ARE YOU PREPEARED FOR 2026?

With tomorrow being Saturday February 1, it marks 6 - 7 weeks before practices games will be played and that means there might be only 12 training sessions between now and then to train up the principles you want your team to follow for season 2026.  

Over the 4 main phases of the game laid out below, and that could be extended to 5 if you prefer to divide transition into offensive and defensive, you should have 3 - 4 solid principles for each that you train up and nail for a single season.

Too few and you're not covering enough of what happens in a game and too many and the players just can't take it all in enough to master them all.

If you're still a few principles short of fully rounding out your team's approach in 2026, then scour the options below and get to it!

  

DEFENSIVE PRINICPLES

• FORWARD PRESS DEFENSE
• LANE RUNNING
• 666 CONNECTION
• EXPLOITING THE STAND RULE
• KICK OUT STRATEGIES
• OVERLAP

 

TRANSITION PRINCIPLES

• FORWARD PRESS DEFENSE
• LANE RUNNING
• MIDFIELDER RUNNING PATTERNS
• 666 CONNECTION
• EXPLOTING THE STAND RULE
• CREATING/UTILISING LENGTH
• WING PLAY
• PLAYING BETWEEN THE LINES
• OUTNUMBER ADVANATAGES
• MANUFACTURING CORRIDOR
• OVERLAP
• RUCK RUNS

 

OFFENSIVE PRINCIPLES

• 666 CONNECTION
• CREATING/UTILISING LENGTH
• FORWARD PLAY

 

STOPPAGE PRINCIPLES

• TEAM FORMATIONS
• CENTER BOUNCE CLEARANCE VOL 1
• CENTER BOUNCE CLEARANCE VOL 2

Alternatively, if you'd got something you'd like me to look over and give some feedback on then feel free to let me know.

INDIVIDUAL + TEAMMATE EFFECTS ON SMALL SIDED GAMES

This hot-off-the-presses study looks at quantifying the effects of individual players and teammates on small-sided games through repeated-game observations.

Does 1 or a group of players drive a team's success or do all players need to contribute to become a winning team?

Find out below.

• In the study 31 people participated in 3v3 soccer matches
• Teammate combinations explained 20 – 23% of team success but individual players only 11 – 12% with the kicker there being that was substantial residue variance of 64 – 69% which indicates that performance depends on multiple factors beyond those 2 alone
• Scouting/analytics should better account for the emergent properties of team interactions when evaluating players
• Football outcomes often emerge from chains of events involving multiple players making it statistically complex to isolate individual impact
• 2 players of the same skill set may underperform if they occupy the same spaces and limit each other’s opportunities
• Collective team performance arises from the interpersonal interactions between players, with interaction quality differentiating unsuccessful and successful outcomes
• In football, team tactics are governed by complex processes resulting from networks of interdependent parameters, suggesting that performance emerges from the coordination patterns between specific player combinations and not solely from isolated individual abilities
• Ecological dynamics predicts that a player’s apparent quality may be significantly shaped by environmental context (teammates, tactical roles, opposition strength)
• By repeatedly shifting team configurations in small-sided games, we isolate the relative effects of individual players and their teammates on overall performance
• The study also looked at if unopposed player skill levels, tested and quantified pre-study, were maintained in games
• The highest male goal scorer (32 goals) had an individual player effect of -.6 suggesting their offensive production was accompanied by negative defensive contributions or occurred disproportionately in matches their team lost
• The highest female goal scorer (38) had an individual player effect of +1.34 indicating more consistent alignment between offensive/defensive production and overall team contribution
• The correlation of unopposed skill level and individual player effects during competition was weak for both genders
• Team performance was maximised when players with different skill skillsets were combined, highlighting the importance of complementary roles in driving team success
• In AFL the distribution of individual contributions within teams significantly affects match outcomes, with more evenly distributed goal-scoring patterns associated with greater success suggesting team effectiveness emerges not just from individual capabilities but from how those capabilities are distributed/coordinated within the group
• Team effectiveness depends not only on the competencies of individual members but also on their ability to coordinate, communicate and adapt to dynamic situations
• This study only used 3v3 but in 11v11 results may not fully transfer where positional roles/formations introduce additional layers of interdependence

OUTSIDER COACH #9 - ALAN COUZENS PART 4

We've made the final part of this series on performance coach Alan Couzens where we've broken down his content into lactate, training zones, metabolic fitness and aerobic development. Today we look at various ways you can train to his principles as well as a bunch of other helpful tips to guide you along the way + a snapshot of how l've incorporated a lot of them myself. 

BEGINNER PROGRAM

This is for someone whose walking pace places them in upper zone o/lower zone 1 who is training for a 5k...Have 1 day  metabolic day consisting of a 2 – 3hr bike/hike, very easy, just keep moving...Have 2 run days of 75 – 90mins each with 15min zone 0/1, 15min zone 1/2, light dynamic mobility, 10 x 30secs gradual speed increase to 5k effort with long walk recovery, 15min warm down...Do 1 – 2 full body gym sessions/week...Add in 2 – 3 short/easy recovery days x walk/gentle yoga

WALKING

For 90% of people, yes...For very fit people, no...Stroke volume will come very close to maximum levels at relatively low levels of intensity (40 – 50% VO2Max) where there is a maximal stimulation on the stretch of the heart at easy efforts which increases the size of the left ventricle leading to lower heart rates at rest and during exercise...40 – 50% VO2Max is a very easy effort and for a normally fit person with a VO2Max of 40 – 50, this is just 20ml/kg/min and a normal walking economy of just 3.1mph...Only once you reach a VO2Max of 50 then walking starts to be ineffective as its insufficient to reach full stroke volume and you’ll need to walk on solid inclines or perhaps with load and/or jog a little...Even if you’re too fit for walking to work cardiovascularly, it can still work metabolically

The best endurance athletes in the world will do 90% of their work at less than 1mmol/l lactate...Most amateur athletes will struggle to get down to 1 even when walking so just walk

WARM UP

It sets the scene for what fuel the body will burn for the rest of the workout and whether it will be a fat or sugar burning session...For a fat burning session, start with a walk into a light jog then into your normal pace over 15 – 20mins...If you’ve just eaten carbs then it’ll take longer to stabilise and allow for fat usage

If you've only got 60mins then warm up, walk, light jog then reverse the workout back down (walk, warm down)

75 HARD

For 75 days, commit to 2 x 45mins bouts of exercise/day with 1 of them being outside with no intensity floor and make the 90mins as easy as you like = 10hrs/week

HIGH v LOW INTENSITY

Overdo low intensity and you'll lose oxidative power...Overdo high intensity and you'll lose oxidative capacity/endurance...Almost all athletes are relatively high in sugar burning power and very low on fat burning capacity...Fix your diet, bring your overall intensity down and 1/week do a long ride ride/hike in which should be 3x your long-term daily average so if you train 7hrs/week = 1hr/day x 3 = 3hrs in duration...Start easy, just get time in the saddle and then increase intensity gradually

HIGH INTENSITY TRAINING

Increases the amount of lactate you can achieve at the end of a medium duration effort...If doing exclusive base training it might only allow you to reach 175bpm and accumulate 6mmol/l of lactate over a 10km course...After 6 weeks of interval training, it might increase to 180bpm at 8 – 9mmol/l of lactate and it can result in marginally better times (3%) but most of us have a lot more to gain on the base side of things, and only once that starts to plateau should intervals be brought in...If you've started ding hard intervals in October then you're severely capping your overall fitness potential for the season

Will improve heart rate/stroke vole temporarily but nothing long lasting that remodels the heart for increases in VO2Max where you need years of stretch/remodel/stretch/remodel...Uses fast muscle fibers over slow muscle fibers which also means glycogen depletion over fat oxidation so you miss out on slow fibre use and the sustained energy they provide...The highest VO2Max ever recorded is 96.7 and he only spent 5% of his training at high intensity with 80% of it being under 80% of his heart rate max

IDEAL HEART RATE

If you absolutely can’t test lactate then use this to get your heart rate range...((MaxHR – RHR) x .5) + RHR = Lower End...((Max HR – RHR) x .6) + RHR = High End...For me its 119 - 131bpm @ a max heart rate of 180 and a resting heart rate of 57

TRAINING RULES

4hrs of zone 0 movement/day with 10k steps moving every 90mins...30mins mobility/day...2hrs in zone 1 x 4/week...30mins combined in zones 2 – 5 x 2/week...30min full body gym x 2/week...4+hr hike/bike x 1/month

SCHEDULING

You only need 1 long/strong/fast session per week and the rest can be easy/recovery based...If you have extra energy then add in another 2nd fast session

My weekly schedule is day 1 x sprints/lower gym, day 2 all easy, day 3 x upper gym, day 4 x aerobic/lower gym, day 5 all easy but maybe some zone 1, day 6 x upper gym and repeat...All days have zone 0/1 training to fill up my aim of 170mins/day total detailed below

FASTED EXERCISE

Compared to fed exercise the overall difference in fat oxidation is marginal but the difference in time to fatigue and post session recovery is significant...You’re also setting the limiter to the energy in your liver v the energy in your muscles and we’re not training our liver...That being said I do my aerobic session fasted if it falls on a Monday or Wednesday and I train in the AM when my evening is taken out from footy training/work

It makes no sense to do hard workouts when fasted as you've set the perfect scene for lots of free fatty acids availability but if you train at an intensity that is too high then you'll bypass them for sugar and you'll miss both fat burning and true aerobic development opportunities

