This article is inspired by the DNA Coaching Fundamentals championed by The Football Association (The FA), the governing body of football in England. I was profoundly impressed by its content and felt compelled to share it here.
What are “DNA Coaching Fundamentals”?
The DNA Coaching Fundamentals are a set of 12 core coaching principles that all football coaches in England are expected to adhere to. They serve as a foundational commitment for anyone involved in coaching the sport.
The FA emphasizes that these principles provide a consistent framework for designing and delivering all coaching sessions across England:
“The DNA coaching fundamentals will provide a consistent framework for the design and delivery of all England coaching sessions. All England training sessions are designed around the following core principles:”
The 12 DNA Coaching Fundamentals
Here is a closer look at the 12 core coaching principles.
< DNA COACHING FUNDAMENTALS >
- USE A POSITIVE AND ENTHUSIASTIC MANNER WITH PLAYERS AT ALL TIMES
- DELIVER REALISTIC GAME-RELATED PRACTICES
- USE GAMES WHENEVER POSSIBLE IN TRAINING
- DEVELOP PRACTICES THAT ENABLE THE PLAYERS TO MAKE LOTS OF DECISIONS
- CONNECT WITH THE GROUP BEFORE THE SESSION OUTLINING THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
- CONNECT, ACTIVATE, DEMONSTRATE AND CONSOLIDATE IN EVERY SESSION
- VALUE AND WORK EQUALLY ACROSS THE FA FOUR CORNER MODEL
- SPEND EQUAL TIME DELIVERING, PLANNING AND REVIEWING
- INCLUDE ELEMENTS OF TRANSITION IN ALL PRACTICES AND SESSIONS WHERE POSSIBLE
- USE A CAROUSEL APPROACH TO PRACTICE DESIGN AND AIM TO MAXIMISE PLAYING TIME
- USE VARIED COACHING STYLES BASED ON THE NEEDS OF THE GROUP
- AIM FOR A MINIMUM OF 70% BALL ROLLING TIME IN ALL SESSIONS
Note on Terminology:
- FA (The Football Association): England’s national governing body for football.
- The FA’s 4 Corner Model: A framework for holistically understanding player development. It views development from four perspectives (Corners): Technical, Physical, Mental, and Social. Crucially, it posits that these elements are not independent but are deeply interconnected and mutually interactive—a key concept for effective Youth Development (LTAD).
A Guideline for the Future of Coaching
Reading through the DNA Coaching Fundamentals instilled in me a sense of awe and profound respect. It is easy to imagine the immense process required to distill countless coaching variables down to these 12 concise principles.
It took the commitment of numerous excellent coaches and experts across various fields, spending vast amounts of time, to forge this list. This resulting framework is essentially a gift—a comprehensive guideline—presented to the coaches responsible for creating the future of English football for the next decade and beyond. This carries an extraordinary weight of responsibility.
Understanding this background makes reading these 12 principles deeply moving. I sincerely hope that the Japanese volleyball community will one day receive a similar “gift” for its coaches.
I aspire to dedicate my life’s work to contributing, even in a small way, to the creation of such a powerful guideline. This systemic approach is vital for the future of Volleyball Coaching and Youth Development globally.
Keywords/Tags:
#DNACoachingFundamentals #FACoaching #VolleyballCoaching #YouthDevelopment #CoachingPrinciples #TacticalTraining #LTAD #SystemThinking #SportsPsychology #CoachingTechniques #FootballAssociation
