Using the STEP principle to modify your practice

Let’s return to our game of tag. If you play tag in a bigger area, the returns of the practice are that players will have to cover more distance, leading to more sprinting, chasing, speed endurance and scanning in big spaces.

However, if you have more players in a smaller area, there will be less sprinting and chasing, and more short, sharp movements to constantly change direction and create spaces in congested areas.

Linking this to the game, a team which presses high needs defenders who can defend half a pitch and therefore make long recovery runs as they chase counter-attacking opponents.

However, a team which likes to patiently keep possession needs players who can use clever movements to beat an opponent 1v1 or lose a marker in a crowded area.

Coaches can therefore get into the habit of planning changes they will make to the session which gradually make it harder as the players’ skill and confidence level increases.

Keep the practice or game the same, but change an element of it, be it focussed on the space, task, equipment or players.

If you want players to improve at defending big spaces, start the game in a medium-sized area, but have a larger area around it set up to use as they get better and more confident defending big spaces.

If children are working on dribbling skills in 1v1 situations, and they then become comfortable with the 2v2 game, remove the goals and instead ask them to dribble over a line to score a point.

You can also introduce a second ball and their team will have to have possession of both balls in order to score, meaning both members on the team will need to dribble, turn, protect and move with the ball.

Getting into a habit of including the STEP principle in your planning will take away some of the pressures of thinking on your feet amid the chaos of a session, while helping you to think ahead about what could happen.
 

"With practice, use of the STEP principle can be of great benefit to your coaching..."

Remember, children love to ’break the game’ and find ways to get success which may go against what you want them to do.

Finally, on to what I would consider part of the real skill of coaching.

While you’re coaching a team, you are actually dealing with a number of individuals, each with their own skills, qualities, motivations, personalities and experiences. Therefore, sessions should cater for individuals.

That girl who doesn’t take practices seriously and messes around? She could just be bored, because she’s not challenged enough - or because you’re doing a session on passing and she’s a dribbler.

This is where the STEP Principle can really benefit you as a coach. You can change the game, practice or activity for individuals, igniting their own individual spark or challenging them at something they do well, while allowing others to practice at their own pace.

In a 3v3 game where you’re working on passing, the task for the team could be to complete three passes before they score - but for your superstar player, it could be to play a split pass between two opponents anytime they can (which comes under ’Task’).

Or it could be that you reduce the size of the area they are playing in to make it harder for them to pass and receive the ball (’Space’).

With practice, the use of the STEP principle can become a great benefit to your coaching.

I would encourage you to consider it when planning sessions, practice and play with different ideas and then reflect on how well they supported individuals within your sessions.