When coaching young players, (from u10/u11s down) we must focus on the core
skills. When we are introducing these core skills for the first time or
when we have to re-enforce them, it can be difficult to make it fun for the
children.

For example, you are watching your team play Saturday morning, you note
that no players are running in for the ground clash, so you decide that
part of your next session will be ground clashing using the slitors on
rope. You arrive early to your next session, set it up, you are calm and
happy. You pair up your players, it looks organised, the kids are ready to
rock. You blow the whistle to let the first pair go and Tommy legs it of in
front of Sean (to finish first) and you get no ground clash, or it works,
you get a few clashes but the kids are bored out of their bin after 2
minute’s and Tommy and Sean start playing gladiators with their hurls. In
both situations there is an explosion coming, KABOOM, YOU BLOW UP.

This is were as coaches we must try and make it enjoyable for the children
and make it a game.

A trick I use is, I score Tommy and Sean out of ten (as a pair), then team
Tommy/Sean are playing against Team Arron/Joe, all of a sudden the teams
are mad to do the clash. I never give a ten or a nine for that matter as
the kids keep pushing to get themselves to get ten.

I use the scoring on lots of core skill and it works for me. I give them
their score, say 6, and then I ask them to tell me "how come I didn’t give
them ten". They normally know and as I haven’t told them, they teach
themselves and are more likely to retain it.

As I said this works for me, as a coach you do whatever works for you but
remember whatever that is, make sure it is enjoyable for the players as
they will only keep coming back if they are enjoying it.