Football Coaching Skills: What Makes a Successful Coach?

Coaching Competencies: What Skills Does a Successful Football Coach Need?

Are you curious about the skills required to be a successful football coach? We spoke with Samuel Horozovic, an A-License holder and senior coach, who shared many details about his path to success at the young age of 26.

spized | Football

August 28, 2024 |

Whats’ on this page

1. Football Coaching Competencies: What Matters Most?

2. Samuel Horozovic: Head Coach at 26 in the Regionalliga Südwest

3. Young Football Coaches in Senior Football – No Longer a Rarity

4. Bringing Organization and Structure to Training Work

5. Communication: "You're Much Closer to the Players Now."

6. Talks and Coaching: "At Some Point, You Can't Hear the Coach’s Voice Anymore"

7. A Lot of Individual Coaching During Training

8. Self-Reflection: "Criticizing Yourself Is Important"

9. Technical Know-How: Establishing Play Principles and Learning Through Observation

10. "Observations Make You a Really Good Coach"

Football Coaching Competencies: What Matters Most?

In the past, being a football coach was largely defined by one's experience as a former player. Those who excelled on the field could often lead both youth and adult teams to success. However, the role of a coach has evolved significantly, becoming far more multifaceted and demanding. What skills does a modern football coach need? What makes a good coach today? A-License holder and senior coach in competitive amateur football, Samuel Horozovic, offers insights into contemporary coaching practices and explains what is most important for coaches.

Samuel Horozovic: Head Coach at 26 in the Regionalliga Südwest

In the second half of the 2023/24 season, the management of TSV Schott Mainz promoted their current U19 coach, Samuel Horozovic, making him the youngest coach in Germany's top four leagues at the time. "It was quite spectacular," Samuel recalls, as he was pulled out of an U19 training session after returning from his brother's first Youth League match (U19 Mainz 05) in Maribor, Slovenia, the day before. "I didn’t hesitate for a moment and immediately said yes. To get the opportunity to coach in the Regionalliga at 26 is something special," says the A-License holder. Samuel played through all the youth levels at Schott Mainz before becoming a coach at the age of 15. It all began with a talented U8 team that lacked a coach, where his younger brother played. From there, Samuel’s coaching career took off: he continued coaching his brother’s age group for several years, became a youth coordinator at the foundational level, and simultaneously served as an assistant coach for the U17s. Later, he interned with the senior team, advanced to youth coordinator at the developmental level, and eventually became head coach of the U19s. This exceptional internal progression has now culminated in his role with the club's most prominent team.

Young Football Coaches in Senior Football – No Longer a Rarity

Bringing Organization and Structure to Training Work

Organized and structured training may sound simple, but in practice, good organization is a crucial tenet of a successful coach. "The higher you play, the larger the staff becomes. In the U19s, I had nine people around me – in the first team, we’re now 15," Samuel reports. Structuring this team, delegating effectively, and ensuring no one is overlooked are critical, he says. In professional leagues, assistant coaches often lead several training sessions each week while the head coach engages in discussions with other stakeholders (e.g., board members, players, physiotherapists, doctors, or sponsors). In England, coaches are rightly called "managers."

For a long time, coaching teams in competitive amateur football consisted of a head coach – responsible for nearly all sporting tasks – and an assistant coach, who usually took on supportive roles. Samuel experienced something similar: "When I was a player in the U19s, we had two coaches on the team. But with more coaches, you can train in smaller groups much better and more intensely." Training also consumes a lot of energy, Samuel continues. "If you coach and decide everything, you eventually run out of energy." Moreover, all coaches have their strengths and weaknesses – no single coach can bring all the necessary competencies to a team. Therefore, it’s important to assemble the right coaching team and invest in the staff, says Samuel.

Communication: "You're Much Closer to the Players Now."

In practice, many coaches face the challenge of building healthy communication with their players. Some coaches keep players on a short leash and maintain distance to ensure mutual respect. Samuel takes a different approach: "You’re much closer to the players now than before." "The distance between coach and team is something from the past." Additionally, the players in Samuel’s team are also involved in the sporting decisions. While the final decisions always rest with the coaches, there is more freedom in sporting matters than in the past. Samuel recalls contrary experiences from his playing career, which felt like "the coaches had a joystick in hand," dictating the direction of play. The Mainz coach allows his players more freedom in training, promoting better game flow. Overall, the frequency and intensity of player discussions have increased – but Samuel is not referring to long meetings, but rather regular small talk. "You can achieve a lot with brief conversations after training or during breaks. It’s important not to take everything too seriously and to approach things with humor sometimes."

