Post game/ what do you say after a game

Tom BeanCoach, England

Hi Sean, 

I often think that it's best to say less straight after the game, having a quick debrief instead and then having a full debrief at training.

Straight after the game, emotions can be high and minds may still be on the game so by having a full debrief, pieces of information could get lost or ignored. 

Focussing on the positives can be a good approach, however it is also important to be honest and real with players if certain things were not up to scratch.

Try handing responsibility to the players straight after the game. This will give you a good insight into their own thoughts on the game and will give you an idea of certain aspects to focus on and approach when you do a full debrief in training. Just be careful that emotions don't run over if it was a bad result etc

Hope this helps!

Tom

Scott CarbinCoach, England

I agree with Tom in that you have a quick debrief of the performance and provide them opportunities to come up with an action plan to work on the positive/negative aspects of their game and take ownership as a team as will develop leadership and team cohesion. Sometimes after a game, emotions are high so people may be best having time to reflect first and then implementing areas to improve (maybe try it through it a group chat so they can work on it together).

Finally, I think it`s dependant on the age group as you should always aim to provide positive feedback and ensure any negatives are made into `areas to improve` and that way they`ll feel involved in moving forward as a team. With youth teams, you may need to guide them more in comparison to seniors but provide them with open questions on how they can improve.

Hope this is helpful and all the best! Scott