As we move back into national lockdowns in both Wales and England, our team of coaches have been busy creating new initiatives and online content to help support our youngsters, writes Jason Brindley.
Obviously we were disappointed with the decision, however it probably is needed to help control the spread of the virus.
Whilst it is easy to mope around and feel sorry, the best thing is to have a positive spin on it and come up with new ideas of how we can use this time effectively to develop our youngsters in other ways.
It’s great to have such a committed team of coaches at TNS, often going above and beyond to help our Young Saints.
The first lockdown presented challenges of how we could still challenge and develop the player without direct contact. I felt that the players took on everything that was thrown at them and you could see the improvements of the boys when they returned, especially from a physical perspective.
The new lockdown throws down the challenge of colder, wetter weather as well as nights are drawing in.
As a result, we have looked at other ways we can engage with our players. One of the biggest things to come out is how we can deliver learner modules but to make them more interactive. We have utilised the breakout rooms in Zoom to have player-led discussions around the learner topic.
Its been of real benefit to have these discussions, to get the players thinking and debating amongst themselves almost.
It’s a great opportunity to try and develop the football brain, and also the confidence to speak up in front of others to give your thoughts. It may sound simple but it can be quite daunting for a youngster to speak up in front of their peers, even via a computer.
We have been really impressed with the feedback we have received.
Modules delivered so far have included ‘Individual Player Identity’, ‘Overcoming Lockdown’ and ‘Characteristics of a TNS Goalkeeper’. Players have had tasks to complete during the Module and have had to present back like mentioned.
We are looking at building on from each of the above as well as add different topics in the coming weeks.
The participation of our Foundation Phase has been fantastic. We wanted to keep things fresh and have come up with some excellent new fun games via zoom to keep them active and motivated. They have really embraced it and some of their sessions have been brilliant.
It’s good that even in these challenging times we are able to offer a full-time programme for our players. It would be easy for them to just play Xbox all night, however you can’t fault them at all. That’s what makes them a TNS player. They know what they want and know that they will have to put the work in to get there. To use setbacks and disappointments as a motivation.
Hopefully this new lockdown soon passes and we can go back to playing football with our friends again. However, in the meantime we will continue to work hard together to make sure we are the best we can be when we return.
