Hawks Youth Withdean FC

Cohesion refers to the togetherness and unity of the team; it is often highlighted as a ‘good team spirit’. A lack of this can have major effects on a team’s performance.

There are many examples from the professional game. Where teams who have quality individuals, do not perform to the levels expected from them. This can be down to cohesion within the squad. As a major contributor towards performance, a modern coach should always monitor their squad for signs of cohesion.

Signs

A team with good morale and cohesion can be identified through the behaviour of the players when in the group. A cohesive group will talk freely amongst each other, whether about task or not. Small groups or ‘clicks’ can be apparent but do not define the team dynamics, as each small group is able to speak and interact with all members. These players often refer to the team as ‘we’ or ‘us’ and work towards a collective goal. They often are aware of the team’s aims as a whole and what they need to do to get there.

A team lacking cohesion will often form small groups which alienate themselves from others, preferring to only interact amongst themselves; these can be players or coaching staff. Players are often focused on individual success and say things like ‘you’ or a specific player when identifying faults or problems. Communication is often minimal, especially between coaching staff and players, lengthening the gap between players.

Solutions

Sports psychologists suggest that using team social events and ‘bonding’ exercises are a good way to ‘gel’ the team together. These can be very effective, especially when bringing in new players to a squad. This kind of team activity can improve the morale of the players and often lift tension and prevent stress occurring.

It is very important that each player understands their role within the team; this is where communication plays a major role. In order for a team to perform as a unit, each part must understand their individual tasks. This can be highlighted in training through patterns of play and focused session plans. It can also be identified through clear and specific instructions; the delivery of these is the most important issue.

A coach must be very careful how they impart knowledge, praise and negative feedback to a player. It can have an adverse affect on players if an individual is highlighted within the group, or if a player is excluded from praise. By taking the time to speak to the player face to face and one on one; the coach implies that the player is important to them. This is the ideal time to give out specific praise and fill the player with confidence, but also to provide constructive criticism and redefinition of their role. This will help to ensure that each member understands their specific role within the team; it will give them better ownership of their tasks and their relation to the team.

Feedback

How a coach delivers feedback is very important psychologically to a player. Be too negative and the player may feel unwanted and ineffective; be too nice and the message for improvements may not get across. It is this balancing act that a coach must deal with and there are methods to help deal with this. The ‘good – bad – good’ strategy, consists of giving the player some praise, some constructive criticism, followed by some praise. It is important that this information is specific and highlights exactly what the player needs to do improve their performance and conform to their team role. An example may be ‘great work rate from you in the first half, excellent pressing of the ball. I noticed we were looking to play the ball behind too many times, when there was time to get the ball down and play short and wide. Be aware of your space and look to play wide early to feet when you have the option. You are our engine in there, so keep us ticking over with your passing ability.’

Another way to help reinforce job roles and ensure that feedback is being received, is to check understanding; getting the player to repeat their role or to acknowledge their new role. This can be done with simple questions and can be very quick, highlighting that the player understands what they need to do know. This may be ‘how many times did we play it long in behind without creating a chance? LOTS, what else can we look to do? PLAY SHORT, which areas have we been creating space in well? WIDE AREAS, so where are we looking to play to now and how? PLAY SHORT AND WIDE.