Information Feedback To Players – TRIAL

Deciding what we do with the evidence-informed information we’re gathering on our players is one of the most crucial parts of individual development. In the same way we need an individual development plan because every player has different developmental needs, every player learns, engages and reacts differently to receiving feedback and information.

Every single professional contributor to this course agreed that if there was one message to take away, it’s that every player is different, and therefore so must be the way we work with them.

Here’s Lucy Rushton and Oliver Gage discussing this.

Information Overload

With so much video and data available in modern football there’s a real danger of wanting to provide too much to our players and over-complicating things. We discussed this with our professional contributors who stressed the importance of understanding the coach/analyst-player relationship and keeping things as clear and simple as possible, especially in the younger ages.

Much like the type of information that can be delivered there’s also no one size fits all solution to the the amount of information to provide. Using the tools and information at your disposal is a major factor that separates the very best coaches and analysts from the rest.

Here’s what Matt Pilkington, Alex Ackerley and Mike Rigg said:

Involving Players In The Review Process

It’s now almost standard practice to involve players in the review process, much like their involvement in their goal-setting and development planning. We’re now seeing a huge social shift, and coaches & analysts adopt a guided discovery and mentorship approach empowering their players, rather than an old fashioned command and follow style.

Here’s some insights from Ernst Tanner, Matt Pilkington and Oliver Gage on their experience with player involvement:

Add some thoughts about feedback to your player to your IDP planning booklet. How often might it occur? Will it differ based on positive or difficult performances? Are you worried about over-complicating the process and information overload?

Have you thought about discussing with the player what they would prefer to do with regards to feedback?

Did you find the game performance tracking excel document useful? Would you share the post-game snapshot or a 5-6 game block with them?

Once this is complete, please move on to the next module.