands for, and honesty and integrity in my book go a very long way. Oh well, I’m very happy to congratulate a better team, and one day, who knows, we might hear it back….

Just as a foot note, the two sides we played were both what I would class as football sides playing futsal….so are we honestly surprised at the results!

Coach Chris