THE HEART

The ejection fraction is the % of blood pushed out per beat with 50% of stroke volume being good cardiac health...At rest, ejection fractions for untrained people is 50 – 60% of stroke volume and well-trained athletes closer to 70% and during exercise this increases to 70/75% – 80% respectively...The bigger separator is left ventricle capacity which is 100ml in untrained people v 180 – 200ml for trained athletes which comes from having bigger chambers which are developed by racking up lots of beats where the heart is completely full of blood and being fully stretched out on every beat...The heart is most full at low heart rates...The larger the heart gets the higher the absolute energy cost of accumulating those beats where an elite athlete racking up full heart beats at 50 – 60% VO2Max could be expending 15 – 20cals/minute v an untrained person doing less than half of that

HEART BEATS

The more full heart beats you can rack up, the more oxygen you can deliver per beat and the faster your aerobic speed becomes…The more low intensity contractions you rack up the more mitochondria you grow in the fat-fuelled muscle fibers and the less lactate you'll produce for any given speed

PERFORMANCE LIMITER

The biggest one is likely metabolic as the typically metabolically unfit amateur burns through 1000cals of carbs before they even get to footy training, leaving nothing for actual training, but the typical elite athlete won’t have burn through any...The solution isn't for the unfit amateur to eat more carbs, but to become more reliant on using fat as fuel during the day via aerobic and metabolic fitness, so carbs remain largely untouched and are still available for when you really need them 

TRAINING RESPONSE

Changes in fitness are much more closely linked to changes in lifestyle (sleep, diet, stress, nutrition etc) then training load

LONG TERM DEVELOPMENT

Train up and master metabolic capacity then aerobic capacity and then anaerobic capacity in that order...The first 2 can be trained at the same time if you're extremely disciplined enough to walk instead of running

INCREASED FITNESS

Means increased glycogen storage where an athlete with a 70 VO2Max will have double the storage as an athlete at 40 VO2Max

LOW VOLUME ATHLETE

They don’t need sustained anaerobic work...Their anaerobic systems are already usually strong on their own but it has to be supported by the aerobic system, which it rarely is...They’ll easily reach double figures in lactate after high intensity exercise v high volume athletes who top out at 5 – 7mmol/L, with their highly developed aerobic system dominating their anaerobic system...The high-volume athlete's absolute glycolytic power isn't significantly different to their aerobic power so train to raise the roof so that anaerobic glycolytic power is no longer the limiter...For low volume athletes their roof is already a long way from their ceiling with an attic of potential untapped, yet they keep banging their head against the 5ft ceiling - this was me from mid 20's onwards!

FAST MUSCLE FIBER ATHLETE

They burn through a crap load of glycogen...Will have a lot of long/slow/easy metabolic work to do to be competitive over the long stuff...Glycogen use at 79% of VO2Max is 65 for fast fiber athlete v 28 for slow fiber athlete meaning that the slow fiber athlete can maintain the same amount of work for twice as long at the same intensity

FATIGUE

Train to the first sign of fatigue, not the last

NORWEGIAN METHOD

Massive amounts of 1mmol/l lactate work coupled with hefty doses of solid aerobic work in and around 3mmol/l lactate

THE MAGIC WORKOUT

Put your bike on the lightest gear, find the flattest most boring road you can find and spend multiple hours ticking along and never letting your heart rate go above your aerobic threshold

RANDOMS

There is zero benefit of spending more than 30% of your training time (72mins) above zone 1 for runners training less than 4hrs/week as harder is not worth more

To even stand a chance of maintaining zone 2 for the full 9hrs of an Ironman race you need to be able to complete 9hrs at zone 1 and 6hrs in zone 2 as singular training sessions beforehand

You benefit from a lot of easy work, and a little fast work, but not from doing your easy work harder...For most athletes, zone 2/3 give no additional aerobic benefit per unit of time than zone 1 but it does delay recovery, negatively affect fat burning and increase injury risk...Zone 1 is about 70% of your heart rate max

Zone 2 costs more than zone 1 but isn’t worth anymore fitness...Zone 3 costs way more than zone 2 but for the same fitness as zone 1...Zone 4 costs even more than zone 3 but only for a little extra fitness than zone 1...Zone 5 is ridiculously priced but for a lot more fitness than zone 1...Zone 5 provides the greatest amount of fitness but you can’t do much of it and is where everyone goes wrong...The more zone 1 you do the more you can do overall but also the more cheaper it becomes and elites can get to the point where it costs absolutely nothing...Zone 5 is always expensive and only gets more expensive the more fit you become as your continually trying to raise the roof but you've barely lifted the floor 

You don’t need to push, you need to keep showing up where you are

Most of the time your split should be 60 – 70% zone 1 with the remaining 30 – 40% split between zone 0 (warm up/active recovery) and zone 2 (hills/circuit training/pick-ups)

Your long session should be 33% of your weekly volume so for me 6.5hrs (20hrs/.33)

You don’t get the same positive shifts in fat oxidation if you split sessions up v doing them all in a row

People want a 12-week fix but endurance is a 1000-day project

MY MOVEMENT DAY - 170mins

Everybody's situation is different and I'm no different, with a lot of time spent at home being a full-time carer.

Dog Walk and/or Pedal trainer upon waking x 30 - 60mins

On aerobic day I then head down to the footy oval and do 60mins there followed up by another 15- 20 in the gym once I get back x 60 - 75mins which equates to a good 90 - 105mins all up in zone 0/1 and some 2 depending on how I structure my aerobic training.

Mid arvo Ill jump on the pedals again and/or walk the dog x 45 - 60mins

After dinner I'll again jump on the pedals and/or walk the dog x 45 - 60mins

On gym days I will have done 90mins or so of zone 0/1 earlier in the day, do gym late arvo into another dog walk and then fill up my time to 170mins after dinner on the pedal trainer of need be.

1 day a week I've been hitting the new indoor basketball court over here in the west for 90mins or so that's zone 1/2 and the main training session for that day. 

All movement is included in my daily totals such as shopping, gardening and mowing the lawns.

You might not be able to reach 170 but 120mins/day should be doable for most with 30mins before breakfast, 60min main session and 30mins somewhere else during the day or the 2 x 45mins option suggested above - if you want to, you'll find the time to

OUTSIDER COACH #9 - ALAN COUZENS PART 3

So far in this this series on Aussie but now American performance coach Alan Couzens we have covered lactate, training zones and metabolic fitness and today we look at the aerobic system in a bit more detail.

AEROBIC THRESHOLD

During a Step Test, if your aerobic threshold is 60% or less of your VO2Mmax power, then you need more aerobic work...If it's over 60% then you should introduce a little more zone 4/5 work...The aerobic threshold is the 1st rise in lactate...Estimate VO2Max power by doing a 5 and then 20 minute all out run then get the average of those runs...You can also use the Karvonen formula to estimate 60% of your VO2Max from a known resting heart rate/maximal heart rate...My max heart rate is 180 and my resting heart rate is 57bpm...The formula is ((MHR - RHR) x % intensity) + RHR so ((180 - 57) x .6) + 57 = 131bpm is 60% of my VO2Max

AEROBIC BASE

Those with a strong ability to use fat as substrate spend more time training at a low intensity/less than 70% of their threshold/pace while also tending to train with more volume...Ramping up training from 400hrs to 800hrs/yr resulted in almost 2x the fat oxidation

AEROBIC CAPACITY

For a typically fit, middle aged dude with a threshold of 5min/km then most of your training should be at 50% or less of your threshold meaning 10min/kms meaning walking and that’s how you get your volume

NASAL BREATHING

If you can nasal breath for the entire session (I do), then that's an excellent sign you're training at your aerobic threshold/1st rise in the lactate curve/max fat oxidation...You can do the most work with the less fatigue here and is the 1st deepening of the breath

This the deepening of the breathe/opening of the lungs is generally felt as a need to move more air through the body so you intuitively open the mouth to help out

The point where you want to open your mouth to get enough air in the lungs is a good proxy for aerobic threshold and it’s quite/subtle/not forced and not a competition to see how much air you can move through your nostrils

As exercise intensity increases, we move from nasal breathing to quiet mouth breathing to loud mouth breathing which is right up at your VO2Max where metabolic acidosis is starting to increase and the body’s response to it is to blow off the increasingly carbonic acid in the form of additional carbon dioxide and is visible in the relationship between total CO2 production v O2 being consumed

Ventilation makes a sharp increase but respiratory rate barely moves and in some cases will actually decrease as now the body’s urge is to breathe out deeper to rid the increasingly acidity of the blood in the muscles and this is often wrongly identified as the 1st ventilation threshold...Athletes spend too much time in this acidic/carb costly state when there is significant benefit to be had being far below it at an intensity that allows nasal breathing

Earn the right to be a loud mouth breather 

OUTSIDER COACH #9 - ALAN COUZENS PART 2

Yesterday I introduced Alan Couzens, an Aussie but American-based performance coach who specialises in energy systems.

He has totally transformed how I look at aerobic development and although maybe not applicable for team footy training, it's totally what you should be following for whatever energy system straining you do in your own time.

Yesterday we covered various topics around lactate and training zones and today we look at metabolic fitness which will be new to most, if not all, of you. 

FAT v CARB OXIDATION

If you overdo dietary fat, then power can be compromised as energy per liter of oxygen is less than 6% lower for fat than carbs so a low carb runner will need a 6% higher VO2Max to maintain the same speed.

