Why do children keep making the same “mistakes” in matches even when they seem to know what to do in training?

In this episode, we explore a common frustration for parents and grassroots coaches and explain why the answer is often not a lack of skill.

During games, children aren’t consciously recalling instructions or techniques. Instead, they rely on habits - the behaviours and decisions they’ve repeated most often in their football experiences.

That’s why:

• Players can look confident in training but freeze or play safe in matches

• The same mistakes keep showing up on game day

• Constant instructions from the sidelines rarely lead to better decisions

We discuss:

• How decision-making in football is largely unconscious

• The difference between training performance and match behaviour

• Why habits matter more than instructions

• What parents and coaches can focus on to support better long-term development

This episode is for:

• Parents trying to understand what they’re seeing on match days

• Grassroots coaches looking to improve decision-making without adding pressure

In today’s episode, we dive into three BIG questions from grassroots football parents and coaches.

The kind of issues every junior football team eventually faces.From mixed-ability under-7 teams, to how much football a young kids should do, to handling misbehaviour and lack of focus…we break it all down with honest, experience-based advice.

We start with a dilemma many clubs will recognise: mixed teams vs A/B teams.

When some parents want results, others want development, and friendship groups matter…what’s the right answer?

This question gives a real insight into just how tough coaching at grassroots level can be, especially when volunteers are caught between player needs and parent expectations.

Next, we tackle a huge parent worry: How many football sessions should a young child do?

We discuss enjoyment vs overload, balance, spotting signs of genuine passion, and why parent-led pressure can quickly turn football into a job rather than a joy. This is essential viewing for any parent with a football-mad child.

Finally, we dig into one of the most common coaching challenges: misbehaviour, lack of focus, and keeping players engaged.

We share practical solutions around session design, arrival activities, transitions, behaviour expectations, praise strategies, and communicating with parents.

If you coach primary-age footballers, this part is gold.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE

• Why mixed teams can work and when they start causing problems
• How to manage parent expectations without compromising your ethos
• The real answer to “How much is too much football for a young child?”
• Why enjoyment should guide everything
• Practical behaviour-management tools that work in real sessions
• How to design sessions that reduce messing about and increase engagement

Comment on the episode:

Tell us — what’s the biggest challenge YOU face as a grassroots parent or coach?

Subscribe:

So you don’t miss future episodes supporting football parents and coaches.

Coaching resources:

Visit https://onlinefootballcourses.com/ for ebooks, guides, and practical tools for grassroots coaches.

Join our sessions in Leeds:

Give your child a fun, pressure-free football environment they’ll love. Try a free taster session - https://foot-techacademy.co.uk/

Most parents worry when they see their child getting kicked, pushed, or knocked over in football — and that’s completely normal.

But here’s the part nobody tells you:

Those little bumps and tackles are one of the BEST ways for children to grow confidence, resilience, toughness and real game understanding.

In today’s episode, we break down the physical side of kids’ football…what’s normal…what to ignore…and what actually helps your child long-term.

We talk about:

• Why kids foul each other far more by accident than on purpose
• How to help your child become more confident in tackles
• Why you shouldn’t panic when they hit the floor
• The mindset shift parents NEED to make
• What coaches should (and shouldn’t) be doing
• Why resilience is built through PLAY, not pressure
• How the best players in the world learned to love physical contact
• When you should speak to the coach
• Why entering the pitch is the worst thing a parent can do
• What to do if your child gets fouled all the time
• Why physicality can’t be taught in 1-1 sessions — but CAN be developed elsewhere

Whether your child is shy, timid, super technical, or pushing towards academy level… this episode will help you understand what’s really happening on the pitch and how to support them in the best way possible.

Try a Foot-Tech Session (Leeds) If you want your child to grow confidence, resilience and game understanding in a fun, pressure-free environment… our weekly sessions are perfect.👉 Book a taster session: https://foot-techacademy.co.uk/

Our Football eBooks & Coaching Guides

Grassroots football coaches, want easy-to-use games you can play at home or coaching sessions designed the Foot-Tech way?👉 Browse our eBooks: https://onlinefootballcourses.com/

Tell us in the comments:

What’s your child like with tackles? Confident? Hesitant? Avoids them? Loves them? Anything you/they need help with?

