In this episode, Ben and Mike tackle one of grassroots football’s trickiest challenges—teaching positioning—with the help of Michael Fox, a seasoned coach with 14 years at Peterborough United and now head coach at the Focusing on Excellence Football Academy.
Michael shares his approach to helping young players understand space, shape and decision-making without overwhelming them or losing the fun. The discussion explores when kids start to grasp positioning, how to simplify concepts using visual tools and small-sided games and why quiet encouragement often works better than constant instruction.
They also cover the importance of rotating positions for long-term development, how to coach emotional resilience when mistakes happen and the delicate balance of managing parent expectations.
Football DNA is the ultimate platform for coach and player development: https://footballdna.co.uk/sessions/
Michael's coaching academy:
https://focusingonxcellence.com/
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