“It's not the coach's job to decide, through selection, who is going to be good.

Denmark is known for its amazing junior work. They regularly bring out great talents. At the same time, it's not just topping what Danske Håndboldförbund (DHF) is keen on. According to Claus Hansen, it is important that all children experience mastery of all trainings. But how is it differentiated in children's sports in Denmark?

In terms of differentiation, DHF has no clear definition on the term. But they do have some guidelines that Claus Hansen mentions:

• The association wants coaches to emphasize that children should be neither the best nor the worst at training.
• They use the 25/50/25 model. That is, the children should complete 25% of the training with someone with a slightly higher skill level, 50% of the training with players of the same level, and the last 25% with players with a lower skill level.
• Be observant of “false sense of mastery”. Too high a level compared to the others can seem inhibiting.

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“The worst players demand the most.

I presented Claus with the following statement: “The worst players demand the most”. And Claus clearly agreed.

“The children with the lowest skills demand the most, but often it is the case that they get the least. It takes more energy and preparation to train children with low skill levels. Unfortunately, it is often the “worst” who are coached by the “worst” coaches.”

Claus's clear view is that new players should be coached by the best coach. This can lead to a quicker and more long-term entry into the handball. We have too many cases of children starting in August and ending in December.

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Instead of selection, we need to identify.

Hansen also believes that instead of selection, one should identify. It should be the child's inner “drive” and interest that should determine how much the child should exercise. He wants the children to make the choices themselves, whether they want to exercise once or three times a week. When identifying and not selecting, coaches will have less focus on who is the best right now. By looking at the current level, one often overlooks the opportunity to see who can flourish over time.

Claus Hansen is clear on what the coach's focus in children's sports should be:

“It's not the coach's job to decide, through selection, who is going to be good. The children will choose for themselves. Unfortunately, often the opposite happens. The coach chooses a first team with the best players who train more than the others. Here the coach has made the choice FOR the children.”

This leads to dropout, not because of the children's choice, but on the basis of a choice we adults have made. Focusing on children's individual development, rather than a coach who selects too early, may be a key to less dropouts.

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We look forward to discussing more re-differentiation next week.
Handball greetings, Bjarte Myrhol and the Learn Handball team