If you enjoyed the episode:

Subscribe to the channel and share this with another football parent or coach.

Thanks for watching.

Just taken over a grassroots football team?

In this episode, we break down 4 practical tips that’ll save you stress, help you connect with your players, and make your first season a success.

From managing parents to keeping sessions fun and simple, this is your survival guide for grassroots football coaching.

Whether you’ve volunteered to coach your child’s team or are just starting your grassroots football journey, this episode will make your life easier, create sessions kids love, and hopefully help you enjoy the ride!

Also, check out our NEW grassroots coaches website - https://onlinefootballcourses.com/

This is a brand new resource for coaches where we'll be providing sessions plans and info which is simple to use and tried and tested by our coaching team.

Our first ebook, The Simple Guide To Coaching Scanning, is available now.

Let us know what you think.

Football isn’t just about skills and goals — it’s about how kids handle the tough moments.

In this episode, we dive into how parents can help their children build resilience when they face setbacks like rejection, injury, or just having a tough game.

We’ll cover:

Why resilience matters for kids in sport and in life

Common challenges young players face (injuries, rejection, mistakes)

Practical things parents can do to support their child’s growth

Simple strategies to help children develop long-term resilience

Resilience is like a muscle — it grows with practice. The more our kids experience little setbacks (with our support), the stronger and more confident they become both on and off the pitch.

If you’re a parent or coach who wants your child to enjoy football, stick with sport long-term, and learn life lessons along the way, this episode is for you.

Don’t forget to like, comment and subscribe if you found this helpful.

Share your own stories about resilience in the comments — we'd love to hear them.

What’s it really like being on both sides of academy football — as a coach and as a parent?

In this episode we sit down with Leroy McIntosh, a former professional academy coach turned academy dad.

Leroy’s journey started at Huddersfield Town before moving into a senior role at Barnsley FC, giving him a front-row seat to the realities of youth development in English football.

Now, he’s living it from the other side of the pitch as a football parent.

His son has spent time at Leeds United, Manchester United, and Manchester City, before signing for Man City Academy U9s.

Leroy joins us to share his unique perspective: the lessons he’s carried over from coaching into parenting, the challenges of academy football, and the advice he’d give to other mums and dads supporting their kids in the system as well as grassroots football in general.

In this episode we discuss:

• What Leroy would change about the academy system
• The key lessons he learnt as a coach that now help him as a football parent
• Practical tips for mums and dads navigating academy and grassroots football

• How to support your child without adding pressure

If you’re a football parent, grassroots coach, or just curious about life inside the academy system, this is an episode you won’t want to miss.

Are you still making kids run laps and do bleep tests to “get fit” for football?

There's a better (and more enjoyable way).

In this video, we break down:

• ​What football fitness actually means for kids
• ​Why long runs and isolated drills don’t work
• ​The science behind children's recovery, VO2 max, and strength development
• ​What coaches and parents should do instead
• ​How to build football-specific fitness through play, games, and decision-making

Whether you're a grassroots football coach or a football parent, this episode will hopefully help you think differently about football for fitness for kids.

No more outdated methods.

Let's create enjoyable, effective football training that actually helps kids develop.

Research papers/further reading:

Manna, I. (2014)Growth, Development and Maturity in Children and Adolescent: Relation to Sports and Physical Activity.

Marta, C. et al. (2013)Determinants of Physical Fitness in Prepubescent Children and Its Training Effects.

Armstrong, N., & Welsman, J. (2020)The Development of Aerobic and Anaerobic Fitness with Reference to Youth Athletes.

Bailey, R. et al. (2012)Participant Development in Sport and Physical Activity: The Impact of Biological Maturation.

Baxter-Jones, A.D.G. et al. (2005)Controlling for Maturation in Pediatric Exercise Science.

Sannicandro, I. et al. (2024)Developing Physical Performance in Youth Soccer: Dynamic–Ecological vs. Traditional Training.

