Today life brings us a huge amount of information every second. The technical staff in professional football grows to a level which produces a huge amount of data that has to be managed or at least filtered. How does the coach manage that? How much information does he needs? Does he need additional filters? …. Let’s try to answer to some of these questions…
I am starting this article by relating three key concepts which, in my opinion, are the base for football coaches to create information or knowledge.
The first one is about the identity of the coach that comes with his personality and the contexts where he lived, worked, the coaches and players that influenced him the most,… His fingerprint as coach will have influence over way he creates his own knowledge, the information that is vital for him to succeed.
In my opinion there is not even one coach that doesn’t have a method. More accurately, I think it is important to search for the best coaching education process that can match the identity of the professional and, ultimately, build a philosophy that will be one of his main guidelines. An organized process between observing & feedback/communication to improve performance can help this practice.
Self reflection is important and especially to create the “right” information to establish his own way of coaching. To build speeches, strategies, exercises the professional has to have the ability to challenge himself and to learn with others avoiding the “trend/copy effect.”
After setting the basics the coach will have to search for information within his organization. Selecting the information takes us to the necessity of surrounding ourselves with the right sources (professionals that are identified with the process) of intel in order to run away from the spare information which, nowadays, is common.
Regarding his role the coach has to focus on the key points which, are mainly, the variables that he can control. Like that he has to be accurate and critical regarding what he can manipulate (improve) in order to use his energy and mental capacity in the right information.
Coaching is about change and this guideline works in a cycle that has to be self questioned because life is changing, football is changing regarding all cultural aspects that are moving and the coach needs to follow the innovation and adapt to change while holding to the basics of his philosophy and improving in necessary areas.
