Genesis - or the beginning of a (nearly) lifelong obsession / passion

I noticed that one of my friends became very upset when he made a mistake, and it took him a few moments to re-engage with the game. I called across the pitch to him, shouting something like, ”Hard luck mate, head up !” Before my amazed eyes, he stood up straight, grinned at me and immediately chased after the ball with renewed energy. I kept doing this through the rest of the game, adding extravagant praise when one of my team mates did something good (“brilliant pass !”). They all played better.

This was profound. Someone else could help you play better ! Not just show you how to play as my teachers had - teach skills and so on, but help you play better. More than that, this was something I could do. It was such an important moment for me that I could take you the exact spot on which I experienced this epiphany.

By the time I was 16 I was helping coach the minis at Trojans on Sunday mornings, and I continued to be involved in coaching more or less continuously after that. Being a modest player, and marvelling at the skills some of my friends had which I lacked, I became a player adept at reading the game, seeing both attacking opportunities and defensive threats. My communication developed beyond encouragement to tactical calls, as I began to understand how the team could be greater than the sum of its parts.

In 2008 I completed the old Level 1 course, and in 2011 the old level 2 course. I felt I needed these qualifications to add gravitas - since I was an ok player, I needed the credentials so players would take me seriously. It turns out that this is not always the case, but that, as they say, is another story!

I started coaching in the Hampshire Single System, as it was, in 2013, and was immediately bowled over. This was (and is) a fantastic coaching environment. The range of player ability was much narrower than I was used to, they were all motivated and keen to improve, and I had talented and capable assistant coaches.

In 2015 I led my first AC squad (Boys U16s). If I was enthusiastic before, now I was properly hooked!

I have also attended various coach development days over the years via Hampshire and others, and have learned an enormous amount from the likes of Kwan Brown, John Hurst, Steve Hardy, and others, on how to deliver coaching notes, how to deliver a session, and how to manage other coaches, among many other lessons, and have also learned a number of equally valuable lessons of what we might call ‘how not to do it’ from a much bigger range of coaches who shall all remain nameless, in order to protect their blushes and my ongoing good health...

These posts are very much intended to provoke an exchange of views. I believe that all of us within the Player Pathway have much to learn from each other, so I invite all of you to comment below, ideally on what you like about coaching in the Player Pathway, but really anything you want to share!