Talks and Coaching: "At Some Point, You Can't Hear the Coach’s Voice Anymore"

Whether in training, before a game, or during analysis, every coach knows the feeling of needing to say a lot. Often, these talks or coaching points in training turn into lengthy speeches that eventually bore the players. "Standing in the locker room for 20-30 minutes or a 40-minute video analysis is simply too long," says Samuel. Therefore, it’s important to keep introducing new elements to maintain attention spans. Visual aids like images and videos can help, but so can a well-timed bit of humor. The key is that matchday routines are generally always the same: you meet, change, play the game, and go home. The coach’s job is to create new stimuli every week and explain why this game is special. "My talks never last longer than 10 minutes. The boys need a few concise points that matter to me, and then I announce the lineup." Everything else is communicated in short one-on-one conversations. Samuel takes a similar approach during training sessions: "I’m someone who doesn’t stop the drills much and lets things run synchronously."

A Lot of Individual Coaching During Training

During training sessions, Samuel avoids lengthy team talks: "If there are breaks between drills, I don’t talk for two minutes straight. I think it’s important for the players to have a mental break and catch their breath." Instead, he prefers to coach individually and approach players directly. Of course, the assistant coaches also engage in individual coaching with players or specific parts of the team. This selective correction is much more effective and goal-oriented. Additionally, the 26-year-old Mainz coach always focuses on positive coaching points. A natural psychological effect plays a key role here: "When a coach praises, those actions are repeated more often. But if you only criticize negatively, you don’t get that effect." Of course, an ambitious team can’t completely avoid negative criticism. This principle is more about a fundamental coaching approach that shapes daily work with the team. Samuel also applies this approach to his video analyses: he mostly shows positive scenes that the players should continue to replicate. "This sticks better than criticism," says Samuel. And if a coach can’t avoid negative criticism, it should be reinforced with positive content. This way, players remain aware of their strengths and can call on them more effectively during competition.

Self-Reflection: "Criticizing Yourself Is Important"

Coaches are accustomed to observing and evaluating many players several times a week. Based on these observations, they make decisions about the starting lineup, basic formation, and tactical approach. When things go wrong in training or matches, many coaches solely blame the players. The coach’s own methods, the chosen drills in training, the instructions, and the way content is conveyed are often not questioned. Samuel is highly self-reflective and tries to improve himself after every training session: "As a coach, you shouldn’t just conduct the training and check it off. It’s enough to consider which drills were good and which weren’t. Criticizing yourself and thinking about what you can do better is important."

Samuel even goes a step further by recording his talks and consulting a rhetoric expert. This helps develop a better sense of where improvements can be made. During winter feedback sessions, "Samu" also seeks input from his players: "What would you have done if you were the coach?" is one of the key questions. It’s important that the player starts thinking from a coach’s perspective and doesn’t feel like they’re attacking the coach. This is an excellent method for developing a coach’s personality and continuing their growth.

Technical Know-How: Establishing Play Principles and Learning Through Observation

Reflecting, communicating, organizing, and coaching are soft skills that are becoming increasingly important for coaches. Of course, coaches can’t do without technical expertise. It’s also crucial for players and teams to have a coordinated sporting approach implemented, which ultimately determines success or failure. Samuel agrees: "At the club, we always talk about offensive and defensive play principles. I always want to play out from the back. The word ‘play’ for me indicates ‘play and go,’ the courage to dribble in 1v1 situations, and taking risks." However, it’s important to give players creative freedom and not dictate every single play. The coach from Schott Mainz further explains that these play principles exist across the club and are independent of the chosen formation.

But how do coaches acquire technical know-how? And how do you stay up-to-date in a dynamic sports world? One way is through the various licenses and courses offered by the DFB or regional associations. "The licenses are good for the basics and the framework in each age group and league." Beyond that, Samuel found that interacting with other coaches and clubs was a very valuable experience: "For me, the exchange between coaches during the license courses was very valuable. You could learn how other clubs operate and what they do."

"Observations Make You a Really Good Coach"

Observing other clubs offers deep insights into their work and routines. Coaches can analyze both the sporting and non-sporting approaches as outsiders, exchange ideas with the coaching team, and take valuable lessons back to their own teams. "In January, I observed the A- and B-Junior teams at FC Bayern Munich and later also spent time at Mainz 05," Samuel shares. Coaches can take valuable insights and apply them to their own teams. The host club can also benefit from the observer’s feedback: "We had a coach from Bayreuth with us, and I was interested in how he perceived our talks and training," says Samu. The license courses provide a solid foundation but don’t guarantee long-term success. "Observations ultimately make you a good coach, which I highly recommend," says the young coach.