If you overdo carbs, then you become a sugar burner you can't burn as many calories per minute as the high fat runner and once you've spent all your carb tickets, your body finds it very hard to then move to fat as an energy source, and you teeter out very quickly.

FAT OXIDATION

Someone with a VO2Max 50 or less, fat oxidation peaks at less than a 4mph/brisk walk, is already down to less than 50% at a 5.5mph/jog and down to 0 at a 6.5mph - slow down to use fat for fuel!

FAT BURNING

2 people can have a very good levels of max fat oxidation but they can also achieve max fat oxidation at different heart rates and %’s of heart rate...Both athletes can also breath at different rates and move different amounts of air through the body...Different athletes can burn different amounts of fat at the same % of heart rate max

FAT UTILISATION

A typically unfit individual burns less then 100cals of fat/hr (1pd/35hrs of exercise) v a metabolically fit individual that can burn 6x that (1pd/5 – 6hrs of exercise)...If you’re looking to use fat fuel then you need to have a high ability to use fat as fuel

IMPROVING FAT BURNING

Even the leanest individual has enough fat stored to run 10 marathons back-to-back but the average individual can only access energy from fat at about 3 calories/min but for averaged sized individuals it takes about 6cals/min for your slowest stroll meaning we have great capacity but low fat burning power to even power a walk...For an average sized endurance athlete expending 2500cals/day, only 5% of them will be from fat stores...You want to be a hybrid athlete, being able to switch to whatever energy blend is needed in accordance with output, on demand

BE A FAT BURNER

A study looked at fat oxidation at rest v 25% v 50% v 70% of VO2Max and some were deriving 100% of their resting energy from fat and some just 30%...Those who burn more fat at rest tend to burn more fat all intensity levels...If you simply flood your blood with glucose then it will never learn to use fat as fuel...Cut sugar from your diet when you're not exercising and to a moderate intake overall...Train more in aerobic zones that keep lactate levels low and cut out the hard stuff until you’ve built a metabolic base...The ideal nutritional balance point for serious athletes is 48% carbs, 24% protein and 28% fat regardless of calorie surplus or deficit

FAT OXIDATION NUTRITION

50g carbs/day is the baseline minimum then add 100g/hr of training for a medium size/medium fitness athlete during low intensity base training...Add 150g for a large and/or high fitness athlete during high intensity phases...Protein x 2g/kg/bodyweight

HOW TO BE A FAT BURNER

Most athletes have a big engine for short duration efforts but have a hard time fuelling longer events and can’t burn fat for very long and chew up carbs…The engine is powerful but the fuel economy is no good so to preserve fuel you need to improve access to another unlimited fuel source by improving fat oxidation – specifically improving fat oxidation at all intensities and also reduce bodyweight…At higher levels of intensity the overall aerobic capacity of the athlete (the ability to hold power at low lactate) becomes more and more important…Aim for 20 – 25hrs of training/week but at very low intensities, capped at the aerobic threshold which is 50 beats below your heart rate max…The key session of the week should be a 4-6hr long flat bike ride followed by a long flat hike x 3 – 4hrs the next day…Combine those 2 workouts with fat oxidation nutrition and your body really no other choice but to adapt

METABOLIC FITNESS

The difference between us and elite runners is not VO2Max but metabolic fitness...Ther average weekend warrior has a  VO2Max of 50ml/kg/min v the elite athlete at 70ml/kg/min = 40% difference...The max fat oxidation for a weekend warrior is 3 – 4cals/min v an elite of 7 – 10cals/min = 150% diff...In practice this is a huge difference in the relative intensity of what easy training needs to be to be sustainable between both athletes and much larger than the difference in hard training

A flattish bike ride of 6hrs on a road bike will use up about 3500cals and close to double your glycogen stores so this is going to require a decent ability to supplement the carbs the athlete brings in by burning fat as a substrate

The best thing you can do is to have 1 day/week devoted to long and easy at your maximal fat burning intensity...90mins to 4hrs...Spend the day teaching your body how to generate energy from fat...To find your maximum fat burning intensity in order from best to worse options, 1 - Do a lactate test, 2 - Train at your minimum lactate level as it tends to correlate with your highest fat oxidation level or, 3 - Profile your fitness and train at a fixed % of your max where novices will be 40% of VO2Max or lower, intermediates at 50% VO2max or less and elite athletes at 60 VO2Max or less at. which point use this equation to estimate the corresponding heart rate...Target Heart Rate = ((Max Heart Rate 180 - Resting Heart Rate 57) x .4) + Resting Heart Rate 57 = ((180-57) x .4 + 57 = 106bpm

CARDIO v METABOLIC FITNESS

They are not the same...So much important stuff come from basic metabolic fitness like conditioning your slow fibers to use fat as their primary fuel...A profession triathlete with a VO2Max of 74ml/kg/min looked like he had super cardio fitness but had fat oxidation levels at low levels of intensity of a measly 2cals/min which is really very low metabolic fitness so he struggled over longer races...Zone 1 is superior to zone 2 for metabolic benefit

CARBS

Don’t burn your jet fuel at rest but that’s what you’ll do if you overeat carbs as the body wants to keep blood glucose in a certain range and will burn them whenever it wants in order to do so which also means you'll want to keep eating them

BURNING 1000 CALORIES

Before doing anything fancy, make sure you’re doing 1000cals of work/day which is about 2hrs of purposeful walking at 3.5mph for an 80kg athlete...1000cals/day for general health, 2000cals/day for an amateur athlete and 300o/day for an elite athlete

You'll typically burn 1 calorie per kg of bodyweight per km travelled…At 80kgs you'll burn 80cals/km so to reach 1000cals you need to cover 12.5kms/day (1000/80) in any way possible…For most people you could do a 5km jog coupled with 2 x 40min walks/easy bike

OUTSIDER COACH #9 - ALAN COUZENS

I have been following Alan Couzens for some time now and it has completely switched my process on aerobic development.

In my teens and early 20’s I used to be able to run but after 3 – 4 years off footy and just doing gym and jump/sprint work, getting heavier (I was 55kgs as an 18yr old!) and just flat out ignoring aerobic training, once I came back to footy I was in my early 30’s and never really gave it a great effort to developing it specifically.

Fast forward to my mid 40’s and still playing open age footy, to be able to have repeated impact on the ground I need to be able to cover it and repeat that throughout a game so I have been trying to improve it as much as I can for the last 3 years or so.

We’ve all had coaches set up running programs for us to do at footy training but they’re usually majorly sub-par and everyone is completely different in how their energy systems contribute to their overall output.

All that happens in these running sessions is that we express whatever “fitness” we have but we are never building it.

High intensity/fatigue-based running can provide sharp improvements in a relative quick amount of time but it’s not aerobic development, and by skipping that part, you’ve skewed even further to the fatigue running side of the continuum, making it even harder to become a true aerobic athlete and severely limiting your running ability.

There’s a lot to cover here as this is 30 pages of Twitter posts and articles from Alan so it might jump around a little bit but I’ll try make it as simple as possible but it will consist of 4 posts!

He has a community forum that I am a part of where he will personally answer questions and there are plenty of helpers in there as well.

LACTATE TESTING

It all starts with lactate testing which isn’t feasible for a lot of us as his recommended lactate testers (no affiliation though) are $300+ and apparently testing strips are pretty hard to come by.

A few years back I was part of a university study that tested my VO2Max and lactate so I have some very basic numbers – albeit pretty old one’s that will have changed for the better or for the bad in that time.

Even though it’s hard to get lactate tested, it’s still crucial to know the thought process behind it which will help going forward.

FIRST RISE IN LACTATE

If your 1st rise in lactate occurs at less than 60% of max pace/power then you’re aerobically deficient so most of your training should be focused on easy work. Max pace being the max level of pace/power achieved at the end of the lactate step test

LACTATE LEVELS

1mmol/l is the aim but initially you might only be able to get as low as 1.5 – 2 but that’s fine, just hang out at whatever your lowest point is and watch it drop over time as you develop more mitochondria in your slow twitch muscle fibers.

To get it down, walk further than normal and possibly up to 60mins or more.

Blood lactate follows blood glucose so decrease glucose spikes, only putting in what you’re taking out.

2mmol/l is a horrible place to hang out so keep most work under 1.5 with a little bit in the 3 – 4 range and avoid the grindy range

LACTATE DURING ACTIVITY

If you’re running a 10min mile pace (2.66m/s) and it feels easy or you have a goal to run a faster time but you’re already @ 2mmol/L then you’re base is weak and you need to slow down...My 2mmol/L that feels easy could be 3mmol/L for some and 5 – 6 for others but 10min miles @ 2mmol/L is a poor aerobic base irrespective of the max

LACTATE CLEARANCE

Training for lactate clearance and lactate production are 2 different things...To maximise clearance, get aerobically fit as the body loves to use lactate as fuel but in order to do so it needs mitochondria which uses lactate as a substrate

LACTATE AT IT’S LOWEST

Does not come sitting on the couch...Suring easy movement our slow fibers take up lactate to use as fuel, blood glucose decreases and fat oxidation increases and this is what bottoms out lactate...For this I start the day on my pedal trainer for 30 – 60mins on my sprint and aerobic running days

LACTATE AND FAT BURNING

As lactate goes up, fat oxidation comes down and vice versa...The % of fat oxidation will tend to fall as blood glucose goes up except for well-trained athletes with a very strong metabolic base (more on that later)…Your highest % of fat oxidation will occur at your lowest lactate number though it might not be the highest power at that number e.g. 1 athletes lactate didn’t start to rise until he went beyond 250w but fat oxidation peaked at 175w...Your maximal % of fat oxidation will almost certainly occur somewhere within zone 0 and zone 1

MY EXPERIENCE

In the university study I took part in, I did multiple bike tests that spat out heart rate and corresponding lactate data at increasing levels of wattage and from that I was to at least see where my 1^st rise in lactate was and what happened after that.

