Most people involved in football will likely be familiar with the term, the Four Corner Model.
This theoretical and conceptual framework gives coaches a way to remember and apply an industry endorsed structure into their coaching.
The Four Corner Model gives an overall picture of the components that are considered when coaching football.
There are slight variants depending on where you coach in the world, but generally the components are Technical, Tactical, Physical and Psychological (includes social and emotional).
These components are expanded into relevant elements, all deliberately interlinked to form the framework of each and every training session. Getting the emphasis apportioned to each component right, depending on a player’s age and development stage, is where good coaches come into their own.
It is vital that coaches of young players are aware of much more than the game of football itself and are conscious of the wider issues which impact player development. A whole-player approach with a holistic philosophy will connect the technical, tactical, physical and psychological aspects to form a best practice methodology.
While recognising that Federations across the globe sometimes use variants, we have adopted the following model.
We have developed our app content with the Four Corner Model central to both the reporting tool and the range of practices – each practice is labelled with its primary components.
As the psychological component has a myriad of mental and social/emotional elements, most technical and tactical sessions will naturally support the development of many of the key mental characteristics such as decision making, leadership, concentration, improving vision and awareness.
For example, Skill Practices and Small Sided Games regardless of the chosen theme will improve decision making as well as the opportunity to improve confidence, vision and game understanding provided it is approached with a player centred focus.
Alternatively, a technical shot stopping practice might allow for players to not only improve their technical competency but also build confidence, competitiveness and self-belief.
A session that focuses on improving tactical elements might also develop leadership, communication and improve concentration as well as improving team cohesion.
Players with a good attitude to learn and improve (coachability) and a determination to succeed (winning mentality), will benefit greatly from a good coach practitioner having the knowledge to support learning with a holistic approach. Players that lack confidence or need further improvement within the mental aspects should equally be supported by the coach offering encouragement throughout training and game day.
The aim should be to always provide players with positive development through the Four Corner Model.
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