Organize, Observe and Instruct during training sessions
By Lawrence Fine
Recently I was speaking with a friend about the OOI theory of running a training session. The more I thought about it, the more I realized how few coaches actually use this in their training.
OOI stands for:
- Organize
- Observe
- Instruct
When putting your players through an activity or exercise, get them organized (most coaches do this), then step back and observe them in the exercise. DON'T jump in right away and start making corrections. Instead, step back and observe. Give your players the opportunity to work things out on their own (since they will have to know how to work things out on their own during games). When the activity has gone for a while and patterns and tendencies have been established, you can make the proper corrections and instructions.
Too many coaches want to talk their players through training sessions and games instead of giving them the opportunity to actually learn the game properly. In a game, a coach won't have the opportunity to stop play every couple of minutes to make corrections. Instead, the goal for the coach should be to organize his or her team in a way that gives the players the tools they need to work things out. When the opportunity arises (and it might not arise till halftime), the coach can offer appropriate instructions to make changes (this should give you an idea of some of my beliefs of game coaching).
The more organized a coach is, and the better he or she is at observing (most coaches seem to be inadequate in this phase of the game), the better the instructions can be.
Editor's Note: Lawrence Fine produces FineSoccer.com, an online resource for a variety of tips, ideas and newsletters related to soccer coaching. A member of the NSCAA Website Development Committee, Fine also serves as volunteer assistant coach for an NCAA Division I men's team. |