The study wasn’t set up for lactate testing, it was just a par of the data they took, not was the training program but I did see some progress from it in a lactate sense regardless.

TRAINING ZONES

Experienced runners will have heard, and trained by, zones so this is nothing new but once you have some personal lactate readings then you can go about determining your specific zones to really nail your programming. If you can't test lactate, and that's highly probable then there's other but les pinpoint ways to get your training zones.

ZONE 0

Is 15 beats or more below your 1st rise, but not spike, in lactate...Training in this zone is more beneficial for high fitness athletes v low/moderate fitness athletes but volume is volume and volume is the key that unlocks a lot of what I’ll post in this series.

Generally – active recovery, basic consistent movement throughout the day, can do as much of it as you like with zero implications

ZONE 1

Is the zone just before the 1^st rise in lactate...Width of 10 – 15bpm…Will push the entire curve to the right and is the only zone that affects the entire curve...Coincides with max diastolic volume which is where the heart fills up to its maximum and is fully stretched on each heart beat that increases heart size and cardiac output/VO2Max

FAVORS FAT OXIDATION

It’s normal to struggle to run in zone 1...A general fit athlete with a 50 VO2Ma and an aerobic threshold of 60% VO2Max will perform zone 1 flat terrain at a pace at 2.22ms or a 7:31min km at the upper end so you have to psychologically deal with how slow it might have to be for you...Mechanically, for running take very small steps and keep your cadence up – very tiny strides – and your stride length will open up as your fitness grows over time

The general population average VO2Max is 35 – 40ml/kg/min with aerobic threshold of 50% of heart rate max...Zone 1 will be 40 – 50% of VO2Max (15 – 20ml/kg/km)...The typical economy when walking is 240ml/kg/km or less...15 – 20ml/kg/min means the person is moving at (240/15) = 16min/km = 2.3mph which is just a simple walk (more on this later)

Generally – 1.5mmol/L lactate or less, 60 – 72% of heart rate max, 55 – 60% of VO2Max, 9 – 12 RPE scale, unlimited time to fatigue, builds us up, easy warm up, easy conversation, easy effort, comfortable

MY EXPERIENCE

I couldn’t even slow jog and stay in zone 1 initially so I had to walk (treadmill, slight incline, slow pace) and jog/rest (jog then rest until heart rate gets back to 107bpm then jog again). I started jogging 37m then resting and slowly worked that up to 200m over 3 months or so for memory but I wasn’t staying fully in zone 1 at the top end but my heart rate was drastically lower during it though. I’ll probably never be able to run continuously for time and stay in zone 1 but there’s other ways to do it.

ZONE 2

Often, the relationship between zone 2 loading 3 months pre-test has a negative effect on aerobic fitness, the opposite of zone 1...When you rack up zone 2 load it’s because you’ve gone too long and it’s gotten too hard, and you’ve drifted from your optimal zone (1) where blood volume drops and the heart no longer fully stretches per heartbeat, type 1 muscle fibers are fatigued and you recruit less type 2, the more economical ones

Generally – 1.5 – 2.5mmol/L lactate, 73 – 82% HRM, 70 – 79% of VO2Max, 14 – 16 RPE, 2hrs time to fatigue, steady tempo, heavy breathing while talking, comfortable

MY EXPERIENCE

I’ve fallen victim to going too long and/or hard at times and there is a marketed difference between how you pull up from a 60min running session in zone 1 v zone 2.

I mentioned volume is the key to all of this and to be able to deliver high volume then you need to train daily and to train daily then you can’t be destroying yourself day after day. We’re looking for to bank day after day, week after week, month after month and hopefully year after year of consistent training so getting head around easy effort activity is a must.

My off-season started back on August 11, 2025 after footy finished and I have trained 159 out of 161 days in that time with an average of 162mins/day and how I do that will be detailed later.

ZONE 3

Generally - 2.5 – 4mmpol/L lactate, 83 – 87% HRM, 80 – 84VO2Max, 14 – 16 RPE, 1hr time to fatigue, moderate to hard tempo, talking is too much effort, somewhat uncomfortable

ZONE 4

Generally - 4 – 8mmol/L lactate, 88 – 92% HRM 85 – 89VO2Max, 16 – 18 RPE, 30minS time to fatigue, hard/threshold, talk in single words only, uncomfortable

ZONE 5

Generally - 8 – 12mmol/L lactate, 93+% HRM, 90 – 99 VO2MAX, 18 – 20 RPE, 15mins time to fatigue, very hard/at VO2Max, unable to talk, very uncomfortable

YOUR EXPERIENCE

Looking at those zones, where does footy training running programs fit in here do you reckon?

OUTSIDER COACH #8 - OSKU PARTONEN

Osku Partonen is another soccer coach and educator based in Finland who I've only came across recently, but I like how he's constantly connecting his content to how he sees the game that allows the reader to do the same and then replicate with their own philosophy.

TEAM

Stay brave...Show personality...Take responsibility every time...Play with courage when it’s hard...Solve problems under pressure...Recover fast when things go wrong...Step up in big moments without fear...Lead with energy, confidence and clarity...Never stop until the final whistle blows

SIMPLE COACHING

Pick 3 clear principles and commit to them x 4 – 6 weeks...#1 x Forward Mentality x attack with intent with speed x small sided games scoring within 6secs = 2 goals...#2 x Active Defending x press/recover/react by all players x small sided games counting counter attack goals only...#3 x Transition Awareness x win possession/attack v loss possession/defend x small sided games getting ball in forward half or score within 3secs

COACHING PRINCIPLES

2 – 3 at a time…Principles need repetition, time and focus so work in phases…Phase 1 x 4 – 6 weeks x build the foundation x forward mentality, active defending, transition awareness shaping behaviour when we win/lose possession…Phase 2 x 4 – 6 weeks x add more ball responsibility x bravery on the ball, technique at speed, off the ball movement to challenge technique at game speed, demand movement after the pass, rewarding brave decisions, making mistakes…Phase 3 x 4 – 6 weeks x balance of individual/team, courage/competition edge, clear desire to score/win to teach taking responsibility, when to serve the team, how to compete properly and how to play to win

CREATING VISION via KPI's

Pick 1 principle then build 2 – 3 KPI’s to track it in games...Transition Awareness x opposition shots within 8secs of regaining possession, number of forward possession when we regain possession, total number of forward runs even if not used...Active Defending x numbers of pressures after lost ball, how many players react immediately, clean touches under pressure

COACHING

Be honest/demanding...Explain the why behind everything...Representing learning design...Decision making not just drills...Feedback that actually helps...Challenge players to solve problems...Stay calm when others lose control...Coach people, not just footballers

ACTIVE DEFENDING

Increases session intensity, tempo, intent...Ball carrier has less time  = improved control, quicker decision making + teammates must respond/react/support faster...Everyone is active all the time...You’ll spot technical weakness faster as cognitive load/dual tasking becomes a factor...Pressure moments, reactions under stress, competition repetitions, game tempo

OUTCOMES OVER EFFORT

Under 9 – 13...Development happens when players learn to create outcomes with the ball...Use principles over rigid instructions to guide behaviour x look to play forward 1^st, take risks in 1v1’s or press as soon as we lose the ball...The principle gives the direction, the outcome is the target and the player chooses the tool...You want players who can problem solve in different ways and confidence to try again after mistakes

5 W's of ACTIVITY DESIGN

Until you name it, you can't address it...What goes wrong x we lose the ball under pressure and players don’t offer support with no runs from behind...Where does it happen x pinpoint where on the ground and train it there as context shapes decision making...Who is involved x which line/s + design the player roles for that situation...When does it occur x which phase of play where timing shapes the constraints of the drill...Which elements are missing x which behaviours are we not seeing (forward mentality, transition awareness, off ball movement)

YOUTH COACHING

Short term wins can come from short cuts x relying on 1 fast player, outmuscling opposition etc and doesn't prepare them for the level up in most cases...Coach habits that will transfer to the next level x forward mentality, bravery on the ball, active defending, technique at speed, transition awareness of ball changes, balance of individual/team, courage/competition edge, off ball movement, desire to score/win

BUILD DEFENSE 1st

Where you win the ball decides where your next chance comes from

PLAYERS

If they don’t recognise patterns/triggers then scanning is head movement with no purpose

SESSION DESIGN

Don’t change the training activity, use progressions…1 activity set up/multiple challenges…Don’t change the training activity, raise the demand…Same exercise/higher standards…You’re not chasing new, you’re chasing faster decision making, cleaner execution and stronger reaction…Space x smaller/quicker decision making + bigger/more running…Numbers x add/remove a defender/support…Time x touch limits/defender starting position/s…Coaching language stays the same – new demands/same cues…Avoid random tweaks that confuse learning

