Why this matters
Players read your body language before they hear your words. A calm, prepared coach creates a calm, focused group — and confidence in coaching is a skill you build, not a personality you're born with.
The common problem
New coaches try to look like the coach they think they should be: loud, tactical, always talking. It's exhausting, it isn't them, and players spot it instantly.
Try this instead
- Over-prepare the first ten minutes. If the start runs smoothly, the rest follows.
- Write your two coaching points on your hand or your plan. You will not forget them under pressure.
- Talk less. Silence while players play looks like control, not uncertainty.
- Have one 'reset' routine — ball in hands, whistle, everyone to you — and use it every week.
- Accept that some practices flop. Change one thing, restart, move on. Nobody remembers by Thursday.
On the pitch
A practice isn't working: too many players queueing and the energy has gone. Rather than pushing on, stop it, split into two smaller grids and restart. Players see decisiveness, not failure.
Questions to ask
- What part of the session do I dread, and what would make it easier?
- What is my reset routine when things get noisy?
- Who could I ask to watch me coach and tell me one thing?
Your coaching challenge
Prepare your first ten minutes in detail this week and start the session bang on time.
Reflect afterwards
Where did you feel most comfortable coaching, and what made it feel that way?