Viru, A. et al. (1999)Critical Periods in the Development of Performance Capacity in Childhood.

Prasad, N. (1996)The Relationship Between Aerobic and Anaerobic Exercise Capacities in Prepubertal Children.

Granacher, U. et al. (2016)Effects of Resistance Training on Muscular Fitness and Athletic Performance in Youth.

Seifert, L. & Davids, K. (2016)Ecological Dynamics: A Theoretical Framework for Understanding Sport Performance.

Is play the missing piece in your child’s football development and overall well-being?

In this episode, we explore why unstructured, free play is crucial for kids—not just for becoming better footballers, but for developing confidence, resilience, creativity, and social skills.

From research-backed insights to real coaching experience in Leeds schools and sessions with toddlers to teen. We cover:

⏱️ What’s inside:

00:00 – Intro: Why play is overlooked in football

01:30 – What unstructured play actually means

03:50 – Football skill benefits backed by research

07:10 – The rise in screen time + decline in movement

10:00 – Tips for coaches: how to build play into sessions

13:00 – Tips for parents: how to encourage play at home

17:00 – Final thoughts: blending play with purpose

If you're a parent or coach who wants their child to fall in love with football, improve their skills naturally, and grow as a human—not just a player—this episode is a must.

Study Credits:-

• Sustainability Journal (2023) on play vs. structure
• Nybakken & Falco (2022) on skill acquisition
• LEGO Foundation on the 6 Cs of development
• Play-Based Learning as a Tool in Enhancing Physical Skill Development of Children: Hafees Tosin Sulyman1,*, Jawad Olayemi Olosunde1, Akeem Opeyemi Raheem2
• The Power of Play: A Pediatric Role in Enhancing Develoment in Young Children: Michael Yogman, MD, FAAP, Andrew Garner, MD, PhD, FAAP, Jeffrey Hutchinson, MD, FAAP, Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, PhD,d Roberta Michnick Golinkoff, PhD,e

“Keep your knee over the ball!”

“Bend your leg!”

“Lock your ankle”

If you’ve ever shouted these phrases from the sideline (or heard a coach do it), this episode will change how you give instructions when coaching football or playing with your child in the garden.

We break down the powerful difference between internal vs external focus — and why telling kids how to move could actually hurt their performance.

You’ll learn:

• Why telling kids what to do with their body parts is often the wrong during youth football
• A quick fix to help kids learn football skills faster
• Practical examples of external focus cues that boost performance
• Metaphors, missions & mindset shifts for playful, purposeful coaching

Whether you're a parent, grassroots coach, or just trying to help your child fall in love with the game, the tips in the episode can really help.

Don’t forget to like, comment & subscribe for more content on child development through football.

Studies:

Influence of attentional focus distance on motor learning of skilled children - Francisco Milton Gonçalves

Pereira Júnior, Giordano Marcio Gatinho Bonuzzi

Effects of Internal, External and Preference of Attentional Focus Feedback Instructions on Learning Soccer“Head Kick” Bülent Okan Miçooğulları and Sadettin Kirazcı, Ömür Serdal Altunsöz 

The Effect of External Focus Distance on Learning Shooting for Beginners Male Soccer Players - Aiman Sarhan

A systematic review of motivational and attentional variables on children’s 2 fundamental movement skill development: The OPTIMAL theory. 3 Thomas Simpson, P. Ellison, E. Carnegie and D. Marchant

Frequent External-Focus Feedback Enhances Motor Learning - Gabriel Wulf

As kids football coaches, we wish we'd known a few things when we first started.

Over the years we've made plenty of mistakes.

In this episode, we're sharing 4 of our biggest coaching mistakes and the lessons we've learnt which make for useful tips for grassroots coaches and football parents.

This honest, practical discussion is perfect for youth football coaches, grassroots soccer volunteers, football parents and anyone involved in coaching kids.

Foot-Tech Academy is a children’s football coaching school in Leeds. 

For more about what we do visit our website - https://www.foot-techacademy.co.uk

Join our football classes in Leeds:

5-14 year olds

2-4 year old (pre-school football)

121 football coaching

School holiday camps