Tottenham’s John Allpress: how to design challenges, constraints and conditions to meet the needs of individual players

Player | Challenges | John Allpress | 06.01.21

Challenges, constraints and conditions should be tailored to the needs of individual players in order to be effective, says Tottenham Hotspur assistant head of coaching and player development, John Allpress. Getty Images Sport/Catherin Meuller

Learning:

-   Designing challenges, constraints and challenges for individuals

-       Understanding the needs of each individual in your group

-       Supporting learning through ‘action’ reviews

Young players may need similar, but different, constraints, challenges or conditions within the same practice, says Tottenham Hotspur assistant head of coaching and player development, John Allpress.

“'Look for opportunities to play forward as quickly as you can' is different from saying, 'you can't pass backwards’.

“So, in the same practice, you might have different challenges for different players because that's what they need,” explains Allpress, who was instrumental to the design of the FA Youth Awards during his time at the English Football Association between 2000-2016.