A guide for coaches
About the work around training: how a season is laid out, what belongs in a plan, what gets written down and why, and how each sport is drawn on a tactical board.
The annual training plan: how a season is laid outA season is not built week by week. How to lay out an annual training plan: the competition calendar as the starting point, three periods, and what to decide in advance.
What belongs in a training session planThe shape of one session: warm-up, main part and cool-down, how much time each deserves, and how to write a plan somebody else could run in your place.
Training attendance: what to record and what it answersAttendance is not admin. What to record, why the difference between injured, ill and absent changes decisions, and what the record answers months later.
Animated drills: when arrows are not enoughA drill drawn with arrows does not say when anything happens. How an animated drill settles order and timing, and what is worth drawing and what is not.
A water polo training session plan: what fits in the slotHow to write a water polo training session plan around the pool slot: a worked ninety-minute session, what to cut when the water runs short, and where to start with a squad that cannot play yet.
Player measurements: what to measure and how oftenA measurement means something only when it is repeated under the same conditions. What to track across a season, how often, and how to read the result without overreading it.
Handball tactical board: drawing defences, crosses and fast breaksHow to draw handball on a tactical board: 6-0, 5-1 and 3-2-1 defences, a cross between the backs and the fast break, on a real court, and why movement needs animation.
Water polo tactical board: drawing the press, the drop, a man-up and the driveHow to draw water polo on a tactical board: the two- and six-metre lines, a 3-3 attack against the press and the drop, six on five against a zone, and a drive, on a real pool.
Football tactical board: formations, the high press, the low block and cornersHow to draw football (soccer) on a tactical board: a 4-3-3 and what the numbers mean, a high press against a build-up, a low 4-4-2 block, and a corner with its runs, on a real pitch.
Basketball tactical board: spacing, help defence, the 2-3 zone and the pick and rollHow to draw basketball on a tactical board: four out and one in, man-to-man with help, the 2-3 zone and the pick and roll, on a real FIBA half court, and why the ball decides where every defender stands.
Volleyball tactical board: rotations, serve receive, attack options and defenceHow to draw volleyball on a tactical board: the six positions and the rotation, the overlap rule, serve receive in a 5-1, the setter’s options and a perimeter defence, on a real court, and why the numbers matter only at the serve.
Hockey tactical board: defensive zone coverage, the breakout, the forecheck and the penalty killHow to draw ice hockey on a tactical board: covering the defensive zone with the puck in the corner, the breakout up the boards, the 1-2-2 forecheck and the penalty-kill box, on a real rink, and why a shift is too short to learn any of it on the ice.
Tennis tactical board: serve targets, the serve plus one, court position and doublesHow to draw tennis on a tactical board: the three serve targets, the serve and the next shot into the open court, where to stand after a shot, and the poach in doubles, on a real court, and why tennis tactics are patterns of shots rather than positions.