MOVING DURING GAMES

Moving without intention doesn’t help anyone so simply shouting it from the sidelines needs to go…Good football isn’t about constant movement, it’s about timed/purposeful movement…When players move all the time then they often drift into bad spaces, move away from the ball at the wrong time, clog passing lanes, arrive too early or lose their positional advantage…They’re active but not effective…Movement only has value if it creates space for teammate, opens passing lanes, drags a defender, attacks space at the right time or supports the ball with correct distance…Sometimes the smartest movement is no movement as staying still can hold a defender, keep a passing lane open, invite pressure, create space somewhere else or prepare a better next action…Move to create space/stay to hold it, move when the ball arrives etc > keep moving…Football rewards timing, not mileage so teach players why to move, when to move and when not to move

PRINCIPLES

A principle represents how you want your players to consistently behave…Tactical/opposition/formations change every week but principles remain stable when everything else moves providing direction throughout chaos…They guide session design, shape coaching language, help players decision making and keeps teams aligned…Forward mentality, bravery on the ball, active defending, technique at speed, transition awareness, balance of individual/team, courage/competition edge, off ball movement and clear desire to score/win…They’re all behaviours…They turn chaos into clarity…Help answer what do we stand for, what do we repeat, want do we accept and what we don't

YOUTH

Don’t need any tactics prior to 14yrs old…Master the ball/technique via lots of touches, both feet, confidence to receive/drib/pass/finish…Learn the basics such as simple decisions, 1v1/2v1/2v2, when to pass/dribble/shoot…Movement coordination x running, stopping, turning, change of direction, using the body x balance, speed, confidence in movement, injury resistance…Character development via try again after mistakes, compete properly, respect teammates/opposition, take responsibility

DECISION MAKING

Comes from clear tactics/principles, not telling them what to do…Define the tactic (build from the back, press high, attack with width) to give a clear direction…Every situation is different and a tactic alone can’t tell players what to do in every moment so then you need principles so they can read the situation, make decisions and act without waiting for instructions…Tactic x where we want to go + principles x how players behave on the way…Tactic x build from the back using forward mentality where they need to stay brave, scan forward, try to break lines, avoid hiding or only playing safe passes…Ask questions such as can you go forward here, what do you see next and then the player decides

OUTSIDER COACH #7 - GARY PIGGOT

Gary Piggot is yet another coach and coach educator based in soccer from England who I've referenced before in my content (as with all of these outsider coaches).

As with all these coaches I'm posting notes from, chuck them a follow and expand your coaching practices with what you can learn from them.

PLANNING

What are you trying to do?...How are you going to do it?...Why are you doing it?...Challenge/Motivation...Player Ownership...Simplicity...Core Coaching Skills

TYPES OF PRACTICE

Constant x technique, predicable, unopposed, zero/limited pressure, initial learning, builds confidence/competence, lots of touches, narrow focus, grooving technique, starting scaffold for more complex work, controlled physical outcome, low social aspects...Variable x skill, refining/maintaining current skill level, wider/less controlled physical returns, wider perceptual returns, some tactical elements, still lots of touches, wider social aspects...Random x game, unpredictable, opposed, long term learning, very wide practice of perception skills, wider tactical development, success not guaranteed initially, wide social aspects

SESSION DESIGN

Football is made up of small sided game’s all over the ground so do we spend enough time putting players into situations relevant to the position they play?...Slices of the game...For footy, a center bounce clearance is 4v4...Around the ground ball ups are 6v6 to 8v8...Defensive/forward 50 play is 3v3 to 6v6...Do players have the technical ability to carry out what we want to do tactically in and out of possession?...What attributes are needed to play their position on and off the ball?...What can they already do?...How can we help them improve in and out of possession?

G.R.O.W MODEL

Goal x what do you want to achieve, what might you be looking to change?...Reality x at what stage do you feel you are at now, what have you do so far?...Options x what can you try to improve/achieve, what might you try to do differently?...Way Forward x what are the next steps, what will you do, how will you do it, why will you do it?

SESSION PLAN

Focus x passing/receiving technique...Principles of Play in possession x penetrate, create space, movement, support, creativity + out of possession x press, delay, cover/balance, compactness, control/restraint...Technical Components in possession x passing, receiving, turning, dribbling, finishing + out of possession x interceptions, pressing, marking, covering...Tactical/Technical x receiving skills, pass accuracy, weight of pass, timing of pass, disguise of pass...Psychological x decision making, concentration, confidence, perceptual skills...Physical x movement skills, football functional skills, speed of movement, timing of movement...Social x communication with teammates non/verbally...Session Objectives x passing success over increasing pressure...Key Points x observe/ensure players are prepared to receive correctly, managing once in possession then decision making/execution...Individual x think of the position you play and can you work on/improve at this within this session...Units x not a focus here as there’s enough to think about already...Team – all players to work on the points above with little concern to actual team play

SIMPLIFIED PLANNING/ANALYSIS

Planning x what do we want to happen, where do we want it to happen, when do we want it to happen, who do we want to do it, how do we want them to be able to do it, why do we want them to be able to do it...Analysing x what happened, where did it happen, where didn’t it happen, how did it happen, who did it happen to, why did it happen

OBSERVATION

What do they before receiving (movement)?...What technique is/isn’t performed correctly while in possession?...What do they do after they’ve passed off?...What is happening on/around/away from the ball?

SKILL VIA TACTICS

Starts with decision making…Technique + Intelligent Choices = Skill…You make 100’s of decisions/game so the better those decisions are, the more effective technique becomes and these decisions are their individual tactics…In Possession x am I quicker/stronger than them, what’s their strongest side, when shall I act, where shall I go, where are my teammates – these will all help your attacking choices…Out of Possession x are they quicker/stronger than me, are they left/right footed, where are their mates, what might they do next, how can I stop it…Behind every tactical action is a decision x searching, recognising, planning, assessing, adapting and predicting so training needs to reflect that x adding real pressure, let them solve problems, ask questions over giving orders, reward bravery/decision making, encourage 1v1 moments in both directions

THE GAME 

In Possession x penetration - delay - create space - movement - support - creativity...Out of Possession x compactness - cover/balance - pressing - control/restraint...Key Capabilities x scanning - positioning - technique - movement - deception - timing...Actions x before - during - after...Observations x on the ball - around the ball - away from the ball...Score Goals - Do You Have Possession? Yes - Spread Out - Play Direct? Yes - Teammate Assistance? Yes - Combine...Score Goals - Do You Have Possession? Yes - Spread Out - Play Direct? Yes - Teammate Assistance? No - Individual Skill/Creativity...Score Goals - Do You Have Possession? Yes - Spread Out - Play Direct? No - Be Patient/Individual Skill/Creativity/Combine With Teammates...Stop Goals - Do You Have Possession? No - Can You Regain Immediately? Yes - Regain and Attack...Stop Goals - Do You Have Possession? No - Can You Regain Immediately? No - Be Patient/Get Ready to Intercept or Tackle/Get into Ball and/or Goal Side Position/Team Compactness...In Possession x create options for ball carrier, create space as a team/individual, width/height/depth...Play Direct x scanning, perceptual skills, predictive skills, execution of action + move with the ball, protect the ball, manipulate the ball, finish...Teammate Assistance x over/underlap, wall pass, positioning, timing/angle/speed of movement, communication...Out of Possession x can engage the ball carrier, angle of support, speed of approach, pressure 1st touch if possible, shut down quickly, decelerate at appropriate distance, stop the ball being played forward, can you help your teammates...Can't Regain Immediately x control/restraint, scanning/timing/movement/predictive skills/deception, compactness/cover and balance, positioning/timing/movement

OUTSIDER COACH #6 - KEVIN MIDDLETON

Kevin Middleton is another soccer coach and coach educator out of Scotland who has his fingers in a lot of pies if you look at his Twitter bio which enables him to provide wide-sweeping insights into soccer and team sport in general.

MIDFIELD PLAYER PERSONALITIES

The Energiser x motor/ball pressure...The Passer x skilful/break opposition lines...The Magician x great in tight...The Spider x detect game flow/connect defense to attack/plays deeper...The Destroyer x def midfielder/stop opposition attacks

UNOPPOSED v OPPOSED TRAINING

Unopposed training can be used to provide a less messy visual representation of how a situation would look on the field making it easy to do reps of it and also to embed the language you want to build around it but it’s 1 problem solved just the 1 way so you then need take it into an opposed situation as soon as you can...Unopposed training can also introduce bad habits too such as standing to receive and ball watching but is low taxing so it can be used during recovery/low days

BALL MASTERY

Is building a relationship with the ball, touching it with all parts of the feet and being able to manipulate it to escape pressure and outplay the opposition...For footy we're talking dominant foot, opposite foot, low/hard pass, high/penetrating pass, weighted pass, inside foot, outside foot turning left, turning right, balanced, imbalanced, close/body pressure...Has to be intentional and based on what problems players will face in games and what do they need to solve them

2 GOALS PER END GAMES

1v1, get past opposition and score, winner stays on...2v2 + 1n wing/side, 2min games, rotate teams...2v2+1n, if defensive teams are simply guarding the goal then add a possession count score for the offense...4v4 + 1n wing/side...5v5 + 1n def between the 2 end goals...6v6, goals in corners, 2 goals/team or last goal locked out...7v7 + 1n playing in defense so switches/team...8v8v + 2 horizontal midline pivot players

CONSTRAINTS BEAT COMMANDS

Setting out mini-goals can coach for you where if you want your team to counter press after losing possession in final 3rd then it lets the opposition score in mini-goals so the consequence is clear if they don't...Red work the ball from 1 end to the other with a +3 or so trying to score at the other end and mini goals are set up ¾’s of the way down the ground for the red team to score when regaining possession...If red regain possession before then then they can go straight back at their own goal and all of the green/offensive players in front of the ball can’t go in and defend

