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Coaching Overview |
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IntroductionDaly's Law Coaching is easily understood and implemented. Both younger and older players will enjoy the game focused coaching contexts that are used. Coaches have a clear Daly's Law Coaching programme that will produce immediate and continuing improvements in individual and team performance on the field, and, equally important, will maintain such top performance consistently as long as Daly's Law Coaching and Analysis is implemented. Unified Coaching in ContextDaly's Law Coaching is coaching in context. This allows coaches to coach creative, attacking soccer and defensive soccer together, one in response to the other, naturally, as well as instant transition between these two 'halves' of soccer. Producing World Class Young PlayersDaly's Law Coaching facilitates world class young players in the same way - and for the same reason - that 'street soccer' facilitated Pele, George Best, Johan Cruyff, Wayne Rooney et al. This is because Daly's Law warm ups and Daly's Law small sided games can be engaged in independently by young people in small groups of two, three, four or five WITHOUT ANY COACH OR COACHING INPUT WHATSOEVER after the youngsters have been introduced to these Daly's Law activities by their coaches in their very first Daly's Law coaching session. The youngsters should be actively encouraged to engage in their very own small group - or even individual - Daly's Law sessions on a continuous basis, day after day, morning, noon and night, in their own back yards, at school, on holiday, etc. Day after day? Morning, noon and night? Yes! Yes! Yes! This is how Wayne Rooney got to be the player he is now - by playing street soccer on the back streets of Liverpool until he was sixteen years old. Ditto Best, Pele, Cruyff, Adu et al. Intensive, informal play of precisely this nature is not optional in the generation of world class youth performance It is essential. Individual youngsters need to secure ownership of the largest part - in terms of time - of their own individual soccer development. The above prescription is the only way young players can develop their own football personality - or genius. If they don't follow this prescription, they won't develop world class performance. Extreme performance demands extreme dedication. The Daly's Law Coaching and Analysis programme has been specifically formulated to facilitate young players themselves taking full control of their own play in their own time in their own spaces - for as long as THEY wish. This complements Daly's Law coaches' control of the youngsters' play during formal coaching sessions in formal coaching environments. Of course, not all young players can or should be expected to display such intense dedication. Those individuals who can, will. They tend to be self selecting. The rest will find their own level, naturally. Coaching FormatCoaches can, of course, decide their order of priority when introducing the ten different kinds of Daly's Law Starts - each one leading to the ball's horizontal pace being controlled by its vertical weight in space. My own recommendation is that coaches should start with the one-two and then coach the short pass into space, followed by other Daly's Law Starts in an ascending order of distance and challenge. When players are comfortable with playing all Daly's Law Starts they can and should 'mix and match' or combine these in ways that are appropriate, e.g. 'go short (a one-two), then long (a through ball or diagonal ball)'. It is a fact that players playing longer weighted balls into space are best 'set up' by such players running onto a short weighted ball in space - from a previous weighted one-two into space or weighted short pass into space. Daly's Law Start throw-ins, free kicks, corners and other game restarts can, if desired, be coached independently of 'open play' Daly's Law Starts. It is much better, however, for these to be coached as integral parts of small, medium and large sided practice games (SSGs, MSGs and LSGs). Daly's Law StartsThe Daly's Law Starts contained in Daly's Law Coaching are:
It should be noted that these ten types of Daly's Law Starts are illustrative rather than exhaustive. For example, the '' long ball over the top '' is indeed a Daly's Law Start but it is not included because it is the one unanimously quoted to me at coaching seminars as 'proof' that 'football does this already', as if this one obvious example of Daly's Law compensates for serious coaches not coaching the other ten types of Daly's Law Starts. Diagonally weighted balls into space from right to left or left to right, weighted chips and lobs into space for colleagues to run onto, and 'mini-chips' for onself are other valid examples of Daly's Law Starts that can and should be used in practice SSGs, MSGs and LSGs. Practice Game FormatsSmall sided games (SSGs)Small sided games (SSGs) comprise
