If you are here, it is likely because you are struggling to find pre-season training advice relevant to your team – as fantastic as some of the guides you have found on Google may seem, implementing them with your group simply isn’t realistic.
In an ideal world, you would have two or three sessions a week where you can work on different aspects, both with and without the ball. In the real world, you are limited to a single hour with your players and, during pre-season, getting them all together depends on availability with holidays is difficult.
On top of that, planning a session for junior players means ensuring that they will be engaged and interested…that means getting the balls out. While adult players may not see footballs for the first few sessions of pre-season, as they are expected to apply themselves to condition training, if junior players aren’t interested it is a recipe for disaster with one or more disruptive players ruining your session.
Creating a Realistic Pre-Season Training Program
While you may want to send the kids on your team for laps around the pitch, believing that upping their mileage is the key to success, you should refrain from doing so. Cardiovascular activities are a crucial part of training, especially in pre-season, but if your young players aren’t enjoying themselves, they will stop attending.
Fitness work doesn’t have to be boring – the best coaches make it enjoyable for their players by incorporating games and friendly competition to drive them. Running around a pitch until the coach blows his whistle isn’t anywhere near as fun and engaging as adapting your session by turning it into a race.
Juniors have short attention spans and become bored very quickly, which is another reason why constant running for long periods is rarely successful for such grassroots teams. Instead, coaches should focus on High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) type sessions and look to include a ball when and where possible.
For example, a circuit can be set out with cones and any other equipment you have access to (such as speed ladders, poles and more) and ball work can be included as part of this. Coaches can either set a circuit for players to run through once without a ball and then again with a ball or include sections with a ball and other sections without the ball. This way, players better relate the session to a normal game as the ball is at their feet, while also working on their fitness.
Struggles Faced by Grassroots Coaches in Pre-Season
The struggles are real. While professional coaches working in academies can be assured of numbers for games and training, it is much different for grassroots coaches who volunteer for their local football club. When pre-season starts in July, once the break in June is done, coaches hope to welcome back their players ready for a new season – only it doesn’t quite work out that way.
Pre-season coincides with the school holidays and, thus, players aren’t always available. In the summer, families take the opportunity to go away on a well-earned break – understandably, ensuring Billy can attend training isn’t high up their list of priorities. Coaches always expect one or two to be unavailable, but in July and August (especially), a large number of absences make planning for sessions difficult.
When teams have a large number of players away, coaches must decide whether it is worthwhile holding a session. Confirming numbers a day or more before training is good practice, as it provides adequate time for the coach to plan a or cancel the session due to low numbers with plenty of notice for everyone (as you can guarantee there will be one that doesn’t read the text).
Decide on a minimum number of players attending for training to take place and share that with your parents and players. If players pull out late with not enough notice to call training off, keep some drills/games designed for low numbers in your arsenal just in case. At least the session won’t have been a complete waste.
Matches
When you hold your first session back in July, the start of the season can still feel as though it is a long way away. With most junior/youth seasons not beginning until September, once the schools have gone back, that leaves a long time in the calendar.
As we have already established, children have short attention spans and the start of the season is not in their immediate thoughts. They want matches on a Saturday or Sunday to look forward to, giving them something to work towards in the training. Organising friendlies in pre-season is a must, even if it does come with its own set of challenges.
Player availability is the number one concern for coaches when organising friendlies, especially weeks (or even months) in advance. That is closely followed by finding a pitch to play as, unless the football club is fortunate to have their own pitches, normal pitches are likely unavailable (likely for maintenance or the space is being used for cricket). Then comes organising a referee (unless a coach/parent is willing to step in as an official for the day).
Organising friendlies helps to keep the players interested. It is the highlight of their week (that goes for any age) and the promise of playing at the weekend will encourage them to work harder in training – they want to start!
Be Realistic
Be realistic with your pre-season plans. You are not going to turn your group of junior/youth players into mini-Cristiano Ronaldo’s – and neither should you try to. Overworking players can cause long-term muscular damage, which is why sessions at young ages should be centred around developing technical ability.
Coaches can only do so much in the one hour a week they get with their team. Players should be encouraged to stay as active as possible (within reason) outside of training and games, but don’t expect them to all be completing 5K runs in the evenings.
Use Your Summer Wisely
The break offers coaches the opportunity to recharge their batteries and evaluate their performance through the season. It also allows for coaches to consider their development and whether they wish to progress their journey by signing up for coaching courses, such as the new UEFA C Licence. Courses aren’t just about sitting in a classroom and listening to a tutor talk for hours, but they provide the opportunity to get out on the pitch and discuss new ideas with other like-minded grassroots coaches.
All grassroots coaches know too well that the true commitment is far more than the couple of hours a week that players and coaches see. By the time you factor in planning for training and matchdays, organising everything that comes with it and responding to messages, it can feel as though you are working another full-time job…without the financial compensation. Use the off-season to disconnect from football, just as your players will be.
When you come back, make sessions fun and keep finding new ways to incorporate the ball in with drills centred on fitness. By doing this, your team will have a successful pre-season and will be ready to hit the ground running come the start of the season.
