[Football] Why Coaches Need To Look Within To Develop a Football Philosophy

For some time last year, it was impossible to escape from philosophy in football.  Every other coach seemed to be talking about it and how his way of playing had been shaped by it.

Whilst the idea of a philosophy is in itself a straightforward one, how one arrives to it is rather complex; it isn’t simply a case of claiming that you want to play with the ball on the ground.  Different situations force coaches to adopt different ideas and their philosophy must be adaptable enough to follow suit.

“Philosophy has become a bit of a buzzword in coaching, and is sometimes either very generic or very unclear.”  So say Ray Power, a youth coach who has devoted time  to  look at what is meant by a philosophy and how one – anyone, irrespective of level they’re coaching – can develop a philosophy.

Those thoughts are contained in his book In Making the Ball Roll  -  a must for any budding coach - and we’ve spoken to him to learn more about the various elements that coaching should encompass as well as about the most recent tactical innovations.

The full interview can be read on Blueprint for Football.