At an U12 game last night, the opposition coach was directing almost every decision on the pitch: “Pass now”, “switch it”, “shoot”, “play forward”, “pass here”, “Sent it”. It wasn’t just the instructions, it was the tone, the urgency and the volume, with his voice dominating the game. The players I coach came off saying, “That coach is annoying”, “I can’t hear myself think” and “Why are most coaches like that?” That last question reflects their experience, although it doesn’t describe every coach. We say we want independent thinkers, decision makers and creative players, yet how much room do we give them to develop those qualities when an adult is constantly telling them what to do? If we direct every action, we shouldn’t be surprised when players wait for instructions instead of trusting their own decisions.

No queues = This is aimed mainly at beginner grassroots coaches working with U7–U12 players. If six or eight players are all waiting for one turn, the practice may look organised, but too many players are barely involved. That usually means: ⬇️ Fewer touches of the ball ⬇️ Fewer decisions ⬇️ Less repetition ⬆️ More standing around ⬆️ More boredom and messing about For younger players, long queues often reduce the quality of the session before the coaching even starts. Try this instead: 1. Keep waiting lines short. If more than 2–3 players are waiting for one turn, change the setup. 2. Split the group. If you have 8 players, don’t always run one practice of 8. Run 2 groups of 4 if you can. 3. Duplicate the practice. If one player is dribbling through cones and shooting, set up the same practice twice so two players can work at the same time. 4. Add another ball or target. One extra ball, cone gate or mini goal can increase involvement without changing the whole practice. 5. Ask one simple question: “How many players are active right now?” If the answer is “not enough”, adjust it. This does not mean there can never be any waiting. It means the waiting should be minimal, not the main part of the practice. For foundation-age players, the goal is simple: ⬆️ More playing. ⬆️ More doing. ⬇️ Less waiting. If your practice has a queue, the first thing to change is usually the organisation, not the players. ⤷ When you look at your session, how many players are actually active at the same time? Follow The Sporting Resource for more practical coaching ideas you can take straight onto the grass.