Coaches

2024 USLW Coaches

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Team Manager / Assistant Coach
bains@pleasantonrage.org

Amy Bains

TECHNICAL STAFF

Years Coaching at RAGE:

UEFA B License 30.11.2021
Bachelor of Science Football Coaching, Development and Administration. Grade, First Class Honours. January 2019- November 2021.
UEFA C Certificate
USSF Introduction to Grassroots.
CDC Concussion
Sudden Cardiac Arrest Training
Safe Sport
Safeguarding Children and Emergency First Aid – FA and UEFA
T2 Fitness Personal Trainer and Gym Instructor Advanced. September 2017.
FA Level 2 Goalkeeping. 16.08.2018.
FA Level 2 Futsal. 23.06.2018.
FA Level 1 Coaching Disabled Footballers. 3.06.2018.
FA Mentoring Adults. 13.06.2018.
FA Primary Teachers Award. 23.05.2018.
UEFA B modules English FA 2018.
FA Level 1 CPD; Psychology, Behavioral Management, Coaching Goalkeepers, Playmaker, Concussion, Talent Identification, Respect for Coaches and Referees and Sudden Cardiac arrest.
The FA Equality and Diversity.
The FA Understanding Anti-Doping, CPD
Introduction to Scouting within Chelsea FC Philosophy.
Diploma in Nutrition. August 2017.
The FA Technical Principles for Young Goalkeeper’s Development Masterclass. 18.05.2017.
Chelsea FC Talent Identification & Scout
The New FA Level 2 (Youth Modules included). 2.04.2017
Level 3 Extended Diploma in Sport. Grade, D*D*D*. 2014-2016.
The FA Level 1. 25.05.2014.

Coaching Philosophy:
My aim is to enable all my players to achieve at whatever levels they play, if that means them moving on in their journey to succeed at a higher level surrounded by better players the need to have the opportunities available, if I support and respect them to allow them to leave, I believe they’ll understand and respect me for helping them to achieve at higher levels. That relationship is the one that I want with my players, for them to excel in football and to come back to me being thankful for my help in their development.

There is high importance on how I structure my practices, what content I use and why I am including this. Also, how I behave whilst with my players is vitally important, as my attitude will affect my players in both positive and negative ways and their performance. I have strong views on how my players should behave during training and matches, towards opponents, referees, and teammates. Therefore, I need to ensure that I always set the right example and am a respectable coach.

We pass the ball, to disorganize the opposition, if we see space we exploit it, that’s what we work off the ball to create, all players will be developed to be comfortable on the ball to result in creativity. Everyone in the squad is important, we may all have different qualities; therefore, it is important for us to the team’s advantage. Everyone wants to succeed and improve, as individuals, to achieve in football, you need a team.

Within coaching, it is essential to create a positive learning environment, by keep players interested and motivated by what they are doing and enjoying themselves. If this is not the way, then to help them to regain this an action plan can be in place “to create an environment that fosters pleasure, growth and mastery, coaches can use motivational techniques”. (Weinberg & Gould, 2003, p.124)

For me personally, I’ve always had good respective relationships with my coaches therefore from my experience, I believe that strong relationships are a positive, to keep with development. Having a respectful relationship with a coach makes it easier to allow and act on feedback, sometimes as a player you don’t need verbal feedback to know how well you’ve done or if you need to improve, you can understand from the coaches’ facial expressions or body language. When having verbal feedback when a coach is telling you an area to improve this can be a hard thing to listen to but having a good relationship can mean more personally resulting in a better performance. From a personal experience my worst start to game resulted in my best free kick in my career, my coach brought me to the side line seeing my frustration as my performance wasn’t on form, his words were ” others didn’t think you should have been picked for this squad but I did because I believe in you, so you’re a part of my team, you go out there and show them why you’re here “. Having relationships allows emotion to be a part of the game. Individual relationships allow teams to progress and understand that to be a part of a team you; succeed together, lose together, improve together, develop together.

The key point that I want to get across to players is to focus on the long term development of themselves and not the most recent of this week’s match result or standing in the league table. Through training, the development of individuals will increase by a vast amount which may lead to a different but improved player who will be able to achieve at higher levels.

I am keen to let players know when they are doing well, as this is a positive in their game, it in effect should increase confidence and motivation. I will also provide constructive feedback when it is required, for their development they need to hear this side from their coaches otherwise they won’t know what areas of their game to improve on.

I have strong passion for the game and want to be able to pass this onto others in an effective way. My aim is to encourage them in the sport(s) they play to love the game for as long as possible and to develop to the levels they wish to succeed at. I will involve other invasion games in my sessions to allow differentiation and players to experience other sports which have similar tactics and skills included.

Tactical. Tactics need to come into my practices to allow players to understand how we defend/attack as units, learn when, where, how and why to focus on using these as a team.

In possession:

Wenger (2017) emphasized that the art of good teams’ progression is to play forward without losing possession.

Have options in all 9 zones of the pitch to offer support and a number of outlets for the player in possession.
Encourage creativity (allow mistakes). Pogba, (2016) aged 23 response to a defeat was “we don’t lose we learn”. This shows a maturity and an extensive thought process with a strong mindset towards the modern game.
Use our pace to penetrate quickly and play through the thirds.

Out of possession:

Figo, (2010) expressed a confidence in Inter Milans’ team shape without the ball, this shows the level of individuals understanding of roles and responsibilities for the team to be comfortable out of possession. Findings from the (UEFA, 2010) champions league, shows that it is evident that Inters’ success was down to team shape, tactical discipline and the speed of transition into a defensive block.

Compact in zones 2 & 5
Press the ball in zones 1,3,4,5 & 6
Instinct defending in zone 2 to protect the goal
Drop off and delay in zones 7,8 & 9- look to cut off passing angles and options to zone 5 (danger zone for many scenarios).
Defend as a team and press as units
Identify triggers to press as early as possible as a team.

Out of possession (1-4-5-1)

When looking to regain possession, 7 & 11 drop back to support 2 & 3. 10 retreats to support 4 & 8. This allows for defending in numbers which supports (Pirlo, 2014) suggesting the defence is the most important part of a team.

Transition:
Quick transitions are key. Our aim is to regain possession in 6 seconds if possible, then settle into our defensive team shape. This is something that as a team we have struggled with this season. Either when reacting to the potential to penetrate wide areas and ensuring that we have width and depth to have options to attack or needing to become compact to prevent play through the middle.
“The quick transition is the most important aspect to quickly restructuring to defend or exploiting the opponent with speed when the ball is regained.” Mourinho cited in FIFA (2004).

Email:bains@pleasantonrage.org

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