A successful training

There’s basically only one way I measure if a training was a success. At the end of 90 exhausting minutes, are my players begging to continue? Futsal is a sport hard wired for fun. Everyone attacks, everyone defends. There’s never a three to five minute period where the ball doesn’t find you. Like basketball and hockey, there’s constant engagement. But the game itself doesn’t guarantee a great time. A coach ideally guides the group to this end. Here are a few battle tested ideas that should have your players pleading for more court time.

Enthusiasm, passion

I’ve never met a coach that didn’t want their players to play with passion. That said, I’ve rarely seen coaches in any youth sport that brought over-the-top enthusiasm to their practices. When I’ve observed many of the top academies in the world like FC Barcelona, SE Palmeiras , Santos FC, the coaches without exception were animated, loud and emotionally engaged. The energy, desire and passion to produce players of the highest ability was transferred on a daily basis to the players who in turn played with the same joy and emotion. Upon seeing your players play with such determination, you then lift your own level of coaching. It’s a virtuous cycle. For what it’s worth, I’ve always felt sports were a quasi religious experience and deserved the seriousness of thought/action expected at a holy site. And when every training is “sacred”, you’ll often find your teams punching above their weight.

Winners stay on

One of the great joys of my youth was playing countless hours of pick-up basketball where winners stayed on and losers exited. No one ever wanted to sit for 15 minutes and watch others play, so the competition to win was fierce. I set up a similar dynamic for our scrimmages. If there’s 15 players, we play 2 minute games that are decided with golden goals or rock-paper-scissors if a tie. When there’s 20 players, we use two courts with the winners staying/advancing to the “king” court. This simple game structure allows for guaranteed competition. The coach doesn’t need to encourage the players to play with more intensity. They are self motivated to succeed. As the legendary investor Charlie Munger once said, “Show me the incentive, and I’ll show you the outcome.”

Praise your players

There’s a time and place for being firm with your players, but more often than not I motivate through praise. I’ve never counted the number of compliments vs criticisms, but it’s probably around 3 to 1. I often remind myself that I’m developing people not players. It’s important that 10, 20 years from now, my players are thoughtful, responsible members of their communities. Hopefully futsal plays a small role in this. So merited praise goes a long way towards developing confidence and self esteem. And all criticisms are framed as learning moments and not personal attacks.

Go home exhausted

I finish just about every Friday on an adrenaline high. I’ve worked myself into a semi frenzy and I often talk nonstop with parents afterwards in a state of mild euphoria. That being said, by the time I arrive home, I’m exhausted. Per my phone app, I’ve somehow walked a few miles and emotionally I’m thrashed after spending three hours in a constant mode of yelling/encouraging/teaching. This style of coaching comes naturally, but there’s also a deep sense of responsibility to the kids and families. “If they pay me, I better damn well deliver.” The ultimate accountability arrives after the final whistle blows. If there’s not multiple players begging, “Coach, c’mon, can’t we play just one more?” I haven’t done my job.