I am going to give my opinion on the Winning Vs. development debate that can be found throughout the coaching world today. 'Development' and whether teams should focus on 'development' or 'winning' seems to be a topic of discussion that is ubiquitous throughout the soccer coaching world.
In my opinion, winning and development should be thought of together. And let me make it clear, I think winning is important. Or, let me rephrase that, showing a competitive attitude and trying to win is. In other words, part of developing players should be trying to develop a competitive and persistent attitude that will allow players to compete in the game of soccer. At the end of the day, the aim of the game is to win, like any other game. I am far from the type of person that believes kids should receive 'participation' trophies and it is about the 'taking part' that counts. I believe kids should develop a love and passion for the game, but I also believe that part of the fun is the competition. Ever done a drill where kids look like they are lacking zest, but as soon as you make it competitive and introduce a score, they soon come to life. I think this sums up what kids are all about. The majority of kids will count every point or goal that they score. We shouldn't rob children of that competitive desire.
However, I do think that soccer is a game where winning can be achieved without developing players. For example - and you see it all the time - playing the big, quick kids in positions that will benefit the team, by playing direct and not really seeing any style of play or development of play, or by playing the same kids in the same positions all the time. This is when it gets problematic for me. Winning should not be at the detriment of a players development. Examples, like the above, in the long term, in my opinion, will not benefit the players. Also, I will never put pressure on kids to win a game - I think that would be negative, and possibly inhibit a creative and expressive attitude, which is something I believe in.
I want kids to win, but I want them to perform well also and work on the things that I am asking of them. If a team I coach wins 5-0, but plays very poorly and wins by being direct, for example, then I would still be very frustrated. In an ideal world, a win and a performance is what I am after.
I think as a coach, you need to convey the style of play that you want to achieve with the players and get them to buy into what you are trying to achieve. In the past spring, I had a group of U10 boys, and these kids, although not the most technical, were the most competitive group of kids I have ever coached. It was great. Anyways, although they wanted to win all the time, they knew how I wanted them to play - which is to play out from the back and try to build up the play. This approach cost us a few goals, and ultimately a few games though the season but we stuck with it and got better as the season went on. The lads understood why I wanted them to play that way, and tried to do it. But it didn't detract from the fact that I wanted them to work hard and show that competitive desire in games.
Thanks for reading.
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