The Kaya Approach to Coaching
Written by: Coach Christopher Robert “Chris” Greatwich, Kaya FC Academy Executive Director
The Kaya Approach to Coaching – In the Philippines, many of the children only participate in sports in a formal, structured environment, under adult or coach supervision. This has led to a lack of creative, independent thinking footballers who cannot effectively solve problems in real time during the course of the game. It also leads to an artificial feeling towards the game, which subsequently has meant a large number of players dropping out of football as they get older.
It is our responsibility as an Academy to change the status quo and provide our Academy players with the framework to be successful footballers. At the Academy, we have looked at the football environment in the Philippines, and we have developed an approach to coaching which we have found to be successful.
At the Academy we have adopted a constraints and games led approach to how we coach our players, and it has led to an accelerated learning environment, where our players are more autonomous and have a stronger affinity to both the club, and the game itself.
Constraints Based Approach
In the constraints based approach, the aim is to deliver sessions that are learner- focused and enable players to find their own solutions to problems based on the manipulation of the practice by the coach. This can be achieved through the manipulation of the task, the environment or the player.
Task
As an example, to manipulate a task, the coach could adjust the field size, play with different number of players on each team or use different sized goals in order to achieve a specific outcome.
In a training session, if the coach is working on a 1v1 defending topic, you may make the playing area smaller in order to give the defending player the advantage of being successful and winning the ball easier. However, you may wish to make the playing area bigger to give the defender more space to cover so you can challenge that defender in a more testing situation.
Environment
Another way to enhance player development is through the manipulation of the environment. As an example, this can be achieved by playing on different surfaces such as indoors, on grass, turf or even on a sloped or bumpy field. This could also be achieved by playing in different weather conditions such as wind, rain or even at altitude.
In Brazil, players play a lot of futsal where the game is played 5v5 on a small, hard court. The environment allows players to have more touches of the ball, in tighter spaces, and by using a heavier ball the game is played on the floor more and requires players to manipulate the ball using different parts of the foot, thus developing their technical and tactical
proficiency.
Player
The manipulation of the player relates to the both the physical attributes of the player, such their fitness,
height, weight or technical proficiency, as well as the psychological or behavioral attributes such as motivation levels or emotional well-being.
As an example, if you want to improve individual player fitness you can adjust the playing area, the number of players in that area, the time you spend working and the number of sets that you do. This needs to be tailored based on your training cycle and
periodization of your game and training schedule. This can also be manipulated by the use of heart rate monitors and other scientific data collection.
From a psychological perspective, if you have a forward who doesn’t like to get back to defend following the break down in an attack, you can design a session which motivates the player to work back on defense. For example, the coaches could manipulate
the session so if the opposition scores a goal and the defending team (including the forward) doesn’t have all their players in their own (defending) half, then the goal counts double.
Games Led Approach
In a games based approach, we aim to allow our players the opportunity to experiment and explore the game through various games, free from over- instruction in match realistic activities.
Limited Isolated Practice
As opposed to using isolated practices to teach a specific skill, using opposed exercises adds realism to the practice and is a more accurate portrait of what a player will be confronted with in game play. This leads to a greater level of transference from practice to games, as the player has to make decisions in real-time against a live, moving opponent.
Isolated practices within Academy sessions are to be kept to a minimum. Should an isolated practice be delivered because the coach wishes to cover a very specific topic (e.g playing out of the back but wants a centre back or a defensive midfielder to hit a long diagonal switch), the coaching [of the diagonal ball] in isolation must be done with very specific, detailed instruction if it is done within a team training environment. Ideally, that aspect of training will be done as a separate or isolated (one-to-one) practice with individual players or in very small group or unit training.
Manipulating Games
At the Academy, this approach is conducted through games, which are adapted and manipulated in order to facilitate certain learning and outcomes. At each practice we begin by playing small-sided games, of either 3v3 or 4v4 to get the players playing right from the outset. Depending on the session topic, or what learning outcomes we wish to bring out in a specific practice, we will then manipulate the game to create a specific environment. As the session progresses, the session will typically increase in numbers and realism and begins to look more like the game itself. As the session progresses, so too does the constraints on the game within activity that they administer.
For example, if the topic is ‘turning with the ball’, we might play a directional game placing 2 or 3 goals at each end for the teams to score in. If multiple defenders block one goal, can the player’s identify this and turn with the ball and head towards one of the other (open) goals? If there is a passing theme, in order to help players find an open player you could play a game whereby if the opponent has a shot that misses the target, the player must run around the outside of the field before re-entering the game. In the meantime, the opposition has a numerical advantage and must use this to create a goal scoring opportunity. The player’s need to identify the correct player to pass to and utilize the overload.
Street Football
As the players begin to get used to this method of practice, we can begin to give some autonomy to the players and they can begin to select their own teams and pick the rules of the games. The purpose of this is to start to give the players responsibility and regulate themselves in the field of play. This autonomous approach to practice is also a deliberate attempt in replicating the most effective way of developing football players- the art of street football.
Many of the worlds greatest ever players began their careers by playing football in the street. These unstructured, highly competitive games are the breeding ground for creative, freethinking players and are something that we try to replicate within the academy sessions. In the Philippines, it is rare to find players who play recreationally due to the lack of facilities in the community.
Particularly in Manila, there is a dearth of parks or recreational facilities, and due to the density of the population and the traffic problems in the streets, playing outside is very difficult and at times, very dangerous. The other issue that we face here in the Philippines is popularity of basketball. Potential facilities that could be used for football are often taken over by basketball, and as such football in the Manila area is almost exclusively limited to the schools and private football academies.
Competitve Edge
At the academy, by beginning each session with a small-sided game, we re-create the element of street football to promote independent decision-making, enhance their creativity and develop their competitive edge. In this type of environment, players have to push themselves and not rely on the coach or parent for external motivation. Players in turn will have to regulate their own teammates in order to achieve results.
As a by-product of this, we have found in our experience players enjoy the sessions more and begin to develop a more deep-seeded emotional tie to the sport, as well as the Academy. If they enjoy being at the club, then the players will continue to come back week after week, month after month, year after year.