Why this matters
A squad of sixteen contains sixteen different starting points. Individual targets inside a group session are the most efficient way to move everybody forward.
The common problem
Coaches deliver one session to one imaginary average player. The strongest coast, the weakest struggle, and the middle drift.
Try this instead
- Give three players an individual challenge each week: 'five times receiving on the half turn tonight'.
- Use a simple rotation — three focus players per session, everyone covered over a month.
- Differentiate within the same practice: bigger area for one team, two-touch for the confident group.
- Track it on your phone. Three names, one target, one note after the session.
- Tell the player what their target is and ask them how it went at the end.
On the pitch
In a 5v5, one player is working on scanning, another on first-time finishing, another on defending the front post. Same game, three individual conversations, no extra planning time.
Questions to ask
- Who are my three focus players this week?
- What is the one thing that would move this player forward?
- Does this player know what they're working on?
Your coaching challenge
Choose three players, give each an individual target, and review it with them at the end.
Reflect afterwards
Which player responded best to having their own target, and why?