As coaches, we know how important communication is on the football field. We often assume that players will naturally improve their communication skills as they gain more experience, but the truth is that communication is a skill that needs to be developed and practiced like any other. In fact, many coaches have noticed that the quality of communication in games has actually been decreasing, even among experienced players.

This is why it’s so important to prioritise communication skills in our training sessions, particularly with younger players. In pressure situations, players need to be able to communicate information quickly and clearly in order to make decisions and execute plays effectively. That’s why I’ve developed a game that focuses specifically on improving communication skills, while also being fun and engaging for players.

The game requires players to work together and rely on each other’s communication skills in order to succeed. It’s a great way to help players develop trust, improve listening skills, and learn how to communicate effectively under pressure. By incorporating communication skills into our training sessions, we can help our players become better teammates and more effective footballers.

Blindfolded Players’ Game

The blindfolded players’ game idea is a fun and challenging activity that will help players develop their communication skills and teamwork.

Here’s how you can set it up:

1. Divide the players into teams of 4-6 players each.
2. Set up a playing area with small goals, cones, and other obstacles, such as benches or chairs, to create a challenging course.
3. Select one player on each team to be the “blindfolded” player. They must wear a blindfold and cannot see anything around them.
4. The other players on the team must guide the blindfolded player through the course using only verbal communication.
5. The team that successfully navigates their blindfolded player through the course and scores the most goals wins.

To make the game more challenging, you can add the following constraints:

1. Limited Communication: Limit the number of players who can communicate with the blindfolded player to just one. This will require the chosen player to be very precise and accurate in their communication.
2. Silence Rule: Remove the blindfold. Prohibit the guiding player from talking, forcing them to rely solely on hand gestures and other nonverbal cues to communicate. The course to be traveled needs to be decided without the knowledge of the player on the ball.
3. Time Pressure: Set a time limit for each team to complete the course, such as 5 minutes. This will require the guiding player to be quick and efficient in their communication.
4. Distractors: Add distracting elements to the course, such as noise, music, or other players moving around. This will require the guiding player to stay focused and clear in their communication.

To make the game more effective at improving communication skills, encourage all players to be succinct and accurate with their information. For example, instead of saying “the goal is on your left, behind the blue cone, near the bench,” the guiding player should say “turn left, go behind the blue cone, and you’ll find the goal.” This will force players to listen carefully and interpret information quickly, which is a key skill in football and other team sports.

Come up with your own variations but the key message is to get the players to understand what they want someone to achieve, find messages (words) that can be delivered to make a change and execute.

During each break get the player who was “blindfolded” to provide feedback on what worked and didn’t work for them, what confused them, what words made no sense, etc. This will improve the communication skills of all but will also allow other team members to start to learn how the receiver processes information and which words make them listen and change.

Give this a go and you may be surprised at the results