Lee Fletcher: Content that helped me grow as a coach

As The Coaching Manual's Head of Content, Lee Fletcher is in charge of curating the sessions, guides, and educational content on our platform - creating many pieces himself.

But no man is an island, and during his 15+ years as a coach, working at clubs and academies in the Premier League and La Liga, as well as international soccer school programs, the UEFA A Licence coach has taken inspiration from a number of other experienced coaches along the way.

Lee Fletcher (above)

In this article, he takes some time to talk us through some of the coaches that have inspired him, how they have progressed his understanding of football, and how they have helped shape the content on The Coaching Manual platform.

Learning from those that have gone before us

It is vital that coaches learn from those that have gone before them in order to preserve the fundamental principles of the sport, understand the tried-and-tested 'best practice' of coaching, and how best to communicate it all to their players.

As such, Lee Fletcher draws on his own experience as well as the influence of the many highly-respected coaches he has worked with over the years, in order to communicate invaluable coaching knowledge and information to The Coaching Manual's subscribers and audience.

For example, last week he co-created a guide called 'The A-F of Receiving' - a piece of content from the mind of Manchester United Emerging Talent coach Lee Roberts.

Lee said: "I remember having a conversation with Lee a few months ago about how we can make things simple for players to remember (and the coaches). He told me an idea he had on the A-F of receiving.

"I was fascinated by the language he used and how each step made sense logically and, most importantly, was easy to remember!"

That particular guide is a recent example of Lee's endeavours to continue learning from others, but there are many examples of him soaking up valuable knowledge dating right back to the beginning of his coaching career.

"Paul changed my perspective as a young coach"

Around 15 years ago, Lee was just starting his coaching journey, and was working on a practice with now-USSF A Licence coach Paul Bright.

Lee remembered: "The practice was one I had got from YouTube, as you do when you are new to coaching. It was a set of passing patterns and angles. The questions Paul asked me stuck with me forever: 'Does it look like the game? Does it feel like the game? Does it relate to the game?' 

Paul Bright (above)

"As coaches, if we can answer these questions and explain why they are beneficial to players then we are going some way into improving them. There are three words we have seen in the FA and many other federations and associations around the world: Realistic, Relevant, Repetition."

That realisation became the inspiration behind one of Lee's in-depth guides on The Coaching Manual: The Three Rs.

Lee added: "On that day, Paul changed my perspective as a young coach, and I am glad he did it then, rather it taking me months or years to figure it out."

"I quickly realised I knew nothing"

Around the same time, Lee was working towards his Level 2 qualification with the FA, where he was introduced to course tutor Keith Mayer.

Lee said: "Keith was full of energy and life with a natural enthusiasm for the game and developing the coaches, he blew my mind with his detail and challenged us as a group of coaches. If I am honest, I thought he was bonkers; but in a great way!"

At the time, Lee admitted - like many young coaches - that he thought he 'knew everything'. One of the most important steps any coach can take is admitting they have a lot to learn, and to find the right people to learn from.

Lee said: "The impact Keith has had on my career is immense. All those years ago, as a coach who thought I knew everything, he opened up, challenged and pushed me to be better. I quickly realised I knew nothing. I am still in the process of my journey and nowhere near knowing everything!"

Fast forward to 2020, and the pair's working relationship led to Keith appearing as a guest on The Coaching Manual's webinar series held during the pandemic lockdown. He featured on a webinar called Developing the Player and the Person, which can be viewed on The Coaching Manual here.

Lee added: "I am thankful that I had Keith as my course tutor. This webinar he did for The Coaching Manual in the Covid period helped me assess the relationship I had with my players and how I related to them - the soft skills."

Keith Mayer (right) with his son David

Keith is also the co-author of the fantastic book, Gold Dust: How to Become a More Effective Coach Quickly, with his son David. Part of the proceeds of this publication goes to the Giles Trust in memory of the late Dick Bate.

As much as Lee looks up to Keith as a coach, both Lee and Keith are heavily influenced by former FA Coach Educator Dick Bate - the man who led Keith's first FA-qualified coaching course in the 1980s. In fact, Keith's webinar appearance on The Coaching Manual drew influence from Dick, who passed away in 2018, as he believed in the benefits of developing good people as much as developing good players.

"Martin has opened my eyes"

During his time with The Coaching Manual, Lee has worked with a number of influential coaches, including UEFA Pro Licence tutor Martin Hunter. Lee said: "Martin is one of the best coaches I have seen, and I am privileged to call him a mentor, sharing with me all his knowledge and insight on how to become a better coach that can truly educate players and help them become better at the game.

"He has shown me the importance of working on the triangle of coaching: knowledge, observation, and communication. This is the art of coaching, aside from soft skills.

Martin Hunter (above)

"One thing that I noticed when working with Martin was my coaching position. Where to stand and most importantly why? Martin has opened my eyes to this, maximising my position on the field to be able to improve at relaying information to the players."

Lee worked with Martin to create a guide on this very topic, discusses the different coaching positions and how they can impact a session, a game and even team meetings. You can read it here.

"I've watched this many times over!"

With more than 3,000 pieces of content on The Coaching Manual, it is hard for Lee to pin-point his stand-outs. However, the 2020 Covid webinar series provided an opportunity for everyone to take a step back and listen to the learnings and experiences of our fellow coaches - an opportunity that Lee took full advantage of as the series' host and interviewer.

He said: "One of my favourite pieces of content is Martin Diggle's webinar. One of the highlights was the relevance of practice versus games and how often we used 'game-like' practices to be able to coach the players to become better. Not just learning the practice, but more the relevance of how that applies to games.

"Another key area was the brilliant basics within the training diet. What are the players learning? What are the players practising? Are the players playing within the laws of the game?

"This is a thought-provoking webinar I have watched many times over!"

View the webinar featuring Liverpool FC's Head of Coach Development Martin Diggle here.

"That stuck with me"

Another coach that Lee has worked with on his journey with The Coaching Manual is former Manchester United assistant Head Coach René Meulensteen, who filmed a Masterclass session exclusively for the platform at St George's Park.

Lee said: "René is one of the best coaches I have seen work; passionate, dedicated, and detailed, as well as an open and fabulous person to talk to.

Lee (right) with René Meulensteen

"One of the things that stuck with me was his term 'catapulting the attack'. It took me a while to clearly understand what he meant."

Eventually, Lee would take this moment of learning and develop it into a guide for The Coaching Manual, which you can read here.

Coaching: The infinite game

We are all on a journey of discovery with coaching. No one knows everything there is to know about coaching, and no one ever will. That's the beauty of improving along the way; there's no ceiling or limitations. The most rewarding and beneficial process we can go through is to soak up knowledge from those who have spent years gathering it from others.

Lee said: "Coaching is difficult to navigate and is an infinite game. It is almost impossible to perfect and completely master the art of coaching. This is fine, as the best coaches I have seen have a thirst for learning all the time and want to continue to get better, constantly pushing the boundaries."

You can access all of the content on The Coaching Manual, including sessions, guides, webinars, graphics, and animations by - and inspired by - some of the best coaches in the world, by signing up for a Premium subscription here.