Organization is Everything

Organization is everything in a training session. I genuinely believe that.

And I don't mean have your cones in a bag and show up on time. I mean the difference between a session that produces something real and one that's just an hour of activity — is almost always how organized it was.

Let me give you three levels. Because I think about organization in three stages, and I use them every time I'm coaching or teaching coaches.

But before I get into them, here's the number one mistake I see from coaches at every level: they set up the session, they get the players going, and then they start coaching.

That sounds right. It isn't.

The first thing you should do when a session starts is nothing. Step back. Observe. Watch what's actually happening before you say a word. Because what you think is happening and what's actually happening are often two very different things. And if you start coaching a problem that isn't the real problem, you're wasting everyone's time.

Observation is the skill most coaches skip. Don't skip it.

Level one is the basic stuff. Are the cones in a straight line? Does the field look like a game — or does it look like a geometry exercise? Do you have enough balls? Are the goals in the right place? Does every player know what team they're on? Does every player know what to do when they win the ball?

That last one kills more sessions than anything else. You set up the activity, you say "go," the red team wins the ball and just... stops. They look at you. Because you told the blue team what to do, and you forgot to tell the red team. That's a level one fail. And it happens to good coaches all the time.

If you are brand new to coaching, level one is a massive win. Get that right and you're already ahead.

Level two is about whether your players are playing in the right positions for what you're trying to achieve. Is your striker at the top of the formation? Are your wingers wide? Is your center back in the center? Because if you're doing a 4v4 and your striker is drifting central and your winger is chasing the ball in the middle of the park — what exactly are you preparing them for?

Level two is where the dots start connecting. The position in training should be the position in the game. The demand in training should reflect the demand in the game. A 1v1 drill is fine. But can you build it into a 4v4 where there are multiple game-realistic 1v1s happening simultaneously? Now you're getting somewhere.

The tempo matters here too. Do you want them to play fast? Make the field smaller. Do you want them to play slow and purposeful? Give them more space. You are manipulating the environment to get what you want — and that's coaching.

Level three is where it gets really interesting.

Level three is when you're recreating what happened last weekend — or what you expect to happen next weekend. The opponent presses high? Great. Red team, your job is to press like crazy, win the ball high, make the blue team uncomfortable. Blue team — how are you going to break it? That's level three. You're not doing a generic exercise anymore. You're doing your game, with your players, against a problem you actually need to solve.

And here's the thing about level three: most coaches never get there. Not because they don't have the knowledge — but because the organization isn't right. The teams aren't clear, the positions aren't set, the players don't know their roles — and by the time you sort all that out, the session is over.

This is why I always say: run the same session at least twice.

First night — get through level one and level two. Players learn the structure, they learn their positions, they figure out the rules. It might feel slow. That's fine.

Second night — you come back to the exact same session. Now everyone knows what they're doing. Now you can push into level three. Now you can say "red team, press from halfway" and they understand it because the foundation is there. Now you're actually coaching.

By the third session of the same structure? You might feel like a million dollars. Your players are breaking a high press that your real opponent runs. They're doing in training exactly what you need them to do on Saturday. And that connection — training to game, Tuesday to Saturday — that's what makes a coach good.

Organization gives you that. Not the flashy session plan. Not the newest drill. Just getting the basics right, observing what's actually happening, and building up through the levels.

That's it. That's everything.

Heads and Volleys Podcast, Episode 88

@LeeDunneSoccer