Coaching in Hong Kong
Our coaching schedule here has ranged from relaxed to busy over the span of our stay.
The soccer school run sessions on Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings as well as a double session on Saturday afternoons. These are the sessions where we have consistently coached throughout our time in HK. In addition to that we also coached in primary schools on Monday afternoons and Saturday mornings as well as coaching at special events in shopping centres, community centres and other random places.
Currently we're fairly busy as we running a summer soccer camp for primary school children alongside our regular sessions. We were also helping out a new Arsenal Soccer School franchise that has started in Macau. Suffice to say we are getting to be better, stronger and more experienced coaches.
The players at the sessions range in age from 2/3 up to 12, however usually we don't work with the youngest kids unless it's a special publicity event such as the ones we ran at Tsuen Wan CityWalk Shopping Centre. As the majority of the players we coach are young, we focus on fun games to keep them engaged and motivated rather than strictly technical drills. Hopefully, the games do encourage the skills needed for football, even if the kids might not realise it.
The attitude of the players here is generally very good. Most are respectful, eager to learn and have fun and listen when asked. Of course, as in any place, you'll get the odd player being cheeky or not following instructions on purpose but that's the job. Also, the nature of the sessions means that on occasion we will get a child who isn't really that interested in football and is only there because their parents thought it would be good for them. Depending on the child this can be a big or small problem, but it's a fun one to try and solve and the satisfaction from making them smile or getting them involved and engaged even though they're using a ball they might hate is fantastic. This is where the fun games I wrote about earlier comes in. From a coach's point of view the games are working on their fundamental movements and basic skills but for the kids it's just a chance to make friends, socialise, be competitive and spend some of their endless energy.
The language barrier here is not too much of an issue. At first we coached with assistant coaches who worked as translators but that stopped pretty early on and it's not been a problem. English is the second language here and most of the children speak at least a little bit, certainly much more than the amount of Cantonese I speak anyway. There are certain sessions, such as when we coach in La Salle primary school, where we can communicate pretty much as we would back in London. The level of spoken English is that high, it's truly impressive. However even if a few of the players don't speak any English it's usual that at least one will and so can act as a point of translation, although obviously demonstrations and any visual aids are key too.
Coaching in Hong Kong is often very hot and very tiring but it's also very rewarding and we've had numerous players and parents offering words of gratitude. Two weeks left now and hopefully the highs continue.