Coach Luca

Novice coach of a grassroots under 8s football team in the UK. Posting about my foundation phase journey. Obsessed with learning and improving.

[Coach Luca @Coach__Luca]

Chain of threads ⛓️📌

[Coach Luca @Coach__Luca]

Cos why not? Love this Billy

[Billy Ready @ReadyBilly]

I’ve spent the last few weeks exploring “extreme football”, stripping away the norms of positional structure and encouraging shared intention through freedom to interact with the game as the players see fit.

A rush GK, 2 anchors and 6 floaters who are free to play anywhere.

[Coach Luca @Coach__Luca]

@CoachRobPorter @BreakthruSoccer @FAgeCoaching @coach_kevin_m @ProAcademyDrill @gary_piggot @JB_SoccerCoach @JustcoachMD I’m all for rotating positions 👍🏻

But good to remember there’s different ways to do this (which I’ll play with more next season)

- Multiple positions each match day
- Same position for a match day then rotate the next match day
- Rotate positions after a block of matches

[Rob Porter @CoachRobPorter]

Rotating player positions, alongside equal minutes, are hot topics in grassroots football.

I'm a big believer that in the Foundation Phase, rotating players positions has benefits both in the short term, and for long term player development.

[Coach Luca @Coach__Luca]

The words we use can bring a coaching idea to life or see it fizzle out

That’s why my U8s defend as a Wolf Pack 🐺

🔹Nearest player = Hunter
🔹Next player = Shadow
🔹Everyone else = Guards

🐺 Forget the 5Ss, we: Prowl & Pounce!

Create pictures to bring coaching ideas to life

[Foundation Age Coaching @FAgeCoaching]

Players rarely improve because of one brilliant session

More often:

Understand → revisit → repeat → apply → improve.

Learning is non-linear...ups and downs will happen

Keep your messages consistent to support that

#coaching

[Kieron Button @kieronbutton17]

If your coaching children 5-11 in youth football/soccer, Here’s what actually matters: ⚽️👇🏼

• It’s NOT supposed to look like the adult game
• Ball mastery is a big priority
• Spark creativity, these are the golden years of learning
• Make every session FUN
• Let them make tons of decisions in training and games
• Be the positive role model they’ll remember forever

Drop your best tip below 👇🏼

[Coach Luca @Coach__Luca]

@kieronbutton17 No such thing as a mistake at this age

Just try, try and try again…

This is where learning happens

As coaches we need to embrace and reframe “failure” as “learning”

[Gary Piggott @gary_piggot]

If our sessions always look neat and tidy, the players are probably not getting too much out of them.
Embrace the chaos and give the players the opportunity to work things out for themselves.
Be there to support them but not continually instruct them.
@SundayShare10

[TheBeardedCoach @PeterPrickett]

In 3v3 The Game Finds You

#SundayShare

[Coach Luca @Coach__Luca]

Give @gary_piggot a follow and highly recommend his book as well 👇

[Gary Piggott @gary_piggot]

This was a nice post to see in the week from @Coach__Luca
I appreciate the kind words. 🙏
Pleased to hear you found it informative.

Links below if you want to check it out.
eBook PDF: https://t.co/AkN0GT654R
Paperback: https://t.co/4eQuav8iRE

@SundayShare10

[Rob Porter @CoachRobPorter]

A grassroots coach isn't just a coach. They're also the teams

•Sports psychologist

•S&C staff

•Physio

•Communications officer

•Administrator

•Treasurer

•Parent liaison officer

•Events planner

•Comedian

They do so much and deserve to be celebrated. #SundayShare

[Coach Luca @Coach__Luca]

@DaveKerrPT Ha definitely inspires me to be braver and think why not?

Think this one was the first interview I came across

https://t.co/GJBnw8E4AZ

[Coach Luca @Coach__Luca]

@coach_kevin_m Sounds like he’s on to something…

[Coach Matt Bambrick @CoachMattLA]

If anyone has recently their UEFA B (especially with the FAW) can you point me in the right direction for resources for support. @Gerard_Jones @rwilliams72 @coachjoesmith_ @TheCoachesNet @CoachGavM @iokfootball @Coach__Luca @tomread1994 @uwcoachinglab @WannaTeachPE

[Coach Matt Bambrick @CoachMattLA]

Our first ever nanosoccer league starts in March

U8 - 1v1 x3 - 2 goals
U10 - 1v1 & GKs
U12 - 2v2 & GKs
U14 - 3v3 & GKs

Plus a bunch of modified rules such as no throw ins as they are rubbish. Tiny squad sizes so everyone players 3/4s not just a half.

First of many

[Coach Luca @Coach__Luca]

@CoachMattLA @Gerard_Jones @rwilliams72 @coachjoesmith_ @TheCoachesNet @CoachGavM @iokfootball @tomread1994 @uwcoachinglab @WannaTeachPE @TheS_Resource might be able to help

[Coach Luca @Coach__Luca]

@DaveKnox02 Nice! Whatever works and gets the kids enjoying it! 👍🏻

[Coach Luca @Coach__Luca]

This is what my U5/6 sessions would look like if I was starting over

Simpler the better

🔹Ball exploration / mastery games (“me and my ball”)
🔹 Tag games (working ABC’s)
🔹Small sided games (1v1, 2v1, 2v2 etc up to 3v3) with themes & scoreboards

How about you?

[Coach Luca @Coach__Luca]

Massive shout out to @gary_piggot for his brilliant book The Coaching Journey

Especially the way Gary sees the “soft side” of coaching really resonates with me

Making a tonne of notes as I go & know I’ll be coming back to it time and again

And hit that follow button!

[Coach Luca @Coach__Luca]

@alexefthimiou You got it

Will be a lot of fun 🙌🏼👊🏼💥