YOU ARE EITHER CLIMBING OR YOU ARE SLIDING

I borrowed the phrase from Anthony Robbins’ nice book Unlimited Power to describe the situation we might face in teams and in life as well. If one stops working hard there is no improvement. In accordance, players who work at the comfort zone do not improve.

For instance, small sided games take most of training time in modern football. Although this is of benefits there are also disadvantages associated with this kind of training. One of these is that some players choose to work in the comfort zone.

To my opinion, there are at least 3 things one can do 1) supplement training with individual training, 2) record heart rates during training, 3) persuade players to work beyond their comfort zone.

To my experience, motivation is very important for the EFFECTIVE APPLICATION OF TRAINING. Players with diminished motivation make even perfectly planned sessions ineffective.

To help you on how to motivate your players here are some key points

• TELL THEM THE TRUTH. Clearly define where the player is (his current level of performance) and where he has to go.
• CLEARLY DEFINE SHORT TERM GOALS suitable to the player.
• FIND WORDS or phrases that stimulate each player. What works with one player might not work with the other.
• Last weapon, tell him that he will either climb or slid.