The Potential Drawbacks of Play-Practice-Play Methodology with Ian McCall
Jan 16, 2025
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Ian McCall, a former Queens Park academy coach, discusses the Play-Practice-Play methodology and its potential drawbacks. He argues for a balance between free play and structured training to align with player development. McCall critiques the risks of rigid exercises and emphasizes the importance of adaptability in session design. He also explores how limited resources can drive creativity, contrasting experiences in youth soccer. Additionally, he advocates for a long-term, thoughtful coaching curriculum tailored to evolving needs.
Beginning and ending training sessions with free play enhances exploration, but structured practice is necessary for skill development.
Coaches should integrate competitive scenarios in training to foster mental toughness, resilience, and a positive approach to failure.
Deep dives
The Play-Practice Play Approach
The podcast discusses the concept of 'play, practice, play' in coaching youth soccer, emphasizing how sessions should begin and end with play for optimal learning. Starting with free play allows players to explore and understand the game; however, structured practice is essential to develop specific skills more effectively. Coaches are encouraged to consider the balance between free play and guided practice, using constraints to stimulate desired behaviors. This nuanced approach helps avoid the pitfalls of relying solely on unstructured play, ensuring that players develop both technically and cognitively.
Designing Context Rich Activities
Creating context-rich games is fundamental in developing players' technical abilities and understanding of gameplay. Coaches should aim to design drills that serve specific objectives, such as emphasizing passing techniques and tactical awareness. Instead of relying on traditional drills like rondos, integrating constraints that reflect game scenarios can improve learning outcomes and keep practice engaging. By focusing on why and how players are practicing certain skills, coaches can foster an environment that encourages adaptation and creativity.
Balancing Structure and Creativity in Coaching
Coaches must find the right balance between structure and creativity when designing training sessions. Providing framework guidance while allowing coaches the freedom to create their own session plans fosters authenticity and personal connection to the training process. This approach encourages coaches to innovate and tailor their sessions based on their observations of player needs and developmental goals. Thus, mentoring and guiding younger coaches through this creative process can lead to holistic player development and better engagement in training.
Building Mental Resilience Through Competition
Incorporating competition within training is crucial for developing mental toughness and resilience among players. Competitive scenarios can help players learn to cope with challenges, such as being in an overload situation, while fostering an understanding of the importance of effort and adaptability. Coaching should not shy away from providing opportunities for failure, as learning from mistakes is a critical aspect of personal growth in sports. By creating a challenging yet supportive training environment, coaches can encourage players to embrace competition as a natural and beneficial element of their development.
Coaches: Please leave a rating for the Podcast if you enjoy listening to it. Also check out our 'Coaching the Back Three' Webinar on February 3rd with Bernat Mosquera below:
https://www.modernsoccercoach.com/product-page/live-webinar-coaching-a-back-3-system-effectively
We are joined by former Queens Park academy coach, Ian McCall to discuss the Play-Practice-Play methodology. Of course, there are a number of benefits around having a games-based approach to training sessions, but have we looked enough at the potential drawbacks or ways that this approach has been misinterpreted? Ian provides ideas and insights around best practice and aligning session design to holistic development and a club ethos.
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