They play. You coach one thing. They play again.
Also known as whole-part-whole.
That is the whole method. The game teaches most of it. Your job is to pick a single idea, put it in front of them, then get out of the way.
Around an hour. Adjust the minutes, keep the order.
The first players to arrive start a small game. Everyone else joins a team as they turn up. No lines, no warm-up drill, no waiting for numbers.
Balance the teams as players arrive, then stay quiet and watch. Decide the one thing you will coach tonight.
A smaller game or activity built around your one thing. Keep a ball rolling and a goal to aim at. If it needs a queue, keep it short.
Stop it twice at most, for thirty seconds each time. Show it rather than explain it, then get them playing again.
A full game, same teams if you can. This is where you find out whether any of it stuck.
Look for your one thing. Name it out loud the moment somebody does it, then let them get on with it.
Words that work, and what to change when it wobbles.
Nice. What made that work?Gets them thinking, not just nodding.
Can you find a space where I can see you?A question beats an instruction.
Show me that again.Repetition without a lecture.
Try this instead.Use it in place of “don't do that”.
| Too easy | Shrink the pitch, or add a defender. |
|---|---|
| Too hard | Stretch the pitch, or take a defender away. |
| Bored | Change the game, not the length of your talk. |
| Chaos | Smaller groups and more balls. Almost always this. |
| Not sticking | Coach the same one thing again next week. |
Count the touches, not the drills. If every player has had hundreds of touches, laughed at least once and wants to come back next week, you have coached a good session.
Best for U5 to U12, and for coaches early in their journey. At U5 to U7 the 3v3 arrival game also fits the FA's 3v3 format. For U13 and older, Track 2 uses the chaining method.
Play-Practice-Play, also known as whole-part-whole, is a simple session structure for youth football. Players start with a small-sided game, the coach then runs one short practice built around a single idea, and the session finishes with a full game where players try to use it.
Around an hour in total: 15 to 20 minutes of arrival game, 20 minutes of practice and 20 minutes of game. Adjust the minutes to your session, but keep the order.
It works best for U5 to U12 and for coaches early in their journey. At U5 to U7 the 3v3 arrival game also fits the FA's 3v3 format. For U13 and older, a chaining method suits better.
Twice at most, for about thirty seconds each time. Show the idea rather than explain it, then get them playing again.
Too easy: shrink the pitch or add a defender. Too hard: stretch the pitch or take a defender away. Chaos: smaller groups and more balls. If the idea doesn't stick, coach the same thing again next week.
