Tag: childrens football classes

Teaching Games for Understanding in Football: A Modern Approach to Coaching

In recent years, the coaching philosophy known as Teaching Games for Understanding (TGFU) has gained significant traction in football. This approach moves away from traditional drills that focus solely on skill repetition, instead emphasizing game-based learning where players engage in tactical and strategic decision-making. By focusing on the game itself, players develop a deeper understanding of football concepts, improving not only their technical abilities but also their decision-making skills in real match situations.

Here’s a closer look at how Teaching Games for Understanding works and how it can be implemented effectively in football coaching.

What is Teaching Games for Understanding (TGFU)?

TGFU is an approach to coaching where players learn and understand football concepts by actively engaging in modified game situations. The primary goal is to help players understand the why behind the actions they perform, rather than just the how.

This coaching method is structured around four key principles:

  1. Game Appreciation: Players are encouraged to see the game as a whole, understanding tactics and strategies from the perspective of a match scenario. They are not just executing isolated drills, but engaging in game-like environments where they learn to read the game and make decisions in real-time.
  2. Tactical Awareness: Instead of just focusing on individual technical skills, TGFU fosters the development of tactical awareness. Players start to understand how their decisions affect the team’s shape, possession, and attacking or defensive strategies.
  3. Decision Making: The key element in TGFU is decision-making. Players must decide when and how to pass, shoot, or dribble based on the conditions of the game, the movement of their teammates, and the positioning of the opposition. This encourages critical thinking and enhances a player’s ability to adapt during real matches.
  4. Skill Development Through Context: Skills are developed within the context of the game. Instead of repetitive drills, TGFU utilizes small-sided games, where players must execute technical skills in a more dynamic and realistic environment.

Benefits of Teaching Games for Understanding in Football

1. Improved Tactical Understanding

One of the greatest advantages of TGFU is that it helps players develop a deeper understanding of the tactical side of football. Instead of simply practicing isolated skills, players experience game situations where they must understand how to position themselves, create space, and read the game.

2. Better Decision Making

Football is a fast-paced sport that requires players to make decisions in the blink of an eye. TGFU helps players develop this crucial skill by presenting them with situations where they must quickly analyze the options available to them and make the best possible decision based on the context of the game.

3. Increased Engagement and Motivation

Traditional drills can sometimes feel repetitive and disengaging for young players. However, when learning is embedded within fun and challenging game-like scenarios, players become more engaged. The game itself provides the motivation for players to think critically and apply themselves to the task at hand.

4. Holistic Player Development

TGFU doesn’t just focus on developing technical skills in isolation. It encourages holistic player development by integrating tactical, physical, and mental aspects of the game. Players are given the tools to think and act like footballers, not just practitioners of isolated skills.

Implementing TGFU in Your Football Sessions

To implement the Teaching Games for Understanding format in your football sessions, follow these steps:

1. Start with a Game

Instead of starting with a long warm-up or technical drills, introduce a small-sided game at the beginning of the session. Let the players experience the challenges of the game firsthand. For example, play a 3v3 or 4v4 match with specific conditions, such as only allowing passes to be made with one touch. This will get players thinking about their decisions right from the start.

2. Modify the Game

After a few minutes of play, stop the game and assess what’s happening on the field. Ask questions like:

  • “What are your options when you have the ball?”
  • “What can we do to create more space?”
  • “How can we defend against this attack?”

Modify the game based on your observations. For instance, if the players are struggling with space, make the pitch smaller to encourage them to find creative solutions.

3. Introduce Key Principles

Once the game has been modified, start introducing the key principles you want the players to learn. This might include:

  • How to support the ball carrier
  • When to pass, dribble, or shoot
  • How to press and defend as a unit

Use your observations from the game to highlight specific areas that need focus. The more the players are involved in this learning process, the more they’ll be able to apply the concepts in real match scenarios.

4. Encourage Reflection

At the end of each small-sided game or practice, allow time for players to reflect on their performance. Ask them to identify the decisions they made, what went well, and what could have been done better. Reflection encourages self-awareness and helps players improve both their technical and tactical abilities.

5. End with a Realistic Game

Finish your session with a more open, realistic game, allowing the players to put into practice what they’ve learned. This can be a full-sided game or another modified format, depending on your focus for the session.

Key Takeaways

  • Teaching Games for Understanding focuses on developing tactical awareness, decision-making, and skill application within real game scenarios.
  • It promotes a more holistic and engaging approach to football coaching, encouraging players to learn through play rather than repetitive drills.
  • By fostering an understanding of game principles, players are better equipped to make decisions in real-time during matches.
  • Coaches should integrate small-sided games, modify the environment to highlight specific learning points, and encourage reflection to ensure the development of both technical and tactical skills.

By implementing the TGFU model, coaches can nurture well-rounded football players who understand the “why” behind their actions, ensuring they are not just skilled players, but intelligent, tactical thinkers on the field. So, next time you coach, consider shifting from isolated drills to game-based learning — and watch your players flourish in both their skills and their football understanding.

