The 2 Things Young Players Really Want and how you can do it with ease

When was the last time you asked your players what they wanted to do at training? If your answer was “never” or “not recently,” don’t worry—you’re not alone. But it might be time to rethink your session design. Because when it comes to coaching young people, two things are consistently at the top of their motivation list:

1. Choice and Challenge

Let’s be real—no one likes being told what to do all the time. Young players thrive when they feel involved. Giving them choice in their training—whether that’s picking a warm-up, selecting what Netball MatchPlay Card to play for their team or if they want to play on the big court or the small court. 

Traditional coaching would say we need to start easy and progress to more challenges. Ask us and we would say 1) You’re only as good as the challenges you’re set and 2) Why do we always have to add and pressure not remove it, meaning start with more challenges in your games (Netball MatchPlay Cards will help)

Players who have ownership of their decisions will be more likely to engage because they have been part of the decision making process. Adults would never work for a both that doesn’t give them choice or challenge, why do we expect players to do the same?

How Netball MatchPlay Cards help:
Netball MatchPlay Cards are divided into 3 game changing categories; team, player and coach challenges. Try letting players pick what team challenge they want to play in the same or invite a certain player to pick a player challenge for themselves, creating a game within a game. 

Need more challenge? Play multiple Netball MatchPlay Cards at the same time, why not set different team challenges for each team and have certain player challenge cards added as well. 

2. Games and Lots of Them

Why do so many sessions save the best bit (games!) For last—or skip them altogether and then wonder why players aren’t engaged? There is a reason players keep asking to play games because you don’t play enough. 

Think about why they joined a netball club in the first place. It wasn’t for shuttle runs and definitely not standing in a line watching others play, it was because they watched the game, loved the energy, and wanted to be part of it. To get better at the game, players need to play the game. That means starting with games, finishing with games, and using them as your main coaching tool. 

Are players learning the game or are they learning the drill? Download our season plan EBOOK of games here. 

How Netball MatchPlay Cards help:
Netball MatchPlay Cards are designed to help you be a game based coach where players learn by doing. Netball MatchPlay Cards use time and score challenges to encourage certain player actions and behaviours through the game, saving you time from having to design a full session. 

Have a session theme or learning outcome? Get started with Netball MatchPlay Cards in 3 steps; Pick them, Add them and Play them. Its coaching made easy!

If you're a coach who wants more motivated players, more smiles, and more learning in every session (good forms of feedback on your coaching)—start with what young people actually want: choice, challenge, and plenty of game time. Netball MatchPlay Cards give you everything you need to make it happen.

• More games. More fun. More learning.
• More players who can’t wait to come back next week.