by Avi
Dubnov (Academy Director and Head Coach of the SoccerPlus
Boys U12 and U13 teams, U20 YPSL Team and Director of U14 Boys
ODP in Connecticut)
Evaluating
young players may seem straight forward. However, this is a
multi-faceted process and is often done insufficiently and/or
incorrectly. The most important quality in a player evaluation
is honesty. While many coaches and coaching service companies
will focus on the attractiveness of the evaluation form itself,
it is the content that is of the utmost importance.
At first glimpse evaluation may look complete. However, upon
closer inspection, the feedback is generic and will have very
little impact on the progression of that particular player. An
evaluation must include feedback that can serve a players
development, for instance;
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Specific areas to be improved upon.
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Sections that address the technical, psychological, physical and
tactical side of the player.
And most importantly,
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Offer areas where they have improved and become effective, thus
engaging the player and enabling a more self-specific process.
Evaluating players is not a new concept. For many years coaches
have been identifying the strengths and weaknesses of their
players. Too often though, coaches express their evaluations
verbally during practice in front of the whole team rather than
privately on paper or in a one-on-one conversation outside of
practice. This can be extremely detrimental to a young aspiring
athletes’ development. “Words are like arrows, once fired cannot
be returned”
When evaluating we must be conscious of our audience; The
Soccer Sandwich is a very effective tool when working with
the youth player. This ‘sandwich’ consists of a piece of
positive feedback – a challenge (not negative feedback) – and
another positive piece of feedback. It is vital that the player
is open to feedback and, more importantly, is willing to work to
improve the areas of focus (challenge). Not only does the
‘challenge’ have to be specific to that player, but the positive
feedback must also be specific. This will increase your
credibility and impact of your feedback.
An evaluation for a young player should include the following
sections:
TECHNICAL
Assessing a players Technical quality is pivotal in a young
players development. The coach's evaluation must draw attention
to areas of deficiency as well as areas of mastery. In most
cases, a caoaching professional should conduct the assessment in
order to gain a true and detailed picture of a player's
technical ability. They will also be able suggest ways of
improving in this dimension of their game and address them
during training.
Although a 'one time' evaluation' is insightful, evaluating in a
club environment allows coaches to implement training aimed at
the results of the evaluation. It also allows for an open
dialogue between the coach and player. Does the player
understand the areas needed to improve? Will the coach follow up
in sessions hoping to help the progress of something that have
have been outlined in the form of a piece of paper?
The following is an example of a 'TECHNICAL' portion from a
SoccerPlus CT Player Evaluation, (U12 Boy).
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Toby has been working very hard on improving this
side if his game. I believe in the past he has
relied on his direct style and strength to be
successful at the travel level and because of this
his technique took a back seat. Toby applies himself
tremendously at practices but still needs a lot of
work with his overall technique, his first touch as
well as the way he strikes a ball. Being composed,
showing the surface to the ball and the way he
approaches the ball are key areas for Tristan to
continue to work on. |
PHYSICAL
The terms ‘fitness’ and ‘strength’ are often used to describe
the physical attributes of a player. As coaches we need to
provide more specific areas of focus with regards to the
physical aspect of the game. For instance are they able to
change direction quickly? (agility), do they have quick feet
(quickness)? or are they able to contest for a header against
bigger players (power)? As players mature it becomes more
evident where the areas of improvement lie. Evaluations must
reflect these deficiencies and suggest ways to improve them in
order to develop their physical attributes.
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Even at the professional level, coaches' opinions
regarding the importance of certain physical traits will
differ. For example, at Aston Villa (EPL) Gabby
Agbonlahor was told by his previous Head Coach (Martin
O’Neill) that his upper body strength needs improving.
When current boss Gerard Houllier entered the fray he
demanded the Agbonlahor stop developing his upper body
strength as he believed it negatively impacted his
playing ability. |
 |
TACTICAL
A tactical
evaluation involves exploring the players movement, awareness,
decision making, positional sense and communication. This can be
very difficult to evaluate in really young players as they have
not yet developed the social or physical tools to enable them to
engage in a competitive game of soccer.
Being able to play in a number of positions will help younger
players develop tactically. It will challenge them to understand
other area’s of the game/field. Watching high level games will
also help develop a tactical awareness in young players.
PSYCHOLOGICAL/MENTAL
The psychological, or mental, dimension is often overlooked in
youth sports, yet it is an area of utmost importance. Learning
styles, motivation, social interaction, emotional capacity,
communication, attitude and leadership should all be noted
during an evaluation. Being able to identify these traits and
how they may impact a player is a skill all coaches should seek
to develop.
Adel Taarabt, according to his QPR Manager Neil Warnock, has the
potential to play at any of the top clubs around the world; his
only hindrance is a poor attitude that needs to be handled very
delicately. In the wrong managerial hands he may not progress
any further with his playing career.
 |
 |
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The shy's the
limit for Taarabt, whose psychological/mental
attributes have hindered his development so far. |
Neil Warnock will have to adapt the way he
communicates with Taarbat after identifying a
weakness in his attitude. |
For the
player, receiving a well formulated evaluation is only the
beginning of their quest towards improvement. They must
continually seek to apply themselves in practice to address
areas of deficiency as outlined in the evaluation.
As a coach, preparing a well formulated evaluation does not
signal the end of the assessment period for their players. A
coach must address weaknesses in players and teams during
training and continue to note their development and
improvements.
At SoccerPlus we encourage our younger athletes to keep a
journal of games and training sessions so that they can reflect
on what they have achieved and whether their improvements have
been accomplished in either short term or long term goal
setting. Do you have a desire to improve?
“..be honest with yourself about the effort and commitment
you make. It is a skill that will serve you in and out of the
game for the rest of your life”
Tony DiCicco
Read Parts One and Two of 'Five Ways To Be A Better Coach Today'. |
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