Trust becomes automatic only when relationships are real, robust and reflective, Ben says, and that starts with an environment where players can share thoughts, concerns and emotions without fear of a negative response. His on-pitch test is simple: a well connected player passes to an open teammate without hesitation, and every time that pass does not come, the relationship and the trust behind it erode a little. Watch the full masterclass: Off ball skills.
For Ben, character means the good teammate who is coachable and will do anything for the team, and he wants a critical mass of them in a squad. His example is Thomas Briels: left out of the original Tokyo selection, he stayed ready, played seven of the eight games, and threw himself in front of a shot for a deflected goal. That selflessness rubs off on teammates. Watch the full masterclass: Off ball skills.
Character belongs in youth selection at under 15 and under 18, Ben argues, because traits left unaddressed become much harder to correct by under 21. He suggests picking your best 30 on field performance, then actually talking to them, and watching for signs like whether a player chases back, abuses the umpire or ignores the coach’s direction. Between two equally skilled players, the better character gets picked. Watch the full masterclass: Off ball skills.
Self awareness, for Ben, is a player recognising mid-game that things are not going well and choosing to shift behaviour, using time off the ball or a spell in the dugout to regulate before the next involvement. The same applies on the bench: a coach with good self awareness stays calm and balanced, makes better decisions and talks to athletes more effectively. Watch the full masterclass: Off ball skills.
Momentum swings announce themselves, and Ben names two warning signs: the team stops talking, which usually precedes a turnover, and complacency after going a couple of goals up early. Recognition can be trained, he says. Flag momentum shifts when reviewing video, and manipulate small games so one side suddenly finds scoring easier, then watch how the players react. Watch the full masterclass: Off ball skills.
Bishop admits momentum is something his staff are still researching, but he names two warning signs that a swing is coming: the team stops talking, which often comes just before a turnover from a bad pass or a mistrap, and complacency after an early lead. His training suggestion is to rig a game so one team is ahead, then flip the rules to favour the other side and watch how players respond. Watch the full masterclass: Off ball skills.
The best teams are the ones that control the transition moments, Bishop argues, and he breaks down what that takes off the ball: anticipating turnovers, connecting with teammates before the ball arrives, and defenders stepping forward to close space rather than retreating. He also points to an Australian study suggesting elite players sharpen their decision making by watching match video at 1.5 to 2 times normal speed. Watch the full masterclass: Off ball skills.
Asked how to awaken these behaviours in players, Ben starts with selection, picking people who can share experiences, then showing examples the squad relates to, like the Golden State Warriors building a critical mass of high character players. When trust breaks down between two players, he is blunt: it does not get forgotten, so put them in the same room and facilitate the conversation, or bring in someone who can. Watch the full masterclass: Off ball skills.
An unexpected loss without video footage does not rule out a proper debrief, Ben argues. Give an assistant or a hockey-minded parent one job during the game, watching only the defence or only the strikers, then debrief from several perspectives instead of your own view from the dugout. He also questions the premise: go in confident you will win because you will do specific things correctly, not expecting it. Watch the full masterclass: Off ball skills.
Hierarchy is something a coach has to manage deliberately, Ben tells Tim White: know who the alpha dogs are, pull the 400-gamer aside so a 20-gamer can speak in meetings, and hand rookies defined leadership portfolios, such as scouting how other sports do things. Tim adds Shane McLeod’s observation that Belgium’s senior Olympians were happy to let the young ones take on responsibility. Watch the full masterclass: Off ball skills.
Given two or three months before a big event, Ben says relationships and trust take longer than that to build, so with a short runway he would still prioritise technical and tactical work. His alternative costs little: keep half an hour after training to talk, treat a missed pass as a conversation to have right away, and start the process earlier over video calls. Watch the full masterclass: Off ball skills.