How to switch off and forget about coaching

’RECOVERY IS AS IMPORTANT FOR COACHES’“

I used to be that person that wouldn’t switch off, particularly when I was an analyst working through the night.

"You’d play the match and go all the way through the night, ready with your clips and information at 8am the next day.

"People were rolling in [for work] and you’re still in the stadium and haven’t gone home. I’ve definitely been that soldier.

“You would never allow a player to overtrain and work at a level that’s just too much, because if they don’t get enough recovery, they’re not going to be able to perform.

"I have learned that it is really important I build in that little bit of time every day just to switch off or to have a small bit of downtime.

"It’s important for me, as a head coach, to be fresh, to be able to make decisions and to be able to react to situations as they happen, particularly on matchday.

“We had an era where, ’oh, I only had two hours sleep’ was almost worn as a badge of honour. Now, it’s not.

"If someone in my team came to me, be it staff or player, and said ’I’ve only had four hours sleep’, I’d be sending them home. You need people to be fresh, strong and able to perform at their best.

"The recovery process is as important for a coach as it is for the players. We have to keep our brains healthy and our minds fresh.

“I find when I’m too busy, or not getting enough sleep, I forget things. I get brain fog. That’s a great indicator for me personally.

"When I get to that point, that’s a great trigger for me to know I need to chill a little or get an extra couple of hours of sleep.

“I try get seven to eight hours a night, and a little bit of exercise, even if it’s only a half an hour walk, on the treadmill for a little while or into the gym for 20 minutes. I diary that in now because it’s so important.”

LISA FALLON - Former head coach, Galway United & London City Lionesses; former coach, Chelsea Women

 

’START WITH BEING COACH-CENTRED’

"So many coaches are so emotionally-invested, time-invested and energy-invested in their athletes and their practice.

"I am sure we’re all quite time-poor to an extent and spend time planning, staying up late, watching sessions back and doing a lot of work which perhaps players don’t always see.

“For coaches, I think it’s really hard to establish some boundaries sometimes when it’s something you’re passionate about. It’s not always easy to say ’actually, I need time to turn off, reboot and look after myself’.

"We talk a lot about player-centred coaching, which is 100% what I’d advocate, but that maybe
should start with being coach-centred first.

"Have I got enough time in my life to plan properly? Have I got a good balance between work and family and coaching, if coaching isn’t your full time job?

"Let’s face it, if our players were staying up till 1am on the night before a game, watching match footage, we’d probably say ’get to bed early, give yourself some rest and eat well’. How often do we apply those same rules to ourselves?

"If an athlete was going into a big competition on the world stage, you would taper their load down as you get closer to that performance moment. Training would be slightly less intense, you’d work on different things and you’d give them ample rest - a chance for them to be in a good shape, physically and psychologically.

“For coaches, it’s almost the other way around. The closer we get to those performance moments, the more stress we get, the more energy we put in.

"If you’re in a competition over, say, a two or three week period, how are you going to be the best coach you possibly can by the end of it if you haven’t given yourself the right amount of rest and time to look after yourself?

Coach welfare is definitely something that we need to see because it’s really hard for people to separate themselves from the thing they really enjoy the most.”

TOM HARTLEY - Coach programme & pathway manager, UK Coaching Assistant manager, Oxford United Women

 

’IT’S OKAY TO NOT BE 100% EVERY DAY’

“I don’t like to burn out, because to come out from burning out takes a long, long time.

"I learned to know my limits, know when to step back and start taking better care of myself and just turning off everything. Because I noticed that before I was actually really not, and it really emotionally and mentally broke me down.

"I think women need to understand that it’s okay to not be 100% every day, It’s okay to go take care of yourself and sleep in for a couple more hours, and it’s okay to eat a big bowl of pasta with butter and garlic on it.

"I think having that self care available to you when you need it is extremely important. If you’re not happy, if you’re not healthy, if you feel a little bit empty inside, you just got to know to take a step back.

"I believe for a lot of women that is very difficult to understand and to accept, because we are expected to always be at 100%. We’re expected to always have a big smile on our face and we’re expected to always win.

"But that’s not life. You just need to take better care of yourself and love and appreciate all the little milestones and all the big milestones that you do in life.

"I come from a very competitive family so it’s all about big milestones. I’m teaching them that it’s okay doing the little things as well.

"But when you need to take care of yourself, you have to, otherwise, you can’t finish what you want to finish. And if you’re not happy, the work will show that you’re not happy."

KAT KHOSROWYAR -  Former head coach, Iran U19s

 

’I REALLY ENJOYED BEING ABLE TO SWITCH OFF’

“Our sports psychologist has encouraged me to share more coaching responsibility with the staff and incorporate a non-club day into my week.

"It’s difficult at times to get the right balance. If I’m honest, I don’t think I ever truly switch off
during the season - maybe over Christmas. If there’s a break, it’s easier to switch off than if there’s games thick and fast.

“I’ve done some work with our sports psychologist this season, because I did recognise during the Covid-19 break that I really enjoyed being able to just switch off.

"It kind of made me question whether I wanted to come back in, whether my focus would have been fully at it, because I enjoyed the break so much.

"So I spoke with the psychologist - he’s encouraged me to share more coaching responsibility with the staff, incorporating a non-Feds day into my week - or days, if it can be two. It is hard to do it but I do try and get at least one in.

“I like to walk the dog. If I’ve got phone calls I need to make around football, I try and do that while I’m walking the dog.

"It passes the time and then when I get back, I can switch off a little bit. I do enjoy socialising with friends and that does help me switch off a lot.

"I try and make sure I’ve done everything during the week, and then on Saturday, I can just chill out before the Sunday. It doesn’t always happen but I try.”

LEANNE DUFFY - Head coach, Liverpool Feds

 

’REFILL THE CUP AT TIMES’

"It is hard - soccer is such a passionate game and we love it so much, you can never switch off, you’re always thinking about it.

"If you have a great session, you feel good and you’re buzzing in the car - if you have a bad session, you’re annoyed because you feel like you’ve let down your team or your players.

"It’s so difficult to switch off, it’s a really tough one. Even if you take the dog for a walk, you’re still thinking about soccer. I certainly think about it a lot and some of the best coaches do.

"But you also have to switch off, refill the cup at times and really take a step back and think about the process and what you’re trying to achieve.”

WAYNE CLEVERLY -  Coach developer, Canada Soccer; Coach, Canada men’s national futsal team

 

’DECEMBER IS MY BREAK’

"For me personally, football really does consume my life - maybe even more so in Australia as the season, running March to September, is different to the UK where I am originally from.

"I was a football fan long before I was a coach so it’s a 12-month commitment for me.

"I try to take breaks during the day when I’m not evaluating, planning or coaching. This could be in the form of a walk, watching some TV or reading.

"December is my main ’break’. I’m a big fan of Disneyland and Universal Studios and usually fly
to America for a week to 10 days.

"I’m actually back in the UK this Christmas seeing family and friends for the first time since leaving for Australia in 2014."

STEVE GREENWOOD - Coach, University of New South Wales U16s and Sydney Grammar School