how footy4kids patches will make you a more effective and successful coach

You can use patches to motivate your players to come to practice sessions regularly (a favourite of mine is to give a patch to players who turn up for six consecutive practice sessions early or on time), to encourage a 'be first' mentality, to encourage them to practice on their own, for good defence, for listening to you.....or for anything you want to encourage.

The great thing about these patches is that you decide what you want to award them for. I have found them amazing effective in encouraging players to learn a new skill or technique at training sessions. Whether it's learning to find space, to 'give and go' or master a new turn, the prospect of earning a patch really does motivate children to try their hardest.

some great ideas and tips from soccer coaches who completed the May 2009 patches user survey

a handout one soccer coach used to explain the patch system to parents

And....the award of patches is a VERY effective way to encourage children to participate fully or behave better at training sessions.

Here are a few ways that coaches have used footy4kids patches:

Practice attendance -- It's not always easy to motivate players to come to training sessions or to practice in their own time. We also know how important it is for players to practice as team....football is a team sport! It’s impossible to practice or teach things such as formations if all your players don’t come to training sessions. If you want to encourage practice and game attendance you might want to give a Black/White patch each time a player comes to practice or a game (Or even better, give a different colour for each 4 to 6 practices.

Example: when they have earned 4 Black/White patches, then they start getting a Blue/White patch; and when they get 4 of those they start getting Blue/White, etc. At the end of the season, give a Gold Star patch for perfect practice and game attendance, and ONLY give the Gold Star for that. And give a Blue Star patch to players with a 90% attendance record. 

If you want to encourage a 'be first' mentality, you might give out the Red/White patches (we call them Blood Patches or Bravery Patches), but give these sparingly and make a BIG DEAL in front of the entire team of getting one of these and praise bravery, hard work and toughness. This approach really works; it worked for me. Remember, not every child can be a good athlete, but every child can work hard and be brave.

If your team isn't scoring many goals, it could be beneficial to use the patches to motivate your players to do the things that can produce goals. Examples of behaviour that you want to teach and encourage include: getting in front of the opponent's goal (most goals are score in front of the goal, and the more players you have there, the better your odds), stealing the ball from a defender and scoring in your "Attacking Third", being alert and in position for rebounds, playing off the far post, being aggressive, alert and busy. Over half the goals in all matches are scored using the inside of the foot. Placement is more important than power. Shoot low and toward the corner... from inside the Penalty Box a low shot to the corners of the goal is more likely to score than a hard shot in the air (think about how many driven shots miss totally or go straight to the goalie). 

Big D for Defence Patch  A bold, tough, intimidating D for defence. A “D” with an “I’m Not Going to Give Up a Goal” attitude. This D reminds defenders of the attitude you want them to have. Defence wins games, and this patch reminds everyone of the importance of the “Big D”. It’s within a circle, which represents the team, but not touching the circle, because sometimes the defender must stand alone to stop the opponent from scoring. It’s in blood red...the toughest, bravest colour. As Darrell Royal the famous U.S. football coach said: “You never lose a game if the opponent doesn't score.” Use this D Patch to motivate players to play the way they SHOULD play. Give them all a D to start the season and tell them the attitude you want them to have. Use this patch to inspire and motivate your defenders individually and as a team. Then when they do something great, give them another one to reward them. I suggest giving these for great individual play, because that’s what is necessary for great defence. Everyone can be in position, but someone has to be brave and stop the attacker or use their body to block the shot. I would give them for bravery and using their body to block shots. You definitely want your defenders to be brave and tough... use these patches to encourage that. You can also use it to encourage forwards and midfielders to be tough defenders and to steal the ball. If you can get your forwards to steal back the ball after they have lost it in your attacking third, that will result in some goals, and that aggressive behaviour is something that is hard to teach. 

REMEMBER......the award of patches is a VERY effective way to encourage children to participate fully or behave better at training sessions.

download a free guide to using football patches

• assists or unselfish play;

• children to listen to you and follow instructions;

• players to learn "moves";

• players to practice at home;

• your players to practice juggling - example: increase your juggling by 10 and get a black/white patch.

testimonials from coaches who have used the patches

how to iron football patches onto T shirts etc

the football patch Award System - a handout

share your experiences with footy4kids patches and help your fellow coaches - take the patches survey!

If you have any questions about the patches, all you have to do is send me an email and I'll give you all the help I can.

Setting clear, achievable objectives is crucial.
At training, tell your players EXACTLY what you want them to achieve in each exercise (in other words, exactly how they can earn a patch). for example, if you're warming up with a bit of ball juggling, tell them they can win a patch for a certain number of juggles. Make the target stretching but achievable. It's no good setting expert players a target of three juggles - you'll give everyone a patch and they will soon lost their exclusivity. On the other hand, don't ask five year olds to juggle the ball 100 times. They won't be able to do it and the target (and the patches) become de-motivating.
 

Here is how one coach uses the patches:
"I'm using the football ball patches as skills based patches, so they earn a colour for a specific skill. I'm using the star patches as game patches. They earn these for accomplishments during games (i.e., goals, assists, saves, etc.). I haven't used the lightening bolt patch yet but was considering using it for fitness accomplishments. I'm having the team put the star patches on their team jackets...they looks great!"  - Coach Curtis
 

And here is how one coach used the patches with an U9 team that had lost every game for two years....and saw them win!

"When I took over a U9 girls team, they had not won a single game in the last 2 years. Not only that, the team could not score any goals. This year, we started using patches and we have won our first 2 games by comfortable margins. We have emphasised how the players can earn them (e.g., team work, skills, determination and bravery) and we've had a tremendous response from our girls (and parents)."
 - Coach Sumer