How I use my Coaching Planner

I wanted to write a quick post to explain the thought process behind the making of this coaching planner. First, the planner was made and carefully designed for the college coach and the youth coach. It’s not for the SAQ coach or soccer trainer, who only does training sessions whether it is group or private sessions, and doesn’t have teams to actually coach in games. Therefore, you must have a team to coach in order for the planner to make sense to you.

Here are the ways I use my planner:

Training session planning section

I plan all of my training sessions in these pages. This section of the planner has space for more than 70 training sessions. Usually I can fit stages 1, 2, and 3 on the left side. Sometimes I only draw stages 1 and 2 on the left side, and stages 3 and 4 on the right side. Depends on the session. I also use the blank page (right side) to write down my coaching points for the session.

If I have private individual sessions I also use this section of the planner.

They say coaches copy each other. Why reinvent the wheel right? Another way I use this section of the planner is to record sessions I like and have not done before. For example, if I see a session a colleague of mine is doing and I like the session, I usually record it in my planner for future use, and experimentation with my own team. I've also recorded sessions from other coaches at other clubs, or from coaches at the NSCAA annual convention. I try to absorb as much as I can from other more experienced coaches, and the best way for me to do this is by putting it on paper.

The next section of the planner is where the magic happens.

Game report and reflection section

This section of the planner helps you keep track of the games you coach. Every single game has 4 pages assigned to it.

Page 1 – Two soccer fields

I use this page to record my line ups for the first half, and second half. I plan my starting line up ahead of time so there’s no guessing on game day. When the first half is about to finish I start recording my line up for the second half, that way I can just focus on my half time speech. After talking to the team I announce the line up for the second half already recorded in the planner.

Another way of using page 1: Since there are 2 field diagrams, you can also think about this. Use the first diagram to record your line ups, use one side of the field for the 1st half, and the other side for the 2nd half. Just make sure you mark them clearly so you know which is which. Then, you can use the second field diagram for set plays you want to try that game.

One last idea for using page 1 – All coaches see the game differently, and have different strategies and beliefs. Let’s say you’re a very attacking minded coach, and you want to be very specific. Perhaps, you want to record how every one of your goals were scored during each game. You can use this page to reconstruct exactly how goals were scored. As an example: goal 1 , CM #8 played the OM #11, OM #11 beat the defender and played a low cross to the penalty spot for CM #10 to place it in the corner. Goal 2, corner from the left side, CB #2 headed it in. You get the idea. If you want to focus on the defensive side, then you record how goals were scored on you. Do this for every game you coach, and you will have real data that you can use to address the issues your team faces. Again, these are just ideas; you can use it in any way that works for you.

Page 2 – Statistics page

You want more data from your team? Then, you can use this page to record shots on goal, corners, fouls, goals, assists, etc. There are times I forget to record all of these stats because I am so into the game, but I still try to record as much as possible so that I can analyze the information later. Even if you just record who scored your goals, assists and the final score, that is still useful information for later analysis. It’s definitely easier for the college coaches who can get their assistant coaches to do this for them. I used to be that guy.

Page 3 – Reflection page

I answer these 3 questions after every game. It literally takes 5 minutes. You can do it in your car before you leave or at night before you go to bed. In this page I record how the game went, improvements to be made, and I start thinking about the next training sessions before the next game. These reflection questions can help you put together a focused plan for the next set of training sessions. It is also a good way to keep track of the improvements your team has made throughout the season.

Page 4 – Additional notes

I use this page to record any injuries, incidents, or anything specific I should remember about a game. For example, this past season I couldn't remember in which game one of my CM's got hurt, but I did remember I had it written down and was able to retrieve the information very easily.

Also, I use this page to record specific information about opponents. Knowing that I will face the same team next season I think it’s important to know a few things about them (key players, style of play, etc). I don’t write an extensive scouting report but I like to record small details I consider important.

Sometimes, if I see a quote I like, or a specific message I want to relay to my players during a speech, I also write it in this section so I can remember.

Every coach has their own way of planning, own way of thinking, and strategy. The Futbol Scholars planner gives you a structure and a model to follow. You can adapt this model in a way that suits your team and your needs, but what I like the most about this model is that I can keep everything that has to do with my team in one place. Organization and preparation are key.

Pedro Velazquez, Head Men's Soccer coach at Mercy College got his planner already and will be using it this spring.

Yannick Salmon, coach at Met Oval Academy and owner at Salmon soccer training is ready to use his planner this spring.

Hernando Santamaria, Head Men's Soccer coach at the Master's school got his planner.

Sebastian Villa, Head coach (U12 boys) at B. W. Gotschee Academy has been using his planner since last year.

Kevin, coach at Met Oval Academy just got his coaching planner as well, and is ready to start using it this spring season.

How will you use your planner?

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