By Ethan Holmshaw

Developing my Coaching in School Environments & Using this Experience at THA

By Nick Firth (5-7 Age Year Group Lead Coach) find out more here…

Do you want to book a 5-7 Age Group Session?

While studying for my sports coaching degree at Leeds Beckett University, I had worked part time in a number of roles within football and sporting environments to build my level of coaching experience with children and coaching children in football.  Following my successful Graduation from the course, I accepted a role as a PE team leader within primary schools.   This gave me an opportunity to discover how I could utilise and transfer my current skill set whilst at the same time taking the new experiences working with different children and a different level of focus.  This, I felt, would give me an opportunity to gain valuable experience to add to my coaching skills bank.

The transition was not as easy as I had first thought and I am sure many people starting out in a new area of work, particularly sports coaching, would say the same.  What I discovered, is that there are some key differences in the style and delivery of the sessions between a School and a Football Academy setting.

As we are working in a  School environment, there is much more emphasis on behaviour management for children at this age.  This is to ensure that all the children are showing the correct attitudes towards the lessons.  This then gives them a base line to not only understand, but also a platform to work from.  This allows both themselves and other children to be able play and develop safely during the lessons.  In essence, they can fully commit their attention to the session and take the full benefit of the learning experience.

In terms of teaching scenarios, there is a substantial emphasis on the amount of time children are physically active during the session. This follows and links well with behaviour management. Having set the standards expected of the child’s behaviour level, it is equally important to ensure that the physical side of the education lesson is put into focus.  

Physical activity for children has many health benefits, as well as improvements to their overall health, it can also help improve their mental health and cognitive development.

Identified key benefits of physical activity are as follows:

  • An improvement in a child’s social interaction with others and improved confidence.
  • Children can learn new skills from the subject sport they are involved in but also life skills.
  • Anatomically, it allows the child to strengthen both muscle groups and bones.
  • Improvements can be made in a child’s coordination.
  • Learning can be improved along with levels of concentration leading to an increase in  productivity and success.
  • Children feel better for physical activity and can improve their mood.
  • Positive attitudes are developed along with tolerance for others.
  • Stress levels can be reduced and a harmonising of mental and emotional wellbeing.
  • Sleep patterns become more settled along with energy levels.
  • Reduces the risk of morbidity and mortality from chronic non-communicable diseases
  • Overall health and fitness is improved which helps maintain a healthy weight to prevent child obesity.

By having a focus on the physical element of a teaching session, means that we ensure that the children are always active.  As an example, for a 60-minute teaching session, we aim that the children are moving around and are actually being active for at least 55 minutes of that session.

As part of my own personal development, this meant I had to re-evaluate my approach and in particular I had to develop the way I deliver instructions to the children.  I adopted an approach where my instructions had to be more concise and to the point and at a level of their understanding.  This, then allowed the children more time to spend in activity engagement during the session. Physical activity time is massively important for children, particularly those at a young age.  It allows them to learn more quickly by giving them the opportunity to actually play and discover.  This is something I have definitely adopted and have translated to my approach to the football coaching of children in my sessions at THA Leeds.

Working within a School environment has allowed me to experience and be involved with the management of SEND (special education needs and disabilities) students.

This was completely new to me as I had always coached football in academy settings.  This meant that I had to adapt to new, specific needs and this was extremely challenging but also extremely rewarding. This was a completely different scenario for me personally, but I am now fully aware of the needs of the SEND students.  I have adapted my coaching and teaching style, so I am now able to involve and develop them in sporting fluency.

Once again, a development strategy for myself and my own development was the way I communicated to the children in these groups.  I have analysed the way I give instructions.  My approach now is to give specific and clear instructions which also caters to the individual needs of each student.

Through my studies at University, we are encouraged to seek out new areas of coaching practice. So with this in mind, I am also developing my ability to manipulate the environment in which we teach thes SEND students.  By providing an environment where they feel comfortable , this allows SEND students to thrive and develop their physical approach and enjoyment of the sessions.

While delivering  curriculum PE lessons and being the Lead Coach of the 5-7 age group at THA,  I also oversee numerous other sessions for children which include after school clubs, lunch clubs, and specialist sports clubs to prepare for inter-school tournaments. All this experience is contributing towards my own personal and professional development, and I look forward to improving and growing even more as I progress through my career.

Nick Firth is the Lead Coach of the 5-7 Age Group at THA Leeds Centre based at Horsforth School every Saturday mornings 9.00am to 10am you can book your class here:

Book a 5-7 Year Football Training Session

To further his educational learning and support his continual professional development, THA Football Centres are sponsoring Nick with an ADHD Awareness Course, learning about the different types of ADHD and how to recognise some key signs and symptoms along with some practical advice for supporting children with the condition.  You can learn more about the course here