Medium sided games (MSGs)Medium sided games (MSGs) comprise
Large sided games (LSGs)Large sided games (LSGs) comprise
I suggest that a typical coaching session for 8 - 12 year olds should always start with the Daly's Law Warm-ups (see Teaching Daly's Law to Players), followed by the 1v1 practice games; then another small sided game (SSG) from the 2v2, 3v3 or 4v4 menu of SSGs. The session could end with a MSG, namely a 5v5, 6v6 or 7v7 practice game. For larger squads and older players it will be appropriate to utilise large sided practice games (LSGs), such as 9v9, 10v10 or 11v11 It is important that the Daly's Law Starts introduced in the SSG be the ones focused upon in the subsequent MSGs and LSGs - and, of course, in the next scheduled 'real' game in league or cup competition! This process - using the same Daly's Law Starts in different formats featuring SSGs, MSGs and LSGs - reinforces the relevance and credibility of Daly's Law Starts for the players in terms of 'real' play. It is a potent learning model for all players. For 13 - 17 year olds, I suggest beginning with the full range of Daly's Law Warm-ups (see Teaching Daly's Law to Players) as conscious reinforcement of the central tenet upon which Daly's Law Coaching is based, followed by the 1v1 games and either one other SSG and one MSG (for the younger ages) or two MSGs or one MSG and one LSG (for the older ages). It will be necessary to focus upon the same Daly's Law Starts throughout each practice game, so that players will see and, more important, experience how these are immediately transferable and effective in all soccer games. My suggestion for players who are 18 years and older includes the Daly's Law Warm-ups, followed by either two MSGs such as 5v5 and 7v7 or 8v8, or - if there are enough players in the squad - one MSG and one LSG. These game formats will allow a good number of Daly's Law Starts to be focused upon continuously, as well as facilitating Daly's Law defensive coaching and 'transition' coaching.. All that is coached and learned will transfer seamlessly to the next scheduled competitive game in league or cup competition because all Daly's Law Coaching - both creative, attacking and defensive - is coaching in context. When the players actually experience it working for them in 'real' practice games, they will naturally utilise it in their next 'real' league or cup game. Daly's Law Coaching FormulaCoaches who are familiar with the conventional coaching formula of Stop, Demo, Rehearsal, Live will have no difficulty adapting to the Daly's Law Coaching formula. Likewise, those who are NOT familiar with the conventional coaching formula will have no difficulty coaching Daly's Law. This is because the Daly's Law Coaching Formula is easily understood and easily implemented. Given that Daly's Law Starts form the essence of Daly's Law Coaching, and that the contexts in which these are coached are SSGs, MSGs and LSGs, coaches simply need to identify the coaching opportunities in these games that allow them to coach those Daly's Law Start they wish to coach. Daly's Law coaching opportunities arise naturally and continuously in every Daly's Law small, medium and large sided practice game. There is a strong case for allowing the 1 v 1, 2 v 2, 3 v 3 and 4 v 4 small sided games (SSGs) to be used as 'free play' games for much younger players, given that these will NATURALLY generate a good number of Daly's Law Starts. 'Let them play' might be a useful approach in this circumstance. However, even here I strongly urge use of some version of the Daly's Law warm ups as a way of getting even very young players used to the difference between 'rise and drop' weight' and horizontal pace. Given that the reason behind each Daly's Law Start is to weight the ball into space, this can be done anywhere on the field and at any time throughout each practice game - and subsequent scheduled team league or cup game. The Daly's Law Coaching Formula is:
Don't worry if you don't feel you can follow the full coaching formula at first. Just concentrate on one or two Daly's Law Starts in your first practice game if this makes things easier and more manageable for you. You can leave out the Daly's Law defensive coaching element if it is too much to do in the same coaching session. The full Daly's Law Coaching formula is designed for high level professional clubs and National Teams. Amateur coaches and clubs should adapt the Daly's Law coaching programme to suit themselves. It is important that coaches make players aware that they don't have to worry about a controlling first touch when one of their colleagues has weighted the ball into space for them with a Daly's Law Start. Their first touch now should be proactive instead of reactive - and they should be thinking ahead from the moment their colleague first plays the Daly's Law Start. It is a central tenet of Daly's Law Coaching that players are challenged to perform whatever playing choices they make with urgency. The fact that 'street