This guide is for coaches and staff of competitive teams, from elite academies to first teams.
Every season, the same thing happens. The team starts polite and a bit shy. A few weeks later there are arguments, cliques and complaints about positions. Many coaches read that as a sign that something has gone wrong. Usually, it’s a sign that things are going exactly as they should.
In 1965, psychologist Bruce Tuckman described four stages that groups go through on their way to becoming effective teams: forming, storming, norming and performing. (In 1977, with Mary Ann Jensen, he added a fifth: adjourning, when the group breaks up.) The model came from research on small groups, not football, but anyone who has coached a season will recognize it immediately.
Knowing which stage your team is in changes what you should do as a coach.
Stage 1: Forming
When: the first weeks of the season, or whenever several new players join.
What you’ll see:
- Players are polite, careful and a bit quiet.
- Old friends stick together; new players stay on the edges.
- Everyone looks to the coach for instructions.
- Few mistakes are pointed out — nobody wants to upset anyone yet.
What the coach should do:
- Give clear structure. Same warm-up routine, clear rules, predictable sessions. Uncertainty makes forming last longer.
- Learn and use names. Get players to use each other’s names in drills (“call the name before you pass”).
- Mix groups on purpose. Don’t let friends always pair up.
- Write team standards together. Ask “What does a great teammate do?” and turn the answers into 3–5 standards.
Stage 2: Storming
When: usually a few weeks in. It can also come back later (more on that below).
What you’ll see:
- Arguments on the pitch, eye-rolling, blaming.
- Complaints about positions, minutes or who takes the free kicks.
- Cliques forming, and players testing the coach’s rules.
- Results may get worse before they get better.
This is the stage coaches fear most, and the one they most often mishandle. Storming is not a failure: it’s the group working out its hierarchy, its roles and its trust. Teams that never storm rarely bond — they just stay polite strangers.
What the coach should do:
- Don’t panic, and don’t avoid it. Address conflicts directly and quickly, before they grow.
- Apply the standards to everyone. This is when players check whether the rules are real. If your best player gets away with something, the standards are gone.
- Talk about roles. Much of the storming is about “Where do I fit?” Explain each player’s role, including the subs.
- Use games that need cooperation. Small-sided games where a goal only counts if everyone touched the ball, or where assists are worth double.
- Name the stage with the squad. “This is normal. Every team goes through this. The question is how we get through it.” Naming it takes the drama out.
Stage 3: Norming
When: after the team has worked through its conflicts — often around the middle of the first half of the season.
What you’ll see:
- Players start to correct each other using the team standards.
- Roles are accepted, even by those who wanted something else.
- More encouragement, fewer complaints.
- The team starts to have its own habits and jokes.
What the coach should do:
- Hand over responsibility gradually. Players lead the warm-up, choose a drill, run the post-game huddle.
- Rotate captains. Leadership spreads when more players get a real job.
- Reinforce what’s working. Praise specific team behaviors: “I loved how you picked each other up after the goal we conceded.”
- Protect the standards. Norming is fragile. One ignored incident can send the group back to storming.
Stage 4: Performing
When: usually the second half of the season, if the earlier stages went well. Some teams never get here.
What you’ll see:
- The team solves problems on its own, even during games.
- Players hold each other accountable without the coach stepping in.
- Communication on the pitch is constant and useful.
- The team stays organized even when you go quiet on the sideline.
What the coach should do:
- Step back. Coach the details; let the players lead the group.
- Raise the challenge. New tactical ideas, tougher opponents, more responsibility.
- Keep an eye on the edges. Even performing teams can leave some players behind — check in with subs and quieter players.
Stage 5: Adjourning
At the end of the season the group breaks up: players are released or sold, move up to the first team, retire or change clubs. It’s worth marking the end on purpose:
- A final session or meeting where each player hears one thing they contributed.
- Asking the team what they’d tell next year’s players.
It sounds small, but it’s what players remember — and it shapes how they arrive at their next team.
Teams don’t move in a straight line
The stages aren’t a one-way ladder. A team can go back to storming at any time. Common triggers:
- New players joining mid-season.
- A losing streak, especially after a good run.
- A change of coach or captain.
- Minutes and selection as competition gets serious.
When it happens, don’t treat it as a disaster. Go back to what worked in the earlier stages: clear structure, direct conversations, the same standards for everyone.
How to tell which stage your team is in
Ask yourself these questions after a week of training:
- Do players mostly look to me for answers? → probably forming.
- Are there frequent conflicts or complaints about roles? → probably storming.
- Do players correct each other using our team standards? → probably norming.
- Does the team solve problems without me? → probably performing.
Frequently asked questions
How long does each stage last? There’s no fixed timing. It depends on how many players are new, how often you train and how conflicts are handled. A team that avoids its conflicts can stay stuck in storming for a whole season.
Does this apply to professional teams? Yes, and often more intensely: high squad turnover, transfer windows and pressure for results mean professional teams can go back to storming several times in one season. The earlier you spot it, the less it costs.
Can I skip storming? Not really, and you shouldn’t try. You can make it shorter and less painful by setting clear standards early and addressing conflicts directly, but a team that never disagrees usually hasn’t built real trust either.