.

Date: Monday 27 February, 2023

Purpose of Form: UEFA C Licence Session Report

Candidate Name: Max Best

Coach Developer: Michelle Lomas

Participants: Darlington FC Under Twelves

Session Goals:

Creating and exploiting overloads in and around the penalty box.

Session Plan:

Max has prepared a highly detailed lesson plan entitled 'The Art of Slapping', which includes contingencies for having too many and too few participants. The session begins with Max handing out colourful tactical maps to every player. Max then demonstrates each skill, sequentially, inviting one participant to replace him until all positions are filled with participants. There is no mention of goals. Max talks in terms of 'slaps' and 'attempted slaps', meaning successful or unsuccessful forward passes and penalty box entries.

In the base model, four players attack versus four defenders and a goalkeeper. Teams switch from attack to defence with every successful or unsuccessful slap. Individual participants rotate roles with every attack. Goalkeepers act as servers. Participants are required to enter the penalty box through the sides, not the front. The attacking team manoeuvres until they have a two-on-one advantage on one flank, and attempt to create a goalscoring opportunity for teammates who arrive in the six-yard box late.

Communication:

Max remains positive throughout, with one exception (described later), communicating clearly and dishing out praise where he feels it's warranted. He ensures the participants stay on task by asking them pertinent questions such as 'did that slap?' and 'defenders, do you feel slapped?'

Participant Engagement:

Through the roof. Max allows the boys time to master the drill before he begins demanding more of them. The specificity of what he asks for is exemplary; it's all based on their personal strengths and weaknesses. He seems to have been coaching the group for years. Note: This was only their second session together.

Positives:

Max rides waves of motivation incredibly well. During these 'up' periods, his sessions are as focused and serious as any I've ever seen. Max is very comfortable letting energy fade and drift, and has a unique gift for distraction and outright silliness that serves as a natural break. During one lull, Max gathers the participants around him and begins threatening to sack them. 'You call yourselves footballers? You've got one week - just one week to regain your jobs.' The group eventually realises Max is performing a monologue from a movie, though I couldn't find a movie where a character orders people to 'always be slapping'.

With the participants newly relaxed and energised, the drill recommences with one participant showing off. 'Oh, wonderful,' says Max, as he pushes the participant away and takes his spot. 'But have you ever thought about doing this?' Max stands touch-tight to a defender, demands the ball, flicks it up, and somehow contorts himself so that he's facing the defender but with the ball trapped behind him, in the crook of his knee. 'Where's the ball, mate?' demands Max. 'Where's the ball?' He hops towards the goal. A defender tries to kick the ball loose. 'Ow, you dick. My wife will sue you. She's a judge. Oi! Stop that.' He laughs and continues hopping towards the goal. More defenders arrive and try to wrestle Max to a halt. One punches the ball out of its slot and Max runs around trying to regain it. The participants form an impromptu rondo that succeeds in keeping the ball away from him. He blows his whistle and awards 'five slaps to Slytherin'.

When the giddiness subsides, Max turns to the showboater and says, 'that's what you look like'. The participant acknowledges the criticism. But Max understands the impulse behind the original showboating. 'If you want to get a professional contract with my team, take your training seriously. If you want to play in the same team as me, make this pass ten times out of ten and that cross nine times out of ten. Yeah? But if you really want to impress me, play your passes to the receiver's strongest foot. Do you even know what they are? Because I do.' Max walks around pointing at every participant. 'Left, right, right, right, both, right.' The showboater is suitably impressed. The drills reach a new level of intensity.

Areas for Improvement:

(1.) Participants were initially confused about what constituted a slap. When I suggested this to Max, he said, 'yeah, duh. They have to work it out otherwise it's your bog-standard final third entry routine, innit? Come off.' I'm not sure I agree, but there was certainly some enthusiastic discussion about which moves counted as slap-worthy. Max listened to all participants and explained why he agreed and if he disagreed, what modifications would make a certain sequence slaptastic. The participants followed his reasoning with much more ease than I did.

(2.) Max does not ask the participants for feedback, as per best practice. When questioned, he says, 'yeah no point that was fucking mint they loved it the little shits'.

(3.) This is the seventh session in a row where I have observed Max only doing attacking drills. I reminded him that we expect to see some defensive drills, also, and he replied 'nah dog that's not for me dog anyways my DoF says I should stick to teaching kids how to slap'. Note: Max is the DoF at his club.

Final Comments:

The session meets the competency required at C Licence level. The session shows a high level of technical expertise, reinforced by Max's answers to my questions at the end and the way he gave tips on how I could analyse his sessions better - where to stand, how to know which sides the attacks would develop based on the participant's social hierarchies, and so on. Feedback I sourced from the participants was universally positive.

***

From the Chester Standard, Tuesday, 28th February

SEALS BATTLE TO BRAVE POINT AGAINST IN-FORM TIGERS

A dominant opening presaged a nightmare second-half for Jackie Reaper's Chester, as they survived wave after wave of Gloucester attacks to bank a valuable point. The first half saw Chester play some gorgeous football, and they deservedly took the lead through a thumping Sam Topps header. However, they couldn't find a way to double their advantage while in the ascendency, and Gloucester's half-time tactical tweaks turned the match on its head. Reaper's substitutions failed to stem the tide, and in some views, invited even more pressure.

The main bright spot for Chester was the return to first-team action of Trick Williams, finally recovered from a troublesome muscular injury. "It's very welcome news," said Reaper. "He brings balance to the defence and allows us to switch formations. Second half wasn't good, today, but a point is a point is a point. I hear Bradford lost, so it's really a good night for us."

Team

P

GD

Pts

Blyth Spartans

-29

Chester

-11

Bradford

-22

Leamington

-15

Kettering

-27

AFC Telford

-38