soccer' small, medium and large sided practice games provide the Daly's Law coaching contexts generates a naturally competitive - and therefore urgent - element at all times. Daly's Law Coaching equips its players for modern soccer performance at the highest levels in terms of - among other things - speed, power, skill and game understanding (this latter via Daly's Law itself and Daly's Law Analysis). Daly's Law Continuation Plays and Finishing PlaysRemember: it is critically important that players and their coaches give as much attention to the correct amount of vertical weight and horizontal pace in each continuation play and finishing play - after a Daly's Law Start has been played - as in the Daly's Law Start itself. Vertical weight and horizontal pace in subsequent passes, shots, crosses, headers, crosses, etc. is as important in these continuation plays and finishing plays as in the initial Daly's Law Starts. Coaches must emphasise this to their players - and coach it as rigorously and systematically as they coach Daly's Law Starts. Again, it should be stressed that this is most appropriate for professional coaches. Amateur coaches may wish to limit themselves to coaching Daly's Law Starts in their initial stages of the programme overall. Daly's Law Defensive CoachingDaly's Law defensive coaching is similar to conventional defensive coaching for the most part, with the added dimensions afforded by Daly's Law's insights into the dynamic interactions between the ball's movement, player movement, time, and vertical and horizontal space. 'Stop the (Daly's Law) Start plays, continuation plays and finishing plays' is the short way of summing up the essentials of Daly's Law defensive coaching. The fact that all of Daly's Law Coaching is coaching in context, and that creative, attacking play is given priority, means that all defensive coaching is realistic because it is naturally and continuously generated in reaction to top performance creative, attacking play. This latter, by its nature, challenges and inspires equally good defensive play to match it. Goalkeeping CoachingThe goalkeeper should be coached with the team for large periods because Daly's Law Coaching treats him as being as critical to creative, attacking play as he is to defensive play. Daly's Law SSGs, MSGs and LSGs give the goalkeeper intensive shot stopping opportunities, other goalkeeping opportunities and creative, attacking opportunities on a continuous basis. When to Coach Everything ElseCoach everything else - shape, technique, movement, deceptions, shooting, crossing, et al - after the ball is weighted into space via a Daly's Law Start. In other words, coach everything else within the context of a Daly's Law Start. You will certainly find that everything else is coached much more easily and infinitely more successfully when coached within the context of Daly's Law Starts - and Daly's Law generally. FitnessThe Daly's Law Coaching programme makes a separate fitness programme an optional 'extra' for most amateur players, except those playing at the elite amateur level. This is because of the intensive demands made on all players during each individual coaching session's combination of SSG, MSG and LSG competitive practice games. Of course, intensity levels can and should be adjusted to suit different age levels, as well as other considerations. It is recommeded that young players should have two formal Daly's Law Coaching sessions per week in addition to their scheduled league or cup game. The unique nature of the Daly's Law Coaching programme means that youngsters can take 'ownership' of the programme by recreating its small sided games and Daly's Law Starts with one or more of their friends at school or in their home back yard - exactly as 'street soccer' players have done throughout history! Please see the section above entitled ' Producing World Class Young Players.' Adult amateur players should have at least two or three sessions per week, with professional players having a minimjum of six or more sessions per week. Professional players at all levels will, of course, require intensive fitnress programmes in addition to Daly's Law Coaching. Professional clubs and National teamsProfessional clubs and national teams can incorporate the essentials of Daly's Law Coaching in a single week of intensive coaching - although it will naturally take somewhat longer for these to become fully 'automatic' or 'second nature' to the players - not least because all such players will have been previously coached to treat 'weight' as a horizontal force instead of a vertical force in the movement of a football. Daly's Law Coaching corrects this historic - and fatal - soccer misunderstanding. Terry Daly himself is available as a football performance consultant to professional players, clubs and National Teams who wish to incorporate Daly's Law Coaching and Daly's Law Analysis into their coaching and analysis programmes.
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