The Rising Ball: football and cricket coaching blog

THE RISING BALL

DEVELOPING AMAZING PEOPLE THROUGH SPORTS COACHING

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LEADING THINKING

Two footballers looking around (or "scanning") during a football match

Scanning: the key to Gündoğan and Ødegaard’s success

Football is a game that demands players look around the pitch constantly. Ilkay Gündoğan and Martin Ødegaard show us how it should be done.

Harry Redknapp and Peter Crouch: a father’s job?

That Peter Crouch Movie raises interesting questions about the overlaps between a parent’s role and that of a football coach in a young person’s life.

A Yorkshire County Cricket Club slip cordon fielding in a 2nd XI match at York

Ben Stokes, “Bazball” and focusing on the right problems

Criticism of England’s Edgbaston Ashes declaration misses a wider point about the purpose of strategy and tactics – in cricket and other sports.

Manchester City v Sevilla in the Champions League at the Etihad Stadium. Sevilla are in possession; Manchester City are ready to press.

Guardiola’s tactical versatility: 5 ways to develop it

Manchester City’s players are tactically versatile. They switch between shapes and playing styles at will. Your football team can too, with these 5 principles.

A goalkeeper saving the ball at football training

Keeper Kane shows why all kids should learn goalkeeping

Read my top six reasons why every child should learn the goalkeeper role and take a turn playing in goal during foundation phase football matches.

Boys playing beach soccer in Bridlington, England

Head to the beach to play like Zico, Le Tiss or Cantona

Beach soccer is a lot of fun for footballers. It may not be football as we want to coach it - but playing on sand can help player development massively.

Footballers in a coaching session playing soccer

Could AI replace Graham Potter?

Should football coaches worry about artificial intelligence's potential to replace them on the training ground or the touchline?

A dartboard with two darts in the 5 and one dart in the 20. All three are near the treble 20 but their combined score is just 30.

Focus on performance – not outcome

It's critical to keep doing the right things, in darts and other sports. Stop worrying about the score and focus on the process and the performance instead.

Five essentials young players MUST learn

The top five skills and techniques I think are fundamental for developing good young footballers. What do you think should be on the list?

Young cricketers hitting the ball in the nets

Nets and the driving range: shooting hoops with no hoop?

Mindlessly hitting cricket shots in the nets or golf shots on the driving range adds little to potential game performance. We need purpose to our practise.

Can you coach creativity? (The answer is “yes”)

Research in both business and sporting contexts agrees that creativity can be coached and that there are many benefits to gain from helping people develop it.

Young futsal players playing a futsal game

Why futsal should be part of your grassroots football coaching

What can grassroots football coaches take from the game of futsal to develop their players? Here are our top five reasons.

Matt Bennett overseeing a football training activity

Welcome to The Rising Ball

“Work hard to get good. Then work harder to get better.”
JOSE MOURINHO

My name’s Matt. I’m an FA Level 2 football coach and ECB Level 2 cricket coach. I manage one son’s grassroots football team and the other’s junior cricket team. I’m currently club development officer at the same Yorkshire Premier League North cricket club. My previous football roles have included coaching at a Leeds United FC Academy Development Centre.

By day I’m a manager in the public sector, with an MBA in senior leadership and a background in customer-focused communications.

I don’t find any of it easy, but I keep on plugging away at it. People say I can overthink things – and this blog probably proves them right.

Learn more about my thoughts on junior football coaching, my cricket coaching and how I believe sport is a brilliant way to develop leadership skills in young people.