Alternative Training Methods

(7 minute read)

I am currently studying for my next coaching qualification, which has meant revisiting the All or Nothing documentaries on Sky - specifically the 2021/22 series following Mikel Arteta and Arsenal F.C.

One particular episode I’ve been rewatching caused a lot of discussion at the time. I’m referring to the scene in which Arteta used speakers to blast the famous Liverpool crowd singing “You’ll Never Walk Alone” while his players worked through what appeared to be a series of passing patterns.

I loved that Arteta was attempting to account for one of the most influential factors in that specific fixture, in which he had reflected upon in his previous games there - the overpowering atmosphere at Anfield, and addressing it in a way that went beyond simply talking about it in a meeting room.

It got me thinking: what other types of unique training approaches like this exist? And how do you measure their impact, aside from qualitative player feedback or perhaps the eventual outcome of the game itself?

Trying to coach as Arteta describes as ‘mental conditioning’ and simulate the unique stimuli of certain matchdays is something I believe can add real value.

Preparing for Matchday Realities

Some more mainstream examples already exist. Many clubs schedule MD-1 (and sometimes MD-2) training sessions at the same time as the upcoming match kick-off, ensuring that players’ bodies and pre-match routines are aligned with the conditions they will experience on game day.

Earlier in my career, I also worked with a team that would adjust the size of the training pitch each week to match the dimensions of the opposition’s pitch. The aim was simple: replicate the spatial realities players would encounter during the match.

All of this is done in pursuit of creating an environment that mirrors a match day as closely as possible, and finding innovative ways to still achieve the technical, tactical and physical goals of our sessions but doing so by making it unique to a certain fixture (the stressors, factors, and emotions) to better prepare players for what they will face.

This really got me thinking about some of the other innovative training methods that exist in creating training variability but potentially fall out of the parimetres of Dr. Wolfgang Schöllhorn’s differential learning principles.

Learning from Other Sports

I recently appeared on the Coaching Culture Podcast, co-hosted by Nate Sanderson and J.P. Nerbun where we discussed crossover learning between basketball and football.

During our conversation, Nate referenced an example from The Shot Doctor, a book by former Chicago Bulls player Steve Kerr.

Kerr describes how his shooting coach, Chip Engelland, prepared him for his specific role on a game day: backup three-point shooter expected to deliver in high-pressure moments late in games.

Rather than following the advice of all his previous shooting coaches sessions by simply repeating hundreds of shots in practice, Engelland designed a far more specific scenario.

During training, Kerr would sit on the bench with his coach reading the newspaper or chatting about everyday topics - even discussing something as mundane as the school run. Then, at completely random moments, Engelland would suddenly call a play. Kerr had to jump up, enter the action immediately, and finish the move with a three-point shot.

Afterwards, they would return to sitting down and reading.

The idea was to replicate the reality of Kerr’s role: sitting for long periods before being required to produce quality immediately, often with only one opportunity.

From a physical standpoint, there are obvious considerations, but Kerr later credited this training with helping him deliver in precisely those moments. As mentioned earlier, other shooting coaches have had him attempt 200 consecutive shots in a session - but Kerr’s role didn’t afford him five or ten warm-up attempts. He had one shot. And it had to be perfect. Engelland had unconventionally designed a session that was relative to the game Kerr would be playing.

This concept reminded me of a recent conversation I had with Freddie Fagg while discussing a new team I am working with. We began discussing a new strategy I had recently implemented to better coach substitutes’ transition during training.

The club was extremely open to experimentation, which led to some great discussions.

Through a mixture of performance data and player feedback, we identified that the team struggled to bring substitutes into the game effectively. Players entering from the bench often found it difficult to immediately adapt to the rhythm and intensity of the match.

During possession-based sessions throughout the training week, we introduced a condition: one player would always be sitting out alongside a sports scientist, remaining engaged but outside the game.

After every minute of the possession exercise, the player off the pitch would randomly tag one player out and enter the game themselves.

Across three blocks of three minutes, this meant nine players cycled in and out of the exercise. Each time they entered, they did so into different momentum, different teammates, different scorelines, and different rhythms. The goal was simple: normalise the experience of entering an already-flowing game. Too early to be conclusive with impact of this, but early signs have been well received by players - particularly after explaining our rationale behind it.

Other unique Training Ideas

After a little more research into the matter, I found a couple other examples that have surfaced over time.

I heard through a contact about a 14v11 training game used by a Football League manager when preparing for a cup match against Manchester City F.C. I never saw this session in person, nor do I fully know the tactical reasoning behind it, but it might have been to simulate the relentless overload and positional challenges that City often create.

Another example I came across during my research involved Diego Simeone of Atlético Madrid, who reportedly had his players complete training sessions barefoot during a training camp. I’ve never had the chance to ask Simeone about the thinking behind this (yet!), but it’s another reminder that coaches sometimes search for very different stimuli to achieve particular outcomes. On the flip side to this, I believe it’s Sean Dyche that ensures players wear their game day boots and shin pads in training as to ‘mimic game day’ and ‘train as you play’.

Even at the non-league level, small details can reflect the same philosophy. When I was coaching earlier in my career, one manager insisted that in every tactical session the opposition team wore the same coloured bibs as our upcoming opponents’ kit. His belief was that players would subconsciously begin recognising and visualising the colours they would encounter on matchday. It’s a small thing - but potentially another meaningful 1%.

Innovation needs Trust

I believe many of these unconventional training strategies tend to emerge once a coach has built trust with their squad. There is definitely a time and place for them, and without player buy-in they could easily be dismissed as gimmicks.

But when implemented thoughtfully, they can add a new layer to how we prepare athletes - particularly when trying to simulate the psychological and situational realities of competition alongside our technical, tactical, social and physical goals.

I’m sure there are many more examples of this kind of unique training taking place behind the scenes in training grounds around the world. If you’ve seen or heard of any unusual training strategies - and especially if there were clear ways of measuring their impact - I’d love to hear about them.

My inbox is open.

Either way, some of these ideas, and the principle of these strategies will definitely be finding their way into my own coaching philosophy.

By Sammy Lander.