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Is One-to-One Football Coaching Right For You?
- Ashley Lewis
- Jun 27
- 6 min read
If you've ever thought about one-to-one football coaching but weren't quite sure whether it was for you, you're in good company!
It's a question I hear a lot from people enquiring - and the honest answer is that it depends entirely on what you're looking for and where you are in your football journey...
One-to-one football coaching may not be the right fit for absolutely everyone - but for the right person, at the right stage, it can make a difference that group football training simply can't replicate.
This post breaks down who tends to benefit most, and what you might want to consider before deciding - whatever your age, background or current level...
You're New To Football And Don't Know Where To Start
Starting anything new as an adult comes with a particular kind of pressure that doesn't really exist when you're younger - the sense that you should already know what you're doing (or at least be able to keep up)!
Walking into a group session as a complete beginner can feel overwhelming (I've seen it time and time again when I've seen the expressions on new players' faces). Everyone else seems to know the warm-up drills, where to stand, how the session flows etc.
You're focused on not embarrassing yourself rather than actually learning anything (and that's often before a ball has even been kicked)!
One-to-one football coaching removes that pressure entirely...
There's no group to keep up with, no one watching while you figure out your first touch (and no need to pretend you're further along than you are)! You can ask anything, repeat a skill as many times as you need to, and actually enjoy the process of learning something new without any pressures of an audience.
In my experience, this is the environment where real confidence starts to build - quietly, at your own pace, without the noise of a group session getting in the way.
If this sounds like you, take a look at the Beginner Football Coaching page for more on how those sessions are structured.
You're Already Playing But Want To Push On
Plenty of players who come for one-to-one football coaching are already playing regularly - either for a grassroots team, a five-a-side group, or any other format (and that's applicable to people of any age - I've worked with pre-school right the way through to walking football with an elderly group)!
They've reached the point where they know what they want to improve... but can't quite get there in a team environment.
Maybe it's: - A weaker foot that keeps letting you down
- A tendency to rush decisions under pressure
- Lack of confidence in certain situations (e.g. 1v1's)
- Positional awareness
- Movement off the ball
Whatever it is, team training rarely gives you the time or space to isolate a specific weakness and actually work on it properly.
Sessions are built around the group - not the individual, and although there's absolutely nothing wrong with that - it just means that your particular sticking point rarely gets the dedicated attention it needs.
That's exactly where one-to-one football coaching time earns its value - sessions are built entirely around the specific areas that matter to you! with feedback that's direct and relevant to your game rather than a generic plan covering everything broadly and nothing deeply.
You (Or Your Child) Have Additional Needs That Aren't Always Catered For
Standard group or team football sessions (whether that's grassroots football training or group coaching) are designed for the average participant.
They usually move at a set pace, follow a set structure, and can't always adapt quickly enough when someone needs a different approach.
For players with special educational needs or disabilities, that gap between what's on offer and what's actually needed can make football feel inaccessible (even when the desire to play is absolutely there)! It's not a reflection of the player's ability or enthusiasm - it's simply that most group environments aren't built with enough flexibility to accommodate a different way of learning or processing.
One-to-one football coaching changes that... as everything can be adapted e.g. the pace, the communication style, the drills, the way goals are set and progress is measured - around the individual.
There's no rushing to keep up, no noise and confusion of a group environment, and no expectation to fit a mould that was never designed with that player in mind.
If you'd like to find out more about how sessions can be tailored for players with additional needs, the SEN & Inclusive Football Coaching page covers this in more detail.
You're Returning After Time Away From The Game
Whether it's been six months or fifteen years, returning to football after time away brings its own specific challenges (and they're rarely just physical).
Fitness can be rebuilt... and touch and techniques come back quicker than most people expect! What takes longer is the confidence - particularly in a group setting where the fear of looking rusty or out of place can be enough to put people off entirely (sometimes before they've even given it a proper try).
Being a one-to-one personal football trainer, I give you the chance to ease back in without an audience - and without any pressure to be at a certain level before you've had the chance to get there (plus, it's without the added anxiety of wondering what the rest of the group thinks).
The pace of the comeback is set entirely by you... which means you can focus on actually enjoying football again rather than participating and surviving each session that doesn't match your readiness.
It's also worth thinking about the physical side of coming back too... Nutrition plays a bigger role than most people realise (not just in performance, but in how your body feels and recovers during those early weeks back).
If that's something you'd like support with alongside your football coaching, then be sure to take a look at the Sports Nutrition page for more on how that side of things can be built in.
You Learn Better One-to-One
This is something that I feel doesn't get talked about enough...
Some people simply absorb more from individual football coaching than from group or team environments - and that's true (in my experience) regardless of the player ages or ability levels.
In a group session, a coach's attention is split between multiple participants - and feedback from coaches tend to be brief, general, and sometimes easy to miss in the moment when their concentration is on every player taking part.
Mistakes or development areas get addressed and practiced quickly - and then the session moves on (which doesn't leave much room for the kind of clear, patient explanation that actually helps something click).
If you're someone who benefits from direct, personalised feedback - who wants to understand the why behind something and not just be shown it once and expected to copy it, then one-to-one football coaching is likely to suit the way you naturally learn far better than a group ever will (and once things start to click in that environment, they tend to carry over into team football quickly).
For more on the coaching approach behind my football coaching sessions and how they're run, the About page gives a fuller picture of my philosophy and where it comes from...
So, Is One to One Football Coaching Right For You?
If any of the above resonates - whether you're brand new to football, returning after time away, playing regularly and looking to improve something specific, have additional needs that group sessions haven't been able to accommodate or simply learn better with individual attention - then one-to-one football coaching is worth considering seriously.
It's not about being a certain standard or having a perfectly formed goal in mind... It's about having a space where your development actually gets the focus it deserves, at a pace and in an environment built entirely around you.
If you'd like to hear from players who've already taken that step and see what they've experienced first-hand, you can read their stories on the Testimonials page - which also contains my Google Reviews there too for further trust and peace of mind.
If you're still not sure whether it's the right fit, then the best starting point is a free 15-minute video call with me.
There's never any pressure - and no need for any commitment... just a conversation about what you're looking for and whether one-to-one football coaching makes sense for where you are right now.
Book a Free 15-Minute Call by clicking the button below!
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