What Coaching Points to Give: A Guide for New Coaches

A drill is just an activity until you add coaching points — the advice that actually helps players improve. For a new coach, knowing what to say and when is the part that feels hardest. Here's how to give coaching points that make a real difference.

What a coaching point actually is

A coaching point is a short, specific piece of advice that helps a player do something better. Not 'well done' or 'try harder', but 'head up before you pass' or 'take your touch away from the defender'. It's specific, it's actionable, and it targets one thing. Good coaching points are what turn practice into improvement.

Know two or three per activity

You don't need twenty coaching points — you need two or three good ones for each drill. For passing: 'pass to their feet', 'head up first', 'move after you pass'. For dribbling: 'close control', 'head up', 'change of pace'. Learn a handful for each theme and you'll always have something useful to say. Manuals list these for you, which is a huge help when you're starting out.

Watch for the right things

Knowing what to watch for is half of coaching. In a passing drill, watch whether players look up before they receive, whether their weight of pass is right, whether they move after passing. Once you know the two or three things to look for, you'll spot them instantly and know exactly what to coach.

Coach in the moment, briefly

The best coaching happens during the activity, not in long stoppages. A quick word as a player passes — 'great, head up next time' — lands far better than stopping the whole group. Keep your coaching points short and in the flow of the game. If you need to stop everyone, do it rarely and make it count.

Be positive and specific

Frame coaching points positively and specifically. Instead of 'that was a bad pass', try 'good idea — next time pass it to their feet'. Players respond to encouragement far better than criticism, and specific advice they can act on far better than vague frustration. Praise the effort, then add the coaching point.

Ask questions, don't just tell

A powerful technique: ask rather than tell. 'Where was the space there?' or 'What could you have done differently?' makes players think and learn for themselves, which sticks far better than being told. You don't need all the answers — good questions make you a good coach.

Let the manuals guide you

If you're unsure what to coach, you don't have to guess. DRILLPITCH manuals give you the exact coaching points for every drill — what to say and what to watch for — so even as a complete beginner you deliver real, professional-level coaching.

New to coaching? The DRILLPITCH Coaching Academy gives you ready-to-run sessions, coaching points and a planner to take you from your first session to match day.

DRILLPITCH covers football and soccer coaching for coaches worldwide, whichever term you use for the game.