Coaches Classroom #6 - Inclusive Coaching
As a PDHPE Teacher, I’ve had the opportunity to teach sport and physical activity to students from a range capability and motivation levels. In my experience, sometimes students may seem disinterested in a sport or physical activity, and it would be easy to make the conclusion that this “lack of interest” is a result of a lack of effort. The same could be said for a lack of effort being concluded as being a result of a disinterest in sport.
In my experience, I have found that if you search for ways for “engaging all”, and setting your goal on engaging those who seem disengaged, you might find that assumptions and conclusions can be misleading. In my Coaches Classroom #3: Setting Expectations to Manage Behaviour, I referred to this as The Pygmalion Effect, whereby our expectations can come to fruition, and the research supports the theory.
It is within this context that coaches can be more inclusive. Setting high expectations is a start, but knowing how players can be engaged will help create a more inclusive environment. Today’s blog focuses on some strategies that I have used to ensure an inclusive environment for neurodivergent players, that can also be applied to make football more inclusive for all players.
“Neurodivergence as defined by a neurodivergent person, is a variation in thought processing and behaviours that differ from the norm. Neurodivergence is often a divergence from normal brain activity, brain shape or may be identified by different social behaviours.” – Headspace, 2024
Autism is a condition which impacts the way a player may experience and interact with their environment and others in it. In my experience as a PE teacher, I’ve developed strategies that I’ve found have helped create an environment that is inclusive for students with autism. However, every player on the autism spectrum is different, and there is no ‘one size fits all’, as the characteristics of autism may differ significantly from one student to another.
I’ve coached and taught players who have been non-verbal, who have tendencies to run from a classroom, or who avoid having physical contact with others. However, I’ve always set myself the challenge that I want these students to be engaged in my lessons, and as teacher/coach, it is my responsibility to create an environment that allows this to happen, and to not make excuses for why I can’t get them to engage.
Below is a list of strategies I have found helpful that have helped me over the years, and that other coaches might be useful to implement in your sessions, particularly if you find some are not as engaged as you had hoped.
Focus of Attention and Positive Reinforcement
One of the best tricks I have found that works for players who seem disinterested or display a perceived lack of effort, is so simple I’m still surprised it works. It is especially handy during the match situation.
I first used it when I had a player who was more interested in digging dirt than touching the ball. All I asked the player was, “(Name), can you touch the ball 3 times?” They looked at me, as if to say “Yes”, looked towards the ball and started running towards it. On the first touch, “I said that’s one!” On their second touch I said more loudly “That’s two!” and on their third touch, I excitedly exclaimed “That’s three, that’s worth a high 5!”
Since that moment, I have used it countless times, sometimes with players who I know to be neurodivergent and sometimes with players who may not have any formal diagnosis, but are not engaged in the game/activity.
Each time it has worked and changes the players focus of attention to a simple and achievable goal, that takes away the pressures of tackling, of opponents, of passing and scoring. The touches may not be great quality, but the player is now engaged in the game, and every touch counts! I often now go straight to 5 touches, and when you do it, you get a high 5 from me.?
Sometimes this high 5 will work better to be given immediately, so the player may leave the field to give you a high 5. This isn’t a problem, because that positive reinforcement can be more important in building connection with you and building positive feelings about the game, than the small disruption it has to the game itself. If it is during a game in training, then I would run over enthusiastically to the player to give the high 5, again for that immediate positive reinforcement.
For others, a break in play might work just as well. The ball has gone out, and is being retrieved, so you might call them over for their reward, or waiting until the next substitution can also work. I will usually then offer another challenge, “can you make it another 5?” or “lets now get to 10!”. Often, you might only need to do it once, sometimes twice, and then they are engaged for the rest of the game.
Sometimes a player might just be daydreaming or tired, and this can still be used as a tool to get players re-engaged in the game, particularly in the second half. ??
Rituals and Routines (Structure and organisation)
Some players may feel anxious about an environment they are unfamiliar with, that contains unfamiliar people in it, and experiences that they may not be comfortable with (i.e. footballs flying through the air!).
A familiar atmosphere at training for players will allow players to feel comfortable in their environment and minimise the challenges of adjusting to training or game environments, which in turn, allows engagement (and learning) to take place.
By providing structure, and predictability, players will begin to develop a feeling of safety in the space they are in. To build that predictability, I will have certain organisational structures that will remain the same each week. When players arrive, they always put their drink bottles in a certain place. Equipment like balls, bibs and cones, will be lined up in the same place, so players know where to pack equipment away at the conclusion of each activity. Players will pack the equipment up themselves and place it away in those spots each week, placing cones and bibs in separate colour piles.
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This provides a structure that is familiar and recognisable, which will make that first step into the environment more comfortable each week.
Repetition
Similarly, predictability can be developed through repetition of activities. This is why I might start my session with an arrival activity and will likely repeat it for several weeks, as a way of developing that predictability (when we arrive, we play Survivor Tag or Four Corners).
Other benefits of repeating the games within each session, is that you as coach don’t have to spend as much time talking, and the players can spend more time playing, but players are able to feel more comfortable doing something they’ve already done/seen.
I recommend repeating each training session up to three times, with increasing difficulty each time we play. By playing games, not only will players learn the skills used within the game, but they will begin to better recognise a game situation and learn in what situation to use this skill.
This is also why the session format should remain consistent throughout the season. A common format we like to use for my teams is the Arrival Activity - Beginning - Middle - End format.
Avoid Tackling (to begin with)
In a dribbling game, where all players are moving around an area, this can be chaotic, and overwhelming if there are players trying to steal a ball. This is why I usually use Four Corners with my U6 and U7 players (See Figure 1).?
This is a great introductory game, that will allow you to assess your players skill level, teaching the behaviour management tool of the football position and allow players to practise dribbling with some chaos, but not the fear of someone taking your ball.
For many players, 1v1 games can be some of the most exciting and enjoyable aspects for kids playing football, however if someone doesn’t like to be tackled, they are not going to enjoy this aspect.
An adjustment might be that rather than a 1v1 situation, you have a 1v0, where the player scores in the goal, without an opponent trying to dispossess them. The next step might be a 1v1 with a passive defender, where the opponent has the condition that they can’t dispossess, but only shadow.
Patience
The final tip is patience. Players might not take to the game of football right away, but with structure, organisation, and repetition, they will likely feel more comfortable in the environment. If they feel more confident in their environment and then they are likely to have time and opportunities to practice their ability to control the ball and feel success in the activities. This will breed confidence and hopefully engagement.
This is what I have found using the above strategies, and I hope that you can find similar success too. Feel free to add any ideas you have for inclusive coaching in the comment section of this post.
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