Football Training Gear Every Coach Needs
Coaching football is hard work, and regardless of how experienced you are with it, no session is the same without the correct equipment. From being between the sticks to leading the line up-front, correct football training equipment will mimic real game scenarios that will help improve your team. Practice makes perfect.
But with so much out there to constitute what a ‘good’ football coach needs, the market can be a bit of a minefield. Sometimes it is best to stick with the simple solutions, and other times, it’s good to venture out into new modern equipment.
Read on for our top picks on training gear that every football coach should consider having in their locker.
Your Own Club Snoods
Coming into the winter months, you want to make sure your squad is all ready to take on the cold weather and perform at the best of their capability. Investing in custom club equipment not only provides the team with warm, comfortable clothing but also gives you the chance to build the club’s brand and professionalism.
Custom-made snoods are a great affordable piece of clothing that is perfect for any team to keep them warm in the winter season whilst representing the club’s crest and colors. Simply send over your logo and ideas and watch the magic unfold.
Speed Ladders & Hurdles
Football is all about having quick feet and fast reactions. As a coach, these attributes should be one of your key focuses, particularly for younger players.
Speed ladders can be used for footwork drills, short sprints, agility exercises, and so much more. This typically involves players running through the ladders as they lay flat on the grass. You can dictate the number of steps each player should take within the ladder and also increase the speed whilst maintaining the same pattern and rhythm.
Running with small hurdles also gets the players used to jumping over slide tackles without losing their stride.
Shalom Poles
Shalom poles are a brilliant, versatile piece of equipment that can be used for numerous football training exercises. Usually, between 1.5-1.8m in height, shalom poles are fitted with metal spikes at the base allowing for easy planting in the ground.
If you train indoors or on artificial pitches, then you may want to consider weighted poles which stand upright without needing to be pierced into the ground.
Shalom poles offer great development for upper body movement and can be set up in whatever way you wish. They can also be used with or without a ball, so they are great for both kinds of scenarios.
Coloured Bibs
Pretty self-explanatory this one. A training session simply wouldn’t be the same without coloured bibs. Used to distinguish the different training teams without the need for matchday kits, bibs are lightweight, breathable and, most importantly, don’t hinder performance.
Bibs can also be used in other training drills such as ‘catch the tail’, which is a great exercise to get players on their toes and moving.
However, bibs are a breeding ground for bacteria, and if you’ve played football before, you know how smelly they can be. So be a good coach and wash them regularly.
Speed Resistors
This one is for the outfield players, in particular those who need to develop their level of strength for fending off opposing tackles whilst carrying the ball.
Speed resistors are a simple piece of equipment but provide effective results to increase acceleration, anaerobic endurance, lower body power and more.
Depending on the session, players take turns either pulling the strength of another player and the other runs against the load; each turn provides its own benefits.
Net Targets & Rebounders
Increasing the quality of life within training sessions is the best way to keep your players engaged and happy to be there. That’s where equipment like net targets and rebounders come in handy. Net targets allow a fun yet challenging way of improving shooting accuracy by filling the goal with a layer with various holes in it. The holes vary in size and give players the opportunity to aim for a specific area of the goal.
Net targets are particularly effective for practising penalties – which are always good to have in the locker for unexpected circumstances.
But of course, with so much shooting comes plenty of misses and saves. That’s where rebounders come in handy. If a player kicks into a rebounder, it will send it straight back. This is also extremely effective for practising goalkeepers’ reactions by throwing or kicking the ball into a rebounder to create an unnatural bounce.
Final Thoughts
Regardless of your age or ability as a coach, football equipment can be very expensive and depending on how your team is funded, it can be difficult to afford it all. But by picking up the essentials, you are able to get the ball rolling (pardon the pun) and can then start working towards other pieces of equipment as time goes on.