BALL MASTERY

Stage 1 early development 0 - 7 years old x ball control. touches, love of the ball + introduction to basic attacking/defensive principles in 1v1 + small-sided games to reinforce mastery of the ball + practice without overcoaching...Stage 2 intermediate development 7 - 12 years old x more complex ball control via turns and dribble techniques + 1v1 with more advanced attacking/defensive strategies and decision making + small-sided games with increased complexity and some basic tactical elements...Stage 3 x advanced development 12+ years old x advanced ball control, dribble at speed, creative skills and execution under pressure + 1v1 x high level attacking/defensive techniques, understanding spatial awareness, develop tactical intelligence + small-sided games x intense small-sided games to simulated game situations with a team context

BALL MASTERY

Must come before everything else...Without it you’ll always be fighting with the ball rather than using it...Even if they tactically know what to do, their ball handling will let them down...Is not about tricks but about creating players who rarely panic, can escape pressure, can turn the defense inside out when needed and can think about the next action without fighting the ball...Players need to be able to perform different kicks (non/dominant foot, in/outside edge etc) under different conditions (no/under pressure, at pace, in tight/space, un/balanced, open/being tackled)

LOSING TEAMS

Stop measuring by the scoreline alone...Reframe game success in games x scoring shots, inside 50’s, restricting opposition scoring, win the quarter etc...Reframe season success x won head to head v 1 – 3 teams, score a goal every game, no loss by more than 25pts etc...Make the first goal easy so they meet it which increases intrinsic motivation and then they’ll strive for the next one...Get back to the basics at training but link your activities to your game day goals...Stay consistent, don’t change it up as soon as you fail...Keep player expectations/standards high for effort/attitude/body language/support...Identify/praise effort/small wins

ATTACKING 1v1 to 4v4

1v1 own the duel x break the line/penetration, shift the tempo/change of pace, master their touch/close control, explode away/change of direction, sell the lie/disguise, see the problem early/head up, draw don't chase/commit defender...2v1 create the prob x stretch the picture/width, force the decision/penetration, offer the out ball/support, choose the moment/decision making, be the threat/dribble, pass with purpose/timing, angle, speed, direction...2v2 play between the lines x draw defender 1/commit, drive with threat/dribble, pass with purpose/pass, time the overlap/communication, pass, disguise the intention/delay...3v2 overload with purpose x move the ball/no aimless passes, try to manufacture a 1v1/isolate, draw the defender/commit, connect with quality/pass technique, support at angles/give options...3v3 master the triad x widen the wall/create width, support/outnumber, around, away, attack the line/penetrate, choose smart/decision making, isolate the duel/create 1v1’s, combine with clarity/passing...4v3 exploit the edge x speed the circulation/quick ball movement, no aimless passes, create 2v1 or 1v1/manipulate defenders with movement, commit with intent/1^st attacker draws pressure, pass to penetrate/use passing to break shape, support with shape/angles to give clarity and options...4v4 control the chaos x play forward fast/get ball forward quickly, arrive in support/support ball urgently, move to offer/create angles to receive, pass with purpose/secure possession through shape and detail...principles that stick from all games x stretch the space/width unlocks overloads, commit before you combine/draw the pressure then release, shape to support/good angles turn options into outcomes, pass to create not escape/possession must have purpose, speed kills stagnation/play fast but not rushed

COACHING

During the initial session of introducing a new concept players won’t grasp it immediately as they focus on learning the activity rather than the intended outcome of it and this can be part of the problem sometimes...Work in 16 week blocks that repeat training activities with a different focus with each session building on the previous one and each 16 week block introducing/revisiting essential topics...Repetition can be boring but it’s where learning lives...Repeat sessions/topics later in the 16 week block where the players will have better understanding and it will look closer to the desired outcome...Once mastery levels are grasped then level up

1v1

Players need to read the defender, not just execute moves...Are they off balance?...Which foot is forward?...Where’s the space?...Do I go alone or combine?...The best 1v1 players decide faster than they move...Train the eyes, not just the feet

GAME MODEL

Offense x pass, build, circulate, create final 3^rd actions...Transition Defense x anticipate turnover, counter press, block passing lanes, delay, recovery runs, organise...Defense x set the block, control the middle, make it predictable, defend deep, suffer stress, regain possession...Transition Offense x create width/depth, quick pass to exit pressure, forward pass, forward runs, start gain, re-establish positions

CONSTRAINTS

Technique x maximum/minimum touches allowed, weak foot only, must beat player before passing, all goals must be 1^st time…Tactics x can’t score until all players are in the forward half, must make 5 passes before shooting, goals from crosses count as double, offside line at halfway…Physical x pitch size, time limits per attacking play, sprint recovery after goals, continue play without breaks…Psychological x silent no talking, play with +/- numbers, multiple balls in play, surprise rule changes

GAME MODEL

Players understanding why execute better than those who just copy so don’t just show the movement, explain the mechanics, connect to game situations and make it relevant to their position...Defending in defensive 50 x work as a unit/compress corridor...Defending in mid 50 x rest defender/defend corridor...Defending in forward 50 x high press/triggers/counter press...Attacking from defensive 50 x find free player/break lines...Attacking from mid 50 x stretch/switch/penetrate/circulate...Attacking from forward 50 x cross and finish/finishing zones

ONLINE KICKING COACHES

 ***NOTE*** - To start with I’ve written about kicking technique in the past here and here and today will go over some of this in a far more condensed fashion.

Yesterday I came across 1 neutral football coach comparing the methods of 2 other football coaches that both focus on kicking technique with 1 of them using the other as an example of what they don't teach which is a weird move for mine and as I constantly tell my players, concentrate on you.

Going back to the link the post/s todays they don't seem to be there so maybe it was taken down or I just can't find it again!

I’ve seen and watched clips from both of these coaches over the years and know that they indirectly reference each other in some of their clips which I’ve no problem with.

Tim opts for the out and in cue for ball drop and likes to keep it at that where Ben likes to roll with the lift up cue and also get ultra internal and give further cues on fingers, arms, ball position and the like.

What do I prefer? I’m glad nobody asked…

It doesn’t really matter because both coachers get results with their clients, just maybe not for the reasons they think though.

If I had to choose, I’d go with Tim as the lesser cues based on his cue simplicity and the 80/20 rule.

I’ll personally grade myself as a very good to excellent kick + I’ve played so much footy that my decision making is better than most in the few times that I can actually get the ball these days.

Now that my credentials are more than verified with 2 kicks from 6 years ago, a trip down memory lane.

When I was a youngster in the 80’s I used to hold the ball in 2 hands and slam the ball down on my foot.

I don’t why I did it, but knowing what I do about constraints and self-organisation, I suspect it was my own technical concoction of working around the constraints I had the time of being a tiny kid with tiny hands and not being able to hold a full sized footy properly – no one else was doing it so it wasn’t a learnt action and I came up with all on my lonesome.

I started playing u14’s at aged 8 and at some stage between 5 – say 10 years old, I grew out of the foot-slam technique for something more traditional – but how?

I cannot tell you what I did exactly to change technique, but I can tell you what I didn’t do and that’s 1v1 coaching on every finite detail of kicking.

I did a lot of kick to kick with mates at and after school, I played footy with older neighbourhood kids and my older brothers as well as games on the weekend, but I was never taught explicitly how to kick, or to how to correct my kicking style as a kid.

Getting back to Tim and Ben, the differences between them are minute to me. What possibly gets lost in it all of it is that the type of kick you’re doing will dictate what technique you use.

A kick off a step or 2 will not require a higher ball lift like Ben, but it will use a more compact out and in style like Tim subscribes to.

Kicking on the run and/or a highish kick has you perform a longer penultimate step, where the body self-organises itself around that longer step which needs different timing between the upper and lower body to perform the kick.

Lifting the ball up higher occurs at the same time as this longer step because as the legs go, the arms go and vice versa.

The level of ball lift will also dictate what the arm and wrist will do.

In the end I don’t think any of those particulars really need to be taught unless they’re absolute performance limiters – which they usually aren’t.

The top kinogram is a long/high kick on the run and the bottom kinogram is a short/low kick off a few steps – notice the ball/hand/arm position from the 1^st image of both kicks that also backs up what I talk about in each of the videos above:

Deconstruction isn’t the best option for skill acquisition and overly internal cures aren’t either, and in a game, under pressure and thinking totally unconsciously when kicking the football, those cues will never enter your mind even once and if they do, then while they’re popping up in the old brain box, you’re being tackled from having to process too much information in not enough time.

My last point is that every kick is context dependent (opposition, pressure, time, space and consequence) making every kick you have in a game a 1 time only affair so do all those unpressured kicking drills carryover to real games?

In the end you I don’t think you can replace the hours and hours of unstructured play and practice that worked for me but on the other hand, that’s not really a thing now and is probably the biggest reason my teenager, and plenty of others, doesn’t play anymore, but that’s a topic for another day.

OUTSIDER COACH #5 - BERNAT MOSQUERA

Bernat Mosquera is another UEFA soccer coach and coach educator from Spain and I've been reading his content for a couple of years now.

Again - and as Twitter forces you to be - it is single focused but also actionable.

Now that we're 4 coaches into this 8-part series, you should have started to notice similarities in their approach on and off the ground.

