At our workshops we often talk about the importance of shared vocabulary–the power of being able to communicate accurately, quickly, without ambiguity about technical aspects of performance. This is true whether you are a teacher (“That was great but what if you unbundled your questions a little more and added a “Stretch It”) or a principal;…
Little things mean a lot. Even at the elite level it’s often the mundane things that drive results. Check out this picture of the USMNT practicing: Note the ball placement–clusters of them at the ready for each group. Zero downtime lost due to ball not ready to be put into play. Note the standardization…
Think for a minute about a task like driving. Most likely you do it almost every day. Usually multiple times per day. Often for hours at a time. So, really, you ought to be very, very good at it by now. World class. But if you’re like most people you’re not a very good driver and (less…
In my spare time this year I’ve been working on developing a set of teaching videos of soccer coaches, part of it as a result of my work with the US Soccer Federation, where the coaches I’ve worked with–Dave Chesler and Tony Lepore especially–have blown me away with their attentiveness to and insight about the craft of…
Well, soccer fans and coaching geeks, it’s time for the latest installment of Desert Island Drills, in which I ask a coach to describe the one drill they’d take with them to a desert island–assuming, I suppose, that they also had a team there that they were trying to prepare for long-term success. Previous posts here and here. This…