Shouting From The Sidelines

By Luke TowningParenting Kids & Family

Shouting From The Sidelines episodes

March 01, 2024 #34 Nurturing Football Passion: The Fine Line Between Parental Support & Obsession
As parents, we want nothing but the best for our children, especially when it comes to their interests and passions.
But in the world of youth football, how do we strike the right balance between nurturing our kids' love for the game and inadvertently pressuring them to excel?
In this insightful video, we delve into the delicate balance of fostering football passion in children without overwhelming them with parental expectations.
Discover practical tips and strategies for creating a supportive environment where children can develop a genuine obsession for football on their terms so it is them, not us, who are obsessed.

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 - https://www.foot-techacademy.co.uk/football-sessions

2-4 year old (pre-school football)- https://www.foot-techacademy.co.uk/3-4-year-old-football-training

121 football coaching - https://www.foot-techacademy.co.uk/1-2-1-coaching

School holiday camps - https://www.foot-techacademy.co.uk/school-holidays
31 min
February 16, 2024 #33 Tips for Coaching Mixed Abilities
How to coach mixed-abilities - a question we get asked a lot.
Coaching football is hard enough but when you need to balance different ability levels it becomes even harder!
We have a lot of experience of this at Foot-Tech as we welcome all abilities and often times we have children who are late to football, which can make things even trickier.
In this episode we go through some of our best tips for coaching mixed ability football training sessions.
Some are obvious, some are maybe ones you haven't thought about.
Always keen to get the views of others so please do share your ideas.
Parents, if you have a beginner player and you're worried about how to get them involved in football training because you feel they'll be too far behind...
Speak to us about how we can help.
Find more details out about our football coaching school by visiting our website:
https://foot-techacademy.co.uk
23 min
January 29, 2024 #32 How To Coach The Fundamentals (Properly)
Are you a coach who still teaches dribbling, passing etc in isolation?
i.e. without defenders on in a game-situation?
Are you a parent who watches their child's football training sessions and sees nothing but kids dribbling around cones or passing in two's?
It has long being believed that we need to teach young players 'skills', 'the fundamentals' before we can put them into a match.
But there isn't any research or evidence to say this is the best way.
There is, however, loads of research into how the fundamentals can be developed in a way that actually makes kids better at football.
In this episode we look at that and explain the best way for children of all ages to be taught the basics and how it is time for more coaches (and parents) to see a better way of training junior footballers.
Credit to Rob Gray for loads of information on this area. You can listen to the episode of his podcast discussing the study here:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/58qIslhHeSajj0b1OSoH1j?si=XlK1o8QYTRSrLHuZmweP3A
Join our football classes in Leeds:
5-14 year olds - https://www.foot-techacademy.co.uk/football-sessions
2-4 year old (pre-school football)- https://www.foot-techacademy.co.uk/3-4-year-old-football-training
121 football coaching - https://www.foot-techacademy.co.uk/1-2-1-coaching
School holiday camps - https://www.foot-techacademy.co.uk/school-holidays
23 min
December 11, 2023#31 Lessons for Every Football Parent - a chat with ex-pro Luke Lyons
Imagine playing professional football then having it all taken away in one moment.

Luke Lyons went from grassroots football to academy through to professional.

As as a youngster he was highly regarded at Leeds United and was part of the league-winning u18 side that had many players who have since gone onto big things in professional football.

He eventually played professional for Airdrieonians FC in the Scottish Championship after a short stint with Bradford Park Avenue.

Unfortunately, he had it cruelly taken away from him due to injury and is now coaching the next generation with his time split between coaching at Foot-Tech, Leeds United and Notre Dame College.

He sits down with us to tell his story of all the ups and downs along the way.

We discuss:
Why junior footballers DO NOT need to be in academies at 5 years old to make it (he is proof of this)
Why joining a grassroots team later in Primary School actually helped him
How playing street football (even when in the academy system) massively helped his development
What he wishes he’d have done differently when playing for Leeds United Academy
The difference he sees with high-level grassroots footballers compared to academy kids
How his parents helped and supported him (plus advice to current football parents)
What he learnt from playing against Jude Bellingham
The way he sees football going in the future and how we need to develop kids for the future game

And much much more.

This was such a great chat and there’s loads for parents to take away from it.

We hope you enjoy listening.
1 hr 19 min
October 16, 2023 #30 Help! My Child Won't Tackle
Easily one of the most common things parents ask us - how can I get my child to tackle?
It’s a tough thing to coach in football terms.
It can come down to mindset and mentality BUT the good news is there is something parents and coaches can do to help youth players.
It’s a little tip that can also be applied to many other areas in football, not just tackling.
Have a listen and comment with any questions.
8 min
August 18, 2023 #29 Our 2 Big Worries for Todays Kids
We've learnt a lot about child development and parenting in almost a decade of running Foot-Tech.

And we've learnt so much over the last 12 months when we've been going into primary schools to deliver PE.

It's been an eye-opener to see some general changes in children which we think are a concern for them now and most certainly in the future.

Listen to find out our 2 biggest worries and what parents can do to help.
20 min
July 26, 2023 #28 Why Kids Need to Play Multiple Positions
So many youth footballers are made to play in 1 position which they are then led to believe is 'their' position.
Young players miss out on so much football development as a result.
Playing in multiple positions helps improve players technically and tactically.
Whether you're a coach or a parent listen to find out why this simple thing is so good for the individual player and the team as a whole.
18 min
May 25, 2023 #27 Does My Child Need To Be In a Team?
A question we get asked a lot - does my child need to be in a football team?
A lot of parents are worried that if they can't get their child into a team then it may hamper their development or they may feel they aren't giving their child the best opportunity to progress.
This episode explains why you DO NOT need to worry so long as you're ticking a few other boxes in terms of the things you are providing them with.
We look at how, in some cases, joining a team could be detrimental to their enjoyment and development.
And we also discuss what to watch out for when joining a team.
35 min
May 12, 2023 #26 Is Winning All the Time a Good Thing for Kids?
In this episode we discuss why winning all the time might not be the best thing for children in football.
There’s a fine line between winning as a team and improving as an individual football player.

We discuss some of the red-flags to watch out for when picking a team/coach for your player and what might actually be a better option for their development.
A must-listen for sport parents.

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
12 min
April 04, 2023 #25 Four Tips to Boost Your Child's Football Ability
Looking to help your child become a more confident with their football?
In this episode, we'll share four expert tips to help kids of all ages and skill levels improve their game.
Listen to understand more about some really simple, easy to do things that we've found to help children improve not just for football but their overall fundamental movement and confidence.
For any more advice just drop us a message and don't forget to subscribe to the show.
18 min