POSITIONAL ADVANTAGE

Isn’t just about standing in a spot on the pitch, it’s about occupying a space that either allows you to receive the ball under favourable conditions or helps teammates by increasing their space/time with the ball...1 x Positioning that forces your direct defender to choose between watching the ball or you, by occupying their blind spot vertically or horizontally...2 x If the ball carrier is under pressure then position yourself in the blind spot of the 1^st defender, allowing your team to break the press more easily...3 x Not just receive the ball but also planning to penetrate behind the defense, typical for strikers who position themselves to exploit the space behind the backline, while forcing defenders into a dilemma – the ball or the player...4 x Be strategic for benefiting your teammates not just you, where a player can pin defenders/create openings to exploit by threatening to invade the space behind

PLAYER NUMBERS/TRAINING

Even x 1v1/social affective...+1 x Dribble to attract/number advantage...+2 x Pass to the free/positional advantage

JUNIOR COACHING

Different ages = different objectives...Under 7 x individual exploration/personal interaction +  nurture individual skills/creativity + positive support/guidance focusing on skill development/enjoyment + 1v1’s/multiple directions/environments promoting creativity...Under 10 x a better understanding of soccer/improved cognitive ability/transition from individual to collaborative play/teamwork + technical skills within a teammates interaction, encourage players to think strategically/consider the game’s key references + balance development of individual skills/creativity with tactical purpose + 1v1 – 3v3, multiple directions but also small sided games with 4 – 5 players...Under 13 x deeper cognitive capacity to understand soccer/capable of abstract thought/complex decision making/increased ability to analyse the game/anticipate plays + improve strategic thinking/advanced game principles/transfer individual concepts learned in the previous stage to the team + encourage critical thinking/foster independence/challenge players to think ahead + 4-6-8 players/real game scenarios/small sided games/positional games

POSITIONS v ROLES

Instead of focusing on positions like half back and rover, coach young players based on their functional roles like defensive receiver, forward pressure player etc...Could use none or neither term but look at each player and see what they like to do, what they do often and what they could add

CORRECTING MISTAKES

Often coaches critique player technical actions without considering the game cycle...What a player does before receiving the ball greatly impacts their actions...The focus should be on where to move/how to receive v how to execute the technical action where it usually is...Receiver x find a space then the time to move into it...Ball Carrier x identify advantages and exploit them...It’s crucial to understand that a player’s perception of space/time is the key to improving their decision making but are we helping them create/manage space/time better?...Perception enables players to uncover various game options based on a situation but perception goals vary with each scenario...Perception is key when receiving the ball, while the ball travels to us and during possession...When receiving, if you can perceive spaces and understand their advantages, they can make better decisions about where/how to move while creating more space for a successful ball reception by optimising their timing/direction/place...When the ball is travelling to the player they must assess the immediate space around them to adjust their reception which leads to more options granting them more space/time...When in possession, perception should focus on identifying/exploiting advantages and only after this analysis should the player execute the action...Execution is the final step, not the 1^st step...Coach correction/feedback should also guide players in recognising key game references...Helping players understand how the ball, teammates and opposition interact/influence space/time can help them discover new opportunities to exploit...Technical execution is often a consequence of good perception/decision making

HIGH PRESS

Is all in the timing and relies on recognising which spaces teammates are blocking and adjusting your positioning based on the pressure they apply to the ball carrier

STARTING POINTS

Matters when designing training activities to achieving our objectives and they must align with the specific relationship we aim to develop

FINAL 3rd (FORWARD 50)

Hide your intentions...Your movements determine if you’re seen or not...Staying relaxed/invisible can deceive defenders allowing you to exploit spaces at the perfect moment

FORWARDS

Defenders rely on reference points such as players, spaces or both so create the advantage and movement forces them to constantly adapt and makes it harder for them to decide who/what to protect

FOUNDATIONS

Win 1v1’s...Positional superiority...Master 1st touch...Beat opponents with your teammates (have them in support and then use them)...Execute all of the above in motion

DEFENSE

Be compact/close the middle but that don’t always help players fully understand what’s around them or how to defend them...Half-Half x position yourself between attackers so you can either press forward or track back and defend, influencing the ball carrier’s decision making and defending 2 players at once...Player to Cover – when in half-half, defend the most dangerous player more and force ball to less dangerous space/player

IMPROVING PERCEPTION

1 x Who is marking you and where are they + if you move intelligently you can create more time...2 x Judge pressure by space/behaviour x how far are they, are they coming at me, are they corralling me, a corralling player 3m away v a pressing player 5m away...3 x Blind spots matter so who’s behind/around you that you can’t physically see + can teammates help verbally...4 x Help the ball carrier read you x use body shape to show intent/gestures showing where you want it as many passes become available when you make your move visible...5 x Perceive before you’re relevant + if you’re not involved then can you be involved in the next 1 – 2 plays and then how

OUT OF POSSESSION

Read the pressure on the ball carrier x if high pressure then move closer/if low then get length...Stay diagonal to the ball carrier as that way you also engage the defender as they know you’re there which they really don’t if you’re behind them totally out of their sight...Know your teammates passing profile x kicking leg, long/short kick, adapt your movement to suit their comfort zone not yours...Move against the defenders flow x if they’re focused on the ball then attack their blind spot, if they’re sprinting towards you then change direction...Use your body to communicate so you don’t have to be verbal x a quick point, a sudden sprint, a shift in posture to help the ball carrier read your intention, be not just available but readable

COACHING

1 topic/week doesn’t allow for any repetition/remembering/learning...It can’t be all easy/no growth or all hard/burn out so raise challenge/scale it back as needed...Create tasks from your reality, not the pro’s, then solve them on the pitch...Rotate game moments (build up, defending, finishing, duels) and layer individual principles...2 – 3 principles only x 4 – 6 weeks to build clarity, repetition and identity...Phase 1 x build identity, forward mentality, active defending, transition awareness = intensity, urgency, reactions...Phase 2 x build up skill under pressure, bravery on the ball, technique at speed, off ball movement = decision making, control, rhythm...Phase 3 x build game winners, balance individual/team, courage/competitive edge = leadership, final 3^rd impact...Apply each principle via training activities, video analysis, KPI’s

GAME ROLES

Attackers x possessor, near receiver, intermediate receiver, far away receiver...Defenders x press defender, near defender, covering defender, intermediate defender, far away defender

GAME SITUATIONS

1v1 possession v pressing player...2v2/1v1 near teammates/how to create 2v1 – can possession players play directly, are they on the same line or at different heights...1v1 on ball, 2v2 on/near ball, 3v3 on/near/intermediate to ball, 4v4 on/near/intermediate/far away from ball

DEFENSIVE LOOP

Isn’t about chasing all the time but reading cues and then deciding the intention that gives the team that greatest advantage...Every moment has its best intention...Guide/press opposition to least dangerous side/area and/or take away their time/space...Avoid progression x cut off central areas...Delay attack x press and/or drop back to provide recovery time for teammates...Defend the goal – prioritise central areas/players

DEFENSIVE TRIGGERS

Know when to press...Body orientation/facing away from their goals...High loopy pass...Fumble...Defending is about reading cues/knowing when we have the advantage to act...Triggers are the key to deciding whether to press the ball or protect space

DEFENSE

Isn’t about following a plan/player but a continuous cycle of decisions based on the ball, teammates and oppo...Players must be deciding while defending...Defensive Loop = Pressing the ball x defend the possession (tackle/pressure) – Decision – Perceive while pressing – Approach to def (tackle/pressure) + Marking the attacker x decision – Perceive while ball is travelling to attacker – Adjust body orientation – Perceive the situation – Adjust location – Decision – Perceive the new space (teammates/opposition) and back to the start

SPECIFIC TRAINING ACTIVITY DESIGN PRINICPLES

Individual principle – put pressure on the ball + individual sub-principle – reduce ball carrier’s space/time by pressing at high speed and block passing options using cover shadow...Press the ball + force play to 1 side and maintain high pressure on skinny side...Defend 1v1 near the box + drop and delay w/ a lateral body orientation forcing the ball carrier outside and press and use your arms to unbalance...Pass or dribble + pass or dribble with intention to create an advantage for a teammate and pass when a teammate has space/time to control fwd...Creating advantage through dribble + create space for the free ball carrier by occupying the defenders blind spot and dribble to commit/pin a defender and create a 2v1...Final pass/dribble to commit + play the final pass when the close defender and the attacker has the space to exploit and dribble it far from the defender and their focus is on the teammate...Create options to receive + occupy defenders blind spot and position in a space that supports the ball carrier...Create advantage through passing + creating passing options for the ball carrier and pass to advance in the game when possible...Final 3^rd movements + move horizontally/vertically to exploit the defenders blind spot and start the run when you make eye contact with the ball carrier...Cover the pressing player + mark between the attacker and the goal and closest teammate then step closer to support...Compact the team + block central areas and deny inside passes/receptions and prioritise protecting space in behind over space in front...Defend the overload 1v2 + don't be drawn to the ball but prioritise marking the final attacker and drop back while cutting the passing lane to turn the 1v2 into a 1v1

DEFENSE

A team must defend with clear objectives/intentions...Reduce the space to make defending easier by guiding them towards the area/s that we want...Defending is not reacting, it’s directing

PRE-GAME MODEL

See if players grasp the game itself by asking if they can decide when to pass v run with ball, move closer v stretch, attack fast v slow and press ball v protect space

