At the TDA we believe in teaching and developing technical execution in a vareity of positions.
Each position has a series of specific attributes that are essential for players to possess in order for them to be effective in that position. For example a wide player must be able to beat an opponent in a 1v1 situation.
We cannot leave it to chance that players will develop these specific skills through generic sessions we must, therefore, allocate specific time to developing these position specific skills.
Players from the age of 12 onwards should be learning a position; at 12 a player may play in a variety of roles within a unit however by the ages of 15 and 16 players should be working toward being an expert in a specific role.
Pareto’s Principle (80:20 Rule)
Pareto’s principle was developed by an Italian economist who observed that:
80% of effects come from 20% of causes
For example, in business, often 80% of sales come from 20% of clients. 80% of farmers profit often comes from 20% of their crops.
How does this relate to developing footballers? Well, rather than teaching a centre back all, 100%, of the techniques required for an outfield player (including dribbling, shooting, crossing etc) and expecting vast improvement we are best teaching them the 20% of techniques, the ones that are specific to their position (e.g. heading, blocking, 1v1 defending). We can expect 80% better results this way.
Therefore we must:
- Dedicate time to position specific sessions (mixed age groups)
- Highlight demands from specific positions when coaching a generic session
- Allow players to observe examples of good practice in their position (video, role models etc)
- Give position specific feedback to individuals
Players will adopt a position based on their natural abilities and physical attributes. At the TDA we will work towards developing player’s strengths, while ensuring weaknesses are improved.
