In our daily lives we perform tasks in a specific way, or respond to situations which arise, all based on our past experiences. We refer to these experiences and the lessons learned in order to complete a task in front of us in the best way possible to us at that time in our lives. Of course as we gain more experience, we can refer to these lessons to solve the same problem in a different way, ‘at that time’.

Players and coaches (and even officials) are the same. A player has an experience, learns from that experience then has this as a reference the next time something similar appears in the game. I say ‘something’ similar because the game is so variable that the same thing rarely occurs in exactly the same way. For problem solving, players continue to accumulate reference after reference, growing the strength of that reference and connected references together to make larger, more solid references.

Reference coaching is really about presenting relevant lessons for players at appropriate times in their development. Knowing the references, investigating references, and how to present references so players get the most out of instruction or exploration is the challenge. On this site we attempt to share our learnings about Reference Coaching and the link between the many references in the game. The game is based on thinking so we must become reference thinking coaches who then share this thinking with players who then through exploration, questioning and experience, become the reference thinking player who are more equipped (experienced) at solving in game problems.

EPIC is our philosophy. It is within an EPIC environment that you can teach references. Children/players/students must trust the instructor, knowing that this individual will create an ENVIRONMENT where the children/players/students are encouraged to take risks and make mistakes. This is easier to create if the instructor and the program has PATIENCE. It is not about the now, it is about the future individual, the player and the person down the road. The instruction and methodology leads towards INDEPENDENCE. Questions are asked, problems are given, constraints created, so the learner becomes the problem solver. And lastly, but just as important, the instructor and environment in general must be founded on CONSISTENCY. Consistent instruction, consistent methodology, consistent expectations. An instructor cannot ask something or be someone in training, and then turn around on game day and ask something else, or be a different person.

Once this environment is created, the child/player/student is more apt to be open to receiving, knowing they are safe to explore and reach for something new. It is at this time that the benefits of Reference-based Coaching can truly be seen.

What is Reference Based Coaching?

A REFERENCE is an objective concept, an idea, a piece of the game that the coach would like the players to learn. These are not principles like width, depth, penetration, pressure, compactness, balance, which are constructs that do not change around the game. A reference is a piece of knowledge that guides the decision making of the player or group of players. The reference is based on what the player sees and then recognizes in the game.

Coaches will find that references have layers and it is as fun for a coach to peel back these layers as it is for the player to learn more about these layers. For example, an overlap could be presented as a reference; however, it is more easily learned if the player has the references of facing forward (platform) when in possession, dribbling across the front of a first defender (creating space for the overlapping player), and the ability to execute a variety of passes including a reverse pass (all which are technical references or as we will discuss in more detail, ‘Execution References’).

Raymond Verheijen * et al speak to Communication (Team Tactics – How players interact at the team level understanding each other’s actions) being of the highest order, followed by Decision Making (Game Insight), and then the Execution of Decisions (Technique). At the bottom of the order is Fitness (Football Fitness in their terms). Consequently, it is most important that we develop references as close to the top of the hierarchy as possible. 

We focus on a reference, many of which are explained on this site or within our coach development sessions. We have organized the references in a way that they are easily followed by coaches and players of all ages. The Tactical (Decision Making), Technical (Decision Execution) References are outlined on the site and organized in a way to provide clarity for you as instructors and to your instruction. We understand that when planting the seeds of references, we can then nurture them and watch them grow from newly introduced to solid references. Then as the player adds more and more references to who they are as a player, they are able to combine references and recognize in a game when one reference should be used over another.

The Coaching Process

How do you coach? Are you a coach who gives information? One who asks questions? Or one who allows players to discover solutions within the game? Do you set up an activity, tell the players what you want from them then allow them to play whilst you continue to tell them what to do while they play?

Do you set up an activity so that the lessons you want to occur are demonstrated (or not demonstrated) in the activity itself, whilst you first let them play the game as you reflect on the players’ solutions to the problems you created?

The latter is referred to as Situation Coaching (Verheijen, 2019 *). Design an exercise or create a constraint within the game that will demonstrate a level of competence or incompetence. From here you use your reference library (experience) to ask the players questions based on the reference that you are attempting to build.

I had the privilege of attending a course put on by World Football Academy, instructed by Raymond Verheijen in Cardiff, Wales (Football Periodization Mentorship, 2019), and it was in this course where I found more clarity around reference coaching.

This model is similar to many other models of instruction, i.e. Constraint-Led Approach, Critical Thinking, Action Learning or Action Research, where their is a process of presenting not only the task but also the goal to be achieved i.e. dribble across the line, score on the net, score one of multiple goals. In these methods, the instructor/coach presents these and then observes. In Situation Coaching, this problem or design is the situation, then the players demonstrate the level of competence in solving the problem through their play.

To begin the process, a Reference Thinking Coach who has reflected on a potential area of development in order to create this practice Situation. The coach then observes the players’ play and reflects against the specific reference (their focus) during the player’s action. A competence based approach requires first that the leader understands what they would like to see, and is able to assess the level of competence of the individual and of the group.

The process begins with you, the Reference Thinking Coach. Your deep reference understanding is at the center of the process.

As a result of the activity, a coach is able to identify the level of competence of the players around the specific reference.

From the coach’s reflection, the coach uses their references to ask questions of the player and to assist with explanation and demonstration. This is a conscious process where players think about the problem. The objective is that players gain an understanding of the solution. This understanding allows players to play and solve the problem unconsciously while they play. This is what is often referred to as ‘flow’.

The coach then designs the next activity progression. The coach may have set up an activity to examine a single reference and once competence is shown, the coach now overloads (progresses) the players toward the next level of development/growth of that reference. This questioning or direction is Reference Coaching.

Reference Thinking Player … The dream. The ultimate goal is to build references so that the player themselves use their reference library to solve problems and reflect upon their performance and learning.

* Raymond Verheijen (2019), World Football Academy ‘Football Periodization Mentorship’ Course in Cardiff, Wales. Completely recommend courses presented on the World Football Academy / FC Evolution.