LINKING WEEKLY SESSIONS

Keep the same game-phase topic across 3 sessions…Start with the full context x who has the ball, where is the ball (build up zone, in front of backline, defensive 3^rd) and how is the opposition acting (pressing or protecting space)…Once you determine those then lock in the weekly scenario and design each session around that exact context…Individual x work the technical action then add the tactical intention + collective x scale to groups of 3 – 4 and then up to team flow (8+) + finishing x finish the weeks context – 1 topic 3 layers but not 3 random themes…As coach shift your focus from possessor to receiver to the pressing player to the covering defender so the whole picture comes into view for the players…Add the negative-transition principle x most attacks end in a loss of possession so players must recognise/act…Finish in the context you started x beating high press then use a small sided game/large sided game that reflects that very phase – same scenario, game real end

TIGHT SPACES

In a game you’ll have lots and low pressure on you when in possession but if you only train in tight spaces/high pressure then every decision will be a rushed one…We must teach to have them realise when to hold or when to pass, when to go fast and when to go slow

INDIVIDUAL DEVELOPMENT

Tactics/collective behaviour is great but it’s all developed in 1v1 – 3v3 situations…1v1 x ball carrier v defender…2v2 x near teammates and how can you create a 2v1…3v3 x near/immediate teammates and can the ball carrier play directly and are players on the same line at different heights…4v4 x intermediate players

DEFENSE

Don't dictate defense through formations but through finding defensive advantage via triggers

ATTACKING CYCLE

Part 1 is the possession player and it starts with game interaction (press/dribble/finish) – Decision - Perceive while in poss...Part 2 is the next receiving player so 1^st touch (control/pass) - Decision – Perceive while ball is arriving – Adjust body orientation – Decision – Perceive the situation – Adjust location – Decision – Perceive the new space (teammates/opposition) and start again

DEFENSIVE CYCLE

Part 1 is pressing the ball so defend the possession (tackle/apply pressure) – Decision – Perceiving while pressing...Part 2 is approaching to defend 1st touch (tackle/pressure) to marking the attacker - Decision – Perceive while ball is travelling to your attacker – Adjust body orientation – Perceive the situation – Adjust location – Decision – Perceive the new space (teammates/opposition) and start again

FULL GROUND STRUCTURE

Roles in the game x attacker 1/2/3/4 + defender 1/2/3/4 x on the ball, support, near the ball, away from the ball…4 circles of play x 1v1/2v2/3v3/4v4

OUTSIDER COACH #4 - PHILIP O'CALLAGHAN

I came across Philip some years ago as he began his search on mastering a constraints-led approach to his tennis coaching.

He's based in Ireland so also expect some references to various Gaelic sports.

Since than he has posted his journey of learning and now implementing everything he has learnt and posts very easily digestible bits of content that often has immediate take-aways you can put into your very next coaching session.

I myself have also posted a fair bit on the constraints-led approach so you might recognise some of the subjects and terms already. 

PLAYER KNOWLEDGE

Knowledge about the game can be giving verbal responses and can help with initial experiences...Knowledge of the game is showcased in players movements, behaviours and actions

CONSTRAINTS-LED APPROACH

Intentions shape coaching decisions and serves as a guiding constraint that influences player/team cognition’s so ensure tasks are designed with clear/meaningful intentions to align actions with desired outcomes to enhance understanding/engagement...Instead of looking for optimal movement patterns, look for functional/complex dependent solutions/adaptability...Movement is an ongoing problem solving activity as athletes navigate their environment via perception (seeing/hearing), cognition (thinking/decision making) and action (moving/responding) so design alive practices...Enrichment can be improved via design rich/varied experiences requiring adaptability to push each player's individual challenge points...Self-regulation is where coaches guide learners’ attention towards relevant environmental features, deepening/enhancing the relationship between the individual and the environment and by guiding athletes attention to specifying information that can help them become more aware of the affordances available to them enabling them to adapt their actions based on immediate constraints of their task/environment/action capabilities...Start with small player numbers so there’s not as much information for athletes to process and they’ll be better-abled to see and act on affordances...Movements are dependent on action capabilities/environmental opportunities/sociocultural influences and as they improve then so do the affordances that are presented to them...Use task simplification while maintaining the tight connection between perception/action...Design to observe and observe to design so be flexible in your planning and what you’re seeing in front of you...Principles of play help direct attention of athletes without overly constraining the movement options that supports their decision making and enables them to discover/exploit opportunities and helps them connect better with what’s happening in front of them instead of telling them what to do

TASK SIMPLIFICATION

Refers to making movements easier to perform while still maintaining game form/perception-action coupling...Are the rules/equipment/spaces that define the activity the same as the game?...For tennis you can implement this via lower compression balls that travel slower, smaller/lighter racquets that are easier to control and higher/lower nets

WAYFINDING

Exploration is the key to skill development...Emphasises the importance of athletes learning to navigate the challenges of an ever-changing environment by exploring/interacting with it while adapting to emergent problems...The key to wayfinding is self-regulation which is the ability to adjust actions, perceptions and emotions in the performance environment...Coaches can assist this by guiding athletes through tasks designed to encourage exploration rather than dictating specific solutions...Design activities that mimic real challenges...Create practice tasks reflective of the complexity of competition...Encourage self-regulation x creating activities where athletes must adapt their actions based on the feedback from their environment...In tennis vary the starting position of the opposition so they will need to problem solve...Use targeted questioning to guide exploration such as asking them to reflect on what they notice in the environment (gaps in the defense etc) to encourage athletes to discover opportunities themselves...It isn’t knowing before we go but knowing as we go

DETERMINANTS OF FUN

I think these are the results of a mammoth youth athlete survey and their comments about fun in sports.

Trying Hard x trying your best, working hard, exercising/being active, getting/staying in shape, playing well during games, being strong/confident, competing, making a big play in games, setting/achieving goals, playing hard...Positive Team Dynamic’s x playing well together, being/giving support, showing good sportsmanship, getting help from teammates, warming up/stretching as a team...Positive Coaching x treats everyone with respect, knows a lot about the sport, a positive role model, encourages the team, getting clear/consistent comms, listens/considers players opinions, allows mistakes while staying positive, you can talk to easily, nice/friendly, gives compliments, participates during practice, jokes around...Learning/Improving x being challenged to improve, learning from mistakes, improve athletic skills, plenty of ball touches, learning new skills, using  skill learned in practice in a game, playing different positions, going to sports camp, copying moves/tricks of pro’s...Games x getting playing time, playing favourite position/s, playing against evenly matched teams, being known by others for your skills, playing on a nice field, playing in tournaments...Practice x well-organised, water breaks, play time, lots of different activities, game simulation, partner/small sided games, practice with specialty coaches/trainers...Team Friendships x getting along with teammates, being around friends, having friends outside of school, being part of the same team every year, making new friends, talking/fooling around with friends...Mental Bonuses x keeping positive attitude, winning, relieves stress, ignoring the score...Game Time Support x consistent referees, good parental behaviour, being congratulated for playing well, making people cheer at the game, having your own parents there, getting complimented by parents...Team Rituals x showing team spirit, high 5/fist bumps, end of season parties,  going out as a team, doing team rituals, carpooling with teammates after the game, doing a cool team cheer...Swag – nice team gear/equipment, earning medals/trophies, travelling to new places to play, wearing special/cool uniforms, eating snacks/treats post-game, staying in hotels for tournaments, getting pictures taken

ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS

Encourage exploration, have a clear session intention, solve the prob in many ways, highlight/exaggerate opportunities for action and reduce rigid instructions to leave space for creativity/decision making...Views humans/groups as complex adaptive systems with non-linear properties where variation in movement is not a negative...Affordances can invite athletes to take action, especially if they align with their current capabilities...Behaviours/actions are always context dependent...Repetition without repetition is how athletes should practice...With experience and the right practice design, athletes can become highly skilled at perceiving and exploiting the most relevant affordances

NON-LINEAR MOVEMENT PRACTICES

Movement learning does not happen the same for all athletes where individuality, variation and adaptability are essential...School PE coaches need to address the conflict between learner-centered pedagogy and traditional assessments...Recognise that there are many ways to succeed so they should be provided with varied movement challenges...Opens up space for multiple learning outcomes and athletes will achieve different results that are equally valuable

SCORING

Scoring a goal/making a pass/hit the winning shot isn't about perfect technique, it's about adapting to the conditions of the moment

SCALING

Refers to the right adjustments to equipment, space and challenge levels that can help players learn faster/perform better...Allows you to adapt training while keeping it game relevant...We need to present problems to the players that match their current abilities/stage of learning while keeping key information present...Equipment x larger/lower compression balls to slow down game pace and bigger balls that are easier to hit...Oppo/Pressure x number advantage small sided games to delayed opposition pressure...Rules/Scoring x guide them towards key skills that encourages exploration - 2^nd serves increases exploration from reduced consequences and to get them to net, give them 3pts for net volley’s etc...Playing Area x match to suit individual action capabilities and game intensity index = pitch area/player numbers

CONSTRAINTS-LED APPROACH

You can use unopposed practice but not to isolate technique, but to guide exploration/support skill development through CLA...To practice hitting a deeper/higher shot in tennis use a high fence as a constraint, devise a scoring system for different landing zones, minimise instruction/let them explore and to bring in repetition without repetition, vary ball feeds slightly and the athletes starting positions so they aren’t repeating the same shot yet they are still learning to adapt the solution

SKILL

Improving is about enhancing the connection between what they see/can do and a player may not attack space but not because they don’t want to do, but because they don’t see it or have the ability to do so

CONSTRAINTS

They don’t dictate - they guide by highlighting the possibilities while still leaving the decision making up to the player